Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 63
October 20, 2015
Broken bones and Broken French
It was this... or a picture of a broken elbow. Read on in today's story column. And for more pictures of our garden, and these citrons and these guavas, join me on Instagram!
TODAY'S WORD:
le nid de poule
: a pothole, or pit in the road's surface
Un nid de poule literally means "hen's nest"
WHERE TO RENT IN FRANCE? Special thanks to our longtime sponsors--Marilyn, David, and Marianne--who have been a great support to my newsletter! See their French homes, below:
October 13, 2015
To Get One's Money's Worth, in French + Downton Abbey
Join us for tomorrow's (October 14th) winetasting at 3pm. Or meet us October 19th.We would love to see you here, near Bandol! Email your confirmation to jm.espinasse@gmail.com (Thanks, Nick and Jill Cook, for this photo!)
TODAY'S EXPRESSION
"To get one's money's worth"
: en avoir pour son argent
Mas de Perdrix. A home in France that artists and writers love to rent. Work on your creative project in this inspiring environment.
ECOUTEZ/LISTEN
H...
October 5, 2015
A rare tornado in France over the weekend!
A tornado on the outskirts of our village! (filmed by firefighter John Liqr (c) photo copyright /Facebook)
TODAY'S WORD: une trombe
: whirlwind, waterspout, torrent
démarrer en trombe = to hurtle off, leave in a whirlwind
en trombe = at full throttle
des trombes d'eau = a downpour
WHERE TO RENT IN FRANCE? Special thanks to our longtime sponsors--Marilyn, David, and Marianne--who have been a great support to my newsletter! See their French homes, below:
October 2, 2015
Betise: Our naughty visitors
Join us for tomorrow's wine tasting here near Bandol. If it's raining, we will sit around our kitchen table, warmed by the fire. Reserve your cozy seat at jm.espinasse@gmail.com
TODAY'S WORD: une betise
: a silly, foolish thing
dire des bêtises = to talk nonsense
faire une bêtise = to make a silly mistake
ECOUTEZ/LISTEN
Hear Jean-Marc pronounce these French words
Download MP3 or Wav
Arrêtez de faire des bêtises et mettez-vous au travail!
Quit being silly...
September 29, 2015
Yeast in French... and in wine + next Bandol winetastings
Photo of Jean-Marc taken in 2008, after his first year of making wine in the Rhone Valley. Seven years and two vineyards later, he is in his element here in Bandol, where his natural rosé will be released in 2016!
TODAY'S WORD: levure
: yeast
la levure chimique = baking powder, chemical leavening
la levure de bière = brewer's yeast
la levure sèche = dry yeast
la levure de boulanger = baker's yeast
ECOUTEZ/LISTEN
Hear Jean-Marc pronounce these French words:
Download MP3...
September 25, 2015
Join us here at home + A Santorini Caper
Join us tomorrow at 3:30 pm for a winetasting. Jean-Marc and I are happy to welcome you here (near Bandol). Confirm at jm.espinasse@gmail.com
More tasting dates: October 3rd and October 19. Email the address above, for more info.
TODAY'S WORD: la câpre
: caper
le câprier = caper plant
ECOUTEZ/LISTEN
Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these French words:
Download MP3 or Wav
Il y a longtemps on trouvait des capres dans les restanques de Provence, mais aujourd'hui ils...
September 23, 2015
Depaysement: A Change of Scenery unlocks inspiration
We would be so happy to see you at our winetasting this Saturday, September 26th at 3pm. RSVP to jm.espinasse@gmail.com (Photo taken for our 20th wedding anniversary, here at home last year. We celebrate 21 years tomorrow!)
WORD OF THE DAY: Dépaysement
: change of scene, disorientation, culture shock
= dépaysement is often used in a positive sense, for "a change of scenery"
ECOUTEZ/ LISTEN
Hear Jean-Marc pronounce this example sentence:
Download MP3 or ...
September 16, 2015
N'importe quoi: Deported from France, Kristin dusts herself off and imagines the ideal career.
A clue as to where I really want to be these days: back in this ape triporteur with strawberries and avocados from my French garden in the truck bed and my dog by my side! Come to our winetasting, Sept. 26th, at 3 p.m.and Smokey and I will show you around. Email jm.espinasse@gmail.com
If you are new to this list, a warm and hearty bienvenue! When French Word-A-Day began in 2002 it ran 7 days a week--then 5, then 3, then 2. Now we are teetering at one post (and it is a re-run). Dear...
September 8, 2015
Tractopelle and Goings on Around here
Olive trees, sunflowers and more grape vines on the way! Thanks for reading today's story, below.
Mas de Perdrix. A home in France that artists and writers love to rent. Work on your creative project in this inspiring environment.
TODAY'S WORD: Tractopelle
: digger, backhoe
ECOUTE / LISTEN
Hear Jean-Marc pronouce today's word and example sentence
Download MP3 or Wav
Pour préparer le terrain de mes futures vignes, j'utilise un tractopelle...
September 2, 2015
The Secret Revealed: contre-courant
The photo Jean-Marc took of our daughter, before she momentarily disappeared.
The illusion of calm attracts swimmers. However, when great waves diminish, they (swimmers) are taken far away from the beach. When they try to swim against the current, they tire, weaken, and end up drowning. (See French translation below).
Today's Word: contre-courant
: ripcurrent, pull of tide, undertow
Mas de Perdrix. A home in France that artists and writers love to rent. ...
