Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 77
May 2, 2014
apprendre à se connaître
From left to right: Kristi, Carole, Nancy, Bernd, Jill, Agnès, Charles, and Jean-Marc. And behind the camera, Charles's wife, Martha. We are in the Crêperie du Hameau, which overlooks the sweet fishing port of Madrague, just east of Cassis. Don't miss Jill's wonderful write up--and you'll love her "vintage buying in France" blog--click here.
Style & comfort in the beauty of the Provencal countryside.4 bedrooms & a study with a sofa bed, each with ensuite (full) bath. Villa comfortably sleeps 7...
April 29, 2014
Favorite word for car in French
A car is une voiture in French. But the word "bagnole" has so much more character--and this 2CV, especially. Speaking of character, read about it in today's story!
la bagnole (ban-yol)
: car; ride, set of wheels
France and Monaco Rentals:short-term holiday rental properties throughout France.Click here for pictures.
A Day in a FRENCH Life... by Kristin Espinasse
Last Sunday I hid in our bathroom as our guests collected their purses and coats. "I'll be right back," I said, promising to meet up ag...
April 25, 2014
peau de banane: soothes the skin, whitens teeth
Early this morning, three enormous sangliers crossed the field beside thepotager. Jean-Marc and I scrambled to the window, eyes glued to the massive boars (not pictured) that had come out of the forêt. As we stood gazing, a loud snapping broke the silence. It was Smokey, on the terrace below us--bolting toward the trespassers!
Tout est bien qui finit bien.All's well that ends well. It took seconds to reach my dog and get him safely into the house. Ouf! Another exciting start to the day. Now le...
April 23, 2014
See you at Monday's meet-up & How to say fingernail in French
No time to go into details about this week's blog hijacking. Just happy to be back on line! Hats off to my blog provider, Typepad, and their indefatigable SWAT team! (photo of airplanes taken yesterday, from the garden)
Join Jean-Marc and Kristi for the April 28th wine-tasting in St. Cyr-sur-Mer. 10 euros. Email jm.espinasse AT gmail.com
ongle (ohngl), masculine
: fingernail
Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc:Download MP3orWav
L'ongle peut être considéré comme un témoin du plus ou moins bon fonctio...
April 18, 2014
Winetasting meetup + Three ways to say "spring fever"
In springtime humans can be found before the mirror, trying on the contents of their warm-weathered wardrobe. Dogs are not immune to this desperate behavior. They just do it with a bit more panache. Smokey, the trilby looks great on you. So it's three seasons old. Fashion is a state of mind!
Join Jean-Marc and Kristi for the April 28th wine-tasting in St. Cyr-sur-Mer. 10 euros. Email jm.espinasse@gmail.com
I promised you 3 ways to say "spring fever," in French. On second thought, they don't see...
April 15, 2014
A Hussy to the IRS + Next meet up (at the docks after midnight, wink wink!)
Hey, IRS. I've got my purse out (little red-rimmed bowl to the right) and I'm fixin'--yet again!--to hit on the sailorshere at the port. Read on and see what the Internal Revenue Service seems to think I'm up to! (Note: today's edition is best viewed online, where all images will appear with the story text. Click here.)
=>Join Kristin and Jean-Marc on Monday, April 28th! Details at the end of this newsletter.
faire sa sainte nitouche (fer sa sent nee toosh)
: to act like a prude, to be a pru...
April 11, 2014
grandir: Growing up in Paris + a link to Tuesday's exciting talk!
Scene from Adrian Leeds'Après-Midi meet-up. (Mom, can you find me in the crowd? :-) Check out Adrian's Parler Paris& sign up for more Paris news! Next meetup (with Kristi) is April 28th, in St. Cyr Les Lecques. Check back next week for more info!
grandir (grahn-deer)
: to grow up
Audio File: Listen to my son Max pronounce these French words:Download MP3
Grandir. Qu'est-ce qu'elle a grandi ma soeur!
To grow up. My sister has really grown up!
April 6, 2014
High heels & the Paris Metro = une mauvais idee?
La dèche(pronounced "desh") means broke or down-and-out... only it's clearlyla vie en rose for this shop dog, who lives in La Ciotat.
Exclusive French made clothesnow available to purchase on-line.Thomas Hulston Collections.
A quick story for you today. By the time you read this I'll be in the train on my way to the capital! In this short edition we've already seen the vocab word (above). Come with me now to see what's in my suitcase for Paris....
A Day in a FRENCH Life... by Kristin Espinasse
Pa...
April 4, 2014
Spit, wrinkles and my braless hairdresser
Next post goes out Thursday. "See you" then (or see you in Paris, on Tuesday afternoon!)
la bave (bav)
: drool, slobber, spit; slime
Sound File: listen to Jean-Marc:Download MP3orWav file
La bave du crapaud n'atteint pas la blanche colombe.
The spit of the toad doesn't reach the white dove.
(Sticks and stones may break my bones.)
Style & comfort in the beauty of the Provencal countryside.4 bedrooms & a study with a sofa bed, each with ensuite (full) bath. Villa comfortably sleeps 7-9 adults.
A Day...
April 2, 2014
Francophiles love this word (and so do the French)
A stroll through Marseilles, some cheesy characters, a faulty ego and a sack of steel? De quoi faire une histoire amusante. All you need for an entertaining story!
flâner (flah-nay)
: (to walk) to stroll, wonder
: (to do nothing) to laze, idle, lounge about
Theseflâner definitions are as charming as the word itself: to amble, lounge, lallygag, to traipse, sashay, drift... May they carry you away to a delightful place today!
Also le flaneur/la flaneuse = idler, lounger
Le Petit Journalis the fre...
