Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 80
January 28, 2014
Paris meet-up! + "Ticket Restaurant": an idea worth spreading?
Looking in our kitchen window, Smokey says, "Ever seen those signs in French restaurants: "Nous acceptons les Tickets Restaurant?"
"Yes, Smokey dear, I've seen those stickers in the window--but you don't need a ticket to eat at this greasy spoon!Now take a seat and I'll be right out with your Croquettes du Jour!"(Photo taken after Friday's storm, which took down our bougainvillea. But it was a happy accident--it made such a pretty window frame!)
ticket restaurant (tee-kay reh-stor-ahn)
: meal...
January 24, 2014
Winetasting invitation! + "Allez, zou!"
If flowers could talk (and who says they can't) then these are shouting ALLEZ ZOU! After oggling this sunshiny plant forever--and owning it, for a time--I broke down and ordered theHelianthus grosseserratus or "sawtooth sunflower" seeds. If you, like me, believe your garden or balcony or windowbox cannot live without this jumble of happiness, then order some seeds like I just did!
And now for some French to keep you in the know:
Allez zou!
: let's go!, off you go!
from allez! (interjection) an...
January 22, 2014
Not a cougar! A "wife hen"! + James Dean in France!
The James Dean of France... and why I'm not a cougar--in today's post. Read on!
maman poule (mah-mahn-pool)
: mother hen
You can also say "une mère poule."
Audio File: Listen to Jean-MarcDownload MP3orWav file
Une maman poule c'est une femme qui couve trop--ou surprotège--ses enfants. Alors qu'est-ce que c'est une femme poule? Cette expression n'existe pas. Mais le personnage, oui! D'après mon mari!
A mother hen is a woman who coddles--or overprotects--her children. So then what's a "wife-hen"?...
January 20, 2014
One good reason to learn French!
One thing I love about studying French is the opportunity to improve my English! Just this morning I learned of another set of words I've been confounding all along.
Thank you, Charles, who responded to my post "Zipper Politics." Charles writes:
You mention journalists having a heyday, but the correct expression is "field day." You were confusing heyday with field day.
Merci encore, Charles! Considering no other readers pointed out the mix-up--except to say I misspelled "hayday" (heyday)--I wond...
January 16, 2014
Zipper politics in France (!)
Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise. You can't help but want to snap a picture of the sign when ambling through Shakepeare and Company in Paris. But did you know it's forbidden to take pictures inside the famous bookstore? Then again, the French are not known to behave in public. Case in point: France's president--who was spotted in the wee hours of the night, outside his alleged mistress's nest. His getaway vehicle? A scooter!
They French are having a heyday with...
January 14, 2014
mangetout + the thrill of sowing seeds
Smokey and the Beanstalk... this snapshot reminds me of a favorite fairy tale. (Pictured: the near transparent "mangetout" bean that sprang up in December--alongside the wire fence of the dogs' pen. I love the camera perspective. Had the lens been moved that much more we might have placed Smokey on a branch... and sent him on a celestial journey. To think that even a slight shift in perspective could put us on a higher path today....)
mangetout (manzh-too)
: sugar pea or snow pea or snap pea
M...
January 10, 2014
une fillette + imitate your dog
Some pictures from home, and, as Maurice Chevalier would say, thank heaven for little girls.
une fillette (fee-ette)
: a little girl
Audio File: listen to the French word fillette (file by Wikipedia):
Improve your French pronunciation withExercises in French Phonetics
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
(A story I told my daughter, in the dark, early morning hours before school started.)
Waiting at the bus stop in Bandol, warm inside our car, Jackie revised her textile lesson while I spie...
January 6, 2014
Recipe + "willing to help" in French
"Smokey's Temptation"
La galette des rois was not planned. I'd gone to the supermarché for eggs--to mix in the with three overripe bananas (for sweet bread). Only, when I pushed my cart into CarrefourI saw the traditional stuffed cakes. "When is the actual date for eating these?" I asked the pretty check-out lady. "Epiphany," she said. " "When's Epiphany?" I wondered. "Today," she said. "...I think..." I love it when the French second-guess themselves. The world grows suddenly cozier.
serviable...
January 2, 2014
Help pick the new book cover! + "Get to the point!" in French?
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Book cover designs by TLC Graphics. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Bonne Année!Have a New Year's goal? Mine is to be more concise in my writing. I'll practice today by getting straight to the point(er... just after today's word and our sponsor's message!):
aller droit au but (ah-lay-dwat-oh-bewt)
: to get straight to the point
Rental in ProvenceLuberon.4 bedrooms and a study with a sofa bed, each with ensuite (full) bath. This villa can comfortably sleep 7-9 adults.More information here
Audio...
December 29, 2013
choper la creve
A new year is right around the corner. In case we don't talk before then, please have a seat in this special chair and take a moment to think about what will make you smile in 2014. May you figure out what it is that brings you contentment--and then spread that peace and happiness among friends and family in the coming year!
And now, for a less inspirational topic, today's word...
choper la crève (show-pay-lah-krev)
: to catch a cold
Exclusive French made clothesnow available to purchase on-lin...
