Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 82
October 29, 2013
Say "six pack abs" and the French gutbuster!
Stripey awnings, ardoises, or chalkboards, curly handwriting, mysterious woman.... What's so French about this? Photo taken in Lorgues, France, where today's story begins....
Mas la Monaque-Rent this beautifully restored 17-century farmhouse. Click here for more pictures.
le bidou (bee-doo)
: tummy, stomach
Le bidou is slang and is also used in kid speak. (It is another entry in our Petit Lexique de Langage Enfantin /Glossary of Baby Talk.)
October 24, 2013
buyer's remorse in French
Not a new dress. But will this one pass? Mom says it could work (minus the belt. You need a silver belt.) She also suggested some new shoes--and why not buy a few new dresses, too? Read on....
Exclusive French made clothesnow available to purchase on-line.Thomas Hulston Collections.
le syndrome du remords de l'acheteur
: buyer's remorse
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
A few days ago, I began emailing photos of myself to my mom, in Mexico. The subject line read "cruise wardrobe. HE...
October 22, 2013
doux
Jouer à cache-cache means to play hide-n-seek. This was a favorite game of Smokey's when he was one-years-old (pictured), though his hiding places were a bit obvious.... Now, at 4, he likes the classics: a good ol' game of catch is fine by him.
doux (do)
: mild, temperate; sweet, pleasant; soft; lenient
Doux also refers to a gentle person--or how about a gentle soul, like the one hiding behind the tomatoes? Speaking of tomatoes, we're busy harvesting them--along with grapes--during this except...
October 18, 2013
A crush on architecture: le linteau
Beneath the façade, you can see what this 19th centurymas is made of. When the demolition workers opened the stone wall sand came trickling out, like fallen seconds in an hourglass. Rubbing laterre sableuse between our hands, Jean-Marc and I marveled at the building materials of yesteryear.
le linteau (lun-tow)
: lintel, girder
plural: linteaux
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 inform...
October 16, 2013
Why sportsmen don't shave in France: l'influx nerveux
Ever been to the castle in Cassis? It overlooks the colorful fishing port and gives tourists one more reason to look up. Other things to look to: The upcoming AMA Seine Normandy River Cruise! Join Jean-Marc and me in Paris on November 8th. For more information, click here.
l'influx nerveux (uhn-floo-ner-veuh)
: nerve or nervous impulse
France and Monaco Rentals:short-term holiday rental properties throughout France.Click here for pictures.
More Audio + Example Sentence by "Frank" from the site...
October 11, 2013
to come undone
Thoughts about give and take, and our dogs latest adventure. Photo taken when Smokey was one.
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. Inquire here
disjoncter (dee-zhohn-ktay)
: to crack up, to lose it, to come undone
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
Given a second chance, I would have stayed calm. "Ce n'est pas grave," I would have said, assuring the boys and myself it wasn't a pro...
October 9, 2013
objet-trouve - see what's been found in today's edition!
Lost sheep are just one of the things I've found lately (this was a cover I did for a book, whose title was changed to Wish, Prune, Pray: Spirited away to a Wine Farm in Provence. I eventually printed the book, but lost the sheep photo. Then I quit printing the book and found the sheep photo. More about the book some other time, today I talk about a more precious finding...)
objet-trouvé (owb-zhay-troo-vay)
found object, found art
Exclusive French made clothesnow available to purchase on-line....
October 7, 2013
alerte meteo
Best to be prepared! Good, Braise, one can never be too prévoyant... for holidays--or for the weather! Read on... (photo taken in Ste. Cécile-les-Vignes. We moved away from the vineyard one year ago.
alerte météo (a-lairt-may-tay-oh)
: weather warning
Example Sentence: (Audio files will return, we're a little sunk at the moment...)
Une alerte météo, ou une météorologique, est un bulletin d'avertissement de l'imminence de phénomènes météorologiques dangereux. --Wikipedia
A weather alert, or une m...
October 4, 2013
relancer + pomegranates and grandmothers c'est sympa!
Miam-miam is French foryum. Recently, Jean-Marc bought some used wine-making equipment. The farmer's wife who sold it to him threw in a couple of antique wine-presses, some old wine barrels, and even a bucket of pomegranates! (Have you ever eaten one? Inside, there's a bunch of ruby red fruit, the size of a tooth. The French use it to make the famous grenadine syrup--but the "teeth" are fun to eat, too--just watch out for all the seeds. Do you spit them out or swallow them?)
October 2, 2013
s'embrouiller
Look for the hearts in today's post, dedicated to someone who easily found them, everywhere she looked. Please read my tribute to Melanie Olsen, in the post réconfort. Click here, if you missed it.
s'embrouiller (sawm-brooey-ay)
: to get confused, to get into a muddle
I learned, recently, that s'embrouiller has yet another meaning: to enter into a tangle, or an argument, with someone
Mas la Monaque-Rent this beautifully restored 17-century farmhouse. Click on the picture for photos & info.
Audio...
