Bonjour,
I hope that you simply and yours are nicely.
A few of you will have been studying my newsletters for a few years – an enormous thanks to you. And a few of you might be new – and an enormous welcome to you. You’ll quickly uncover, in case you don’t already know, that my common updates share articles about France which are written by actual folks (not AI). The Good Life France web site has greater than 6000 articles on every part from locations to go to throughout France, recipes, language programs, one of the best excursions, to guides for all times in France, every part you wish to find out about France and extra. And we’ve got a superb quarterly free journal (which has greater than 4 million common readers – thanks a lot to everybody who reads and shares it). We even have a podcast which has been a bit uncared for currently because it’s been a moderately difficult 12 months for me, plus my beautiful podcast associate left to take a superb job he couldn’t resist. I’ve had so many requests for its return – (thanks a lot for all of your beautiful compliments about how a lot you get pleasure from it) and I’ve actually missed chatting to you – so, I believe that it will likely be again within the new 12 months.
My newsletters are additionally about life in France – the folks I meet, the locations I’m going, the typically baffling lifestyle, and infrequently peculiar customs. Residing in rural northern France, in a tiny village of 152 folks and 1000 cows would possibly lead you to consider that life isn’t that thrilling – boring even. I guarantee you that nothing is farther from the reality. Take the week earlier than final…
Our neighbour Petit Frère (which interprets as ‘little brother’ – he’s the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters, however not younger, or little), who’s the form of go-to handyman within the village, set to work chopping up an enormous tree which has lain for greater than a 12 months in Mr and Mrs Pepperpot’s subject (not their actual title, however they’re very petite). The primary morning we walked previous with our 4 canines, Petit Frère stopped sawing to provide me a kiss on the cheeks, shake palms with Mark my husband, and pat the canines. The following morning the identical factor. The third morning he provided us a slice of cake. His spouse had made a observe salted butter caramel yuletide log cake in readiness for Christmas, and needed our opinion.
The 4th day we took minced pies to share with him – a conventional British Christmas deal with we begin consuming a month earlier than! On the fifth day, Petit Frère had reinforcements to verify the job acquired completed – Bernard, a retired gendarme and a person of few phrases, plus Claude Junior (a neighborhood farmer who’s of indeterminate age however undoubtedly not a junior). Mark volunteered to assist too and returned at lunch time to say they’d completed slicing, stacked the wooden within the barn and Mr and Mrs Pepperpot had invited us all for lunch to say thanks.
We wandered as much as the Pepperpots’ home. It was a chilly day and the fog had barely lifted since daybreak. A blast of sizzling air fell out after we pushed the entrance door open. We had been the final to reach, kissed and shook palms with everybody and accepted a glass of wine earlier than we might get our coats off. The Pepperpots had ready a feast – carbonnade, a wealthy beef and beer stew infused with gingerbread, home made bread, and ache perdu with speculoos ice cream (a neighborhood speciality mix of spices together with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, and brown sugar). Three hours later we had been nonetheless sat there, everybody chatting and placing the world to rights. Pierre the farmer popped in to say good day after he noticed Claude Junior’s tractor outdoors. Madame Bernadette got here by to see why her buddy and neighbour Mrs Pepperpot wasn’t answering the cellphone. Spice Man, on his weekly spherical, arrived together with his van filled with ‘requirements’ which embody merchandise starting from spices (therefore the title) to yoghurts, and stopped to sip an oil thick espresso. We sat chatting till it acquired darkish earlier than shaking palms but once more, kissing and bidding one another salut and see you quickly.
Nation life is filled with moments which are surprising. However boring? By no means.
Bisous from a grateful author in France.
Janine
Editor
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