Bonjour,
I hope you and yours are nicely.
It’s been a busy time right here in my little nook of France. Eventually the solar has come out after the wettest winter and begin to spring that anybody can bear in mind, together with my 94-year-old neighbour Claudette. Her favorite Victor Hugo quote, one she makes use of for nearly each event that requires your spirits to be lifted is, “Even after the darkest evening, the solar will rise.” Nicely, there have been loads of days when it rose over the previous couple of months however we couldn’t see it behind a thick layer of cloud.
The higher climate has meant the entire village is abuzz with life – individuals are out chopping the grass, sprucing up the flower beds and sowing vegetable seeds. The wildlife is positively peppy. Strolling the canine on daily basis up and down the hills of the Seven Valleys the place I dwell within the north of France, we see buzzards, storks, pheasants and wild birds galore. Deer, rabbits and hares are all over the place, however by no means shut sufficient to be fearful by the canine. The hedgehogs are again within the backyard, they know the place I feed the cats and for a number of years now the grownup hedgehogs have been displaying their offspring the place the buffet is. In the meantime my chickens are very energetic. They’re largely getting on a bit now, a few of them are a number of years outdated however nonetheless sprightly – possibly it’s as a result of it’s spring! Whereas I’ve been working within the backyard getting my veg beds prepared, I performed some music and the chickens beloved it. I knew they have been followers of Girl Gaga, as a result of they run about and make completely satisfied noises, however it seems they love Taylor Swift too and have been shaking their tail feathers with abandon!
Even Bread Man (in the event you’re new to this article – he’s not fabricated from bread, he delivers the bread to our village!), has spring fever and he’s been making pastel colored macarons to rejoice the blue sky days. I’ve been educating him English for a number of years now, and he’s been educating me French – they’re classes of simply a few minutes often as he delivers the flaky golden croissants, crispy baguettes and naughty muffins every week! As a consequence, he now has a little bit of a London accent when he says English phrases. And I’ve a Ch’ti accent – the native patois! I’ll let you know extra about Bread Man subsequent week!
I’m off travelling this month – to the southwest of France – Cahors and the attractive Célé Valley, and to Villers-Cotterêts in Picardy the place a brand new museum has been opened celebrating the French language, and to great Arras, the historic capital of Pas-de-Calais. Later I’ll be heading to Cognac and to Clermont Ferrand and the volcanoes of the Auvergne area. Include me by way of Instagram as I publish pictures and movies on my journeys.
Wishing you a beautiful bon weekend from my little nook of France,
Janine
Editor
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Janine Marsh is Creator of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My 4 Seasons in France: A Yr of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Dwelling the Dream in Rural France all obtainable as e book, print & audio, on Amazon all over the place & all good bookshops on-line. Her new guide Easy methods to be French – a celebration of the French life-style and artwork de vivre, is out now – a take a look at the French lifestyle.
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