livinginfrance

If you are in Central France, in the Berry area, sooner or later you will meet a Berrichon and he will speak Berrichone to you. The Berrichones are very proud of their language and their roots. Their language is intimately linked to their way of life;

Is Berrichone different to everyday French? Well, judge for yourself.

A coccinelle (ladybird) is a marivolle in Berrichone.

Atteler means courageux or in English, to be courageous.

L’Ane (donkey) is a Baudet in Berrichone.

A chevreau is a Bitchon or a Biquette in Berrichone.

A Tata is a pig in the language used by children.

Confused? Well I am. Most of the time though, the Berrichones make an effort to speak proper French when they realize that you don’t unders

Nicolas Sarkozy announced that the entrance to museums will be free for those aged under 25 and for teachers. The free entrance will start on April 4^th with the Easter holiday. He believes firmly that this measure will increase visits to museums in France.

Sarkozy also announced the creation of a Museum of French History to reinforce national identity. For this project it has been estimated a total budget of 100 million euros.

Free entrance to museums will mean more visits. Just now my children aged 5 and 7 are taken to the museum at least twice a year under different schemes. Also the curriculum for my 7 year old includes art history which means that she is taught about painters and their works. It is for this reason that she had been wanting the Louvre for so long!

I do like and support the French educational system and its emphasis in arts. A child that appreciates art is a child that appreciates culture and history. A child that will grow appreciating the good things in life.

While I was doing the sales in Paris my Daughter was having a cultural day with her dad. They visited the museum the Louvre and the Notre Dame cathedral; they had a walk in a frozen Paris but my girl was over the moon. To read my 7 year old review of Paris click here .

Meantime, despite the cold I was walking around the best addresses in Paris looking for the bargains. Did you know that the first day of the sales is also the best day to find exactly what you want?. It is true that the longer you leave it the lower price you will find, but if you are a standard size –anything between a 38 and 42- you have less chances to find your size as the sales go on. On the other hand if you are a petit 34 or 36 you have a good chance to find bargains in your size the last days of the sales when the prices are absolutely rock bottom.

Good luck finding your bargains!

Finally, the so long waited sales are here. Yesterday, Wednesday 9^th January was the official starting day for the sales in Paris. It was also officially the coldest day of the season with temperatures shooting down to -10 °C. The usually joyful water of the Parisians fountains was frozen and the air was sharp as a blade cutting through your face, but that did not stop avid shoppers to mob in the most popular boutiques and big shopping surfaces like Galleries Lafayette.

Did I brave the weather? You bet I did. How could I miss the sales in Paris ? It is not only about the allure of the bargains, but the allure of the city itself. Even in the freezing cold, Paris is a dream city. Always a place to discover, a little corner café where you can discover the most delicious crepes, or the most luxurious hot chocolate. It has to be said, the cold weather is not a deterrent, it is just an excuse to discover new places.

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It has been a couple of days now since I saw the baby cow being born, but I am still overwhelmed with emotion every time I remember the amazing event .  In a way, witnessing life and the wonders of nature have put many things into perspective.

I think that we do not really stop to appreciate what we do have in our lives.  Most of us are too busy complaining about prices rising, not having enough money for all the things we would like to have.  We complain about our couple not being loving enough, our children not being obedient and respectful.  We complain about our neighbours making too much noise, the weather -too hot, too dry, too wet or too cold-.  We even complain about ourselves because we do not look the way we would want to look!

But wouldn’t we all be much happier if instead of complaining so much we stop to think for five minutes about all the things that we should be thankful for?  You could start with the basic things like being thankful for having a job in a world where job stability does not exist any more.  Most of us should be thankful for being healthy; even if we have a cold or the flu, we are lucky enough not to have any major disability or a disabling disease.  We should be thankful for having a place to sleep, whether it  is an apartment, a house or a mobile home, at least we have a place while so many other people are sleeping on the streets.  

Think about your blessings rather than your shortcomings and you will see how lucky you are!

Baby cows

Cow with her newborn baby

cow with her newborn

Last night by pure chance I was lucky to see the miracle of life. I was able to see a farmer helping his cows to give birth in the middle of the night.

I had read horrible stories about farming in France. I have read about farmers having their cows in the worst sanitary conditions, depriving them of movement, food and water. What I have seen is completely different. I have several farmer friends and all of them have their cattle running wild during the day and they are only kept locked during the night in very comfortable stables where they are allowed to move as they want.

Last night I have even seen how a farmer leaves everything to go and help his cows. It was a marvellous event to watch, the little baby coming out and the mother taking care of her little one afterwards. What I saw last night was the true miracle of life!  Read more

Happy new year to all of you!

At the very last minute I decided to throw a New Year’s Eve party.  I had friends phoning to say that they were coming and somehow we ended up being 18 at the table without counting the children!

Everybody came with something and we ended up with a superb dinner of smoked salmon and seafood, roasted lamb, the traditional capon, plenty of cheese and of course cakes and ice creams all accompanied by wine and champagne.  And, so, what started as a small family gathering ended up in a big end of the year party where we all had fun!

As a new year resolution I am going to try to re start the bed and breakfast business that I left on stand by for a year.  Wish me luck…

Best wishes for 2009!

In most places, Christmas shopping is done with weeks in advance at major supermarkets. In France however, the people takes pride in buying the fresher produces for their festive tables. For this they go to the fresh-produce outdoor markets.

There is a Christmas “ambiance” everywhere. From Christmas lights and music on the streets, to wooden houses covered in snow and Christmas decorations. There is even a Santa Claus walking along the streets giving sweets to the children.

Christmas markets are not only a pleasure for shopping, but also to have a walk and discover along with the local gastronomy, the French way of living.

This year December has been bitterly cold, the freezing temperatures and gloominess of the dark winter evenings has set in too comfortably. The build up to Christmas has been rather low key compared to previous years. The financial crisis that hit the world did not help the Christmas spirit and our village has been rather sad this year. But at least we have been able to go out, not like our first winter in France when we stayed stranded in the middle of the countryside for about 7 days without being able to move out of the little cottage we had rented.

The only thing that has not changed is the enthusiasm of the French for preparing sumptuous Christmas dinners. Despite the freezing cold, outdoor markets have flourished in every little village. There are all type of markets, from the little village ones where the neighbours put out tables with their home specialities to the big markets that specialize in foie gras, escargots, winter preserves, wine and cheese, or even the mediaeval markets held in castles.

I am very coward with the cold, I have not been out very much this winter, but one place I have been is the Christmas markets. I love talking to the stall holders, sharing recipes, tasting cheeses, just walking around and soaking in the ambiance is good enough to take me out of my comfy sofa in front of the fire. And why not admit it, knowing that I will have a cup of hot mulled wine once I am in the market helps to encourage me to go out!

Christmas shopping at a French outdoor market

In a few days it is going to be 4 years since I moved to France. Was it a good move? Was it a good thing to do? Do I miss my previous home? Yes, yes, and no.

Moving to France has been the best move I have ever made. In here I feel more at home than ever before. Not even in my original South America I felt so at home. I still have not mastered the language, I am still struggling with the French language, but even so, I am happy in here.

Maybe it is because ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated with fairy tales, castles and princesses –what little girl is not?-The point is, that France has all of that by loads. I choose Central France as my new home so I am near enough to almost everywhere. The Castles of the Loire Valley, the beaches of the Atlantic coast, the volcanic lands of the South and the snow covered mountains where we can go skiing whenever we feel like.

On top of that, I adore the food in here. Often people imagine the French eating frogs and snails washed down with red wine. But the reality could not be more delicious. Plenty of vegetables glistening in your dish ready to be savoured with a slice of crusty baguette. Pungent cheeses arriving at the table and you don’t know which one to choose as all of them are delicious.

Follow me, come with me to discover France.

Moving to France

Why move to France