Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

In my little village, community is everything. If someone wants help, we all pitch in, so when Jean-Claude knocked at the door and asked me to send Mark (my husband) to him at his house just down the hill from us, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Jean-Claude was waiting outside his house when Mark arrived “quick, quick” he said, “I need you to help me get something up to my mother-in-law’s barn before Bernadette sees.”

Bernadette, his long-suffering wife could be heard singing “La Mer” out of tune in the garage behind him. “Cherie” she called “I need help dusting the top of the wall.” It is a well-known fact in our village that Bernadette is a cleaning fanatic.

“I can’t my little cabbage” yelled Jean-Claude, “Mark needs my help.” It is also a well-known fact that Jean-Claude is a master of procrastination and wangling out of helping with the housework or any other type of work for that matter.

“Hop in the tractor and I’ll show you what I want” Jean-Claude grinned at Mark. He drives a tractor like everyone else drives a car – even to the shops!

They headed to Madame Dubois’ house – she lives by the village church, and in her front garden was a worn-out old sofa that was cut in half ready to go to the rubbish dump. Jean-Claude wanted Mark to lift one half of the sofa into the tractor bucket for him. Mark is considerably younger, fitter and stronger than Jean-Claude and is often roped in for jobs of a physically demanding nature. The pair then drove to my next-door neighbour Claudette’s house (Jean-Claude’s mother-in-law), where Mark was instructed to unload the half sofa and put it in a barn.

One end of the half sofa has two legs, the other half has none, so it sloped considerably. “Bah, that’s fine” said Jean-Claude as he snuggled lopsidedly into the makeshift chair. “This is perfect. I can sit in here listening to Radio Nostalgie, thinking about life, enjoying the tranquility, testing my home-made cider. The bales of straw will keep it warm, and the spiders will keep Bernadette out – she’ll never find me in here.”

As man-caves go, it’s not going to win any awards. It looks a bit Halloweenish with years and years of cobwebs dangling down, abandoned farm tools and a few unfortunate looking wide-eyed dolls in the corner that Jean-Claude says get dragged out when kids come to the house and are brave enough to venture through the broken barn door. But I’m betting it won’t be long before the other half of the sofa is sent for, and a few broken chairs and a table, and this will become the new meeting place for Jean-Claude’s cronies to play cards and hang out!

Bisous from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere France, where I love to walk my dogs (top photo!)
Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

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The post The Good Life France Newsletter and a tale of rural life appeared first on The Good Life France.

Welcome to The Good Life France Newsletter which this week comes to you from Honfleur in Normandy.

I’ve been travelling a lot lately, Nancy (eastern France), Normandy, Paris, Lyon, Avignon and Provence, and I’ve got heaps more travel coming up including the Christmas markets of Strasbourg, Colmar and Riquewihr, and the Christmas chateaux of the Loire Valley. But my next stop will be Cognac and La Rochelle, come with me via Instagram where I’ll post photos and videos!

I’m working on heaps of articles for The Good Life France Magazine and website, but I also have an idea for a book about the 101 best places to visit in France, so lots of research is needed, I have a much longer list than I should have, and I’m whittling it down! I always love your suggestions too, personal recommendations are great to have, so, if you’ve been somewhere and loved it and it’s top of your must see in France list – please feel free to hit reply and let me know!

Meanwhile at home, my 7 cats and 4 dogs are enjoying the rather mellow autumn we’re having. Bread Man, he delivers the bread to all the little villages in the Seven Valleys where I live, says he loves this season because it’s perfect for soup suppers with a crispy baguette, and for baking cheese with a big chunk of crusty country loaf. He’s a born salesman – I bet you can guess what we had for supper last week! Anyway I told him I love this time of the year because it reminds me of Bonfire Night when I was a kid.

“Bonfire Night. What is zis?” he said

It’s a bit complicated but I gave him a potted version of how in Britain we celebrate a failed plot to blow up the House of Lords and all in it, including King James 1 of England on November 5, 1605.

Bread Man was astonished.

“Like a Bastille Day, but not a Bastille Day?”

I guess it was sort of, except that it didn’t involve that many people and it didn’t result in any major changes to how the country was run. Well, the King’s “deliverance” was honoured the next November 5th, and a few years later somewhere in England, a town decided to make an effigy of one the ring leaders of the plot, one Guy Fawkes, and to burn it on a fire. And hundreds of years later we still have “Guy Fawkes night” or “bonfire night.”

When I was a kid we celebrated with a bonfire in the garden, let off fireworks and scoffed toffee apples (pomme d’amour, or love apples in French) and used to hawk a ‘Guy’ – an effigy around the streets and ask strangers for money to fund the fireworks! Those were the days!

Bread Man was completely gobsmacked by this historic tale, and has promised to make me some salted crème toffee apples for the day. He never misses a sales opp when one crops up and will be telling that story to his French customers and wowing his British customers with toffee apples the whole of next week!

Bisous from a tiny village with a big heart in the middle of nowhere France,

Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post The Good Life France Newsletter – from Honfleur appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

This week I’m sending you the newsletter from the Palace of Versailles – no not my new home, I’m on my way to Honfleur in Normandy and stopping off at the bling bling castle of France’s Sun King to ogle the sumptuous rooms and research for an article about the most recent discoveries and restorations (more coming up in The Good Life France Magazine).

I first visited this glorious gilded royal residence when I was 14 years old – many years ago – and though I’ve been back many times since, I still find it a thrilling place, to know that I’m standing in rooms where Kings and Queens plotted, planned and partied and where major league historic events galore took place. You can come with me via Instagram where I’ll share photos and videos.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, or rather my little village, everyone is getting prepared for the winter months, I was going to say cooler months but pretty much this entire year has been very cool and very rainy in France. My neighbours are busy packing carrots in sand to store in boxes in cellars and pouring potatoes into sacks to let them sleep in dark, cold rooms. When I get home I’ll be joining in, making chutneys, confitures (jam) and cramming veg and fruit from the garden into freezer bags.

And already we are waiting for the precise moment that raclette is ready to be eaten. As soon as there is a hint of a frost in the air – French people scuttle to the shops en masse to buy mountain cheeses to melt and spread over ham and potatoes – a comforting concoction, its alpine soul food (there’s a recipe for raclette here if you want to give it a go). French etiquette, according to my neighbour Jean-Claude, is that you mustn’t eat raclette until its suitably chilly out, though some can’t help themselves!

Wishing you a Happy Halloween for next week! Yes it is celebrated in France – find out how in our Halloween podcast featuring haunted castles, ghost stories including a wooden leg that walks alone – plus the worst Halloween jokes ever! No app needed – just click & play: Halloween in France

Bisous from Versailles,

Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post The Good Life France Newsletter from Versailles! appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

I’m sending you this newsletter from the south of France where I’m exploring some of the most beautiful places and hidden gems of Provence and the Rhone Valley by boat (you’ll find me on Instagram sharing photos!). I find it’s a great way to get to see a lot in a short time plus the slow pace of exploration, being spoiled with great food, wine, and total relaxation, always inspires me to write – and I have a new book to finish first draft ideas for!

When I travel, I love to discover the history and culture of a place, and especially the local gastronomy – from the boulangerie and fromagerie to haute cuisine at Michelin starred restaurants, little bistros with lace curtains and a chalk board showing the plat du jour, or an old café with a zinc covered bar, and if there’s a chance to go to the local market I never miss it – I snuffle out a market like a pig pawing out a truffle.

Going to a street market in France is a cultural experience, not just a shopping experience, it’s a way of life and a chance to get to know a place better. Just ask any local at a market which stall is best for whatever you want – from mushrooms to bread, cheese, fish, whatever – and they’re usually really happy to share their favourites with you, or even, I’ve found on occasion, to introduce you to the stall holder! In fact, French people love their markets so much there’s even a French TV show dedicated to peoples’ favourite markets in every region. Wherever you go in France, one of my top tips is make for the market – it’s a great way to feel the vibe of a village, the pace of a town and a delicious way to discover the local products!

It’s a short newsletter from me this week as I’m just about to head into Saint-Remy-de-Provence, before going to Les Baux de Provence tomorrow! And of course I’ll be writing about my adventures for The Good Life France Magazine (it’s FREE – you can find it here: magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com).

Wishing you a bon weekend and bisous from the south of France,

Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post Markets in France newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour,

I hope that you and yours are well.

Last week I went to Nancy in eastern France, a culturally dazzling and magnificently architectural city that’s full of surprises and of course I’ll be telling you about it in detail soon. On the way home I stopped off in Paris to go to a fashion show and also to spend the night at the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre (which has its own ‘hotel’), it was fascinating! More details will follow in a future issue of The Good Life France Magazine (which is free – link below!). No matter how many times I visit Paris, there’s always something new to fall in love with! And in case you didn’t know, I’ll be hosting two exclusive tours of Paris next year – if you’d like to come with me, just click on the links for the Spring 2025 tour and the Fall tour of 2025.

When I got home, Jean-Claude popped round with his little van loaded with bottles of home-made cider. A few years ago, we joined the village cider club, basically a group of neighbours who pool their apples together to make cider and since we have several apple trees that have been coveted by Pierre the farmer for years – we were in! There’s not a lot of work involved on our part, collect the apples – hand them over. Jean-Claude organises everything else and each year we get given some cider. Well last year was a very good year for our apples and Jean-Claude was full of glee at handing over the booty that has sat fermenting quietly in his barn.

“Packs a punch this does” he said, “Go on, open it, I’ll just have one little glass, I need a break from Thibault.”

He arched his eyebrows at us, he knew he didn’t have to explain more. We’ve met Thibault. He is the 74-year-old uncle of Bernadette, Jean-Claude’s wife and he is quite bonkers. He frequently spouts melancholy, incomprehensible poetry in a very loud and dramatic voice and sometimes bursts into tears at the sadness of his own words. And he tells the biggest whoppers, including that he almost married Catherine Deneuve, was relentlessly pursued by Jane Birkin, and Brigitte Bardot was in love with him and he turned her down – but it was the right decision as he utterly adores his girlfriend Amandine (who sends him to stay with Jean-Claude and Bernadette when she needs a break from the poems)! And if talking non-stop had been included as a category in the Olympic Games this summer – he would be a gold medallist. Mind you Jean-Claude would come a close second.

Jean-Claude told us his weather predictions for the autumn and winter, problems he has had with his tractor, the woes of his friends (mostly farmers – a lot of woes), an update on his health issues (he’s not been well but is much better now), complaints about the government, the train service and the cost of fuel and everything else. More than one glass, and several hours later he considered that Thibault may have exhausted himself by too much talking and gone to bed by now, and deemed it safe to go home.

Next week – I’m off to Provence and the Rhone Valley – come with me via Instagram where I’ll post photos and video…

Wishing you a bon weekend and bisous from a quirky village in the middle of nowhere, rural northern France.

Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post Autumn in France newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

I hope that you and yours are well.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like summer just whizzed by and here we are, autumn is knocking on the door! And with the new season comes a new issue of The Good Life France Magazine.

The autumn 2024 edition is chock-a-block full of fabulous features – Paris, Bordeaux, Brittany, Corsica, Narbonne, Minerve, the Languedoc, Lyon and more. There are guides galore and ravishing recipes from the crème de la crème of the French culinary world. History, culture and fantastic photos. It’s a beautiful issue and it’s FREE as always, just click here to read:

The Good Life France Magazine Autumn 2024

If you like it, please share it, it is free to everyone – and to those who read and share it, thank you so much, it’s enormously appreciated.

French philosopher Albert Camus once said, ‘autumn is like a second spring when every leaf is a flower.’ And as I walk the dogs along the narrow roads in my little corner of rural France, the hedges are festooned with plum-hued berries and plump rose hips, and the leaves of the trees are already starting to turn the colours of an autumn rainbow.

Mushrooms are flourishing early after our damp, cool summer. They’re sprouting from tree trunks and forest floors, and lurking under hedges. Wandering through the woods, we encounter basket-carrying neighbours, foraging for fungi – chestnut coloured, flashy yellow and coral and polka-dotted, like something out of a fairy tale, girolles, chanterelles and cèpes. I have only foraged once – with my friend Annette. We collected several species which she was sure were edible but to be certain we visited a friend who is said to be a mushroom expert. I should have known better when he compared our haul with faded drawings in a more than century old book.

“Yep, they’re all good, delicious cooked in butter” he assured us, kissing his fingers and closed his eyes, enraptured at the thought.

I insisted we double check at the pharmacy, many of them offer a free mushroom review! Viewing our earthy loot through thick round glasses the pharmacist put them all back in the basket bar one. “This one, non, unless you are unhappily married” he grinned. We trembled at the thought of what might have been. “Would it kill my husband if I had given him that one” asked my friend, turning a ghostly shade of pale at the thought.

“Nope” said the pharmacist “but he would spend a week in the toilette!”

Wishing you a very bon weekend, and a very happy autumn, and especially very happy reading of The Good Life France Magazine.

Bisous from a non-mushroom picker in France
Janine
Editor

Top photo: Did somebody say autumn is here!? Paris, by photographer/artist Dawne Polis.

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post Foraging for fungi in France newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

Last weekend was the village Ducasse – a Flemish word (as the Seven Valleys, the area where I live used to be part of old Flanders in northern France) and it means party. Villages in these parts pretty much take it in turns to hold a Ducasse from spring to the end of October, ours is to celebrate the harvest, which after a damp and cool summer in these parts has been a challenge for farmers. The few sunny days we had whizzed by, and when I walked the dogs this week – it was clear autumn is fully en route. The leaves are falling, the ground is mossy and there is a chill in the air.

The Ducasse is always held the week of my birthday – thank you so much to everyone who sent me lovely messages (my good wishes bucket is brimming!) – and every year Jean-Claude, my neighbour and mentor, insists on a birthday dance with me, as his birthday is close to mine, and always to his favourite singer, the late, great Johnny Halliday (France’s answer to Elvis Presley). Around us old ladies bop sedately, swinging their skirts – freed from their day time house coats (nylon sleeveless pinafores that women of a certain age wear here in rural France). The DJ knows how to get the crowd going, in between the vintage music, he plays slightly less vintage music, “Flash Dance” always brings a slew of teenagers to the front to jog on the spot, Gangnam Style gets them doing pony rides, then a spot of line dancing gets the whole crowd up.

Meanwhile I’ve been working my socks off alongside some wonderful writers and The Good Life France Magazine is almost ready to be published – that’s definitely something to celebrate! It’s a beautiful issue and if you’re not subscribed, just click here, pop in your details and I’ll send you a copy very soon. It is completely free, and utterly gorgeous!

I’m hitting the road, or rather the train tracks as I go everywhere by train – in a few days’ time, to Paris and Nancy, and over the next few weeks to Normandy, Cognac, Provence, the Loire Valley and Alsace. Come with me via Instagram where I’ll post photos and videos as I go!

Wishing you a very bon weekend from autumnal France,

Bisous
Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post The harvest party in France newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

It was my birthday this week and I celebrated in style. I took Smudge the kitten to the vets for his vaccination and Ronnie the Labrador had his ear wart treated. I did get a rousing reception in the chicken pen from Barbara Streisand, Lady Gaga and Gina Lollobrigida; as usual Joan Crawford jumped into the food bucket and pecked me, and Kim Kardashian tried to chase everyone away from the lettuce so she could have it to herself. I did though manage to find time to catch up with my lovely neighbour Claudette, who celebrated her 95^th birthday this year – I think, she says she forgets the dates now, and can’t remember if she’s 92 or 95 but since she feels younger, perhaps she is! I like her philosophy.

We celebrated with a thimble-sized glass of her home-made walnut wine (thank gawd because much as I love her, I couldn’t manage more than a mouthful, it tastes like puddle water in a muddy country lane after the rain stopped two days ago and it has cogitated sufficiently to become sludge. Not that I have drunk puddle water in case you were wondering, but that’s how I imagine it to taste).

“When my man was alive” she said, “we’d celebrate my birthday at home after he got back from a hard day’s work in the fields. He always found the energy to make me feel special. When we were young, we played records and danced – in the 60’s the music was great. And always my man would bring me home a big bunch of wild meadow flowers.” She smiled wistfully and shut her eyes to remember. “Every year I would take a flower from the bunch and press it in a book, but he’s been gone a long time now and they’ve all faded.”

“It doesn’t matter, I have my memories. I can see them in my head so clearly sometimes, not so much others, but they are all in there those memories, the best gift he could ever have given me, not things, but love and remembrance.”

Tears pricked my eyes, and she told me not to be so foolish, and offered another drop of walnut wine, which made me rapidly pull myself together.

That evening, Mark, my husband, and I took the dogs Lady, Nina, Reggie and Ronnie for a walk. We watched the sun dip down behind the trees atop The Hill of the Mill (a long gone building), it was peaceful and silent other than the rolling waves sound of the rustling leaves and the mistletoe-laden branches swaying in a gentle breeze and a few late-to-bed croaking pheasants. The air was filled with the smell of freshly cut hay and ripening blackberries – there is a sea of them in the hedges.

“I forgot to get you a present” he said.

And I smiled, because that memory is the gift, and it’s locked away in the treasure chest in my head.

Wishing you all a happy birthday for today, tomorrow, whenever and may your memories be happy.
Bisous from a birthday-girl in France,

Bisous
Janine
Editor

Read the whole newsletter here

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post How to celebrate a birthday French style appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour,

I hope that you and yours are well.

This week I learned a strange thing.

Bread Man, who delivers the bread to our village and all around the Seven Valleys where I live in rural northern France, dropped off my baguette as usual.

“The last week of the holiday season” he said, “back to normal next week, la rentrée.”

If you’re wondering what that is, the French name the end of the holiday season and the restoration of daily normality – school, work, etc as “the return”, “la rentrée.”

I invited Bread Man in for coffee and a chin wag, a British term for a gossip or a chat, though I rather like the idea that we sit about wagging our chins like happy round-the-wrong-way dogs!

Bread Man is a source of fascinating facts. He drops them into the conversations we have like Hansel and Gretel dropping navigation breadcrumbs!

“Old man Fontaine has a new donkey up at the Chemin of the Lost Lady” he said. “Horrible creature, it tried to bite me when I held my hand out. I didn’t call it a name though we don’t have a law against slandering a donkey here. They do in Brittany you know.”

He sipped his coffee and watched me with narrowed eyes over the top of the cup, waiting for my reaction.

“What? Surely not, you’re pulling my leg, having me on.”

“Non” he grinned. “In the town of Saint-Léger-des-Prés, it’s illegal to insult a donkey, like calling them ‘jack-ass, or dumb-ass’, it’s not allowed” and he rocked with laughter making Tigger the Cat – who hates everyone, except me and Bread Man – jump from her lookout position on the windowsill.

Of course I had to check and he’s right. And what’s more, if anyone is caught insulting a donkey in this little town, that person must present the donkey with an apology in the form a carrot or other donkey treat. True story. Stay tuned for more fantastic Bread Man nuggets!

In a couple of weeks’ time, I’m off to Nancy in northeast France to explore the city’s art nouveau charms, and especially its gastronomic credentials. And then I’ll pop to Paris for an adventure. I will be staying at the hostellerie of the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, whose terms and conditions are that you must spend at least one hour in the Basilica between the hours of 11pm and 6am when it is closed to the public – a spiritual experience, a silent watch. And I may pop to a fashion show catwalk event! Come with me on my trips via Instagram – I’ll post video and photos as I go.

Finally, after I mentioned my upcoming week-long Perfect Paris Tours next year, thank you so much for your lovely comments. I’m looking forward to meet some of you in Paris! You can find details here for the Spring tour and here for the Fall tour.

Bon weekend from the middle of nowhere France!

Bisous
Janine
Editor

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

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The post A very bon weekend newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bonjour,

I hope that you and yours are well.

First – I am massively excited to share a bit of news with you. I’m going on a trip to Paris – who wants to come with me?! I’ll be hosting two week-long, small group, exclusive tours next year (one in spring and one in the fall): The Perfect Paris Tour. I’ll be sharing the very best of the city of light from art, culture, history, architecture, fashion and music to food and wine – and I promise you there is nothing ordinary about this tour – it really is perfect! If you’d like to join me, you can find out more here:

The Perfect Paris Tour Spring
The Perfect Paris Tour Fall

And now for an update on the Middle-of-Nowhere Boulympiques! I’ve been telling you about how my little village held its own Olympic Games – namely three, weekly rounds of boules (AKA pétanque) on the village green. But it became clear straight away that the real contest was about the home-made tarts, pies and or gateaux that everyone bought to share. On the last day, after the boules match winning team was announced – which no one took at all seriously – it was time to judge the cakes.

It was a tie between Constance’s strawberry tart (week 1), Madame Bernadette’s Saint Honoré cake (week 2) and Blandine’s Paris-Brest (week 3). Someone had to be the judge. As self-appointed umpire of the boules matches, Jean-Claude stepped up to take on the heroic task. “Everyone’s cakes were magnificent” he said, “even Janine’s apple tart” which got me a cheer and a round of applause. It will come as no surprise to you who have been friends here for a while that I did not win on account of me being known for quite a while as “flop chef not top chef” by my French friends – for good reason. BF (Before France) I could not cook. Frankly I have improved with perseverance (my friends’ perseverance in teaching me that is), but I have a long way to go to catch up with some of my neighbours (ok all of them).

“I think it would be fairest if we were to choose by a show of hands, so, first – Constance’s Strawberry tart….” A slew of hands shot up, Jean Claude counted and wrote the number down. Looking around I could see every one of us had an arm in the air.

When Jean-Claude read out the next two contenders, the same thing happened again – everyone voted for them!

“Ahem” Jean-Claude pushed back his cap, and cleared his throat, looking very serious as he eyed a piece of paper with the numbers he’d counted, judging cakes is a serious business. “I declare the gold medal goes to…” he looked around at us, grinning widely “all of them!” Well, that got a standing ovation, even old Monsieur Lafont got to his feet and yelled “youppie” – French for yippee!

Wishing you a bon weekend wherever you are from a village of winners where we may have the Olympics every year from now on!

Read the whole newsletter and see this week’s top features and recipe picks

Bisous
Janine
Editor

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

Don’t miss the weekly newsletter which every week brings you inspiration from France

It’s easy to subscribe if you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round-up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter giveaways. Just click here, type in your email address and click subscribe: Subscribe 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post The perfect Paris tour and more appeared first on The Good Life France.