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Category Archives: French life
Operation Village Market
Last Tuesday was Operation Village Market, which sounds like a World War II Allied offensive. Although well stocked with food, we were running short of fresh fruit and veg. The French government cancelled open-air markets about 10 days ago but … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Caylus market, COVID-19, French market, market, market halls, shopping in lockdown, SW France
14 Comments
Simple Pleasures
The past 12 days have afforded plenty of time for reflection. Too much, no doubt. Nonetheless, beneath the negative emotions that most of us have been feeling, there are flickers of a deeper process at work: one of re-evaluating and … Continue reading
The World Holds its Breath
While a precocious spring flourishes outside my window, I feel a strange mixture of emotions writing this. A few weeks ago, it seemed inconceivable that parts of the world could grind to a halt so quickly. Now, the COVID-19 situation … Continue reading
Posted in French life
Tagged confinement total, COVID-19, France lockdown, government restrictions France, SW France
24 Comments
Ten Years Today: Life on La Lune Enters Double Figures
Life on La Lune celebrates its 10th birthday today. Unusually, this fact almost passed me by, mainly because I have still been catching up with things after last week’s absence of internet. There’s no significance to having started the blog … Continue reading
Posted in Events, French life
Tagged blogging, blogs about France, French life, Life on La Lune, SW France
16 Comments
Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2019
A very happy Festive Season to all my readers. I’d like to thank you for reading the blog, which is approaching its 10th birthday in February 2020, and for your thoughtful and interesting comments. Welcome to the 9th Edition of … Continue reading
Favourite Blogs about Life in France
On 14th February 2020 this blog will be 10 years old. A lot of words have flowed sous le pont since then in almost 700 posts. And the number of life in France blogs has proliferated since 2010. However, there … Continue reading
Bowled Over: One of France’s Favourite Sports
Under the plane trees on the outskirts of a southern French village, an ancient tradition is taking place. A knot of men is gathered, fortified by glasses of Pastis. The sun dipping behind the trees makes zebra patterns on the … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, French life
Tagged boules, faire la bise à Fanny, la Boule Lyonnaise, Marcel Pagnol, pétanque, Provence, SW France
4 Comments
Missing Cat: Chat Perdu
I wrote this post this morning after our cat had been missing for 15 days. An hour later she miaowed and walked back through the door as if nothing had happened. She was hungry and a bit perturbed, but apparently … Continue reading
Posted in French life
10 Comments
The French Countryside isn’t Quiet: Spread the Word
Lying in bed early this morning, through the open window I heard cockerels crowing, a tractor doing some heavy-duty work not far away, cow bells jangling, dogs barking, pigeons cooing and the sparrows that nest in our walls chirping and … Continue reading
Posted in French life
20 Comments
How Does Voting Take Place in France?
For people like me who are not French citizens, voting here is a rare event, confined to the municipal elections (every six years) and the European elections (every five). The last time I voted was in March 2014, for the … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Top tips
Tagged European elections, European Union, SW France, voting in France
8 Comments
The Life of an Agricultural Labourer in France in 1900
Originally posted on Vanessa Couchman:
Market place in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, which had several large monthly agricultural fairs at one time. The fountains are a 21st century addition. At the turn of the 20th century, the world of agricultural labour in France…
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Emma Calvé: Forgotten Singing Star of the Belle Epoque
Originally posted on Vanessa Couchman:
?Emma Calvé, Wikimedia Commons, SIP 89-12, by Reutlinger Have you heard of Emma Calvé? I hadn’t, until I read about her in a French novel. However, she was one of the brightest stars of her…
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Clock This
I hope you remembered to put your clocks forward last night if you’re in Europe, otherwise you’ll be a bit behind everyone else. We posted reminders throughout the house so that we wouldn’t forget, but there’s always at least one … Continue reading
Posted in French life
Tagged Daylight Saving Time, European Union, summertime, SW France, Time zones, wintertime, World War II
7 Comments
New Technology Lands on La Lune
Life on La Lune passed its 9th birthday last week on 14th February. A few things have changed since then, not least our ability to access the internet. When I published my first post (the present one is the 628th), we … Continue reading
French Christmas Quiz 2018: the Answers
I hope you had a lovely Christmas if you celebrate it. How did you get on with the quiz? Now is the time of reckoning. The answers are below. And there were a couple of trick questions, but if you’ve … Continue reading
French Christmas Quiz 2018
I’ve compiled a French Christmas quiz every year since 2011. To see the others, click here. A very happy Festive Season to all my readers. Thank you for reading the blog this year and for your stimulating comments and emails. … Continue reading
Rentrée Time
Here we are in September again. How did that happen? Surely Easter was only last week. Actually, I don’t mind. This is my favourite month of the year, perhaps because I was born in September (cards and presents welcome). We … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, French life
Tagged autumn, la rentrée, la rentrée politique, la rentrée scolaire, summer, Summer holidays, SW France
6 Comments
Ma Vie Française #6: Author Jane Dunning
Today, I continue my occasional series of interviews with people who have made their life in France or who have a particular attachment to it. Jane Dunning’s love affair with France began in earnest in the 1990s and she has … Continue reading
British, French or Irish? Or all Three?
I don’t write about politics on this blog. Of course, I have my views, but I generally keep them to myself. So I haven’t mentioned the ‘B’ word (okay, Brexit) in my posts so far. However, I can’t ignore it … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Rants
Tagged Brexit, Carte de séjour, European Union, French citizenship, implications of Brexit, Irish citizenship, SW France
37 Comments
A Local WWII Resistance Group: Update
Today, the causse above the riverside village of Cazals is a tranquil place with superb views of the Gorges de l’Aveyron. It’s covered with juniper and scrub oak and the only sounds are birdsong or the occasional whirr of … Continue reading
Summer in Southwest France
Summer is here, les grandes vacances have begun and the foreign number plates in the area have multiplied. And to go with them, a little present from the French government: a drop in the speed limit on secondary roads from … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Chapelle de Teysserolles, fete, French markets, lavoir de Caylus, summer, summer fêtes, Summer holidays, SW France, Teysseroles fête
11 Comments
Eight Years On…
A little celebration is in order. Life on La Lune will be eight years old on Wednesday, which just happens to coincide with Valentine’s Day. Since February 2010, I’ve published some 586 posts, learned an awful lot about France … Continue reading
The Pros and Cons of Brits in France
Peter Mayle, the doyen of writers about the good life in France, died recently at the age of 78. His book, A Year in Provence (1989), describes how he restored an 18th-century farmhouse near Ménerbes in the Luberon with the … Continue reading
S.O.S. French Towns
A few days ago, I had coffee with two friends in the centre of Villefranche-de-Rouergue. This Aveyron town, some 25 km from us, is one of my favourite towns in the region. It’s an attractive place, steeped in history and … Continue reading
Summer’s Lease Hath All Too Short a Date: La Rentrée
Yesterday, the summer holidays ended in France as children went back to school, people packed away their holiday gear for another year and workers prepared themselves for the routine of métro, boulot, dodo (subway, work, sleep). The eight weeks or … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Weather
Tagged autumn, autumn signs, canicule, heatwave, la rentrée, summer fêtes, Summer holidays, SW France
9 Comments
20 Years of la Vie Française
Last weekend marked the 20th anniversary of moving into our house in France. We had arrived in France a few days earlier, but we regard the occupation of the house as the true anniversary. This year I had a long … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged culture clash, France, French culture, French restaurants, la vie française, living in France, moving to France, SW France
13 Comments
Bons Voisins – Good Neighbours
I’m constantly amazed at French people’s ability to conjure up a social event from unpromising components, whether it’s an apéritif, an improvised barbecue or a full-blown fête. Last night, some neighbours organised a repas de quartier, a neighbourhood meal, which … Continue reading
Posted in French life
Tagged country fêtes, Fêtes in France, French farmers, French fête, living in France, repas de quartier, rural life, SW France
23 Comments
