Tag Archives: France

Shaken, and Probably Stirred: Earthquakes in France

Posted on 19/02/2018 by

Have you ever been in an earthquake? I have, when we lived in Birmingham, and it was a very odd experience. I must admit that it wasn’t a very big one and there was no danger of the house collapsing, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The Pros and Cons of Brits in France

Posted on 28/01/2018 by

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 →

Posted in Books/writing, French life, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

When Should You Use Tu or Vous?

Posted on 14/01/2018 by

Today, I revisit a topic that I covered when I first started this blog nearly eight years ago. It’s an aspect of French society and culture that perplexes Brits no end and whatever you do, there’s a fair chance that … Continue reading →

Posted in Customs, Language | Tagged , , , , , , | 49 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2017: the Answers

Posted on 30/12/2017 by

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that le Père Noël was generous to you. How did you get on with the quiz? No cheating, I hope. Without further ado, here are the answers. See how well you did.

Posted in Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2017

Posted on 23/12/2017 by

First, let me wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas. Thank you for reading the blog this year. I always enjoy reading your comments and emails. Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the Life on La Lune … Continue reading →

Posted in Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

French Flavours: P is for Petits Fours

Posted on 21/12/2017 by

  As Christmas is approaching, this week’s post is a frivolous look at a mainstay of the French apéritif, le petit four. At a party recently, someone challenged me to investigate the origins of the name, and Life on La … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

French Stereotypes: the French Don’t Speak English

Posted on 11/12/2017 by

Every nation is afflicted by stereotypes that other nations love to perpetuate. Englishmen wear bowler hats, drink tea all day, eat overdone roast beef and sport a stiff upper lip. Frenchmen wear berets, drink wine all day, eat garlic and … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Absinthe Friends

Posted on 03/12/2017 by

It’s the drink that symbolised the Bohemian culture of la Belle Epoque in late 19th  to early 20th-century Paris. It was consumed by Toulouse-Lautrec, Baudelaire and Satie, painted by Degas and Manet and immortalised in early silent films. This beverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

20 Years of la Vie Française

Posted on 29/08/2017 by

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 , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Chèque ou Espèces? Cheque or Cash

Posted on 22/06/2017 by

It often takes a holiday in another country to throw into relief the quirks of the one you live in. We returned recently from 10 days in Sweden (hence the blogging hiatus), where things are a bit different from France. … Continue reading →

Posted in French life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

#Paris in the Springtime #2

Posted on 16/04/2017 by

Here’s part 2 of the story of our first visit to Paris in 15 years. We had only three days in the capital, and so we were determined to make the most of it. Our shoe leather was definitely more … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Paris in the Springtime #1

Posted on 10/04/2017 by

People often say to us, “You must visit Paris all the time!” Actually, we’ve been there only twice as tourists in our 20 years in France, and I’ve been there for the day (!) a couple of times for work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ma Vie Française #3: Author Angela Wren

Posted on 26/02/2017 by

Today, I continue my occasional interview series with people who have made their life in France or who have a particular attachment to it. Author Angela Wren is in the latter category. Let’s find out why she finds France so … Continue reading →

Posted in Ma Vie Française Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2016: the Answers

Posted on 30/12/2016 by

I hope you had a great Christmas. How did you get on with the quiz? I promised you the answers today and here they are – a little late because I got engrossed in writing my next novel. Don’t forget … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2016

Posted on 23/12/2016 by

First, let me wish all my readers Season’s Greetings. Thank you for following my blog this year and for your stimulating comments and emails, which I always enjoy reading. Thank you also for the many Tweets and shares on Facebook. … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

French Telephone Etiquette

Posted on 21/11/2016 by

Even after more than 19 years in France, I lift the receiver with apprehension when the phone rings. This is partly because it’s invariably a cold caller. It’s also because dealing with people on the phone in French is damn … Continue reading →

Posted in Customs, French life | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

19 Years in France

Posted on 26/08/2016 by

Time for a little celebration. Nineteen years ago today, we moved into our house, but we had arrived in France a few days earlier. The time has passed quickly, although much wine has flowed under the bridge since then. A … Continue reading →

Posted in French life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Death of a Village: Oradour-sur-Glane

Posted on 02/07/2016 by

I wasn’t sure if I should write about this at all. Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane near Limoges this week, I felt like a voyeur. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich slaughtered 642 people and torched the village on 10th June 1944, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, World War I & II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Ma Vie Française #2: An Interview with Stephanie Dagg

Posted on 15/05/2016 by

  I’ve known Steph since 2010 but we have never met! Author, editor, blogger, businesswoman, and smallholder– she wears so many hats it’s difficult to keep up. She’s written a popular book, Heads Above Water, about her family’s life in … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Ma Vie Française Interviews, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ma Vie Française #1: an Interview with Jacqui Brown

Posted on 03/04/2016 by

You’ve heard a lot from me over the past six years about life in rural France. So let’s hear from someone else for a change. This is the first in an occasional series, Ma Vie Française, in which people tell … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Ma Vie Française Interviews, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Monsieur C – One of a Dying Breed

Posted on 28/02/2016 by

Today, we visited an elderly farmer neighbour, whose wife is in hospital with respiratory problems. They were the first local French people we met in 1997. Monsieur F has always been difficult to understand because of his strong regional accent … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Personalities, World War I & II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Is the Rural French Café Dying Out?

Posted on 23/01/2016 by

The village café-bar is a typically French institution, just as the pub is essentially British. Our nostalgic vision of French rural life places the café (often doubling as a restaurant) at the heart of the village, along with the church, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, French life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Bonne Année and December’s Weather

Posted on 05/01/2016 by

First, bonne année to everyone. I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas. We are having a dry January – no, not the weather, which is the opposite. Rather, we’re not imbibing any alcohol, except the odd glass if … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2015: the Answers

Posted on 30/12/2015 by

I hope you spent a very enjoyable Christmas, however you celebrated it. As promised, here are the answers to the 2015 edition of the Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz. The correct answers are in green text. I hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz 2015

Posted on 23/12/2015 by

***Season’s Greetings to All My Readers*** Welcome to the fifth edition of the Life on La Lune French Christmas Quiz, an internationally-renowned cultural tradition. Here’s something to exercise your brain cells once you’ve exercised your digestion: 20 questions on aspects … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Quiz | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Le Drapeau Tricolore: How France Got its Flag

Posted on 27/11/2015 by

Today, in homage to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris on 13th November, President Hollande has asked people to hang the French national flag, le drapeau tricolore, from their homes. We don’t have one and, where we live, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, World War I & II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

5 Seasonal Summer Road Hazards in SW France

Posted on 19/07/2015 by

The last few weekends have marked the start of the summer holidays in France, when a mass exodus from the towns takes place and people head for the hills or the coasts. Overnight, the numbers of market stalls, tourists conspicuous … Continue reading →

Posted in French life | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Ups and Downs of Life in La France Profonde

Posted on 24/03/2015 by

  I spent much of last week in London, which led me to reflect on the differences between urban and rural life. As it turns out, this was quite timely, since the French government had been carrying out a charm … Continue reading →

Posted in French life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Four Famous Frenchwomen

Posted on 08/03/2015 by

Today is International Women’s Day. It celebrates women’s achievements and highlights the plight of the millions of women around the world who are oppressed, living in abject poverty and certainly not considered equal to their menfolk. Fellow blogger Finding Time … Continue reading →

Posted in Books/writing, French life, History, Personalities, World War I & II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Southwest France Weather Roundup for 2014

Posted on 01/01/2015 by

  First of all, Happy New Year, Bonne Année. And a big thank you to the more than 45,000 visitors who came to my blog last year. The SF (Statistics Freak) has been slaving over a hot computer today so … Continue reading →

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