Newsletter from France – The Good Life France

newsletter from a squire in France

Janine Marsh — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 13:30:10 +0000

Here, we are still enjoying mellow weather, but you can tell that autumn is waiting on the doorstep. Slowly leaves are turning gold and escaping their branches. There is a slight chill in the air at night. And we have received our annual invitation to celebrate the wedding anniversary of neighbours Delphine and Paul.

It’s been several years since they married, something that surprised all of us who know and love Paul. He is kind, intelligent and funny but he does haves questionable fashion taste – vintage (not the sort that are cool) suits are his thing, and very large colourful ties. He had a habit of falling in and out of love with people he saw on the telly but never met for real. He once had a pet chicken called Cheri which slept on his pillow and went everywhere with him. And he can, and does, talk for hours on end about mushrooms – did you know that genetically they are closer to humans than to plants? And that there were giant mushrooms on Earth 350 million years ago? He is obsessed with mushrooms – picking and eating them, and has a fondness for homemade crème de menthe which makes his tongue go green. In his late 50’s, he had never quite made it to the marriage stage until he met Delphine. She has the sweetest nature and like her beloved, is also obsessed with mushrooms.

Each year, in honour of their wedding day, they hold a celebration party at which mushrooms of all kinds take a starring role – morels in coq au vin, cep mushroom fricassee, nut flavoured fungi with truffles and pasta. It’s not remotely nouveau cuisine, it’s the sort of comfort food that warms the cockles of your heart and makes your soul soar. It is, as Paul and Delphine say, the sort of cooking that is love made visible, and to me it’s the start, and taste, of autumn proper.

In my last newsletter I told you about my quest to join the Guild of Chantilly Cream Makers. Well, last week I was on a barge cruise with CroisiEurope (croisieurope.co.uk – they run river and canal cruises all over France, and they are fabulous) through the Oise Valley which is in the Oise department, Picardy. And I have to tell you, I’ve fallen head over heels for this lovely area, home to the Chateau of Chantilly, and Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh spent his final months, painting in a frenzy. I can’t wait to share the tale with you in an upcoming issue of The Good Life France Magazine (which is totally free to read, subscribe and share). But in the meantime, I am thrilled to say, that while there I had a lesson from a Knight of the Brotherhood of Cream Whippers, La confrérie des chevaliers fouetteurs de la crème chantilly. I learned how to make Chantilly cream, and my dream has come true. I am now a Squire of the Brotherhood. I am not kidding. Knighthood beckons…!

Wishing you a bon weekend from a newly made squire in France,
Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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, is out in October 2023 – 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

The post newsletter from a squire in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from pinch-myself pretty France!

Janine Marsh — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 06:25:54 +0000

Bonjour!

I hope that you and yours are well.

Autumn has officially landed here in France, though the late summer sun decided to make an appearance right up until this week. The nights are drawing in earlier. The maize growing in the fields hereabouts is swaying in the wind when I walk with the dogs. Leaves are twirling and whirling as they uncouple themselves from the trees. And in the evenings, it’s necessary to pop on a jumper as the cooler nights draw in.

Last week I went local for my travel fix. I already know that I live in one of the most amazing places in France, the 7 Valleys in the department of Pas-de-Calais in the far north. This area has a reputation for being rather rainy, but it’s by and large not half as wet as some imagine and we have plenty of dry weather too – and as the sun shone over the Opal Coast, one of the most gorgeous coastlines of France where seals frolic, at times dramatic with cliffs looking to their twin, the White Cliffs of Dover, and at other times silky-sand beaches, dotted with authentic fishing villages, Belle Epoque resorts and historic ports – I had to pinch myself at how lucky I am to live here. Inland I visited the ancient marshes of Saint-Omer and the glorious countryside in the north of the department. I dined at Michelin Star restaurants and estaminets – cosy inn type restaurants (this is old Flanders country, and the Flemish influence is still strong), enjoyed a local tipple (or two!), tasted some of the finest cheese ever made and checked out the regional cuisine. Yes, I do love my job! And yes, you will be reading all about it in The Good Life France Magazine!

Speaking of which, in case you missed it last week the Autumn issue is out – totally FREE here: The Good Life France Magazine Autumn 2023

I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I can provide it as a print magazine. Well, I thought about doing that, but with the cost of ink, paper and delivery feeling like it rises daily, I’d have to charge what I think is a way too expensive price to avoid me going bankrupt. And I don’t want to do that. So, for now it’s digital and free, and if the economic situation changes (seems unlikely though doesn’t it?), then I will absolutely be looking to offer a print version.

Meanwhile, I’m packing my bags to head to Picardy! It’s the department next to mine and I’ll be following in Van Gogh’s footsteps – he spent his last days in Picardy and painted some of his most famous works there. And I’ll learn to make Chantilly cream at the Chateau de Chantilly. Plus I’ll visit some of the less well-known but fabulous towns in Picardy. Feel free to join me on Instagram as I go!

Wishing you a happy autumn and bon weekend from France,

Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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

The post Bon weekend from pinch-myself pretty France! appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from a dancing queen in France

Janine Marsh — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 05:57:36 +0000

It’s feeling just a little bit autumnal where I live in the north of France. The air is cooler in the mornings and evenings, and the harvest is under way, with farmers working through the nights to get everything picked, plucked, and dug up. There will be a big party next week at the village town hall to celebrate, we call it a ducasse here, a Flemish (this being part of the old Flanders region), word meaning a get together. The local DJ was at the town hall this week practicing (not mixing or scratching, just putting records on and using the microphone to make muffled announcements), “allez, allez allez” and “mwahaha musique”, and the sounds of ‘Flash – aah aah he’s the leader of the universe’ (Queen), filled the valleys which was a bit surreal at 11 o’clock in the morning. After several hours of practice, he must have felt he was ready, as at last it went quiet again

The village handyman Jean-Francoise was clipping the hedges of the village green while the music played, staying as close as he could to the sounds. He’s a dancer. Not a professional dancer, but one of those people with naturally dancing feet. He bobbed, swayed, and swished as he lopped the leaves off the hawthorn hedgerow which got the haircut of its life that day.

Vegetable man arrived while the DJ tests were ongoing, he’s not made of vegetables, he’s the man who delivers them to the villages in these parts. He grows them at Saint-Omer on the ancient marshes which were first cultivated by monks in the 7th century. There are still around 50 market gardeners there, and the marshes are UNESCO-listed as a biosphere reserve where nature and human activities co-exist. There are hundreds of tiny islands in the marshes, many of them inhabited (a friend of mine lives on an island with a little shed built by American GI’s who were billetted there during WWII) and it’s the only place in France where the postman delivers by boat!

Vegetable man stood at the doorstep holding two cauliflowers singing along to “Boom, boom, boom” by the Vengaboys which was now playing in the Valleys, and yes, it is old and rather Euro-trashy with some not very poetic lyrics (mostly whoa-oh and boom boom boom) but it’s joyful, and the sight of a skinny old man singing with cauliflowers and swinging his hips and hopping from one foot to another is not something you see very often on your doorstep. “If they play good songs like this at your ducasse” he said, “I’ll see you there.” I assured him to expect nothing less than this type of music and that I looked forward to joining him on the dance floor!

Meanwhile I’m off to Paris next week, it’s my birthday and I am treating myself to a couple of days of being a tourist in the city of light – I’m going alone but feel free to join me via Instagram!

Wishing you a very bon weekend from a dancing queen in the middle of nowhere, rural northern France.
Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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

The post Bon weekend from a dancing queen in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from a field in France

Janine Marsh — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 14:40:23 +0000

Here in my bit of France our walks with our four dogs in the 7 Valleys of Pas-de-Calais where I live have been fairly lively this week. This is cow country. They say of my little hamlet “150 people and 1000 cows.” Everyone local knows where it is when you say that, though they may not know the name as it is tiny, just three streets – blink as you drive through, and you’ll miss it.

However, if you had driven through here on Tuesday, you would probably have seen a sight to remember. Yet again Thierry the farmer’s cows had managed to escape from their field. And this time, it wasn’t just a couple of runaways like usual, there were about twenty of them – a whole herd of grass and hedge munching, mooing and meandering heifers. They seemed to think it was time to go back to their barn as they were making their way up our little road to Thierry’s farm which is next door but one to our house.

The dogs thought it was the most marvellous thing to be confronted by a gang of hairy absconders. Reggie and Ronnie Kray, our year-old Labradors, barked with joyful enthusiasm, which set every dog in the village off – their woofs and howls could certainly be heard in the next village along where no doubt more dogs joined in. Nina Simone and Lady Ella, the 5-month-old Australian Shepherd puppies, sat down in wonder at the sight of the lumbering beasts which were mooing loudly with excitement, almost home! By now Thierry and his wife Mathilde and farmhand ‘young’ Gaetar (he’s not that young, but his dad is known as ‘old’ Gaetar, and his grandad is known as ‘Papi’ Gaetar. I’m so hoping one of the family becomes a rockstar guitarist so I can call them ‘Guitar Gaetar), had heard the commotion and come out to handle the situation. Or so they thought.

But just then, along came a young boy walking two large goggle-eyed billy goats on leads, well he was being dragged along actually (and no, I have no idea why he would be walking them like dogs). The goats saw the cows and started bleating wildly.

Well, that did it for everyone. The cows stampeded back down the hill and turned into the alley that leads to their field, pheasants and wild birds in the hedges that line the alley, flapped, croaked and tweeted in surprise. Thierry, Gaetar and Mathilde ran after the cows shouting at the tops of their voices. The goats dragged the boy. Ronnie and Reggie ran after the goats followed by Mark. Nina and Lady ran after Ronnie and Reggie with me on the end of their leads. The din of a more than a dozen barking dogs in the village echoed around us.

Sometimes I think my life here is a little odd – and sometimes I know it!

Bisous from a bemused dog walker in the middle of nowhere, rural northern France.

ps Top photo is Claude Monet’s House in Giverny, Normandy from the G-Day posts of our A to Z of France fun on Instagram

Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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

The post Bon weekend from a field in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from my little kitchen in France

Janine Marsh — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 06:48:07 +0000

Last week I was in Alsace-Lorraine, northeast France, which was unusually damp for this time of the year. But despite the weather, it is a beautiful region, the food is amazing, the wine is wonderful, and the people are friendly and generous natured. I started and ended in Strasbourg but in between it was strictly off the beaten tracks as I cruised (with CroisiEurope, the family-owned French company), along the Marne-Rhine Canal, stopping at gorgeous little villages and visiting glorious castles perched up mountains, eating flammekueche (tarte flambé), and nibbling on local cheeses washed down with local wines. Of course I’ll be telling you more about it in an upcoming issue of The Good Life Magazine which you can subscribe to for free here.

Meanwhile back in the village, this weekend is the annual Wood Club members end of (wood) year dinner at the home of my neighbours and Wood Club President Jean-Claude and his wife Bernadette. The first rule of Wood Club is ‘you don’t talk about Wood Club’ as Jean-Claude is convinced everyone will want in! But I’m sure he won’t mind me telling you! There are six members, all neighbours, and the aim is to harvest wood for our fires, whilst managing the trees in the fields hereabouts that are owned by Claudette, Bernadette’s mum.

Every year they spend a week or so cutting, storing, and then later cutting again and sharing. Mark, my other half, is the newest member and also the youngest and fittest so he does most of the heavy work and Jean-Claude never leaves the tractor, from which he orders everyone about. For a laid-back Frenchman, he sometime surprises with a bout of bossiness. To be honest, it’s generally a lot more work than it’s worth but the trees need managing and we’re a community and we’re honoured to be included as the only Brits in the village.

Every day when the Wood Club works, the spouses of the members take turns to cook lunch for everyone, though for the first few years, I was excused on account of me not being keen as I couldn’t cook as well as them (I did a barbecue instead). We’re not talking cheese sandwiches and a packet of crisps here I can tell you, oh no no, it’s always three courses at least. The sort of thing they prepare might be mackerel in white wine as a starter, and for the main dish, a steaming bowl of poule au pot, a chicken stew said to have its origins in the sixteenth century when King Henri IV of France allegedly said that he would ensure that ‘every Frenchman should be able to have a hen in his pot on a Sunday’ at a time when poor people rarely ate meat. Sometimes there’s a cheese platter and always dessert, maybe a tarte tatin or melt-in-your-mouth chocolate eclair.

This year though I was in. I’ve been learning to cook for a few years thanks to some of my very patient neighbours who were frankly horrified that a woman of my age was unable to produce a decent meal from scratch! My tear and share baked Camembert in bread went down a treat. My rustic French beef stew was applauded, ‘just like my belle-maman (mother-in-law) makes’ said Jean-Claude with a wink as he knows that I have watched her make it so many times, I now make it exactly the same way. And my piece de resistance – a brioche berry and white chocolate pudding. The great Julia Child once said, “no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” It’s taken a while, but I think I’ve cracked it!

Wishing you a delicious weekend from a kitchen in an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, northern France,

Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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

The post Bon weekend from my little kitchen in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from a flea market in France

Janine Marsh — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:53:16 +0000

Bonjour!

I hope that you and yours are well It’s been a damp week here in the north of France and walking four dogs in the rain is a challenge – especially when two of them are only 15 weeks old and are little divas who want to do their own thing – Lady and Nina, that’s you. But we did have a dry Sunday, so I headed to a flea market in a little village nearby.

Flea markets are a way of life in France and nowhere more than in my region Hauts de France which holds the two biggest flea markets of the year – Lille Braderie, the first weekend of September (with up to 10,000 stalls, yes really), and Amiens Rederie (2000 stalls) on the first Sunday of October.

But most flea markets are much smaller, ranging from a handful of stalls to a few hundred. You see all sorts of things for sale – collections of used corks and beer bottle tops are common, (who buys these? And why?), ancient farm tools – very handy here in the farmyard of France, and I’ve never been to a flea market that didn’t have a Ricard jug, the ones everyone uses for putting water in to distil your pastis. The joy of a flea market is that you just never know what will turn up (apart from Ricard jugs). And besides, what is tat to one person may be treasure to another.

Take last week. I spotted a tapestry. It wasn’t an Aubusson or anything like that – if only! It was a home-made tapestry, and clearly someone had spent a lot of time needling the thread into images of a pastoral scene with rather haunted looking trees around a field of mustard-coloured something and a man swinging what looks like a baseball bat but is probably a scythe. I stood looking at it, wondering about the person who must have sat so patiently creating their masterpiece. Was it old? Pre-television? Did they sew by candlelight? My imagination was piqued. As always happens when someone stares at something, a small crowd gathered.

A young woman asked the stall holder how much the tapestry was. “20 euros” came the reply. The young woman “pffff’d” – French for too much, and walked away, the crowd disbursed. I asked the stall holder if she knew who created the tapestry. “Yes of course, it was my grandmother, I think it’s about 70 years old, she loved to make these thread pictures she called them, we have loads of them, this is the village of Embry of her memories.”

Well, who can resist a thread picture of the village down the road to where they live and the memories of an old lady? Not me.

And that’s the thing with flea markets – they aren’t just about finding treasure, they’re also an insight into the culture of France…

Meanwhile, I’m packing my bags to go exploring secret villages and castles in Alsace next week! Come with me via Instagram where I’ll post videos and photos as I go…
Bisous,
Janine
Editor

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

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

The post Bon weekend from a flea market in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

A festival of lights in France

Janine Marsh — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 05:54:26 +0000

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well – and a great big welcome to this newsletter if you’re new to it, and a huge thank you and massive hello again to those who have been with me longer – I’m enormously grateful for your support and all your lovely messages!

If you were to wander into my little village this week you may be forgiven for thinking we’ve all gone quite bonkers. Everywhere you go (and admittedly there is not a lot of everywhere to go, there are about 152 people living here, no shops or bars), in every street, and even at the tiny town hall (a former school room), Christmas lights are being hung. Yes, in mid-July.

An illuminating little village in France

Jean-Francois the village handyman has been stringing flashing coloured lights in the leafy branches of the old oak tree on the village square. Jean-Claude, my neighbour AKA Monsieur Partout as everywhere you go, he seems to be there (I do sometimes wonder if he is a triplet and he and his brothers are playing tricks on us), was spotted up a ladder which was balanced rather precariously on the roof of his little white van. His bossy wife Bernadette was sort of holding it steady but kept forgetting as she waved her hands and shouted instructions ‘put the lights round the chimney’ (luckily for Jean-Claude they live in a one storey house), ‘trail them along the weathervane…’

A large party tent has gone up in the town hall courtyard (the former playground). Along the tops of hedges and around the rose bushes growing over doors, and across window boxes dripping with brightly coloured geraniums – there are strands of Christmas lights.

There are no Christmas trees though.

And just why have we all seemingly decided that this week is Christmas in the middle of nowhere rural northern France? Well, it is the weekend of the ‘Illuminations.’

And so we are illuminating.

Nobody knows why we do it. It’s a tradition and I suspect an excuse for a good old knees up since that party tent will be full of people dancing, munching on moules frites and enjoying a glass or two of wine whilst admiring the twinkling Christmas lights on a sunny July night!

This is no big budget affair. There is no fanfare. But a lot of heart and camaraderie goes into making this one of the big nights of the summer in these parts.

Vive the illuminations!

Wishing you a lovely weekend from a festive little village in France, and please enjoy a read of the totally FREE Summer issue of The Good Life France Magazine: magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com

And, I hope you find a ton of inspiration from the top picks in this week’s newsletter.

Bisous from my little corner of France,
Janine
Editor

ps Photo is the market at Aix-en-Provence on a summer’s day…

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 scroll to the bottom of this post if you’re on a mobile device. Or look on the right on a laptop or PC. Type in your email address and click subscribe…

The post A festival of lights in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend from a cowgirl in France

Janine Marsh — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 10:01:54 +0000

Bonjour!

I hope that you and yours are well.

Well I can add cowgirl to my cv after last week’s walk with Ronnie and Reggie the Labrador pups. We (me and my other half Mark) were walking along the chemin de Saint Michel, a narrow winding path that runs through the fields and forests of the 7 Valleys in Pas de Calais.

It was one of those lovely early sunny mornings when the sky looks like it’s getting married and wearing a lacy veil, the sun was sun rising over the top of the hill of Old Gaylord, a farmer of indeterminate age who keeps cows. It was as usual tranquil, no sign of the owls that sometimes follow us, a few croaking pheasants complained about us intruding, a couple of deer stood on the edge of the forest not sure whether to run this way or that, and a hare sat stock still watching to make sure the dogs weren’t coming his way. The hedges are in full bloom, wild roses, wild clematis, delicate pink hawthorn blossoms, wild sage and poppies swaying in a light breeze. On we walked for a mile or so.

‘How lucky I am’ I was thinking to myself ‘to have this on my doorstep, ‘how peaceful, no noise’ when suddenly the dogs bolted off barking furiously. We rounded a bend in the road and there in front of us were ten cows. They’d escaped from Old Man Gaylord’s field and were having a great time wandering about and munching on the wildflowers in the hedgerows. Luckily you can count on one hand how many cars go by in an hour in these parts.

We calmed Ronnie and Reggie who were immensely proud of their ‘discovery.’

‘You’re not leaving me here with this lot while you go and get Gaylord’ I said to Mark. He did that once before when we found Guillaume’s mad goat wandering about, it didn’t take any notice of me trying to round it up while Mark fetched Guillaume, and I was pretty sure 10 cows wouldn’t either. ‘We’ll just have to get them back in ourselves’.

The beautiful big-eyed black and white cows were absolutely fascinated by the dogs, so I walked in front with Reggie and Ronnie, and they followed. Mark walked behind in case a car came. We trotted along in a sedate convoy, though Reggie and Ronnie were confused about being followed. Back past the fields of potatoes and maize, back past the Alley of the Angels (my neighbour Jean-Claude says it’s called that because hundreds of years ago a local girl was said to have seen an angel there), all the way back to Old Man Gaylord’s field. I felt like the Pied Piper of cows.

The gate to the field was open so I led the dogs in and the cows followed, fixated on the objects of their desire. Then I had to run back to the gate with the dogs and get out quick before they followed and came home with us. I know that my neighbours think I’m mad already with all my dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, a dove and a hedgehog, but babysitting this lot – Holy Cow, that would really seal the deal!

Wishing you a lovely weekend from a cowgirl in France, and please enjoy a read of the totally FREE Summer issue of The Good Life France Magazine: magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com

And, I hope you find a ton of inspiration from the top picks in this week’s newsletter.

Bisous from my little corner of France,
Janine
Editor

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

The post Bon weekend from a cowgirl in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Bon weekend – the summer in France newsletter

Janine Marsh — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 12:38:52 +0000

The big news this week is that the Summer issue of The Good Life France Magazine is out! It’s completely free to read, subscribe and share and you can read it here. It’s a fabulous issue, packed with fabulous photos and fantastic features written by top travel writers. Discover the most romantic sites, castles and hidden villages. Celebrate the 1000 year old history of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel and the Vallée de la Gastronomie, a 620km foodie route of France (and yes I did travel the entire length of it, sipping and sampling as I went!) Normandy, Provence, the French Riviera, Picardy, Mayenne, Languedoc Rousillon, the French Alps and more are featured. There are fabulous recipes from French foodie legends Ferrandi Paris and Eric Kayser the most famous of Paris bakers. And there’s heaps more – just hop on over and enjoy a free read – and please share with your friends, it’s free to them too – thank you so much.

Of course none of my animals could give a fig that I’ve been working so hard to get the magazine out, create fun podcasts for you to enjoy (new one out next week – everything you want to know about Bastille Day – subscribe here so you don’t miss it!), and travelling all over France to explore new places to tell you about. I’m off to the Loire next week, taking a paddle boat tour along the River Loire and stopping off at gorgeous chateaux and enchanting little villages (come with me via Instagram).

Everyone seems to be preparing for the summer holidays here – it’s pretty much the law to take a holiday in July or August, or at least that’s what it feels like. If you go in July (Juillet in French), you’re called a Juilettiste, and if you go in August (Août in French), you’re called an Aoûtienne! (My How to be Parisian in less than an hour Podcast talks more about this). However, I’ll be staying home to work in the garden, as, after 19 years of renovating our old French farmhouse – we’re almost finished and the garden is getting a makeover. I know I say every year ‘we’re nearly done’, but really this year may well see the end of us building a house within a house (my three books tell the story of our mad adventures along the way – link below).

Wishing you a very bon weekend full of joy from roasty toasty northern France and I hope you find a ton of inspiration from the website and the top picks in this week’s newsletter.

Bisous from my little corner of France,
Janine
Editor

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

The post Bon weekend – the summer in France newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.

Welcome to the Good Life France Newsletter

Janine Marsh — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 10:55:18 +0000

Bonjour!

I hope that you and yours are well.

First a great big bienvenue, welcome, to new subscribers. And as always, a massive thank you to long term friends here, some of you have been with me for more than ten years and I am very, very grateful for your support, messages and friendship.

I’ve just got back from Rouen in Normandy where the fantastic Armada event is in full swing (until 18 June). It’s one of the most feel-good, fun and fabulous events I’ve ever been to, tall ships galore in port, sailors singing sea shanties, concerts, street performers, pop up bars and restaurants and this year – wall to wall sunshine! It’s definitely one not to miss, I’m hooked on this event, but we’ll have to wait until June 2027 for the next one. I’ll be writing about it in the Autumn magazine and give you dates and details then (you can subscribe for free here).

At home the new puppies – Nina and Lady, are now nearly 10 weeks old and Bread Man, the man who delivers the bread, is I think just as besotted with them as we are – me and the other half Mark that is, and Ronnie and Reggie the one-year-old Labrador pups who are utterly in love with their new baby sisters. The cats and chickens not so much, the chasing about don’t impress them at all! (You can see all the dogs here on Instagram).

The newbies came home with us a couple of weeks ago and the next day Bread Man arrived with our baguettes and croissants to an orchestra of squeaky yip-yap barks.

“What is that?” asked Bread Man, closing one eye halfway and turning his head to one side.

Bread Man is an animal lover.

“Not more dogs?” he sounded as incredulous as our vet when we took the girls in for their welcome check-up.

I led Bread Man round the back of the house to the garden where Lady and Nina have a little pen of their own under a shady tree and umbrella to keep the sun off. First Nina (the black and white one), then Lady jumped up with excitement.

“Ah ah ah” laughed Bread Man – because French people don’t pronounce their h’s! “I want a ‘ug.”

I let the girls out and they ran straight into his arms as he sat on the floor.

“French President Charles de Gaulle once said ‘The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs’ – I understand him” he said. “‘Appiness is puppy-sized” he added as Lady and Nina licked and nibbled his fingers and tugged on his twirly moustache.

I predict more coffee stops in Bread Man’s future at our ‘ouse.

Wishing you a very bon weekend full of joy from roasty toasty northern France and I hope you find a ton of inspiration from the website and the top picks in this week’s newsletter.

Bisous from my little corner of France,
Janine
Editor

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

The post Welcome to the Good Life France Newsletter appeared first on The Good Life France.