Everyone loves painting!

French children start school quite young, at 3 years old and when Iona and Joe were in the 'Maternelle' class (from 3 - 7 years old) throughout the year there would be numerous events that bought the youngest and the oldest people of the commune together. 

The Mardi Gras 'carnival' was always a great afternoon!. The children would dress up and walk round the village whilst the older members of the village would prepare crepes and hot chocolate and wait for the children to barge into the village hall!. Everyone would then sit at long tables eating crepes and drinking hot chocolate (I seem to remember that the older folk would also knock back a fair bit of Rosé !!) The elderly would admire the childrens' costumes and the children would speak so easily and freely to the older people. Everyone benefited from these occasions.

A retirement home in Brittany has taken this idea one step further. When the commune could not meet the parents demand for a crèche the retirement home offered part of its building to be used as a crèche. Within the building there are some communal areas where the elderly residents and the children and meet and share stories!. They also enjoy joint workshops on cookery, arts and crafts, and music.

Care home residents find the children give them back their joie de vivre and the crèche workers have seen that the children are a lot calmer and gentler when they are with the elderly residents.

Measuring happiness!

Every three months a Paris think-tank works out the ‘happiness GDP’ of France, and its latest findings show that it is rising faster than its economic equivalent.


The think-tanks chief happiness officer, can you believe that is actually a job title, chief happiness officer, now that job wouldn’t allow you to be grumpy, not just for one second!.

Well, the chief happiness officer believes that the French generally have a negative world view but a very positive personal view. She believes that a key element to happiness are good social links and she has recommended that the government improve town planning to maximise opportunities for social gatherings.

Welcome to France and buy a pigs entrail from a vending machine!

When we think of vending machines we think of cold drinks, coffee, chocolate and sweets.

Only in France, can you buy eggs, potatoes, bread, cheese, steak and pig’s intestines from 24-hour street vending machines!

In the Parisian meat vending machine you find everything from Carpaccio de Boeuf at €6, a tender 250g faux-filet steak for €8, pork chops for €5 but also Bayonne ham from the Basque country, chicken and even eggs.
 
Payment can be made by cash or by credit card.

The installation of the meat vending machines, continues a long a trend in France of making sure the public can get their fix of Gallic food 24 hours a day.

In 2011 Paris got its first 24-hour baguette dispenser when Jean-Louis Hecht put one next to his bakery in the 19^th arrondissement.

Dismissing the notion that selling bread in automatic dispensers was tantamount to sacrilege for the French, he said: “This is the bakery of tomorrow. It is answering a real need. To me it’s a public utility.”

Baguette vending machines are now a fairly common sight in French cities.

Working factories increase in popularity.

Finding out just how things are ‘Made in France’ is a growing tourism sector with many businesses now opening their doors to visitors.

Websites and guide books have been produced promoting venues from traditional crafts such as pottery, cheese, wines and olives to heavy industry including car, boat and plane manufacturers.

The idea is that tourists will look up these factories in the same way that they seek out museums and historical monuments when they go on holiday.

As the number of manufacturing companies declines people have less day to day contact with industry and they are keen to find out how everyday items are produced. The companies involved also see this as a way to promote their businesses.

We have visited many working factories in Brittany and I would really recommend la belle-iloise conserverie à Quiberon (sardines), the Airbus factory at Saint Nazaire and the Biscuiterie à Muzillac.

King Arthur, was he French or English?

King Arthur was a British leader, wasn’t he?… Well, that is what I always thought, now I am not so sure.

We seem to live in the heart of ‘King Arthur world’. Every other street in Guer and Ploërmel are dedicated to the King Arthur legend.

Several episodes of the Arthurian saga take place in the magical Forêt de Brocéliande, which is just ten minutes away! In this forest you will find ‘Merlin’s tomb’, ‘the Valley of no return’ and The Église Sainte-Onenne which is steeped in Arthurian lore – its windows depict many scenes of Arthur’s adventures.

Being very diplomatic, I don’t think King Arthur was either French or English. The legends surrounding King Arthur date back to a time before there was a Britain or a France. Before France was unified, Britain (la Grande Bretagne) and Brittany (la Petite Bretagne) had very close ties.

Legends may well have been exchanged, with several episodes of the saga having taken place in the magical and mystical Forêt de Brocéliande.

Are the French rude, or simply misunderstood

The French would argue that the French aren’t rude. Foreigners just don’t understand the codes of French conversation.

Basically French society has different codes of behaviour and standards of what is considered polite. In day to day interactions with the French, you could be breaking any number of those rules without even knowing it.

One of the most important words in the French language is ‘Bonjour’. Yet, this simple word is frequently disregarded, or used improperly by foreign visitors to France. You can’t have any interaction with the French unless you say bonjour, you say it in a meaningful way, and you give them a chance to say bonjour back.

By not waiting for a bonjour in return before you ask a question, you’re not giving them time to acknowledge or give you permission to continue the conversation.

Given France’s history of revolution and motto of egalité, you can imagine why they may be a little touchy when they feel like they’re being spoken down to.

It’s all coconuts and peaches
A common reason French people are perceived as being rude is a certain ‘frostiness’ and lack of desire to engage in small talk. The reason we might feel that way is all to do with peaches and coconuts.

The world is divided into “peaches” and “coconuts”. Or at least that’s according to German-American Psychologist Kirt Lwein, who says that cultures can be divided into these two fruits.

Peaches are warm on the outside, and share personal stories, but make the mistake of thinking that is genuine intimacy and you’ll hit the core ‘inner self’ stone, Lewin argues. Whereas coconuts seem aloof and cold at first, but once you get through to their tough outer shell, they become genuine and open.

If the French are coconuts, then that makes English speaking visitors mainly peaches, and that clash can create some awkwardness. The immediate openness of “peaches” can be off putting for “coconuts”, as the French can perceive immediate openness as being superficial and invasive.
It is probably best to approach French people in a humble but very friendly way, which can often result in their outer shell “melting away”. Just don’t be surprised if a French person doesn’t want to share their own personal life right away.

The Mercedes brand was born in France

The iconic German car brand, Mercedes was named after the daughter of a businessman who lived in the Côte d’Azur at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Emil Jellinek was a successful Austrian businessman based in Nice. He was passionate about racing cars. He enjoyed the German Daimler cars but was frustrated with the slow speeds of just 24kph! He demanded speeds of 40kph.

In 1898 Damlier produced the first four cylinder engine car which could produce speeds of 35kph.

Jellinek used his position to advertise and sell these cars to the wealthy residents of Côte d’Azur and it was agreed that these cars would be called Damlier Mercedes after his daughter Mércédès.

A 'chocolatine' or 'pain au chocolat'

The most popular word for this pâtisserie viennoises is ‘pain au chocolat’ but the term ‘chocolatine’ is used by a significant number of the French population, particularly in the South of France.

Pupils in the south-west town, Montauban have written to the government demanding that they order all dictionaries must include the word chocolatine.

While the odd dictionary already includes it – including the French version of Robert’s English-French dictionary which translates it as ‘chocolate croissant’ – many only include the more common term pain au chocolat.

One lycée student told La Dépêche du Midi: “It’s a word of our region, which includes a lot of people, and there’s no reason why the rest of the country shouldn’t know it. We’re proud to be from the south.”

Another said: “We’re not trying to change everyone’s way of speaking, we just want our way to be recognised, it seems only fair.”

One of the arguments put forward in the letter is that “it’s not bread anyway – it’s puff pastry”. Fair point!

France, Europe's most fertile country

The Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (Insee) have confirmed that 785,000 babies were born in 2016 – a fall of 14,000 on the previous year, with the birth rate dropping to an average of 1.93 per woman, compared to 1.96 in 2015 and 2.00 in 2014.

Despite the falling birth rate, France and Ireland remain Europe’s most fertile nations.

The decrease in the birth rate has been linked to a fall in the number of women of child-bearing age in the country since the 1990s.

Despite the fall in the number of births, the population of France grew by 0.4% in the last year. Life expectancy has risen and women can expect to live 85.4 years, and men 79.3.

The population is France is aging, with those aged 65 and over now accounting for 19.2% of the population compared to 16% a decade ago.

The BEST mussels come from Brittany

It takes a year to cultivate a mussel. They are born in the Spring and caught on fine horizontal ropes.

In June, these fine ropes are transferred to frames until the end of August when they are finally wound in spirals around wooden posts on the shore. Storm netting is put around the spirals to protect the mussels from predators.

The quality of the mussels is dependant on the seawater and mussel producers in the bay of Mont-Saint Michel believe this area produces the very best mussels because the water isn’t polluted, the high tides keep the area clean and the water cool.

So there you have it, for the best ‘Moules et frites’ come to Brittany!..

Talk to a real French person!

Now, you can talk to a real French person in your own lounge!

The French Number (www.thefrenchnumber.fr) aims to promote France by connecting people from all over the world to real French people.

How better to improve your french or to learn more about France than to talking to a real French person.

About 2,500 French people, who are passionate about France  have signed up to take calls, with 80%  aged between 25 and 40.


Calls are put through a telephone platform to random people until someone answers.
The service was launched in July 2016 and so far there have been 5,000 calls from 80 countries.
France’s tourism development agency soon expects the service to be taking 50,000 calls per month.

Bombs under the veg patch!

What a shocker this must have been!..

Digging a hole in your garden and finding 120 bombshells.!

Bomb disposal experts were called to a property in Beuvry, Pas de Calais, after shells dating back to World War One were found during construction work.

The century-old shells have been recovered and will be disposed of safely on military grounds.

So you just never know what is under your patio!. I wonder, after all this time is there a risk that these bombs could have exploded?

The importance of an oak barrel

Until very recently I hadn’t realised just how important the barrel was, and I am now left wondering if the barrel isn’t more important than the grape?… No, impossible.

The aromas and flavours that the oak gives to the wine, toast, caramel, coffee, toffee or vanilla all depend on the type of barrel, how old it is and how long the wine is left in the barrel.

The oak barrels are fired on the insides. A light firing will impart a ‘toast’ type aroma whereas a heavy firing will impart a ‘caramel’ aroma.

The choice of oak is also important as is the age of the barrel. When the barrel is first used the aroma’s taken up by the wine are more intense than wine placed in a barrel which is three or four years old.

Flavour isn’t the only reason for using barrels. Oak barrels are porous, so the wine gently oxides over time, the older the barrel, the more porous it is and the oxygenation process is increased. This oxygenation process, combined with the oak tannins helps smooth out the texture of the red wine without removing the preservation qualities of the tannins. The skilled wine maker has to decide how long to keep a particular wine in the oak barrel. The age of the barrel, the aromas the barrel can impart and the level of oxygenation all must be considered.

I just hadn’t realised how complicated wine making was, and this only what happens after the wine has been made. I now have a new respect for the wine maker. Clever people.

When I am swigging back my next glass of red, I will try really hard to see if I can detect any toast, caramel, toffee or vanilla. I may just need a second glass, just to be sure…

City Centre Strawberry Farms

A French company has raised €4 million to produce fruit and vegetables that are 100% free from pesticides, that are not Genetically Modified and that have zero food miles.

Their aim is to allow city dwellers to eat better than their parents by producing fresh food and vegetables in the heart of French cities.

They propose to install hydroponic containers in major French city centres.

A prototype container was used last year in Paris to produce strawberries and helped by 120 bumble bees which pollinated the plants, fresh strawberries were soon available to Parisians!.

The concept will be rolled out this year to many French cities with the long term goal of franchising the containers so that people can set up a container in their local city centre and sell the produce locally.

Experience a 'boulangerie Drive'

Everyone is familiar with a McDonalds drive through. Now popping up all over France are ‘Boulangerie Drives’, a boulangerie drive through!..

It is exactly the same concept as a Macdonalds, you drive up to a window, wind down your window, ask for a baguette and a croissant and over the cash and within 2 minutes you are on your way with a warm baguette!.

Now we have a Boulangerie Drive in Malestroit!   I can see that the Boulangerie Drives would be very popular in busy towns and cities with dense populations, but Malestroit!

I may be surprised with the opening of a Boulangerie Drive in Malestroit but I am having to eat my words as everytime I pass the Boulangerie Drive there is always a car by the baguette dispensing window!

Too many lessons at school, then skip a lesson!

I think that it is fair to say that French children have a longer school week than French children. I thought that collège hours were long enough (8h00 – 16h30) but lycée (6th form college) hours are even longer (8h30 – 18h00). On some days Iona has 9 hours of lessons in one day. I still can’t fathom out why the French expect their children to work so hard yet their 35 hour working week is set in stone. Anyway I digress…..

Tomorrow Iona starts school an hour later as she has done too many hours this month!….

So, there is somewhere written down, the exact amount of hours a child of 15 years old has to attend school and somewhere there is somebody calculating exactly how many hours each child has attended school and should that child exceed the prescribed number of hours then they are given a free period !…. Only in France!

Circus stars performing in Playground

I have just received a text from Iona, this morning a circus arrived at her lycée and has been performing throughout the day in the playground!..

So anyone with a free period can watch them. I also think some lessons have been abandoned so the students can watch these flying acrobats!

Apparently no one knew about the arrival of the cucus apart from the Headmaster… he arranged the whole thing as a mid term surprise for the students!..

Summer is on its way!

Mimosa trees are now in full bloom across Brittany. It is one of the first flowers we see after winter and the bright yellow flowers and delicate scent is a reminder that summer is not far away.

Native to the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, mimosa trees were brought back to Europe in the mid-19th century by Captain James Cook and rich English winter holiday-makers planted them in their Riviera gardens. They thrived in the warm climate and the well-drained soil.

In France you can also order a Mimosa cocktail. This cocktail is very similar to a Bucks Fizz but I think the Bucks Fizz has a higher proportion of champagne and the Mimosa has a higher proportion of orange juice.

Sport on Perscription

From 1st January 2017, doctors in France will be able to prescribe sport.

Trials in Strasbourg have shown that sport is an effective way of helping to treat a range of diseases from cancer to diabetes. Initially sport will only be prescribed to patients with major long term diseases. Patients prescribed sporting activities will not be directed to gyms already filled with fit people, instead they will be offered specialist sessions run by sports therapists who will tailor activities to each patients physical condition.

The idea is that by prescribing sport, patients will get fitter and more active and in time they will join main stream sporting clubs and associations.

The sports being offered include jogging, archery, yoga and gym sessions.

Paying for these sports sessions will either be met by health insurance providers or by local authorities.

Trials have shown that prescribed sports sessions lower anxiety, less pain and improved blood pressure.

When a Frenchman collides with a deer

8.00am on Saturday morning.  Jean Pierre has just called.

‘Is Mark there?, I have just collided with a deer and I need his help?’

‘Are you OK?’ I ask

‘Fine, I am waiting for the gendarmerie but I need some help to get the deer into the boot of my car.’

Now, if I had collided with a deer, the last thing on my mind would be how I could transport it home.

French law states that if you collide with a wild animal you are entitled to keep the carcass but you can’t sell it. Whereas in the UK you loose your no claims bonus after colliding with an animal, in France you don’t as long as you report it to the gendarmerie.

I didn’t ask what Jean Pierre intended to do with the deer once he got it home, aren’t there laws about home butchery?… some times it is best just NOT to know!

Creme gets an island unit!

My nagging has paid off!.. ‘La Maison Creme needs more kitchen cupboards’.

Mark has just finished the island unit so La Maison Creme now has more kitchen cupboards!, and reinforced shelves. I have been known to ‘overload’ shelves.

Really pleased!, when it gets a bit warmer, I will go and move everything around.

Mark is having his wisdon teeth out!

Mark is having his wisdom teeth out. Rather him than me!

I have just collected a whole bag of stuff from the pharmacy, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain killers, a special post extraction(!) toothbrush and three bottles of mouth wash. Isn't this a bit dramatic... he is only having a tooth out! But the French do like to be prepared!.

In England, the pharmacies put stickers on all of the medication, who it is for and how many tablets should be taken and when. In France, no stickers. The dosage is on the perscription and you are given back the perscription with the medication. The pharmacists however usually explain how the medication should be taken as well. She had explained how the anti inflammatories and antibiotics should be taken and was explaining that the mouthwash should be used 3 times a day and that whilst taking the mouthwash Mark shouldn't drive.

I must have looked confused. Mouthwash = No driving?

'Mais oui, the pharmacist continued, the mouthwash has a very high alcohol percentage and if you drive after using it, it will show up as positive on the gendarmes breathalyzer test. There is a case going to court in the South of France whereby someone is trying to proof the failed breathalyser test is due to this mouthwash.'

Looks like Mark will only be able to drive from 11.00am until mid day and from 5.00pm until 6.00pm!

International Hug Day

A few weeks ago (21st January) was International Hug Day

You will not be surprised to discover that this special day was first celebrated in the USA in 1986 and initially started as a day to hug friends and family to boost emotional health.

I have heard before that studies have shown that hugs that last 20 seconds or more can increase levels of oxytocin and serotonin, which increase feelings of well-being and reduce blood pressure.

Not surprisingly, International Hug Day has not really caught on in France!.. I am really not quite sure what the response I would get if I hugged Guillaume the pig farmer!.. not a good one!.. having said that I’m not sure that the smell of Guillaumes overalls would increase my feelings of well being!.

The French just aren’t ‘huggy’ people. Well, the French have come up with a reason as the why International Hug Day was a bit of a flop in France, there is a flu epidemic!

Check your EDF bills..... You may have been charged twice

Just over 1million EDF customers who pay their energy bills by direct debit have had payments taken twice in the past few days. OOPs!

The energy supplier, confirmed that the error was caused by a ‘computer bug’.  ‘Computer bugs’  always seem to take money out of my account… they never seem to put more money INTO my account!

The EDF sent an email to all of the customers that have been charged twice assuring them that they did not have to do anything, saying that the EDF ‘had taken all necessary steps to ensure the second payment would be cancelled within 24 hours’.

Driving at 15 years old!

Iona has the sticker so now she can legally drive on French roads.

15 seems to be the magic number. She is 15, she has had 15 hours of driving lessons and now she can drive with either Mark or me.

It really is quite scary on so many levels. She drives so FAST… She tells me not to worry, her driving instructor didn’t tell her that she drove fast.

Yes, BUT her driving instructor had a BRAKE pedal!

And she really doesn’t need to talk the whole time. I wouldn’t mind if she silently concentrated.