The title is pronounced « ah-lay up! say par-tee » and it roughly means, « here we go. » I hesitated about this title, knowing none of you would know what the heck it meant, but my original idea of titling the post « Giving » didn’t seem to work either, as it was besmirched with a false humility or a modest altruism which didn’t… Read More
Archives for November 2010
de la Chance!
« Chance » does not have the same meaning in French as it does in English. It means « lucky. » It’s another one of those false friends, like « deception ,» which in French means « disappointment, » and not « deceived .» This Sunday, in spite of a blooming cold and laryngitis, I celebrated my 41st birthday. It was lovely and simple. I threw out my low-carb diet… Read More
Furrows
What to do on a cold grey Autumn day with a toddler? Ha! Gardening. See my barren strawberry patch turning red? I didnt actually know strawberry plants did that. Let’s hope they see a better April. Petit Prince. Petit Priiiiiiince. Hello! Where are you going? Aaah. You’re going to sweep. Helping mommy are you? Aaargh. Yes, I know it’s heavy…. Read More
A Morning Jog
I pull on my jogging pants and tighten my Asics Gel Kayano’s for the Supinated Foot. Then I pull a long tee shirt over my million dollar baby weight and head out. I jog past the hedges with the bright orange berries past the funky … tree (is it?), and the persimmon tree past the Q-tip tree. I jog past… Read More
La Purée (Vegetable Soup)
Soup is a very common meal in France. It can be served as an appetizer, but given that the French eat sparing dinners, it’s more likely to be the main course. The most common is a vegetable soup, called “purée.” You take some large leeks. Chop them into rounds and rinse them well to remove the sand. Of course you… Read More
Cultural Hazards of France
It was time to pick the children up from their new school. I had spent the day cramped in our little bedroom above where the workers were banging away and turning our basement into someplace livable. Our clothes were hanging on a temporary rack in front of the chimney and we barely had enough room to walk in between our… Read More