Bonjour to you all…
I’m sitting here on a hot and humid Friday afternoon working on lots of exciting new features for next week – though not for long as tonight I am going to the opening night of Les Miserables being performed in the open air on the ramparts of the Citadel at Montreuil-sur-Mer. The town is where Victor Hugo stayed with his mistress and later wrote Les Miserables largely based on people he met there and things he saw and I met “Victor Hugo” last week at the rehearsals!
We’ve had a bumper week of great new reports and stories – here are just a few of them to whet your appetite, just click on the links to read and visit our website with its wonderful new illustrated header from the artist Fifi Flowers whom we interviewed about her love of Paris…
Low Cost Paris – lots of ideas from Bob Lyons, our roving reporter in France
Entente Cordial from the Chateau d’Hardelot – the only institution in France to promote British culture
The fabulous, beautiful La Piscine in Roubaix, near Lille – one of the most beautiful swimming pools in the world and now a fantastic museum
Our new resident wedding expert Monique Trulove shared her French summer rustic garden party and wedding style tips
We took an off the beaten track weekend in northern France – Lille, Arras, Bethune, Dunkerque and Lens, fabulous places to visit and things to do
Artist Grace McKee told us about life in France after years in the UK and the US –she is loving the way of life and aiming to do a painting a day in France
Donna Faulkner, Deux-Sevres’ DIY extremist updated us on DIY life in July at her house
Cheese Adventure in France – We talked to Anita Funnell, a New Zealand business woman who chucked in corporate life to return to her dairy farm roots and came to France to learn about artisan cheese making
If you can’t think of anything nice to say – say it about politicians : In my life I found out about a change in the law which means being rude to the French president is no longer an offence and discussed queuing in France – Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité might apply to most of daily life in France but if you’re in a queue – forget it, it’s every man and woman for him or herself to get to the front!.
I’d like to say a big welcome to our new newsletter friends and thank you for subscribing to all of you.
Bon Weekend and a bientôt
Janine
Editor – Rédacteur en Chef
