French Word-A-Day

fuir

Yesterday, in Grenoble: fleeing oeufs. Add word-a-day to Yahoo, AOL, Google, or have it delivered, via email, here.

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

fuir (fweer)

    1.  to take flight, to flee, to run away
    2. to avoid, to shun

Listen: Download MP3 or Download WAV

     Le temps fuit. / Time flies.

French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Saint Nuit", "La Marche des Rois", "Petite Ville Bethléem", "Il est né Le Divin Enfant". Order CD here.
. 

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

Tempus Fugit / Time Flies

Ever opened your eyes to find that 18 years have passed in "no time"?

"No Time": it must be that other dimension, such as the one we're sometimes in when driving. We arrive at Point B and wonder how we got there: as if automatically! We don't remember turning left, after the redundant ramshackle shed, and we don't remember passing the monotonous maple tree. (We did pass them, didn't we?) 

***

Grenoble. A birthday celebration. In the living room of longtime friends, I stood looking up at their son, who'd not yet been born when...

Have 18 years gone by since I moved to France, on the fly? 

The bearded boy looked down at me. Just how, I wondered, did time flee? (Can time flee? Or are two decades of Frenglish taking a toll? See?)

 ***

Champagne on the buffet, cake on trays... The guests gathered round with gifts. Jean-Marc offered a dusty, cobwebbed magnum of his uncle's Domaine du Banneret 1992. I wondered, did we pick those grapes, too? It was the year Jean-Marc and I shacked up. The year the bearded boy was brand-new!
. 

                           Baptiste, 18 years old for the time being.

The wine went down in "no time". Next, we passed the bottle round to sign. It would now be a souvenir. Another one of those.

I stared at the magnum and imagined... this bottle... on a shelf... twenty years from now. A treasured keepsake of a former boy, now a journalist (and was that a thread of gray in his barbe?). I could just picture the bottle, next to the framed awards. Two decades from now....

"J'aurais trente-huit ans," added the birthday boy. Yes, he would then. He would be 38 years old one day. And I'd be sixty-two. I could see it as clearly as I could see the freckles on the back of my own hand as I clutched the pen and stared at the wine label inked over with signatures.

Pen in hand, I hesitated. What to say? Hopefully not something outdated!

I drew a tiny heart so as not to take up too much space. I'd already taken up a bit of time....
. 

:: Le Coin Commentaires ::
Corrections and stories of your own welcome! Read the comments or leave on of your own, here.

French Vocabulary

Domaine du Banneret = an award winning wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape 

la barbe = beard

 j'aurais trente-huit ans = I would be thirty-eight

 

Please help me give our new sponsor a clickety-click welcome!

Les Terraces - a unique property available for rent in the bastide town of Sainte-Foy-La-Grande on the banks of the Dordogne.

 .

Smokey playing "Tug of Ear" with Mama Braise. Photo by Braden.


Add French accents to your cuisine with this fleurs-de-lis towel holder. Order it here, in antique pewter or antique copper. 

Waterford Fleurs-de-lis Christmas Tree Ornament. Order one here.

Morello Cherries in Liquor. Product of France. See reviews and serving suggestions, here.

 

            French Alphabet Blocks. Order here.

 

Psst!: Wine Writing: Did you see Jean-Marc's latest at Southern Fried French? Also: Meet Jean-Marc... in Belgium, December 10th, 11th, and 12th!  He'll be at the Salon des Vins et Métiers de Bouche (Centre Sportif de Soumagne, Tel 04 377 98 11)

On the way home from Grenoble, entering the Drôme.

abracadabrant

Meet an extraordinary 8-year-old and a giant named Hefty in today's story. All photos by Braden (except for the one above...).

Yabla French Video Immersion.
The fun way to learn French

abracadabrant(e) (ah bra kah dah brahn [brahnt]) adj.

    : amazing, extraordinary

syn: invraisemblable (bizarre), extravagant

abracadabra : interjection , also, masculine noun for magical formula  

Audio file: Listen to "abracadabrant" at French Wikipedia...

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

Hero-in-Progress

When Jean-Marc needed to spend the day prospecting with an American wine importer, I offered to host the man's 8-year-old son, or traveling companion.

Doubtful about my decision, I ran to the phone and rang Jules, in Mexico.
"Oh, Mom. How will I do with him?!"

Jules told me not to worry. Instead she shared the story about "Hefty", the giant carnival hand:

"When I was a little girl," Mom began, "I had a horrible wart on my thumb... I was always trying to hide it. One day I was sitting on a tree stump, outside the carnival grounds, staring at my thumb. That's when Hefty appeared. The giant, noticing my sadness, assured me I would never shed another tear. I watched Hefty disappear into the carnival tent and, fast as that, return with a secret ointment. Abracadabra! The wart disappeared!"

As Mom told the story, I could sense her wonderment. The kindness of a stranger... it was such a small detail in the grand scheme of a child's being, and yet the carnival hand's caring gesture never left her.

I considered Mom's words. I might not be as giant, or giant-hearted as Hefty, but there is that unmistakable oddness, or rather, that awkwardness that amounted, did it not, to no more than self-doubt? 

I began to hope for a genuine gesture, like Hefty's, to somehow surface from deep within me. Maybe in this way my eight-year-old guest and I would enjoy the same simplicity?

"Don't worry," Mom assured. "And what an exciting thing... just think about your visitor and wonder just whom, after all, you are hosting."  Thinking about it that way... perhaps Einstein was coming for the day? Or Victor Hugo, or Gandhi, or some other hero... or hero-in-progress!

When Braden arrived I was as nervous as a bride. "Would you like orange juice? Milk? A pain au chocolat?" Our hero was not so hungry and, after a bite or two, I was wondering what to do? what to do? 

I spotted my camera on the comptoir.... 
"Would you like to take some photos, Braden?" 

     Braden enjoyed "styling" the subject before taking the pictures.

And—voilà—we were off! The rest of the day I spent in the privileged presence of an artist and visionnaire. As I followed the intrepid ingénu...  I began to notice ordinary things anew! And oh the possibilities... of pairing grapes with flowers and pumpkins and trees!

By the end of Braden's stay my narrow world was as wide as the Milky Way. And it's all thanks to Hefty whose heart went out. And to the child he helped, who then pointed the way to me:

"The potential of a child... is as endless as a giant's smile."

 

:: Le Coin Commentaires ::
Corrections, comments, and stories of your own are welcome here, in the comments box.

Sign up a friend or family member to French Word-A-Day. 
. 

            The artist's self portrait. "Looking in" by Braden.

French Vocabulary

le comptoir* = counter

voilà = just like that! 

*Newforest, whom many of you know via "Le Coin Commentaires" offers these notes:
Originally, "un comptoir" (from the verb "compter") was a table used by a shopkeeper, on which he showed the goods you wanted to buy - he also used that table to count his money which he kept in a drawer. 

Nowadays, "un comptoir" can be found in shops and bars, in banks, post offices, libraries & commercial places.

For a kitchen: "un plan de travail", "une surface de travail" (I heard French people saying "la table de travail" but I believe "un plan de travail is the most common expression) 

Thank you for visiting our sponsors!

LES PORTES TORDUES (The Twisted Doors): The Scariest Way in the World to Learn and Listen to French! Check it out (if you dare). 

BELLO VISTO:  Rent a house with beautiful views in the village next to Kristin's!  

*** 

Thank you, Braden, for a wonderful day! And thanks for taking the photos here.

 Gift Ideas...

Hand-hooked, heavyweight 100% wool face. Soft cotton velvet back. Order one here.

 

 

 

Eiffel Tower lamp: see the reviews, here.

 

 

 

Emile Henry 9-inch Provencal pie dish in cerise red. Order one here.

 

 

 

Shalimar Eau de Parfum by Guerlain. Introduced in 1925. Fragrance notes: an alluring, classic fragrance of exotic florals and vanilla. Order here.

 

 

 

siege auto

Never miss a photo. Sign up via email, RSS, or Twitter to access the latest edition. (Picture taken last year, in Ménèrbes).
  
         France and Monaco Rentals. 
Exclusive Vacation Rental Properties throughout France.

siège-auto (see ezh oh toh) noun, masculine

    : car seat

Audio File: Listen to 13-year-old Jackie pronounce the words, below 
Download MP3 or WAV

Le siège-auto est obligatoire pour un enfant qui voyage en voiture.
The car seat is obligatory for a child who travels in a car.

 

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

Mama Bear

I couldn't tell you what the weather was like, whether the sky was black or blue or bursting with sunlight. If the muguet vendors were out, standing on every floral curb and corner, I didn't see them, and yet it was the season. The only thing I could perceive was the fragile being in front of me.

The newborn in my arms was not yet a week old and it was time to take him home. "Home" was a former one-room cottage in the perched "village" of le Rocas Blanc (otherwise known as Marseilles' 7th arrondissement). With the new room extension—Jean-Marc had had the cellier converted—we were ready to live as a family of three!

Now if only we could get from la maternité to our little nest for three. Currently, we were faced with one big problem: no car seat for our newborn. We had thought of everything else, having ticked off the lengthy list that the maternity ward furnished. But nobody said anything about a siège-auto!

"But we can't leave!" 
"Pourquoi pas?" the nurses questioned.
"How are we going to transport the baby?"

The nurses pointed out what was to them the obvious: that my husband was here to drive us home. 

"But we don't have a car seat!"
"You will hold your baby in your arms!" one of the nurses instructed.

When I disagreed, the nurses looked at each other, suspiciously.
"Perhaps you are not ready to go home yet?" they suggested. 

I stared at the newborn in my arms, the helpless being that they were sending out into the world, without a seatbelt; if only he had his say! 

I overheard the nurses whispering to my husband.
"Il s'agit de 'baby blues'. Votre femme est dépressive. Il vaut mieux la garder ici...."

"Je vais bien!" I corrected them. A creepy feeling came over me: what was next... a visit from the psy?
"You just need some rest," one of the nurses decided.
"I just need a car seat..."

"She is not ready to go home," the nurses concluded, looking past me to my "guardian".

Jean-Marc reacted quickly, with a solution.
"May we borrow this bed?" he asked, pointing to the tiny crib that our newborn son had slept in. The upper unit was detachable...
I shook my head. The bed didn't have a seatbelt!"
Jean-Marc promised to secure it, not to worry.  

***

I made Jean-Marc drive at a snail's pace, which only accentuated the terrifying traffic around us. We might have been in a war zone, ditching snares and sniper fire all the way home. Everything outside of our little car was greatly threatening... to a mother and her offspring. Every intersection insinuated injury. How would we ever make it home safe and soundly?

I sat shaking in the back seat, the landau beside me. Jean-Marc had rigged us in, baby and maternity ward escapée, safely. 

"Don't worry. We are almost home," he assured me. "Everything will be okay." And, after all, it was.

***
Postnote: Our son Max was born on May 17, 1995. Today's missive was a nostalgic "looking back". 

:: Le Coin Commentaires ::
Corrections, comments, or stories of your own are welcome in the comments box. 

More stories about adjusting to France and French life in my book "Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language". Makes a great gift! Excerpt:

When I was in college, I sold lingerie at Dillard's department store in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a summer job and I was saving for an upcoming exchange program in Lille, France... order the book, here.

French Vocabulary

le muguet = lily of the valley flower

le Roucas Blanc = "The White Rock"

l'arrondissement = district

le cellier = storeroom 

la maternité = maternity clinic or hospital 

pourquoi pas? = why not?

le siège-auto = car seat 

Il s'agit de 'baby blues'. Votre femme est dépressive. Il vaut mieux la garder ici... = It's called "the baby blues". Your wife is depressed. It is best to keep her here...

le psy (pronounced "see") = short (slang) for psychiatrist

je vais bien = I am fine 

le landau = pram, baby carriage 

 

Thank you for visiting today's sponsor!

Hotels in France. Visit EasyToBook.com to find the cheapest hotels in almost all France cities.

Les Terraces - a unique property available for rent in the bastide town of Sainte-Foy-La-Grande on the banks of the Dordogne.

. 

Buy any item at Amazon, via the following links, and your purchase helps support this language journal!

 

Canon Powershot digital camera. 3.8x optical zoom; 28mm wide-angle lens. Capture 720p HD video in stereo sound; play back on an HDTV via the HDMI output. Order it here.

 Emile Henry Flame Top Tagine: Made of Burgundy clay, can be used directly on a gas flame or an electric or halogen hob without a diffuser, without any fear of cracking or breaking. More info here.

 

Paris - Eiffel Tower umbrella! Ooh là là charm. Great gift for under $20! Order here.

 

 

 

 

  Dr. Kathie Dior, has created this bilingual 46-chapter mystery adventure with line-by-line French-English text while uniquely integrating French vocabulary, grammar, expressions, tests and answers into each chapter. Order here.

 

Smokey-Doo, might this be you? (or one of your five sisters?)

With Mama Bear Braise, summer 2009.

Braise, left, with friends Dean and Kathleen. Mr Smokey Bear is on the right.