francofiled

Keeping this spot for an upcoming post on the extraordinary life and work of Michel Thomas..... In it, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the book The Test of Courage by Christopher Robbins and as a former French teacher I will also give my impressions after having listened to the 8-part CD French Course. Interested in Michel Thomas?  Check here for Wikipedia article.

I really am not sure about the text of this treasured possession. I know it is a marriage contract, handwritten on parchment that we bought many years ago. The ink has clearly stood the test of time but the writing and some of the words used are difficult to make out. It does seem to state that the contract dates from 1595 and it will be a labour of love to decipher and translate the text.  It has defeated a few French friends who have stayed at our home. Here's a close up of the opening sentences: Any suggestions?

The Christmas continental market is in Belfast again and it's always great to welcome the French stall holders back to our city... especially if they offer mouth-watering pastries.  I resisted temptation until the moment I spotted the stall of Le Petit Gascon with its sign drawing attention to an array of sliced custard tarts. As I explained in une part de flan , a post on this site from exactly 4 years ago, this pastry has a special place in my heart.  And so it wasn't long before I was holding a slice having explained to the server, c'est pour manger maintenant!  Sensing my appreciation a trader from another stall called over, Venez ici, monsieur! while pointing at some freshly made chichis (churros) . I shouted that I'd be back later but really, for me at least, there's no comparison between these two pastries and I'm sure that once I get back it'll have to be another slice of flan.

Less than a week ago, last Wednesday, our cercle français met to reflect on the First World War battle of Verdun.  As we approach the one hundred year anniversary of the battle, we were exploring the theme of devoir de mémoire , the duty to remember.  The battle lasted 300 days and accounted for three quarters of a million casualties, with fatalities of 162,400 on the French side and 143,000 on the German.  A devastating death toll. On Friday, 13 November, just over 300 days since the 7 January attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher supermarket, Paris was attacked again, in several places at once. 129, mostly young people, were killed. The government's response has been forceful.  Président François Hollande says that France is at war. The notion of being at war reminded me of our Verdun reflections.  These had included a short segment on Guillaume Apollinaire , a poet who served on the front line of the Western Front.  At the onset o...

What a lovely honour. Last night at the second reunion of the Cercle français de Belfast 's caféfrancophilo, Jim Holland dedicated his mémoires de la France piece to yours truly. The evening was a great success and sets the standard and tone for subsequent meetings of the group. We numbered 24 and it was great to hear the Dark Horse Coffee House resonating with stories of Les objets qui vous tiennent à cœur. Allison Neill-Rabaux was our animatrice for the evening and in addition to displaying her impeccable mastery of French she did a fantastic job, keeping us on track and on time. Brilliant. Posted with Blogsy

The new CfB programme is out and events this year will appeal to a variety of tastes.  Click over to the programme at this link  and check it out for yourself. Two Cafefrancophilo evenings have been included in the main programme and are intended for members to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions in French. The cercle is trying very hard to recruit new members this year and the tri-fold programme has been placed in several places around Belfast. The venue is once again the Dark Horse Coffee House in the Cathedral Quarter; the cercle has been meeting there for four years now and it is popular with many participants who remark that has the look and feel of a grand Parisian cafe. The committee are also on the look out for new speakers and events and there is space on the leaflet for suggestions. If you haven't been to any of the sessions, why not add some or all of the events to your diary and come along. See you there!

A lovely lunch back at La Maison in Dublin.  Wrote about a previous experience here and this visit was just as good. Whatever way you look at it, La Maison is worth a visit and we'll be back again soon.