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My Four Seasons in France – Book Review

'My Four Seasons in France - A Year of the Good Life' is the second book by Janine Marsh, editor of The Good Life France who writes about buying a dilapidated old house in northern France on a whim, almost by accident, and has ever since been making her tiny village in 'middle-of-nowhere-France' her home.

My Four Seasons in France

A Year of the Good Life starts with Janine and husband Mark in France on a wine buying trip with her father, when suddenly looking at homes for sale seemed a good idea, and then, buying the home her father declared as 'not fit to live in' even seemed like a good idea, so they did!

The 6 Best Libraries of Paris

Paris is full of libraries and book stores and we've searched and found the 6 best and most famous libraries of Paris for you.

“The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.” - T.S. Eliot

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” - Albert Einstein

The 6 Best and Most Famous Libraries of Paris

Libraries functions as many things; databases, meeting places, peace for solitude seekers, joy for information lovers, and, if you’re lucky, a concentration of sensory pleasures; smooth cool wooden banisters worn by many hands, faded leather spines sporting shimmering metallic lettering, and the reassuring smell of yellowing paper. And Paris has some of the best libraries that are full of leather bound books, yellowing paper and corners of solitude.

Our French Life – A Priestly Visit

Just How Do You Entertain A Priest If You Can't Speak French and Are Not Catholic?

This memoir is another in our French Life Series where we share what living in France is really like for our Australian family. We went on holiday to France with our daughter, and bought a house in Brittany while we were there, and have been living between our homes in Australia and France ever since. This story is from our early years in France ...

After settling, to some degree, into our new life in France we decided to attend a Sunday service at the local église catholique (Catholic church). We had previously had a failed attempt at this rather simple activity as it was not obvious that, rather than having a service every Sunday, the commune took turns in conducting the Sunday service on a set roster with priests doing the rounds of the local villages. This of course meant that on our first attempt to attend a service, we had turned up on a Sunday our village was 'un-rostered'.

La Maison Rose – The Pink House of Montmartre, Paris

La Maison Rose: The Picture Perfect 'Pink House' at Montmartre

Montmartre in Paris is well known for its famous buildings, sacred monuments, cafes loved by artists and la Maison Rose, the pretty 'Pink House' which is located on the corner of rue de l' Abreuvoir and rue des Saules, Montmartre. You may have read about this iconic and picture worthy cafe or even seen it yourself already.

What you may not know is some of the cool facts and stories about la Maison Rose, which I think makes this little pink house even more interesting. La Maison Rose is part of the very fabric of Montmartre, being around for over 100 years, and long before the separate community of Montmartre became part of Paris (read our blog post The History of Montmartre).

French Madeleine Cake Recipe

Madeleines and the Ritz Hotel Paris

Madeleine cakes will forever be associated with the Ritz Hotel Paris for me. I enjoy the buttery little, melt-in-the-mouth madeleine cakes that are served alongside other biscuits and marble cake as part of my French-style afternoon tea in Salon Proust on most of my stays in Paris.

French Subscription Box June Edition – Opened and Revealed

June French Subscription Box Gifts Revealed

This first box is a very special one that was created just for our lovely customers during this extraordinary time of isolation and uncertainty when it's been important to stay at home when we can, keep ourselves healthy and find activities that relax us. That’s why we themed it ‘Rejuvenate & Take Care’.

So now that all our ladies have received their box and opened it, I'm delighted to reveal the items included in the June box and share a bit of the story behind the designers, company owners and French background of each of the products.

Ritz Hotel Paris and A French Afternoon Tea

Ritz Hotel Paris

Imagine feasting on a luxurious and delicious afternoon tea taken in surroundings reminiscent of the Belle Epoque period and in one of the most famous of all Parisian hotels. Sound wonderful? Well, read on about the Ritz Hotel Paris and their special "French-style teatime".

French-teatime is typically a teatime with petite cakes and bite sized morsels enjoyed late in the afternoon and in the company of friends and is associated with a genteel style of living so you can understand why the Ritz offers their own special French-teatime.

Baked Camembert Cheese with Rosemary Recipe

Baked Camembert Cheese with Rosemary

France produces so many cheeses, 246 counted at one stage, and as famously quoted by Charles de Gaulle "How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese", it is even a symbol of France and the country's cultural diversity.

Cheese is an easy entertainer and sometimes we like to offer baked cheese as part of our dinner menu to guests, or enjoy a hot, oozy baked cheese as a late night snack ourselves.

Baking cheese is so quick and easy and by adding a spring of rosemary or lavender you can create an elegant and fragrant snack, addition to your cheese platter or delicious side dish.

« Previous Page

My Four Seasons in France – Book Review

My Four Seasons in France

The 6 Best Libraries of Paris

The 6 Best and Most Famous Libraries of Paris

Our French Life – A Priestly Visit

Just How Do You Entertain A Priest If You Can't Speak French and Are Not Catholic?

La Maison Rose – The Pink House of Montmartre, Paris

La Maison Rose: The Picture Perfect 'Pink House' at Montmartre

French Madeleine Cake Recipe

French Madeleine Cake Recipe

Madeleines and the Ritz Hotel Paris

French Subscription Box June Edition – Opened and Revealed

June French Subscription Box Gifts Revealed

Ritz Hotel Paris and A French Afternoon Tea

Ritz Hotel Paris

Baked Camembert Cheese with Rosemary Recipe

Baked Camembert Cheese with Rosemary

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