French 101

Ah my gawd!!

I am sure that there is an equivalent phrase in French but in case your wondering let me have a go at translating that for you... basically it means I am struggling and nervous about trying to learn French and I have only done one very basic lesson!!

So here's the update - I think I talked about discovering podcasts in my last blog - I was mucking around on my IPOD (not IPAD Trixie, IPOD, remember the difference and stop using them interchangably...) downloading an album and I stumbled into a section of itunes that related to podcasts.

Not being highly techno (have you worked that out yet?), I bravely kept looking and found this section languages and voila, there was a whole lot of lessons on any language you can imagine. I downloaded Lesson 1 from Coffee Break French and started listening to it this last week.

So the plan of attack is to use my spare time travelling listening to these lessons and I have to say 'so far, so good'- apart from managing to delete the podcast the following time I tried to use the IPOD.  I perceivered....

So here I am at the end of week one and we have done "yes", "no", "I am well thanks" finishing with "and you"? Some might pick this up really quick but me, I have had to listen to it about 15 times but fingers crossed, sometime within the next millenium, I might be able to download Lesson 2!!

Have a look at these podcasts on itunes - i saw some great stuff that I also want to explore, including several lectures and interviews.

Maybe soon I will be able to say 'so long' when I finish these posts...

Welcome ...2013

Welcome to the new year... what will it bring? I am looking forward to another year of mulling over all things French and enjoying any opportunity to do some "French Dreaming"...

Whilst I have been on my l-o-n-g holiday break I have nearly managed to catch up with reading my France magazines - I subscribed about 6 months ago. Each month they arrived and I was just too busy to sit and give them the undivided attention I wanted to give them. So, this break, ahhhhh - I have sat and dreamed by way through them.

One of them put me onto the French language lessons available on i-tunes - did you know that?? So I jumped on, downloaded some language podcasts and voila, I will be increasing my vocabulary toot-sweet!!

I have not had the chance to do something thats part of my holiday routine for several years now however. I always know that I am on a break when I find myself sitting outside under my sun umbrella, little coffee plunger ready to go, reading Vicki Archers 'My French Life"- its my inspirational story. An Australian who spends her time living between the south of France and London. I think I would like to do that if I won Lotto.

So lets see where this year takes us - lets see what French Dreaming  we can do in 2013!!

"French Ties" & "At My French Table"

I have so enjoyed these two books. Melburnians Peter and Jane Webster took their four children to live in France in 2004. The first book of the series which came out in 2008, “At My French Table” tells the adventures they have settling into their corner of Normandy in an honest to god Chateau they buy – magnificent is all I can say. I often wonder how these people in books afford to do these things, especially with four children!! Jane works towards getting to know the area that they have chosen to live in with eventual goal of starting a cooking school for visitors to really experience local food and life. I loved the descriptions of cleaning the chateau (there was no shortage of hard, hard work) and the gradual realisation that this is the life they want to live.

The second book “French Ties”(2012) continues their journey – by now they are experience chateau dwellers and more confident with how their dream will shape up in the future. I particularly liked the conflicts they experienced about living between two worlds as they do not live in France for the whole year. Their life sounds (and looks) idyllic and I was green with envy. I know you only see the finished product in these books – the vases of stunning roses, the shining floors of the chateau, the smiling children etc but it just all looks very appealing. Very Moreish!!

I look forward to the next installment and of course, will keep dreaming about paying them a visit. I did look on their website as I may be over in Europe next year – nothing on there about when their classes are etc. Their website was a wee bit too much focused on style rather than ease of use and I found the scrolling pictures a bit distracting but hey, can I really say I found French pictures THAT distracting???