Every week I intend to publish some old Breton Proverbs that I have found on my travels.
It is my experience that the best Breton Proverbs are to be found hiding away in bars and as Breton Proverb Hunting is thirsty work that is where I shall concentrate my efforts!
Read more about… Breton Proverbs
Spotted in Josselin…..
Next door to La Taverne (where they serve the largest glasses of wine in Josselin – these things are important, you know!)
I wonder why this little road was named this way?
Perhaps the medieval town planners had had one too many large glasses of wine at La Taverne and were just having a laugh?
All the best
The Girlie bought herself a new greenhouse.
Now, I ought to say that it is worth buying a greenhouse even if you don’t need or want one, just for the pleasure of putting it up.
On the box it did say that it could be built by one person alone.
But it’s much more fun for two people to do it together (like many things, I suspect?)
Anyway, it’s a great test of the strength of a relationship!
Do you speak Breton?
Would you like to be able to answer the question by saying….
Ya, un tammig hepken (yes, a little bit?)
Would you like to learn some simple Breton?
I’ll be publishing some simple Breton words and phrases here every Sunday.
Brest – Brest
Carhaix-Plouguer – Karaez-Plougêr
Concarneau – Konk-Kerne
Dinan – Dinan
Dol-de-Bretagne – Dol
Fougères – Felger
Guingamp – Gwengamp
Lanester – Lannarstêr
Lannion – Lannuon
Lorient – An Oriant
Morlaix – Montroulez
Nantes – Naoned
Pontivy – Pondi
Quimper – Kemper
Rennes – Roazhon
Rezé – Reudied
Saint-Brieuc – Sant-Brieg
Saint-Herblain – Sant-Ervlan
Saint-Malo – Sant-Maloù
Saint-Nazaire – Sant-Nazer
Saint-Pol-de-Léon – Kastell-Paol
Tréguier – Landreger
Vannes – Gwened
I have decided that, every Saturday, I shall publish some old photos of Brittany.
The photos published today come from the Life Magazine photo archive, the vast majority (97 percent) of which have never been seen by the public.
For more details on the Life Magazine photo archive, see the bottom of this page.
To see any of the photos full size, just click on them.
Spotted this morning in Josselin!
Do not water the plants!
I love these signs!
I love the way they make my bladder tingle with anticipation!
So much so that I have to take a furtive look around to make sure no one is watching.
And then….
Somehow, I don’t think that any amount of signs will stop little boys from playing with their little toys!
It’s a very French thing…
To be able to have a pee outside!
Anyway….
The plants seem to be thriving?
All the best
I almost didn’t believe my eyes this morning when I saw, for the first time ever, a properly parked VSP.
Normally VSP drivers are trained to take up three parking spaces.
This driver is obviously new to the whole VSP driving lark!
Note the way that he (or she) has left enough space for another VSP to park in the same parking space!
That’s not normal! That’s not French!
Perhaps that is a clue as to the owner of this VSP?
All the best
Every week I intend to publish some old Breton Proverbs that I have found on my travels.
It is my experience that the best Breton Proverbs are to be found hiding away in bars and as Breton Proverb Hunting is thirsty work that is where I shall concentrate my efforts!
Read more about… Breton Proverbs
The Girlie, the ThirteenYearOld and I went to a vide-grenier recently.
We weren’t looking for anything in particular but, with the improvement in the weather, it seemed like a sensible thing to do.
In any case, there wasn’t anything there that we wanted to buy.
At least, nothing we could afford.
I did take a bit of a fancy to this box of body parts.
The trouble is, I don’t know what I wanted them for.
I suppose it’s always handy to have a box of limbs tucked away somewhere.
The vide-grenier season appears to be starting and we are busy clearing space for all the tasteless tat that we’ll undoubtedly buy.
I’m not really sure why we do it but it does get us out of the house for a few hours on a Sunday morning.
This lovely car wasn’t for sale and so I didn’t drive it home!
I would have been even more excited about that than the box of body parts!
Still, there’s always next week and another Vide Grenier.
All the best
I do have to ask…
Am I the only person in the world who, when he sees a cow, automatically thinks Steak, Pot au Feu and Roast Beef?
And start dividing the poor beast up, in my imagination, into suitable cuts.
I used to know someone who admitted that he did something similar, but with women;.
Imagining what they would look like undressed.
He was quite a wow with the ladies and he often got to find out!
Me, I’m more into mentally butchering poor harmless farm animals.
Here’s a picture of some steaks that I always make a point of saying hello to, after I’ve dropped the ThirteenYearOld off at school in the morning!
All the best
Do you speak Breton?
Would you like to be able to answer the question by saying….
Ya, un tammig hepken (yes, a little bit?)
Would you like to learn some simple Breton?
I’ll be publishing some simple Breton words and phrases here every Sunday.
One - unan
Two – daou, div*
Three - tri, teir*
Four – pevar, peder*
Five - pemp
Six - c’hwec’h
Seven - seizh
Eight – eizh
Nine – nav
Ten - dek
* If feminine.
I have decided that, every Saturday, I shall publish some old photos of Brittany.
The photos published today come from the Life Magazine photo archive, the vast majority (97 percent) of which have never been seen by the public.
For more details on the Life Magazine photo archive, see the bottom of this page.
To see any of the photos full size, just click on them.
Spring is here…or is it?
It’s still bitterly cold every morning, here in sunny south-west Brittany (where it never snows and, being near the Golfe de Morbihan, we benefit from a warming micro-climate!)
I still have to scrape ice off the car windscreen every morning and I risk hypothermia getting out of bed but….
According to these flowers…
Spring is here!
The Girlie took me for a little walk around the block the other day.
The bracing (I think that’s the word) wind was screeching down the valley, straight from the North Pole!
I’m not saying that it was cold but….
It’s taken me three days to defrost enough to be able to write this post!
Still, according to those flowers….
Spring is here!
I saw my first BBQ on special offer at InterMarché yesterday!
They had garden furniture on sale, as well.
Obviously, they think spring has arrived, as well!
Personally I think that InterMarché (and those silly flowers) have gone totally mad!
It’s still the middle of winter, here in sunny Brittany (where it never snows and, being near the Golfe de Morbihan, we benefit from a warming micro-climate!) and will probably stay that way until June!
Another day, another website!
In the past a French child would be given the name of the saint on whose day their own birth fell. More recently it has become more common for the saint’s name to be given as a second or middle name.
This means that children often have two special days to celebrate; their own birthday and their “Saint’s Day.” Almost every day in the calendar has a saint’s name assigned to it, some have more than one and January 6 has five.
Thus, the idea for www.FrenchSaintsDays.com was born.
I was first interested in doing something like this a few years ago; I noticed that my local boulangerie used to have a blackboard outside, displaying the name of that day’s saint.
Also, at work (at the now famous Helga’s House of Pain, there was also a similar sign near where we picked up our clean overalls.)
As well as creating a new site, I’ve also written a widget for French Saints Days, so that you can display the Saint of the Day (as it were) on your own blog or website.
You can see that widget in action on the sidebar of this blog (just above the Categories listing.)
You can also sign up to receive a daily email telling you which Saint’s day it is.
More details at… www.FrenchSaintsDays.com
Please take a peek at www.FrenchSaintsDays.com – if for no other reason than to see if you’re entitled to another special day to celebrate!
All the best
When the Girlie bought this ice scraper glove I thought… “How pathetic, just the sort of thing that a Girlie would buy!”
I do have to say, though, that….
As I am on the early morning school run, taking the ThirteenYearOld to La Gacilly every day, I have come to appreciate the wisdom that the Girlie often displays!
How sensible and intelligent is this glove?
Whoever designed it should be awarded the Nobel Prize!
I suppose this goes to show that living with me hasn’t addled the Girlie’s brain….
That much!
All the best
Every week I intend to publish some old Breton Proverbs that I have found on my travels.
It is my experience that the best Breton Proverbs are to be found hiding away in bars and as Breton Proverb Hunting is thirsty work that is where I shall concentrate my efforts!
Read more about… Breton Proverbs
A Childhood in Brittany Eighty Years AgoI’ve recently been looking at some old books about Brittany that are now, due to their age, in the public domain.
These books are freely available for download from The Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) but you may also download them from here.
A Childhood in Brittany Eighty Years Ago by Anne Douglas Sedgwick [Mrs. Basil de Sélincourt] was first published in 1872 (more details at This book’s page at The Internet Archive.)
When I visited Noz last week, as well as buying some English Sweets, I also invested in a couple of additions to our already rather gnomified front garden.
I’m not sure what they are called and they don’t seem to say a lot.
I’m hoping that they get on with our other gnomes; gnomes can be shy sometimes!
I don’t really know what it is with me and Garden Gnomes?
I know that they’re tacky and I should resist the temptation!
It’s just that I see them, all lonely, in the shop and…..
Before I know it, I’m at the counter with money in my hand and more gnomes to add to the collection!
I’m sure there’s a pill I could take – perhaps electric shock treatment?
Who knows?
All the best
Do you speak Breton?
Would you like to learn?
Would you like to be able to answer the question by saying….
Ya, un tammig hepken (yes, a little bit?)
I’ll be publishing some simple Breton words and phrases here every Sunday.
Cheers! - Yec’hed mat!
Bon Voyage - Beaj vat!
Happy Easter – Pask Seder
My hovercraft is full of eels – Leun gant sili eo ma aeroglisseur
You never know when you might need that last one!
All the best
On Saturday, The Girlie and I went for a little walk. The Girlie didn’t know it but, I had received an invite for aperitifs from our friends, Rosalyn and Paul, across the valley at their Half Acre Farm.
It was a bit of a surprise to her when I casually walked into their back garden rather than just walking past.
There were bottles of wine on the table – and lots of nibbles too!
Rosalyn is a great cook and we did the decent thing and ensured that all the plates were cleared!
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