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  Day 3234 (Thursday) 16 th April 2026 This is Villefranche and this is the palace in Monaco.   You might be living in France if… (18 signs you’re a true-blue Francophile) You might be living in France if… 1. There’s nothing low-fat in your refrigerator. It’s not that nothing low-fat exists in France, but you’ll find very few items at the supermarket that carry that distinction. Yogurt and milk are two of the biggies, but beyond that, I’m hard-pressed to think of anything else we eat on a regular basis. Mostly, the idea is to eat everything in moderation – full-fat cheeses, creams, crackers, cookies, bread, etc.  2. You’ve lost 5 pounds. Eat what you want and somehow, miraculously, lose weight… Well, I’m not talking 10lbs here or that my body changed completely when I moved to France, but I did shed about 5 lbs. within the first year. The secret to all this craziness? Well, it all goes back to #1, eat everything in moderation and above all, no snacking. The French a...
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  Day 3233 (Wednesday) 15 th April 2026 This statue is on the ramparts in Antibes and this is Cap Esterel near Saint-Raphaël. Huw had to wait for a delivery today so we stayed at home. Huw did quite a bit of pottering and I sunbathed for a few hours, it was lovely. I think that it was the warmest day so far. The tourist boat came bang on time and it’s good to see there are more and more tourists every day. The Old Town was pretty busy too… We were really gutted when Huw got a message at around 3.30 saying that the delivery has been delayed until tomorrow – we could have gone out after all. Humble jambon beurre sandwich rises up Parisian social standings A sandwich at the counter of Le Petit Vendome cafe bistrot in Paris. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) From bistro counters to luxury hotels, the humble Parisian ham sandwich, or jambon beurre, has undergone a dramatic luxury makeover. Once the no-frills lunch of hurried, cash-strapped workers, the humble ham and butter baguette has i...
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  Day 3232 (Tuesday) 14 th April 2026 This is Saint-Paul de Vence and this is the petanque club in Saint-Paul. It was lovely and sunny this morning, there is still a chilly wind but it was better than it has been for days.  Our flowers are starting to come out again – another sign of spring coming, these new orange ones are gorgeous. and this is the first of many. We took the scooter into Nice to enjoy a kebab in the park in the sun – it will soon be summer dresses time. I found this article on Quora Digest, a website I stumbled upon by accident. It writes about many different countries, often about France. Is bringing a gift when invited to a French home really necessary, and what kind of gifts are most appreciated? Hand a French host a bouquet of carnations or a nice bottle of red wine, and you might accidentally insult them. Giving a gift is mandatory, but the rules are surprisingly strict. Arriving without a token of appreciation is widely considered rude, as it fails to ...
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