A Year in Villefranche sur Mer - Moving to France

  Day 1971 (Monday) 31 st October 2022 Happy Halloween  It was another glorious day today, warm and sunny and I spent a few hours in the sunshine. At around 4pm you have to wear long trousers and long sleeves but during the daytime it’s glorious. Apparently it isn’t going to be nice tomorrow – typical as it’s a bank holiday. I still haven’t heard from the Maybourne hotel so I really don’t think it’s going to happen but my boss in Cannes thinks she has a new student for me in Nice twice a week.  This is what’s happening in France this week… What’s happening in France this week From the introduction of new hours for street lighting, plus book prizes, traffic warnings and a public holiday, here's what is happening in France this week. Monday Halloween  – not quite as big a deal in France as it is in the US, Halloween still sees some events in France, although trick or treating is definitely less common. If you’re going to Halloween party, at least you don’t need to worry about gettin

  Day 1970 (Sunday) 30 th October 2022 Huw took this beautiful photo this morning and it was another sunny warm day although we did lose the sun earlier than usual because the clocks have gone back. He also spotted this photo on Villefranche’s Facebook page I got really excited when I saw this article explaining how to get the gender of French nouns right but on reading it I realised that it doesn’t help at all!  Revealed: The simple trick to get the gender of French nouns (mostly) right The le, the la and the l’ugly - for anyone learning the language French nouns can be a nightmare to master, but there is a technique that can make it simpler. Although we're not promising that there are no exceptions. Unlike German, which has been developed over centuries by Germans and is therefore logical, there appears to be little in the way of rhyme or reason to whether French nouns are masculine ( le / un ), or feminine ( la / une ). Anglophones find it endlessly hilarious that words like  b

  Day 1964 (Monday) 24 th October 2022 It was wonderfully warm and sunny this morning, it was 29 degrees on the balcony.     I worked with Anastasia this morning while Huw went up to do the pool and a few other odds and ends. Anastasia and I read some more Harry Potter and did some spelling – her spelling is phenomenal and she loves doing it. Anastasia’s grandmother is here, she flew in from Russia and it took her 36 hours to get here – thankfully she is staying for three months and Anastasia is very excited about it. Sadly it clouded over in the afternoon but it was still warm and the clouds scattered later on.   Here’s what’s happening in France this week. On the Agenda: What’s happening in France this week From zombie events to holidays, a traffic warning, another strike day and a festival of chocolate - here's what is happening in France this week. Published: 24 October 2022 08:46 CEST 'Zombie walks' are popular in France around Halloween. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP