A Year in Villefranche sur Mer - Moving to France

  Day 2275 (Thursday) 31 st August 2023 It was lovely and warm today without being sweaty. There were two cruise ships in the bay this morning and I’m so glad the passengers are seeing Villefranche in all her glory. One of them has come from Cannes, which is only 41.7 km away. Our flowers are still looking good. Huw had a day’s work again with Lucas and I had a lovely lazy day sunbathing and doing my new jigsaw. Work, sleep and lunch: What do the French do all day? A waitress brings food to customers in a restaurant Quimper, western France. (Photo by FRED TANNEAU / AFP) According to data from the OECD, ( The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) French people spend a lot of time eating, drinking and sleeping - here are the stats for how the average French person breaks down their day. The OECD collects all sorts of useful data - including a wide ranging international comparison on how 15-64-year-olds around the world prioritise their days - whether that is spending m

  Day 2274 (Wednesday) 30 th August 2023 No nice photos today… This was Badger and Huw playing in the big box last night. It was pretty hot and sweaty today and slightly overcast and there was a cruise ship in the bay. Huw had some work today with Lucas, a south African man who Suzanne introduced to us. He had to prepare some railings in this apartment. These are the railings And this is the view. Why 'la rentrée' means so much more in France than a new school year As we arrive at la rentrée, here's a look at this French word which, while it's often translated as merely the start of a new school year, in fact has a cultural significance that goes much deeper. La rentrée  simply means the re-entry or the return but its arrival heralds a shift in the winds in France every September, here's why. If you spent much time in French cities in August you will have noticed that they were pretty empty - many of the smaller independent shops close up and if you email anyone ab

  Day 2273 (Tuesday) 29 th August 2023 Today’s photo (just the one today) This is the path around the citadel in Villefranche sur Mer. Huw bought sone tarts for dessert last night and they were pretty special. The weather was a bit unsettled today but I got a few hours on the balcony. I also had a lovely birthday present from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law – a new jigsaw and I love it! The house on the box reminds of my sister-in-law’s house in Norfolk and she and her mother have green fingers too. Huw has ordered a new box for the back of the scooter so it should be a lot more comfortable now and Badger went berserk playing in the box it arrived in. He put the old one on bon coin (good corner) to try to sell it and got a response almost immediately but the man lived too far away, during the correspondence he saw the abbreviation ‘dsl’ and learned that it means sorry – désolé, so this inspired me to learn some more. French Texting Contractions, written by Camille Chevalier-Karfis