THE presence and power of Jacques Brel is to feature in a Radio 4 programme hosted by Alastair Campbell, the one-time spin doctor to Tony Blair. He writes for The Times about his long fascination with Brel's music, whose songs tell of broken hearts and have a timeless appeal. There... Read more →
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Learning from The Book of Rubbish Ideas
IF there was one thing I learnt from living in the French countryside it was the beauty and balance of the natural world around me. When out in the fields I would spot signs of the changing seasons, from the migration of cranes overhead to the swirling clouds of frog... Read more →
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Language subtitles added to YouTube videos
WHILST it has been possible for people to add subtitles to their video clips on YouTube, the service has now been made much easier for them to be properly synchronised. As PaidContent reports video producers can now add subtitles to their clips in a variety of languages, including French. For... Read more →
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Win French music CDs from Putumayo
THOSE of you with a bit of an eagle eye will have spotted the latest competition running on the site - the chance to win a couple of French music CDs. Offered up by Putumayo World Music, two people will each win a copy of French Café and Acoustic France,... Read more →
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Ian Walthew, author of A Place In My Country
WHY would the marketing director of one of the word's most famous newspapers give it all up to move to the Cotswolds, and then leave that corner of England behind to head to the Auvergne? For Ian Walthew there were a number of complicated reasons but deep down he knew... Read more →
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Chatting on BBC Radio Manchester
I AM set to chat about all things France on BBC Radio Manchester tomorrow morning - I have been pencilled in for 8am. If you want to listen to me waffling on, and don't live in Manchester, then you can listen online through the station's website. UPDATE: I spoke with... Read more →
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Using Property Bee to find a house in France
KNOWLEDGE is power, as the saying goes, and the internet has really helped people cut their costs and share information in the blink of a mouse click. One area that's seen more information being released is in property, but there is still a vast array of detail wrapped up in... Read more →
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An exchange of French language
IF there is one thing that will improve your language skills it is speaking to French people to help you absorb new vocabulary and learn how phrases are really spoken. But that can be quite a challenge if you live outside France and only have text books to work through,... Read more →
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The mystery of the Goddess Sequana
IN 1864 the city of Paris bought the domain of Les Sources de la Seine in order that they could appropriate their will completely over the river that runs to the capitol. A year later the sculptor, Jouffroy, carved the statue to the Goddess Sequana; a symbol of purity. Les... Read more →
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Interview with Jonathan Trigell, author of Cham
THE snow fields and mountain peaks of the Alps have inspired artists for many centuries and for author Jonathan Trigell they lie at the heart of his book Cham. His novel tells of the almost spiritual enlightenment skiers feel when heading off piste through pristine snow above Chamonix, only to... Read more →
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