My Own Front Yard

I really need to get out and about more over the weekends, and this is one of my resolutions for the new school year. Sometimes I feel like life in Aveyron is passing me by.

I did go to an event in Rodez this morning, but yesterday I reveled in our beautiful weather and enjoyed one whole day at home.

Can you blame me?

Aveyron in the News -- Again!

I hope they had a good time!

Aveyron in the Press

I'm finally back in France and on my own computer after 7 weeks in the USA and a much-needed break from blogging.

It may still take me a few days to absorb the fact that I'm in Aveyron again, so for the moment I'll content myself with sharing a few references to my home département from the media.

I always get a little thrill when I see articles about Aveyron in the French press, and I invariably buy the magazine. The summer issue of vmf (Vieilles Maisons Françaises) presents a 14-part feature about homes and architecture in Le Rouergue, which is the former region of France that corresponds to the current département de l'Aveyron. I plan to savor it page by page.

My cup runneth over in French and English, because Ken of Living the Life in Saint-Aignan was kind enough to send me a link to "Introducing Aveyron", recently published in Travel and Leisure.

I am of course terribly jealous of the person who wrote it, and I must say she did an excellent job of portraying the area. Here's a little extract:

"Can so much of it be a secret—even from the French? Almost forgotten for centuries, this sparsely populated département in the south of France stretches over a wildly varied landscape of medieval villages, adventurous terrain, and fairy tale– worthy hotels."

(Marcelle Clements)

Ms. Clements also justifies the title of my blog quite nicely:

"This is la France profonde, the heartland, which Parisians seldom visit and cannot fathom, where there is some of the world's most stunning, geologically diverse countryside—much of it unspoiled."

I couldn't have said it better. I certainly haven't yet. But maybe someday I will.

En vacances

I've already decided to take a vacation from Cuisine Quotidienne in August, and I think I'm going to do the same for La France Profonde. I may be doing a little behind-the-scenes sidebar work, but I'll be back to posting in September.

If I have time to post, I'll be writing for my "catch-all" blog, And So Forth, or the incipient My European Scrapblog.

La France Profonde did get a very nice review from the blog Informal Critique last week -- perhaps that has made me feel I deserve a bit of a blogging break?

Anyway, if you're really in the mood for an FP post, check out five of my personal favorites:

1. Where It All Began

2. Traces of Cafes Past

3. Gradually Approaching the Millau Viaduct

4. She's Always There Somewhere

5. Celebration in Solitude

Bonnes vacances!




(Image courtesy of Siouxwire)

How to save the Tour de France?

I may be onto an idea of how to save the scandal-ridden Tour de France.

Hop over to today's post on my spanking-new blog effort My European Scrapblog and tell me if you think my idea would work.

By the way, it's a Typepad blog...

I wonder if I'll get a friendly comment from a Blogger staff member about that?

The Saillac Series: Post Two -- Window Watching

What expat photo blogger can resist the occasional foray into a door or window feature?


I do put off posting on the subject because I don't really have that much to say about it, but it's not for lack of photos...



On our December trip to Saillac in the Lot department, my husband and I captured these "ouvertures" in various states of repair...



What local events have been watched through them over the centuries?

The Saillac Series: Post One

Being away from Aveyron for the summer makes posting about the area more challenging. I've brought a lot of photos with me to the USA , but I'm suffering from a lack of context.

Maybe it's time to go back to some other places that are equally important in my French life.

One is Saillac, a tiny village in the Corrèze department, not far from Martel in the Lot.

We have close friends there, and the area has been one of my family's vacation havens for the past seven years or so. One of my favorite photos on this blog was taken there on a crisp winter morning.

Another was less complimentary, and elicited a few squawks from my friends --and rightly so, for Saillac is a far more charming place than this photo implies.

Over the next few weeks, discover some frosty photos of winter in Saillac -- another intriguing corner of La France Profonde.

Stormy Weather

I am now in Olympia, Washington for the next six weeks, and this is the sultry and strange weather I left behind in Aveyron.

I do believe 2007 is the first time that we have not been able to eat outside on our deck a single time in May or June. Storm after storm plagued Aveyron during those months, including a few that caused serious flash flooding.

Listening closely through my open windows in mid-June, I could swear I heard wailing and gnashing of teeth. It must have been all the neighbors who had rushed out to build costly swimming pools last summer.

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

The Bovine Brigade

They're tough. They're mean. They moo.

Don't miss the bovine brigade -- coming soon to a pasture near you.

(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau. Click on it to enlarge.)

Celebration in Solitude

On the evening of La fête de la musique in Rodez, crowds mill about all over the town.

I love the festive atmosphere, but it's the solitude of this soloist's celebration that catches my eye the most.

La fête se prépare

Preparation is underway all over France for la Fête de la Musique, which takes place on June 21st every year.

Rodez is no exception -- I noticed telltale signs of the upcoming event all over town as early as Tuesday afternoon.

Perhaps this statue can pitch a prayer for good weather!

Postscript June 22nd:

The weather was lovely, albeit a little cool, for the Fête de la Musique in Aveyron. I'll get a post up about it over the weekend. In the meantime, if you went to the Fête de la Musique in France or elsewhere and have blogged about it, feel free to leave a link to your post. I'll do a little round-up.

Cross-Cultural Clips 1

I tend to save up way too many links to "articles of interest," so I have decided to take action and present an occasional link list. If you are an expat in France, a Francophile or simply enjoy comparing cultures, you may enjoy reading one or more of the following:

The New York Times Movie Review of La Vie en Rose: “'La Vie en Rose,' which Mr. Dahan wrote as well as directed, has an intricate structure, which is a polite way of saying that it’s a complete mess," writes A.O. Scott. I agree. Do you?

Is Maman mean or magnifique? from Telegraph.co.uk: I won't comment on this one yet, but I suspect some of you might.

Hillary Equals France by Bill Maher. "What's there to say about a country that was too stupid to get on board with our wonderfully conceived and brilliantly executed war in Iraq?" Several expat blogs have already linked to this great article -- don't miss out on it. Hilarious and terrifying.

French film industry dubbers complain of pressure to water down scripts from the International Herald Tribune: I found this surprising. Who are the Puritans, again?

Looking Up, Things Are

A Happy Ending

About a year ago, I was wondering what would become of the historic "Family" cinema in downtown Rodez once the new multiplex cinema project was underway.

The bad news is that the "Family" closed down at the end of April, leaving Rodez with only two movie theaters and fewer choices -- for the moment.

But the very good news is that the cinema's premises are being taken over by La Maison du Livre, a highly popular local bookstore that is sorely lacking in browsing space.

I'm pleased that the site is trading reels for reads, and that the cinema will not be transformed into some new brand-name clothes emporium. Consider it another point scored for culture in Rodez.

And speaking of cinema, if any of you have seen Les Chansons d'Amour, hop over to my post about it on And So Forth and tell me what you thought about the flick.

Work more, earn more?

Ken from Living the Life in Saint-Aignan just wrote an interesting post -- an article, really -- about French attitudes toward work and Sarkozy's ideas about changing them.

I just left a comment, practically worthy of a post in and of itself, but why don't you join the debate on Ken's site? It's certainly a subject most expats have strong opinions about...

(Cartoon courtesy of Un dessin d'actualité par jour)

Printing, Then and Now

Imprimerie Colomb, what did you print? What was your first job 132 years ago? Newspapers? Notices? Postcards?

You must have been proud of your new, modern printing machinery -- just like I'm proud of the fancy new equipment in my office.

Imprimerie Colomb, what would you think of the technology I've used to print this short text about you?

Rodez International!

It is absolutely smashing -- as my British readers would put it -- to be able to take the plane directly from Rodez to London Stansted. Here's a shadowy glimpse of Rodez International and eager Aveyronnais tourists off for a long weekend in the big city.

The contrast between Rodez International and Stansted is striking. I often wonder how it feels for British visitors to arrive from the sprawling Ryanair hub to our tiny but welcoming airport.

I know, at least, that tourists from across the Channel will immediately be introduced to our "brilliant" -- as my British readers would put it -- local food products:

So now you know -- I just traded in a week of Roquefort, Marcillac wine, aligot and country-style bread for Starbucks iced mochas, Italian and Australian wine, Japanese food, and club sandwiches. And I'm certainly none the worse off for it!

New Neighbors

These are our new neighbors. They just moved in last week. So far, they're a little noisy but otherwise we're getting along quite well.

In fact, I think we've seen them before. Do they ring a bell to you?

They invited me over for cookies and milk this weekend, but I'll be leaving Thursday on a big-city adventure and won't be back until next Tuesday, so I can't make it. I moo hope they won't be offended.

If you're curious where I'm going, I've left a few hints over on And So Forth...

The Road Not Taken

"I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

Local Election Results

If you don't know what to do on the Internet this morning, especially if you live in France where you're enjoying a day off to commemorate the Allied victory in World War II, you might want to peruse your favorite French towns' election results in Le Monde's "Edition Spéciale."

For example, you can see that Rodez, Aveyron's main city, voted this way, whereas Laguiole, a smaller town in very rural North Aveyron voted that way -- and how!

Aveyron gave the majority to Nicolas Sarkozy, but not overwhelmingly despite the department's conservative reputation.

Enjoy the function while it lasts, because Le Monde's features are only available free for a week or two.

(Related post on And So Forth)