Patricia Sands

Author

living in the south of France

Int’l Women’s Day – the beat goes on

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If it’s Friday, it must be France

Bonjour! Before we talk France I want to let you know I’m at the energizing hive of activity, Girlfriendology.com, today. We’re continuing the blogtalk about … what else (?!?) … women, connections and inspiring girls. If you’re taking a break around 1:30 EST, Debba and I would love to have you join us on her blogtalk radio. Just click on this link to take you there.

And now back to France to see what was going on there this week.

Did you know the word “mademoiselle” (the French equivalent of “miss”) will now be removed from all government forms? (The New York Times had reported the word was now “banned”, which is not quite accurate.) Two powerful French feminist groups have mounted a strong advocacy campaign for some time for this move and someone has finally listened.

The issue is that “mademoiselle” clearly denotes the marital status of a woman, as opposed to “madame”, but men are always referred to as “monsieur” whether single or married. Women are either mademoiselles or madames for official and business purposes depending on their marital situation.

This distinction no longer exists in a number of Western countries. Germany banned the word Fraulein from official use in 1972. For many decades English-speaking countries have offered women the option of the neutral Ms, although Miss does still appear in many instances. No such alternative was offered in France, quite possibly because many young French people widely shun marriage these days and simply don’t consider it an issue.

A little history – mademoiselle comes from demoiselle, which used to be a title of nobility in pre-revolutionary France. The  link to marital status occurred during the Napoleonic era.

In another good step, France has given final approval to legislation requiring corporations to reserve at least 40% of the board positions for women. Read more here.

For all of the celebrating and recognition of the great strides towards equality achieved by women through the past 101 years since the first IWD, there is still a long way to go. This article from the Guardian gives an overview of struggles around the world, including La Belle France, faced by women today.

Copyright Petar Pismestrovic HDK

Here’s a thought for today that fits right in. Can you translate? If not, tune in next Friday. Bon weekend, tout le monde!

Did you do anything special to mark International Women’s Day this week? I had coffee with a friend yesterday who was going to a potluck dinner in support of a women’s charity in Guatemala. Each guest was requested to bring a story, photo or poem about a woman in their community they wished to celebrate. Love it! Women do “get it”.

A roadtrip to Gourdon

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

My plan was to have you join me for a roadtrip to one of our favourite destinations when we had friends visiting. The perched village of Gourdon has, as the sign says, a “Panorama Grandiose” … say no more. The view is worth the drive and the drive is a treat in itself. There’s a great spot for the usual espresso stop while you enjoy the breathtaking vista with the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes tumbling down to the Côte D’Azur while the Mediterranean sparkles like a jewel on a perfect day.

You’ll find more information about the village and it’s 13thC castle that began as a Saracen fortress in the 9thC if you click here. Roman ruins indicate the area was well inhabited during those times. As well as a loved destination for tourists and locals alike, hiking and hang-gliding are also popular.

The roadtrip down from Gourdon brings us back to the coast ending with a sunset from our terrace in Antibes. The photos are all mine with the exception of the fantastic shot of the entire village which must have been taken from a plane (credit is given to cometofrance.com).

I’m late getting this post up for a couple of reasons but the most important is that as I was putting together my slideshow I received a very sad e-mail. A dear friend in London, England passed away yesterday after battling leukemia for several years. She was one of those people who make life better just by knowing her – and her husband, I might add. When I wrote him tonight I expressed how they always represented to me the best that a couple could be together. I hope you know someone like that too.

So if you are wondering why I have a Beatles song as the accompanying music for this French roadtrip, it’s because I’ve been thinking about my friend Adorée.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DkfHKJqkaU&feature=youtu.be

I’ve been looking after The Adorables this week (our youngest grandchildren, ages 2 and 4) as they’ve been home sick with a nasty virus. Consequently, I am SO far behind with writing and social media, it’s staggering! I won’t even bother going into the fact that I picked up their virus, just to add to the fun! I pride myself on never getting sick so that was definitely not on my agenda! So pardon my absence, fellow bloggers and dear readers, and things should be back to normal (whatever that is) very soon. How do you deal with the unexpected glitches life throws into your schedule?

An addiction to the doors of France

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

I love the front doors of people’s homes in France. Every time I visit that magnificent country I take endless numbers of photos of doors (okay, and windows too … but that’s another post). The wood, the trim, the left-over remnants of ancient locks, from simple and rustic to extravagant, they all speak to me. I want to know their stories.

Living in Antibes this past summer for four and a half months …  *excuse me while I hyperventilate for a few moments at the memory* …  okay, okay, I’ll be fine … back on track. Practically every single morning I walked various routes through the old town for an hour, my trusty camera in hand, before I stopped in at the daily market. There were few days that I didn’t pause to drink in the beauty of yet another door that oozed history or mystery or charm so visceral I could hardly stand it.

What amazes me is the fact that rarely do you find a new door on any old residence, from a tiny village house to an elegant manor. Checking with one of the town historians, most are at least a few hundred years old. I’ll share a few with you today.

Trust me, this could go on for hours! I hope you received as much pleasure out of these photos as I do sharing them with you. Imagine the tales they might tell. Any one of these doors could present a great starter for a story. Do you share my curiosity and attraction to them? Do you ever use photos as inspiration for your writing?

Mon Dieu … I did it!

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Two-year-old Kate’s favourite saying is “I did it!” Today I echo that. I finally figured out how to make a slideshow work here. Transferring it from my iPhoto to YouTube was the secret. You probably already know how to do that but it was a big deal for me … truly, you wouldn’t want to know how many hours I’ve spent attempting to make it work in all sorts of other ways.

So now, if you will, follow the footsteps of inspired artists and writers in Arles … through Place de La Republique with it’s Roman obelisk and the Church of St. Trophime (formerly  a cathedral) with its 12th C. cloister that instantly inspire thoughts of mystery and intrigue, along narrow streets past Van Gogh’s hangout, Le Cafe De Nuit, to the Arena/Amphitheatre and the Roman Theatre where crowds continue to be entertained as they have since Roman times and finally, end with a glimpse of life in the Camargue thanks to some postcard photography.

Now that I finally did it, I HAD to share it. If your speakers are on, Edith Piaf accompanies you.

Have you ever visited Arles? I would love to hear what you liked best about the Bouches-Du-Rhone area. Next week we will be back on the Riviera. I hope you’ll be there too.