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Margo Lestz

One day ~ deux fêtes

June 20, 2015 by Patricia Sands 17 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Since I sent my manuscript for Book #3 in the Love in Provence series off to my editor at Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing, I’m taking a week off to be a somewhat normal person. For me, that means without being attached at the hip to my laptop. Well, maybe not completely … I’m making notes and researching my next book too.

In the next week or two, we’ll reveal the new title for Book #3, edits will get under way and my break will be over. C’est ma vie … and I love it!

I know I missed posting this on Friday, and it’s actually Saturday, so please excusez-moi! It’s incredibly easy to lose track of days here in Nice … the weather is beautiful and there’s just SO much to do.

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Take today, for example, this morning I popped a couple of streets over

book-cover-for-sidebar-on-blog-140-220-120from where we’re staying and had a cappuccino and croissant (they just go together, don’t they?) with Margo Lestz. She recently published a new book, “Curious Histories of Nice, France”, which I downloaded last week and can’t wait to read! Margo always discovers the quirkiest information about this part of the world! She’s fortunate to live here full time. *colour me green … just like that eye-catching book cover*

After that, I met up with my two friends who are visiting  Nice with me and we took a stroll through the grand hotel Le Negresco. You just can’t visit Nice without taking in the history and beauty of this mythic landmark.

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Next, we had a quick lunch at one of the many beach restaurants, just across the street. As you can see, it was another beautiful day with the Med gleaming.

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After lunch, we crossed the street, again, to spend a few hours taking in the excellent exhibit of vintage photographs and art explaining the history of Nice at the Musée Massena. 

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Tomorrow is June 21 and every hamlet, village, town and city in France will celebrate la Fête de la Musique with spontaneous jam sessions and planned performances on street corners and in parks and buildings or wherever the mood hits the musician. It’s great fun. There’s something for every musical taste and it’s a day not to miss. What better way to welcome the Summer Solstice?

228818_36782b98eb4e06a6697abcead2e51ad5fd616e0eA free concert set up on the Promenade des Anglais kicked things off this evening and when we wandered through the crowd of tens of thousands on the way home from dinner, the party was on! Massive speakers and screens ensured everyone had a view. The weather was perfect and the mood was relaxed and happy … what a pleasure to be part of it! As the French do so well, the evening ended with spectacular fireworks.

Everything we did today was within a walking distance of half an hour. Is it any wonder we love this town? How did you welcome the longest day of the year?

Bon weekend et bonne fête des pères/happy father’s day to all of the dedicated dads who love and support their children each day.

This was the poster in the window of the chocolatier around the corner … I could’t resist it. (And, yes, we did go in and buy some chocolate!) Hug your father a little longer today, thank him for all he does … and then share some chocolate! For those of us whose fathers are warm memories, pick some special moments to treasure today.

If this day doesn’t hold good memories for you, I hope you find other reasons to celebrate and that you can “count your life by smiles, not tears”. Thank you, John Lennon.

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Filed Under: Blog, France, General Travel, If it is France..., News, Photo blogs, Uncategorized Tagged With: authors, beach, concert, Father's Day, fireworks, France, Hotel Le Negresco, John Lennon, La Fête de la Musique, La Fête des Pères, Margo Lestz, Musée Massena, Nice, Patricia Sands, photography, Promenade des Anglais

Gifts for everyone!

December 19, 2014 by Patricia Sands 10 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Félicitations! Kimberly V, you are the winner 41J9slR82iL._AA160_of a copy of Margo Lestz’s new release French Holidays and Traditions (Curious Histories Book 1).

There’s so much information in the book about how the French celebrate all year round, I know you will love it! Margo will be in touch with you to confirm the details.

Visitors won’t spend much time here on my page today. Instead, I’m giving you some super links that will keep you entertained for as long as you like.

First, I’m proposing you slip on over to my very favourite THE GOOD LIFE FRANCE where you can begin your reading pleasure with CHRISTMAS IN PARIS FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR! A nice pot of tea, a double expresso, or a glass of your favourite wine might be just the thing to go with this. Turn up some festive tunes, make yourself comfortable, put your feet up and let yourself be transported. Of course, as we know with TGLF, there’s no end to the enticing articles and photographs. I like to think of it as the gift that keeps on giving!

To set the mood, here are a couple of photos a friend sent me from Paris at Christmas two years ago.

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Next, you won’t want to miss this clever French Food Alphabet Advent Calendar series 15.IMG_9116Jacqueline Brown has going on The French Village Diaries.

For each day of Advent she is posting about different aspects of French regional specialities or her own favourites, including some great recipes.

Jacqui includes all sorts of interesting details and … you may be hearing it first right here, right now … I predict a book will come out of these posts! I sure hope so!

Last but not least,  a terrific new website about all things provençal can be found by clicking over to Perfectly Provence. They have some wonderful articles about Christmas in Provence. Don’t miss the excerpt from Taking Root in Provence, a wonderful book I often speak about here, written by Ann-Marie Simons.

Now this has nothing to do with the holidays but, also on Perfectly Provence … ta daaaa … they’ve posted an article about some of my experiences in France and how my love affair with Provence began! I hope you don’t mind me sharing it with you. There are all sorts of other good articles and I’ve already made Ginger & Nutmeg’s website a favourite of mine!

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Are you getting caught up in the spirit of the season? My warmest wishes to those who are celebrating Hanukkah this week.

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Contests, France, General Travel, If it is France..., Writing Tagged With: Christmas, French Holidays and Traditions, French Village Diaries, Ginger & Nutmeg, Hanukkah, Jacqueline Brown, Margo Lestz, Paris, Patricia Sands, Perfectly Provence, The Good Life France, The Promise of Provence

Who’s the winner?

November 7, 2014 by Patricia Sands 5 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

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Félicitations, Bernadette Ryan!  Yay! You are the winner of Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat from the giveaway we talked about here two weeks ago.

Bernadette, I know you are going to feel this story is as gripping as I found it! Please email me your contact information and Liza Perrat will get in touch with you. Thanks to everyone else who joined in the fun and, with ebooks so reasonably priced, you might want to pop online and pick up your own copy.

And … yes, Bernadette … you were absolutely correct when you identified the photo in question as Place de la Mairie in beautiful Roussillon! You know your Provence!

I love that village and so did the women on our Womens Travel Network tours last summer. We will be spending a day there again on our 2015 tour. Who’s coming with us? I’ve written a short post about the tours in the latest edition of my favourite website The Good Life France. Click right here to see it.

If you entered the other giveaway of Wolfsangel that was in my newsletter, you’ve still got a chance!  I hope to send the letter off by the end of next week and want to thank Liza for donating two copies of her novel. It’s such a pleasure to give away books!

LA TOUSSAINT – On November 1, this bank holiday was observed throughout France.

All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead ~ A special day to remember the deceased, this holiday is recognized in many countries around the world. The roots of the celebration of Hallowe’en began with this holiday, but that’s another story.

Today we’re talking about chrysanthemums ~ les chrysanthèmes in France.canstockphoto11193499 The appearance of these bright blooms in Canada is one of the signals that autumn is on the way. We love to plant them in our gardens and fill our patio planters with them as the summer annuals begin to fade away. Often we bring them as hostess gifts at this time of year. Please don’t do this in France because these blooms are known as the flower of the dead. Their symbolism is very special.

 

Markets are full of these colourful plants and roadside stands trade the melons of summer for pots of les chrysanthèmes, which families leave in cemeteries to honour the deceased. I’m not certain how the tradition began but these fall-blooming flowers were first left on the graves of World War One soldiers and the tradition  has continued. Cemeteries throughout the country flow with colour for weeks after this special day.

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The traditional flower of la Toussaint. Do you plant ‘mums’ in your garden or put pots of them on your patios in autumn? I do! 

Let’s all say bienvenue and welcome back to my friend Margo Lestz, who lives in Nice. She’s been traveling for a few months and is back posting on her blog, The Curious Rambler. Her site has been given a brand new makeover and looks fantastique! Her posts are always informative and entertaining … pop over and visit!

 

Bon weekend tout le monde!

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Contests, France, General Travel, If it is France... Tagged With: All Saints Day, chrysanthemums, France, la Toussaint, Margo Lestz, Patricia Sands

Let me introduce you …

August 1, 2014 by Patricia Sands 12 Comments

It it’s Friday, it must be France …

Bonjour! Another Friday and another opportunity to wax on about  reasons I love to spend time in France. Thanks for stopping by!

Two weeks ago I posted about finally getting to meet the fabulous writer/reviewer Claire McAlpine, while I was in Aix-en-Provence in June.  Her Word By Word blog is one I highly recommend.

Speaking of Aix, here’s one of my favourite window shots, snapped while strolling one day last month with our women’s tour. There’s something about the mix of ancient stonework, fading paint, and that curtain caught in the window … was it closed in a hurry? Why? Who lives there? Hmmm, there just might be a story to write!

Aix-En-Provence

Making my stay in Nice even more fun this year, I also had the opportunity to meet and spend time with another talented writer/blogger, the also fabulous Margo Lestz. 9dbe8910f06cf943a2e8dad887f59d36When Ida Young-Bondi (more about Ida in another post!) organized a special writerly soirée for me one evening in Nice, Margo brought her husband and some friends along and it was a pleasure to meet all of them.

Although she is lucky enough to live in Nice, Margo also travels extensively and often studies as she goes. Talk about a life-long learner! Fortunately for us, she shares her experiences and wealth of information on her blog, The Curious Rambler … another one on my all-time favourite list. Be sure to pop over when you have some time to enjoy her posts!

Along with her always entertaining blog, Margo writes for The Good Life France website, among other venues, and is working on a non-fiction book about Nice. I can’t wait to read that one and will keep you posted when it is published!

Ahhhh … Nice …

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Vieux Port, Nice

Now let’s travel a little west of the Côte d’Azur, to the Var region which is located more or less between the towns of Saint-Raphael and Bandol.  I’ve been a fan of the French Word-A-Day website for years as I constantly attempt to keep building my grasp of the language. Yet again, meet another talented writer/blogger … and photographer … Kristin Espinasse!

UnknownKristin and I have not met in person as of yet, but that rendezvous is high on my list for our next visit to France in 2015. One way or another, we will make it work!

If our timing is right, we might make it to one of their special wine-tasting events at their ‘new-old’ vineyard, Mas de Brun.

We began to correspond after I read her most recent, delightful book of essays and photographs, First French Essais. I’m a big fan of all of her books and you can check them out right here.Unknown-1

If you haven’t dropped by her site, I know you will be glad you did. Say bonjour to her from me!

Kristin shares vignettes of her extraordinary life in France, raising her family as an American ex-pat married to a French vigneron. Learn about the trials and tribulations of this challenging lifestyle!

At the same time, she educates us on the nuances of the French language as it applies to daily life.

We share a passion for photography and I envy her the unlimited source of images from her splendid surroundings.

Oh ye dedicated Francophiles, we can never have our fill of photos from that part of the world. N’est-ce pas?

One town my husband and I love to visit in the Var is Sanary-sur-Mer, pictured below, not far from Bandol. We explored much of that departement during two different home exchanges a few years ago. Put it on your list!

Sanary-sur-Mer

It’s such a pleasure to actually spend real time with people you have known online, whether it is through travel or attending conferences or just good planning! Has this happened to you lately?

WRITING UPDATE … COVER REVEAL FOR “PROMISES TO KEEP” COMING SOON! 

We’re getting there … thanks to a lot of help! Yes, Barb Drozdowich … I mean you! Merci beaucoup!!! As we progress setting up all of my information on this new site, I soon will have links to Claire, Margo, Kristin, Ida, The Good Life France and other favourite France-related websites in the column on the right. Stay tuned and bon weekend tout le monde!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, General Travel, If it is France..., Photo blogs, Writing Tagged With: Aix-En-Provence, Claire McAlpine, France, French Word-A-Day, Ida Young-Bondi, Kristin Espinasse, Margo Lestz, Nice, Patricia Sands, photography, The Good Life France, Var

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