Patricia Sands

Author

Word By Word

The bare essentials …

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

This was my parting photo of Nice La Belle as we took off last week …  and just the incentive I need to begin planning our 2015 arrival.

Au revoir, Nice … à la prochaine!
Au revoir, Nice … à la prochaine!

Part of the satisfaction of spending time in France every year is connecting in person with online friends. For the next few weeks I’ll introduce you to a few.IMG_5398

I first wrote about Claire McAlpine in a post over two years ago. Claire is a writer and a fine book reviewer of high literary standards. Her blog, Word By Word, is one I never miss. You can always be certain of discovering a new title to add to your TBR list and count on reviews that are a pleasure to read as much for her own articulate style as for the story itself. Click here to go to her site. 

Not only did we get to spend time together, but Claire also agreed to do an Aromatherapy Presentation for the two tour groups I co-led in June for the Womens Travel Network. Along with her writing persona, Claire is also a licensed aromatherapist whose holistic massage practise is highly regarded. Her Flairesse website contains more details and if you are fortunate to live in the Aix-en-Provence area, you are in reach of her services.

She is one talented woman!

During her presentation, Claire introduced the group to 12 essential oils, their properties and benefits. Later, each of the women made a decision about which essential oils would most benefit her and then mixed a few drops with a carrier oil to create her own personalized blend. Once the mixing began, so did the laughter and banter as only women can do.

Since we were visiting lavender fields later in the week, we were well primed by Claire on the all round benefits that plant offers. My primary essential oil is laurel which Claire assured me was the perfect choice for a writer as it “stimulates inspiration and creative boldness”.  I’ll let you know how well it works!

Thanks again, Claire, for two entertaining and informative afternoons! See you online and next year in Aix or Nice or both!

Have you ever had the opportunity to work with essential oils and mix your own blend. Which oils did you choose? After just a few days, several of the women in our groups were exclaiming they were noticing positive responses to the oils they were using. I’m going to dab some on right now and see how boldly creative I can get as I work on my edits. Um … yes … still …!

Bon weekend tout le monde!

 

 

 

How sweet is this?

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

May 1st is celebrated in many different ways around the world. France has a particularly sweet custom and my friend,  book reviewer and blogger Claire McAlpine, wrote a lovely post about that very topic. I’m happy to share it with you today.

Au mois de mai, fais ce qu’il te plait.

In the month of May do what your heart fancies.

Provencal proverb

So today I feel like sharing a little bit of French culture with you, the 1st of May is a public holiday in France for the Fête du Travail and the day you will find people offering Le Muguet (Lily of the Valley) to their friends, neighbours and acquaintances, a tradition that began during the Renaissance in 1561, when Charles IX offered them to his subjects as a symbol of porte-bonheur or good luck.

Now associated with the Fête du Travail on 1 May, anyone can sell the flower on the street without requiring a licence or permission. Today I walked into the centre-ville and came across many people who are spending their day, sharing the magic of Le Muguet with the public.

The first year I came to live in France, I learned of the tradition when my next door neighbour knocked on the door and presented me with this delightful flower, explaining its significance.

Six months into adapting to this life, language and culture, it was a welcome gesture and reminded me how important it is to reach out to others, even if they appear to be coping, we can all do with a little ‘porte-bonheur’ from time to time.

Claire was a special guest on my blog a few weeks ago. If you haven’t had time to visit her wonderful Word By Word  blog, I hope you find the time soon. You’ll be glad you did!

Isn’t that a lovely custom? Lily Of The Valley is one of my favourite flowers and something I eagerly anticipated discovering in bloom in my garden when I lived in the country. I would pick a sizeable bouquet and deeply inhale the intoxicating perfume. It was such a harbinger of spring!

This year I spent May 1st, like every other day right now (except for Tuesday when I golfed  – YES! I took a day off and it was heaven!)  at the computer madly attempting to get closer to the end of my WIP … I’m SO close I can almost touch it. How did you spend the day? Does your community celebrate in any special way?

Meet Claire McAlpine, Reviewer Extraordinaire

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

From the Office of Tourism website

Last Friday we spent some time in beautiful Aix-En-Provence. Today I want to introduce you to a young writer and reviewer living there. I’ve been following her blog, Word By Word, for a while now and I’m sure you are going to want to add it to your list too!

Claire McAlpine writes book reviews that are a pleasure to read as much for her own literary style as for the book. She has a fine way with words … truly magnifique!

In her own words – About Me. I am originally from New Zealand, leaving when I was 26 to travel the world, basing myself in London, England. I met my husband in Aix en Provence on my way from London to a small fishing village in Italy (where my first novel is set) and when my daughter was born we went to NZ for a few years before deciding to live in France.

 Despite a career in Marketing, I’ve always had other passions and desired a lifestyle that could include them. I studied Aromatherapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine in London which I now practice as well as teaching english as a second language to adults. I also write a monthly travel guide on the city of Marseille. I love to write fiction and continue practicing and I adore reading.

Word by Word (http://clairemca.wordpress.com) is part of my journey and where currently my reading and writing meet not just each other but that wonderful community of others like us out there.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the French government was removing the term “mademoiselle” from all of the official forms and documents. Around the same time, Claire wrote a super-interesting post about the French language. Click here to read what she had to say.

*Drum roll and fireworks* Claire recently received The Versatile Blogger Award and posted these seven random facts about herself:

  1. I am an Aquarian.
  2. The 1600-acre hill country sheep farm where I spent my childhood was one of the Middle Earth locations in the film ‘Lord of the Rings’.
  3. 
I once worked on the 104 foot (30m) tall ship ‘The Golden Plover”. I was employed as a hydro ceramic engineer (dishwasher), except when the Captain or 1stmate shouted “all hands on deck”.
  4. I have visited more than 30 countries.
  5. I was a bridesmaid at a traditional African wedding in Lagos, Nigeria.
  6. I am married to a man who was born in a manger refugee camp in Bethlehem whose name starts with J.
  7. I like to read Buddhist philosophy.
How’s that for a good story?  Find some time to spend on Claire’s website and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Claire, and letting the gentle readers here have a peek into your world. I’ve got to dash over to your place now and see what you are reviewing – wouldn’t miss it!
Don’t you love the opportunities we have in the blogosphere to hear stories like Claire’s? It’s such a pleasure to share them with you and I know you’ve got some to shout out too. Go ahead. Share them. 
A big thank you and cyber-hug to awesome blogger Amber West, once again, for the reblog of her post here last Tuesday.