My birthday is coming up soon. Years ago, when I lived in London, birthdays would mean a posh meal in London with my husband, or maybe a weekend away in a country hotel, and a gift. My birthdays in France are very different, the day is much the same as most days here – and I couldn’t be more happy about it.
A weekend away with as many animals as we have (4 dogs, 6 cats and umpteen chickens, ducks and geese, plus a thriving herd of wild hedgehogs, apparently the correct term is a ‘prickle’ of hedgehogs, who visit every night for the free buffet formerly known as the cats food) is never going to happen (they are worth it)!
The gift I appreciate most is that we are healthy and happy. Life is not perfect in France, of course there are challenges, French bureaucracy drives us batty for one. And I still struggle with learning French though this year it’s improved dramatically as I’ve taken steps to learn formally with teacher-led lessons, rather than hoping I’ll pick up those tricky grammar rules just by being here. Next year I’ll be doing an immersion course in Aix-en-Provence to up my game (plus any excuse to spend time in the fabulous sunny, cultural city is good), I did a few days of immersion in Brittany with the same company earlier this year with fantastic results. Feel free to join me – details below.
And the posh meal has been replaced with a night out at our favourite auberge in a village a few minutes away. It’s not a fancy restaurant: the average meal is around €12 – generous portions, local produce and always delicious. We’re welcomed with a kiss on the cheeks for me, and handshake for Mark (as an uptight Brit, Mark has not embraced the cheek kissing custom as much as I have!), and everyone says bonjour. It’s the place for locals to meet and catch up on the news and the gossip. It’s a bit like a French “Cheers” where everyone knows your name – or at least your face.
My nonagenarian neighbour Claudette says that she is happy most of the time, and though she wouldn’t mind being 70 years younger, she doesn’t dwell on it as it would serve no purpose. She says that to find joy in simple pleasures every day is the greatest achievement in a world that’s increasingly complex. And that collecting moments, not things makes you happiest. She is never wrong.
Next week I’ll be collecting moments in Uzés and at the Roman Pont du Gard in the south of France – come with me via Instagram where I’ll post photos and videos…
Wherever you are – I wish you a very bon weekend – and happy birthday to you all for whenever it is!
Bisous,
Janine
Editor of The Good Life France Magazine and website
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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her latest book How to be French – is a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre.
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