Previously:

La coccinelle élégante

Les beaux jours de printemps sont ici!  Spring has reawakened the flowers, the animals, and our little crawly friends.  On our hikes we are busily escorting caterpillars (les chenilles) off the trail and squatting low to look at the elegant ladybugs (les coccinelles). Magnifique!

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Mimosa d’hiver

It’s not the mimosa I expected…these are even better!  Come late winter, the Côte d’Azur bursts with breath-taking swaths of yellow flowers from groves Mimosa trees, Acacia dealbata.  People display them in windows, hang them from rearview mirrors, wind them around poles in town, and celebrate the first signs of rebirth.

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Meilleurs Vœux

With winter all around, les mouginoise are happy to send along their best wishes for a warm and happy holiday and a prosperous 2023!!

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Les temps des vendanges

Autumn is fully here in the South of France – and harvesting time is coming to a close as the temperatures drop. One of the sacred harvests is grape picking. Produce stands are rich with sweet table grapes. Yet the stars of the show are the wine grapes – delicious perfection which we must wait a few years to enjoy at its fullest. À Votre Santé!

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Ce sont les grèves

The French know how to put on a good strike!  The national petroleum refinery strikes – or “les grèves dans les raffineries” started a few weeks ago to demand higher wages in the face of climbing costs of living.  And, darn if they aren’t affective!  Stations everywhere are out of gas – people follow refueling trucks and then race to line up for a tank full.  It’s a madhouse!

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La brigade du chef

The wonderfully talented sous chefs and cooks who bring a chef’s art and vision to life. Judging from the demonstration we saw this weekend from Chef Denis Fettison’s brigade, each of the brigade is incredible of her/his own rights. As a team…formidable!