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Snippets of French history: Antoine de St Exupery

I read “Le Petit Prince” yonks ago – when I was a child I suppose.  I re-read it in English much later and, somehow, the magic of the story is lost in the translation – it is just not the same somehow, though I couldn’t say why.  I also read “Vol de Nuit” (Night Flight) […]

Posted 12 years ago

Snippets of French history: Bluebell. World War II.

 Bluebell with her second child, Francis Margaret Kelly (1910-2004) was born in Dublin and was immediately given up for adoption. She never knew either of her birth parents and grew up with one Mary Murphy, a spinster, who then moved to Liverpool.  There, a doctor suggested Margaret go to dance lessons in order to strengthen […]

Posted 12 years ago

Snippets of French history: Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart (1542-1587) was born to the king of Scotland, James V, and his French queen, Marie de Guise, at Linthigow Palace in Scotland.  Her father died less than a week after her birth, so she was only 6 days old when she became Queen of Scotland.  Although there is evidence to suggest the baby […]

Posted 12 years ago

Extract from “Saying Nothing”. An unusual romance, set in Spain.

“Saying Nothing” by Catherine Broughton is a novel set in Spain.  A recent review: I just didn’t know what to think about the decisions the young woman, “Jane”,  in this book made, and I blew hot and cold over her. It is a love story that is quite different from the norm, and I really […]

Posted 12 years ago

Snippets of French history: Josephine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon.

 Josephine as Empress of France. She is surrounded by the trappings of wealth and power. On the seat beside her is Napoleon’s own crown.  It is interesting to note the elongated limbs. If you study the figure, you can see that her torso and legs are way too long for her.  This was usually reserved […]

Posted 12 years ago

Having a Baby in Belize- The birth of Khaya. Belize, Central America.

Our guest blogger today is Cheryl Rowland-Nunez, from Belize.   I had a few different options for where to have my baby. I knew I did NOT want to have my baby in a Belize public hospital as I had heard stories about the treatment of birthing mothers and I did not want to be […]

Posted 12 years ago

Snippets of French history: Leonardo da Vinci and his last years.

It would be crazy for me to attempt an item on Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian who spent most of his life in Italy.  However, he lived the last three years of his life in France, and died in his French Chateau de Clos-Luce, near Amboise in the Loire Valley. He was an illegitimate […]

Posted 12 years ago

Snippets of French history: Edith Piaf, icon of French song.

I have to say that I cannot abide her singing, but I am not a musical person and I am sure that her singing is wonderful …. just that I don’t like it.  Oddly enough, although Edith Piaf grew to be internationally famous, and although there are several books about her, relatively little is known […]

Posted 12 years ago

Sex … ? Sex education. Nuns, convents, school days.

For some reason best known to herself my little PA, Charlotte, suddenly asked me this morning how old I was when I first had sex.  Now, I have known Charlotte for many years and we have a really great relationship, so this kind of question doesn’t bother me at all.  In fact it made me […]

Posted 12 years ago

Extract from “A Call from France”. An English family in France.

“A Call from France” by Catherine Broughton is a true story.  It has been described as a must-read for mothers of teenagers:- Letter from my father. Be grateful for small mercies – Hussein is not a fanatic, and Muslims can be fanatics in a way we’re not accustomed to in the Western world. Having met […]

Posted 12 years ago

Books now available on Amazon:

A Call From France
French Sand
Kefani: An African Childhood
The Man With Green Fingers
Saying Nothing