Hello David, I have a question for you. Since I was born half French and Irish, have been trying to find the right course to take on learning authentic French. I am very confused on this. My Mother was born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada, and we learned Quebec […]

What is the correct version of the French language and how to learn it?   Recently updated!

    Spring is finally here. The cherry blossoms are in bloom here in Japan (you may have heard that it is a big deal here and… it is). Things are growing in my garden (mostly daikon, but a few other mysterious things too). And the site has moved to […]

Spring

  Weaving Weaving (detail) by Takashi Nishibori (Setouchi Triennale 2013 – Takamatsu, Japan)    

Weaving

    Bordeaux Docks and Roadstead, early 20th Century. This picture (is it a picture that has been colored by hand, or a drawing?) is interesting, as the buildings on the docks are the same a Century later, but obviously, the docks and the activity on the Garonne river are […]

Bordeaux Docks and Roadstead

  Apparently, it’s quite wet in Paris today, but here, in my neck of the woods in Japan, it snowed – barely. That reminded me of that evening in Paris, near the Eiffel Tower on a snowy night, a few years ago:      

Snowy Night at the Eiffel Tower

    An inquisitive (or rather hungry) soft shell turtle in Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, Japan.    

Soft Shell Turtle

  So, this was my Christmas dinner:     In case you’re wondering, here is what was on the menu : Duck magrets, aligot, Parma ham (I’m being told that the Italian term is used in English for some reason, probably sounds sexier than just “ham”, so I meant, prosciutto […]

Not your typical Christmas dinner…