a provencal vignette May in Provence and the roses are blooming madly. I say this every year but I think they have excelled themselves this time. Our standard white icebergs are so abundant that from...
Pierre de Ronsard - vicki archer Last night I spent the evening with my lovely French friend Valérie… She was the girl who introduced and first showed us our property in Saint Rémy de Provence&...
Wini Moranville, author of The Bonne Femme Cookbook, has kindly shared one of her favourite recipes with me. I think this salad is the perfect spring into summer taste… this salad looks easy to...
Many of the vendors in French brocantes are self made stylists. They have goods to sell so displaying them well is their number one priority… Like this console above… sitting outside̷...
Sometimes our children surprise us… Wait a moment… that is a massive understatement… Who am I kidding? Our children surprise us all the time. I am thinking about my son as I write t...
Acte V... Lacroix and Picasso ensemble... in Arles Friday morning, awake early, I listened to the rain falling outside and hoped that it would clear. I was looking forward to the afternoon in Arles...
thinking about... paris Don’t you love a Sunday… it is my lazy day and generally that’s how I like it. A day to catch up on the reading, browse my favourite blogs, flex my online sh...
In one word vegetables… My kitchen table is mostly full of bowls of vegetables… as are my bench tops and cook top when they aren’t in use. I like to have most of my vegetables and f...
I took a walk down memory lane this week. I have a new project in Saint Rémy de Provence… a tiny village house that I am about to start restoring. We bought it eighteen long months ago with the...
Last year I planted white iris on either side of the chemin d’eau, that runs the length of our garden in front of the farmhouse. This was not the first time I had tried my luck with these beaut...
Thank you all so much for being a part of the new French Essence giveaway. I am so happy to announce that I will be sending embroidered linen sheets to Virginia from Paris Through My Lens… to K...
Today is the last day to enter my giveaway… If you would like to play along please leave me a comment, subscribe to French Essence, sign up to receive MY DAILY CLICK… Tweet, re-tweet and ...
The French seem to be the experts when it comes to a dash of red… especially in the south. I came across this vignette as I browsed the morning market in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon… floral cu...
I have always had a crush on candles… I think you might have guessed that… and I have always loved lanterns… Chinese ones in particular, they are so portable.. like here… I ti...
illustration – david mcgrievey The weekend approaches and with it the day to spoil our mothers… In Europe we have already been honoured but in the States and Australia… Sunday is th...
Thank you for your overwhelming response to the new look French Essence… I was so touched by your comments, and so appreciative of the sentiments behind them. It is a delicate balance to change...
Welcome to my new French Essence… to say that I am excited to show you would be an understatement. It has been months of planning to arrive at what I feel is a true reflection of me and all tha...
I have just downloaded Best Paris Stories on my Kindle… I am thinking that these essays would be the perfect read for all those very dull times when I am waiting… in the traffic, at the a...
I have just downloaded Best Paris Stories on my Kindle... I am thinking that these essays would be the perfect read for all those very dull times when I am waiting... in the traffic, at the air...
My mother often says to me, ‘every day is Mother’s day’. I tend to agree… when you are a mother, the joy and the happy can strike at any time… it’s not a one day p...
My mother often says to me, every day is Mothers day. I tend to agree... when you are a mother, the joy and the happy can strike at any time... its not a one day party. Being a mother is a life...
‘Behind closed doors’ is the best description for much of Paris because it is the secrets… the surprising finds… that are the most entrancing… Last week as Jeanne ...
Behind closed doors is the best description for much of Paris because it is the secrets... the surprising finds... that are the most entrancing... Last week as Jeanne and I walked with Australia...
One of the most charming features of Parisian brasseries and cafés are the painted windows… This pane on one of the windows at Chez Julien is one of my very favourites… light with a delic...
One of the most charming features of Parisian brasseries and cafés are the painted windows... This pane on one of the windows at Chez Julien is one of my very favourites... light with a delicate touc...
I wish I was sitting on these Parisian chairs as I wait to resolve my technical issues in transferring to the new French Essence site... I am sorry but my new baby is not quite ready to present ...
I am about to embark on a big change... well not so much me... as the blog...French Essence is about to have a makeover... the blog will look different but hopefully feel the same. It will be f...
Paris shining, Paris raining… Paris covered in a blanket of cloud … it doesn’t matter to me… she is always engaging and always snap worthy… Walking the streets the last ...
Paris shining, Paris raining... Paris covered in a blanket of cloud ... it doesnt matter to me... she is always engaging and always snap worthy... Walking the streets the last few days has been a joy...
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