Stories Collected While Living in France

Writing here since 2005
I moved to France over thirty years ago. I didn’t speak French. My husband barely spoke English. Somehow, we understood each other anyway.
We raised our children here—Chelsea and Sacha. Now, they have children of their own. Gabriel and Olivia. They’re part of this story too.
This blog began as a way to share what I was living — ordinary moments and the ones that surprised me. Brocantes, baguettes, misunderstandings, family dinners, and the daily poetry of being somewhere new until it’s no longer new. But ever enchanting.
I write the way I speak. Fragments, reflections, photos. Memories that surface while washing dishes or walking to the bakery. What I see. What I’ve learned. What I’m still figuring out.
French la Vie is about life in France, but more than that, it’s about paying attention.
You’re welcome here.
To read. To subscribe (it’s free). To comment.
To come along — on one of my French la Vie journeys in Provence. They’re not tours. They’re gatherings.
Old friends, new friends. Conversations, markets, brocantes, long meals, real life.
If you’re nearby, let’s meet. If you’re far, I hope this space brings you closer.
With love,


I’ve had two groups recently on French la Vie where some of the guests were looking for jewelry. Each mixes medals, chains, pendants, and rhinestones. The other searches for vintage jewelry with bling and bang. I wear very little jewelry myself, and I can count on one…
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