16.02 - Winter Wanderings & Bardot's Final Farewell
In this FREE le Bulletin you'll find, Brigitte Bardot's legacy, off-season beauty in wine country, the secrets of Chaource cheese & medieval drama at Calais—plus the Mark Greenside event!
“There are many talented contributors to MyFrenchLife Magazine and I thank all of you for sharing your experiences with us in such an engaging manner. You take us right across France & deep into many worm-holes. We delight in discovering and learning more about France beyond the cliché” Merci Judy
This morning, I was video chatting with a friend (actually with Judy MacMahon, fondatrice MyfrenchLife!) and at the same time I had the screen of my TV on and was glancing at it between our conversational exchanges. I agree, it was not very polite to be ‘multitasking’ while chatting with a friend, but today, there were extenuating circumstances; it’s 7 January and Brigitte Bardot’s funeral is taking place in Saint Tropez and being broadcast live.
At first, my intention for watching was pure curiosity; after all, I belong to a generation that grew up with her image constantly on magazine covers, and life largely commented upon, whether for her films and her Saint Tropez nightlife extravaganza first, or her complete dedication to the animal cause and her political stands later on…” writes Jacqueline.
Bundled up in our coats and hats, Jason and I took the tram to Gare Saint Jean and then hopped the regional train to Saint-Émilion, an easy 30-minute ride from Bordeaux for only 10 euros. “
From the Saint-Émilion train stop, we walked the 15 or so minutes into town along fields of dormant grape vines, past old churches and stately chateaus, and up steep cobblestone streets to the Office de Tourisme Saint-Émilion…” writes Sacha Cohen.
“It would be easy, in spotting a downy, barrel-shaped Chaource, to confuse it for double-cream Brillat-Savarin. I’ll admit I’ve done it several times before, and Lionel Dosne of the Ferme des Tourellesquickly reassures me I’m not the only one.
“Especially in the Paris region,” he asserts, “people get mixed up a lot.”
The cheeses, he says, are ‘cousins’: Brillat-Savarin, once known as Excelsior, is reinforced in extra cream, while Chaource is made simply with whole milk.
That means we take the milk as the cows are kind enough to give it to us, and we transform it.
says Dosne
Milk, rennet, and salt – that’s all you need for the perfect Chaource. The secret to the cheese’s creaminess, according to Dosne, is “all the mystery and all the work around the production of the milk.” He was happy enough to share a few of those secrets with us…”: write Emily Monaco.
In 1992, at the age of 47, Mark Greenside bought a house—almost by accident—in a tiny Breton village. He has lived there ever since, splitting his time between Brittany and California.
With self-deprecating humor, Mark has written three entertaining books about his life in France. In his latest, I Am Finally, Finally French, he reflects on his three decades in Brittany—what he has learned, how he has become part of his community, and how life in France has changed him.
Join us for a lively, fun conversation with Mark about what life is like in a small Breton village. He will be joined by MyFrenchLife contributor Keith Van Sickle, himself a part-time expat in France, and our own Judy MacMahon.
Here is our FORM ← RSVP with your email address, so closer to 7-8 February, we will email you the online event ACCESS LINK.
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.” Judy MacMahon
Chers amis (dear friends)
I do hope you’ll join us in three weeks, for our conversation with Mark Greenside on the Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 February—it’s going to be such a treat! This “In Conversation” #bookclub event will be lively and fun, I promise you. Mark, author of 3 very popular books about his French adventures, has lived part-time in Brittany for decades, and will be sharing his experience and stories with his most wonderful self-deprecating humor. He’ll be chatting with our long-time MyFrenchLife™ contributor Keith Van Sickle, who has lived part-time in Provence for many years, also while writing four books about his French life. These two are such a good match—two brilliant raconteurs! I’ll be there, trying my best to keep them “on piste” and facilitate what I know will be a delightful conversation. Hope to see you there.- RSVP→
As you’re reading this newsletter, we will have just finished our first online #bookclub event for 2026 with Jacqueline Dubois Pasquier and me, about the award-winning French Best-selling and Barnes and Noble 2025 book of the Year by Thomas Schlesser, Mona’s Eyes—and what a turn-up! Members shared their views, francophiles from right across the globe: France, Australia, Canada, Honolulu, and right across the USA from west to east - 6 timezones! It was a fabulous discussion, and I’m still glowing from the energy and warmth of our community coming together.
And speaking of our wonderful MyFrenchLife™ Magazine contributors—in the paid edition of le Bulletin 16.02.a this weekend, we’re launching something I’m truly excited about: One by one we’re putting our contributors under the Spotlight in “The Writers Room”. I can’t wait for you to discover all about it and get to know the talented voices behind the stories you love as they share their inner secrets and ask each other questions.
In the meantime, I’m sending you so much love as we step into this new year together. Thank you for being here with me, for your curiosity about France, and for making this community what it is. You mean the world to me.
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The Mark Greenside event sounds facinating—his books capture something really specific about integrating into small Breton villages that alot of expat writing misses. What strikes me about the Breton context versus other French regions is how the lingustic and cultural distinctiveness adds extra layers to the assimilation process. I'm curious whether the bookclub will touch on how Brittany's distinct identity (language revival movements, regional pride) shapes the expat experience differently than, say, Provence. The self-deprecating humor angle is spot-on for that kind of cross-cultural navigation where humility matters more than expertise in rural communities.
what fun! Brittany and "les bretons" have a special place in my heart - probably another writing topic for me! They're asking the first French people I got to know up close when I was a French vet school student. And my current hunt club is run by Bretons. They form a loving, close-knit community that's a joy to behold.
Some of Mark's books are available on Everand (I call it "the Netflix of books" 🙂). I prefer subscribing to that over using Amazon & Kindle.
The Mark Greenside event sounds facinating—his books capture something really specific about integrating into small Breton villages that alot of expat writing misses. What strikes me about the Breton context versus other French regions is how the lingustic and cultural distinctiveness adds extra layers to the assimilation process. I'm curious whether the bookclub will touch on how Brittany's distinct identity (language revival movements, regional pride) shapes the expat experience differently than, say, Provence. The self-deprecating humor angle is spot-on for that kind of cross-cultural navigation where humility matters more than expertise in rural communities.
what fun! Brittany and "les bretons" have a special place in my heart - probably another writing topic for me! They're asking the first French people I got to know up close when I was a French vet school student. And my current hunt club is run by Bretons. They form a loving, close-knit community that's a joy to behold.
Some of Mark's books are available on Everand (I call it "the Netflix of books" 🙂). I prefer subscribing to that over using Amazon & Kindle.