16.11 - French Threads, Peaks & Point de Vue
Inside this FREE le Bulletin you'll read about Calais reinvented, interiors that feel like you, and Haute-Savoie's Alpine wild side — three writers, three corners of France, one irresistible read.
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes ami(e)s !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today, at the beginning of a new year! Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,
Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.10.a - .“ It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 21.3.2026
1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: new articles
“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
Our list of valued Contributors →
a) Leavers Lace and Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, Calais
by Caroline McCormick-Clarke
Image credit: Caroline McCormick-Clarke
Lace, Fashion, and Lingerie at the City of Lace and Fashion, Calais
Traditionally, Lace can be described as a natural textile made of fine threads of silk, cotton, linen, or wool, interwoven into a net tulle and typically decorated with patterns…” writes Caroline McCormick-Clarke.
b) Point of view interiors
by Kathryn Ivey
Designing your home from your personal point of view will always be on the IN list”
I remember the first time I walked into the home of a former boss and instantly felt comforted, surrounded not only by beauty but by a marked point of view. I was working as a design assistant, and her office was in the lower level of her home. As I passed through her dining room, painted in a sumptuous carnelian red with a pair of screens upholstered in an antique Italian fabric flanking two corners of the room, I followed the notes of classical music softly emitting from a radio located in the adjacent kitchen. “
There was a Jacobean antique eat-in table with the morning newspaper and a coffee cup still lingering from breakfast. Past the table, a pair of French doors opened out onto her small, charming garden. An energetic Irish terrier suddenly bounded around the corner…”
c) Haute-Savoie: Mountains, Lakes, and the Occasional Fondue
By Nick Garnett
Hmmm, I’ve never tried eating Fondue whilst swimming.
Where is Haute-Savoie?
Haute-Savoie sits in the far eastern corner of France, pressed up against the Swiss border like it’s trying to escape from the rest of the country. It’s part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, one of the post-2016 mega-region creations. I live in the Limousin, well, I did, because it was dissolved in the same geographic pogrom. Perhaps it really is trying to escape and reclaim its lost identity. Sorry, I digress.
The department shares its eastern border with Switzerland - specifically Geneva, which is so close to parts of Haute-Savoie that thousands of French residents commute there daily for work. To the south, you’ll find Savoie (the non-Haute version), and to the west, Ain. Italy is just a mountain range away to the southeast.
This is proper Alpine territory…” writes Nick Garnett
2. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Bonjour mes ami(e)s, every time I sit down to put le Bulletin together, I’m reminded of how lucky I am — lucky to have found such extraordinary voices to share this journey with me. This week, Caroline took us deep into the intricate, luminous world of Calais lace, a story I genuinely didn’t want to end. Kathryn reminded us that a home with a true point of view is really just a home that knows itself — and isn’t that something we’re all reaching for? And Nick — well, Nick made me want to pack a bag, drive east, and eat fondue in the mountains immediately. No apologies.
This little corner of the internet we’ve built together — it means everything to me. You, reading this right now, are exactly why I do it. France is endlessly generous with her stories, and I am endlessly grateful to the writers who help me tell them, and for you, who show up week after week to receive them.
And if today’s edition left you wanting a little more France beyond the cliché — well, there’s a reason for that. 😉 The paid edition of le Bulletin, ‘16.10.a- What does France smell, look, and feel like right now?’ is waiting quietly in your inbox, and if you’ve already upgraded, you will be able to immerse yourself completely — and if you haven’t yet, it’s truly not too late. Consider it your own little French wormhole this week.
À bientôt, mes ami(e)s.
Warmly, always
Judy x
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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