I am convinced that music is the best medicine, and have proved it many times!

When we were living on the French Riviera my husband Ron had spent many painful days in bed hardly able to move. One evening we heard music playing. Going down in the lift we then joined an open air concert on the beach. Two hours later we nearly danced back to our flat!

Once I was in hospital in Brittany expecting to be there for several weeks. My doctor, a close friend, came to visit me. Sitting on my bed he serenaded me with his guitar. I went home the next day! It was Duke Orsino  in “Twelfth Night” who said “If music be the food of love, play on! ” My life would have been so much less without it.

At the age of 5, I was singing duets with my father. As teenagers, Ron and I sang for many years in the choir of Hanham Road Congregational Church in Kingswood. No television in those days! For our personal enjoyment Ron played his keyboard or our piano, and I sang. He also played the clarinet, but his favourite instrument was his accordion.

With the Red Maids Choir we sang at the BBC in Whiteladies Road. The weekly song was the “Prickety Bush” which was the signature song for a programme called “Down your Way” How we enjoyed lunch afterwards in the BBC canteen! 

Now I have the joy of singing with Frenchay Church Choir which makes Sundays very special. My son sang in Clifton College choir and my daughter belongs to Stroud Rock Band! One of my treasured memories is hearing Megan, my youngest grand-daughter, playing her violin whilst  leading many children round a church in Aix en Provence.

Another of my favourite quotes is, “You never realise the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

I wish you all a magical musical Christmas!
Esmé

I have loved books  since I joined St George Library at the age of five! One of my favourite quotes is “There’s more to life than books, but not much more!” I feel very sorry for people who do not enjoy reading. It is said to be as good for your mental health as medicine is for your physical health. 

There was no television when I was young but my father read aloud to my mother and myself most evenings. My husband loved reading too, so it’s not surprising that both of our children followed in our footsteps. They could read fluently when starting at infant school which gave them a good start. My son, a retired English teacher, is a fan of Shakespeare. My daughter’s favourite book is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. This weekend she is staying at Hay on Wye with her book club. It’s where Richard Booth opened a second hand book shop and now the town is famous for them! 

It probably won’t surprise you that my favourite books feature France and food. I love Monet’s Cookery Note Books by Claire Joyce. I bought a second hand one, cut out some of the pictures and they are behind glass in my kitchen bringing happy memories of our many visits to Monet’s house in Giverny! I’m delighted with The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Koo which reminds me of living in Paris. Fiction wise I enjoyed Coastline by Joanne Harris as it’s set in the Vendèe region where I once lived. 

I must go now. I want to get back to my book! What am I reading? The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriaty. 

Enjoy November (and books?) 
Esmé

Enjoy October,
Esmè

September can be an exciting month with young children starting school and others perhaps starting at a new one. Two of my grand-daughters are teachers, so more pupils to meet. Another of my grand-daughters is a doctor and starting work in a new surgery, so new patients and colleagues.

I am very lucky as my best friend became my husband. Although I miss him daily, I have a lovely family and many excellent friends. On television, they said that the average number of friends people have is 2.8. I suppose it depends on your definition of a friend. I think that a true friend wants your happiness and will help you in any way possible as you would help them.

I’m arranging a celebration for three friends this September because we met 80 years ago when starting at junior school. One of them lives in Nailsea, but we talk every day. She was one of our  bridesmaids. I taught at the same school as another of them and she is one of my neighbours.

When I was returning from France she told me that a flat was for sale in Marshfield Park so I phoned the estate agent and said that I would buy it! I also meet another group of friends for lunch most of whom I’ve known for 83 years as we lived in the same road!

I have as many French friends as British, When Ron sadly died three of them offered me a home and not just for a holiday! I didn’t accept their kind offers but I spent six months in Paris with a friend. Then I returned to the south and borrowed another friend’s flat whilst I decided where to buy. Whilst we were fighting Ron’s cancer, another friend with a very busy police career in Paris often came south and spent the weekend in a nearby hotel to be close to us. That sort of friendship  money can’t buy!

I wish you all a friendship filled September,
Esmè

I’ve often shared with you memories of our fantastic life living in France on the Côte d’Azur. We had lunches at beach restaurants and dinners at the Portside Club House and on roof top terraces. We were often at St Tropez and Monaco. 

However after my husband Ron sadly died, my life changed of course. I decided to buy a flat in Aix-en-Provence and rented a studio there whilst it was being built.

Most Sunday mornings I went to mass at the local Roman Catholic Church. A man who seemed very friendly, always sat by me. One Sunday he said that his wife, who was very ill, wanted to meet me, so I agreed to go to their flat.

On the way I bought three cakes, as I thought we would be having coffee. Wrong! The man let me in and then, to my concern, locked the door and put the key in his pocket. Alarm bells rang! I was shown into a bedroom where his wife was sat up in bed. Immediately both of them started to demand money. I had told the man in church that I was waiting to buy a flat! I tried to leave but he wouldn’t open the door. 

Very luckily for me, the door bell rang. He told me to keep quiet, but I shouted! Reluctantly he opened the door a tiny bit, but the person outside pushed it open. It was a doctor whom I knew. He said, “Leave with me Esmé”. Once outside, he told me that they were crooks. The wife wasn’t ill, but was pretending in order to gain money. He had called to tell them that he wouldn’t sign to say that she was unwell.

Needless to say I never saw the man again. I was so grateful to that doctor for rescuing me!

I hope that you all have a scare free August.

Esmé

As we were working for Haven Holidays I didn’t intend to teach again, although I love it. However the campsite owner was also the maire of two local small towns. He wanted me to teach English to his five sons. Three professors from the nearby university came to watch me take a lesson and that is how I obtained my certificate to teach in France.

I taught in four schools as each of the towns where Olivier was maire had two primary schools, one private, one public. The private schools are Roman Catholic and the public schools are for the children of non-Catholic parents. The private schools were in old buildings with small classrooms and many pupils. The public ones in large new buildings with less children and plenty of space. After play time, the whistle was blown and the pupils rushed in. Not so in the private schools. They carefully lined up in order of their height and walked in very quietly.

Unfortunately the two schools in each town did not co-operate together and were very secretive. My husband and I were invited to events in all 4 schools, so I had to be very diplomatic as I was always questioned afterwards! I suggested a combined concert on sports day, but with no success!

One of the professors who had watched me teach contacted me to ask if I would like to take the English Oral exams at the University of La Roche-sur-Yon (capital city of the region). Through this I taught for the Chamber of Commerce. This was really interesting. One group of students were doctors and dentists. Another group were owners of hotels and restaurants. I also chose the staff to work in the region's tourist offices. In the height of the season they needed people who could speak English! I wasn’t paid for doing this, but they sent me large bouquets of flowers!

Enjoy summer in our region,
Esmé

I’m just watching on television, the protest demonstrations in London about climate change. I support the cause, but not always their frustrated actions.

When teaching French or English I often emphasized to my students the numerous words the same in both languages. As with most skills, confidence is the key to success (succès!) The word demonstration is the same in French and  a protest is a protestation.

What intrigues me is who decided which words in French should be feminine and which words masculine. “Protest”, “Demonstration” and “Intrigue” are all feminine!! Do females protest more?

Climate change is certainly a worrying issue. In the last two weeks I’ve had friends finding the heat too much followed by needing to wear extra clothes.
 
I wonder how many of you reading this have joined in a protest march? In the nineties my daughter–in-law marched for better conditions for nurses, although she was a teacher. My daughter and her husband joined groups who were anti-hunting, they tried to send the riders off in the wrong direction. When my youngest grand daughter was doing her M.A. degree n London she joined in a demonstration against some governments using child soldiers. Her photo was in the Guardian newspaper protesting about an EU referendum.
 
I’ve never taken part in one but three times in France my husband and I were involved. Twice we were leaving a restaurant in Toulon after lunch, the first time was peaceful, but the second time was very stressful as the demonstrators started to throw bottles. I wanted to run, but my husband, always more sensible than me, said we must walk slowly. The third time we were at the Cannes Film Festival when our car was surrounded. All traffic was brought to a standstill. The staff from the many luxury hotels were demanding better pay!
 
I know one thing that I would protest about, amongst others. It is age discrimination!  (Two more French words with the same spelling!)
 
However, let’s have a peaceful June,
Esmé

With no space left last month to continue this story—I’m doing so now! My husband and I tried to buy a beautiful French Chȃteau near Cognac. We offered less than the asking price as the building needed renovation, conversion and furniture. What we didn’t realise was that very often if a prospective buyer shows a keen interest—the price is increased. We were disappointed as we had so many exciting plans…. Rowing boats on the lake and parties in the lovely grounds. We would have invited the local neighbours which most
holiday makers would have enjoyed.
 
When I watch “Escape to the Chȃteau”on television, I find it really interesting as Dick, the husband , like Ron, is multi-talented. Angel his wife, like me, loves colour and design . I have several French friends who own Chȃteaux. One of them sent a photo of one of his ceilings with my Christmas Card this year. For years he has been trying to prove that it was painted by a famous artist!
I expect that many of you have visited Fontainbleu, Versailles or the Chȃteaux along the Loire. The last time we were at Versailles a small child went missing. You can imagine the parents’ panic! We all went hunting to help them, and luckily their little daughter was found.
 
Not being able to own the chȃteau, what did we buy? We bought a lovely house on the Vendeen Corniche so close to the beach that the spume blew off the waves on windy days and hit our windows! That’s another story.
                          
Enjoy May!

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In my 180 articles written for the current Frenchay  magazine and the preceding one, I’ve often written about France but never about a chȃteau. Why now? I’ve just been watching “Escape to the Chȃteau”. If you have never seen it , it is about an English couple who buy a derelict French chȃteau and how they are renovating it. It brings back such memories for me!

Whilst living in Clifton we read in the Sunday paper that there was a farmhouse for sale near Cognac. Some French friends had been staying with us and they were packed up ready to go home. Hastily filling our own suitcase we drove them to Bristol Airport and drove to Dover. We caught the first available ferry to France and spent the night in a hotel. Next day we drove to Cognac. I still do crazy things!
 
The farmhouse was a disappointment and we didn’t even go inside. Driving back to the estate agent’s office I jokingly said to him , when we passed a beautiful chȃteau, “I wish that was for sale.” He replied “It is!” He turned the car round and took us back to it.
 
What a chȃteau! It was not too huge, wider than it was deep and only three stories high. We envisaged making nine glamorous studios, three on each floor. There were two round towers at each end, one could be our home and the other ready to welcome our family and friends. It had been a Royal Chȃteau and their crowns (a copy of course!) were displayed on the roof.
 
Did we buy it? That’s another story, no more space, so I’ll finish it next month…
 
A favourite quote of mine is “If you don’t look for magic you will never find it!”
 
I wish you all a magical April,

Esmé