Bon lundi, mes amis. Thanks for joining me for another installment of Monday Mishmash. It’s been a couple of months so here we go…
Read on!
Monday Mishmash 8/8/16
First, let me invite you to check out the All About France linky I’m hosting through this Thursday. I’m the guest host because Phoebe is on vacation and she’s handed me the reins. The link up is a fun way to share your own France-themed blog post and find new blogs to follow. I hope you’ll join in on the fun. Please make me look good for Phoebe and show the linky some love! Details are on the post here.
So what else has been going on?
1. Our neighbors right next door moved a few weeks back — how do I know this? Because their movers rang my doorbell at 7am asking us to move our car which was in front of our own house to make room for their moving truck. I haven’t had the best luck with neighbors and aside from an older woman who lives across the street, my convos have never gone beyond a bonjour with anyone at all. Oh, except the time the neighbors were burglarized while home and the arrival of cops got the best of my curiosity. Yes, the neighbors who moved were the same ones who were robbed. I understand not everyone is talkative and overly friendly and this is certainly not a French problem, but I think it’s common courtesy to let your neighbors know you’re peacing out, especially if you need them to park their car elsewhere to accommodate you. So weird. The new neighbors love making noise in the yard and have late parties so we’ll see how that goes.
2. Dagny met a new friend in the park last week. It’s a baby hedgehog. I’d never seen one in person until I moved to France and was so confused. Did you know that hedgehogs, unlike porcupines, are mammals? Interesting stuff.
3. Remember that woman who lives in an apartment nearby and was yelling at me for walking my dog on a public sidewalk in front of her balcony? She was concerned that my dog was dirtying the sidewalk. Well, Dagny still hasn’t peed or pooped anywhere but the grass (and never does her business anywhere near this woman’s balcony) but the woman is still harassing me. I think she’s really stressed out caring for a sick relative so I try to just be kind and wish her a good day even though she hates me for no valid reason.
4. I was saddened to see how the internet reacted to a fellow American blogger in France’s piece on falling out of love with France. I wrote more about my thoughts on that here. Dana has penned a follow-up piece (complete with screenshots of the nastiest comments) called Notes on Trolls and Criticism.
Travel Blogger Alex of Alex in Wanderland just posted about trolls too and why she doesn’t delete mean comments and it’s worth a read. Great line, “As my friend Angie says, ‘Gee, let me get you a refund on that free content you hated!'”
5. I published my 500th post on Oui In France last week! FIVE-HUNDREDTH post. When I first started this blog in 2012, I had an arsenal of about 20 post ideas floating around in my head. I always told myself just start the blog, just go for it and write something and new ideas will keep coming. To my utter surprise, that’s turned out to be the case, so for anyone thinking of starting a blog, or a business, or embarking on something new in life, just go for it. Don’t wait until everything is worked out and perfect because action of some sort is better than perfection. I really like what this space has become. 😉
6. Our fifth wedding anniversary is this week so Tom and I spent this past weekend in nearby Clisson. Dagny was treated to a nice hotel stay with us and a special dinner as well. 😉 Pics from that coming soon. There we are above enjoying the mild August weather.
Some links worth a look
- Is it just me, or is the world going crazy? from Mark Manson, who brings up a lot of valid points that are worth considering.
- The New Parisian Breakfast from The Kitchn is not all sugar, sugar and more sugar.
- Love In Translation, a beautiful longer read.
- How to avoid awkwardness when you aren’t sure how to say someone’s name.
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fiona says
Ah! That hedgehog is so cute. I’m going to look up hedgehog in French now. Congrats on your 500th post and your wedding anniversary. I’ve not yet been to Clisson but I believe there is a beautiful castle and a heavy metal festival in summer. Your advice about going for it is really timely….I will. Bon lundi (Ã vous aussi?)
Diane says
Isn’t he/she sweet looking? I believe it’s a herisson (accent on the e) in French. Not the most useful word but could come in handy if you ever see one! Thank you very much and yes the festival is called Hellfest and was in June, I believe. Lots of big names and great little boost for the town. Stay tuned for a post on Clisson later this week or early next.
And as a follow-up to going for it, I like to mentally just focus on one thing at a time. For me personally, sometimes all the action steps of getting anything done can feel overwhelming, so I find that setting out to do one little part and following through is sometimes the little push I need to get the momentum going. 😉
fiona says
Very good advice indeed Diane. Will look forward to the Clisson post as it’s not far from the area in France that I visit. A bloke I work with attended Hellfest last year and had a crazy time.
Taste of France says
It isn’t unusual that a moving truck would need extra space, and so what, because how often do people move, right? But it IS weird that the neighbors didn’t tell you they were moving! Your neighbors’ weirdness isn’t a French thing–we are good friends with all our neighbors. They are all French and all some of the loveliest people we’ve ever met.
Good luck with the new neighbors. You sound as if you deal with them in the best way possible.
Diane says
Oh absolutely, I made sure to say it’s not a French thing in the post. 😉 You can find all types of people everywhere, though in this area people tend to be cold. Even people from here say it. And yes, of course moving trucks need space — no prob there. The weird part was that I would say bonjour several times per week to this woman when I’d see her outside the house and she never once mentioned she was moving or asked me to put the car elsewhere on that particular day. So glad you have lovely ones!
Teddee Grace says
Rodents (from Latin rodere, “to gnaw”) are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of unremittingly growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About forty percent of all mammal species are rodents; they are found in vast numbers on all continents except Antarctica.
Diane says
Thank you for the info! I just figured a hedgehog was a rodent and was surprised to learn it’s not! And that they aren’t native to North America either! Little cuties 😉
Nancy Paul says
I quite like what your blog has become too!
Diane says
Thanks, Nancy! It’s funny, when I started I had no idea I’d find blogging to be something I’d really enjoy and that I’d still be here… twice/week 4+ years later. And that I’d still find things to write about. But after I took the first step and started, more ideas kept coming and coming and thankfully they haven’t stopped. Thanks again!
Jo-Anne says
I have one neighbour who hates me, why I don’t know.
Diane says
Who knows, people are weird!
Freddie Petti says
Great blog! Keeps me entertained, informed and wanting to read the next! Don’t stop writing, please! This blog is extremely well written and always puts a smile on my face. I love the photos as well as the writer’s perspective on life in France.