A new association aimed at integrating French people in Edinburgh has been created in August. It is linked to FIAFE.
They are organising an Aperitif on Monday the 2nd of October, in the French Institute.
More info here!
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Une nouvelle association qui a pour but d'intégrer les Français nouvellement arrivés à Edimbourg vient d'ouvrir ses portes.
Ils organisent un apéritif le lundi 2 octobre, à l'Institut Français d'Ecosse.
Pls d'infos ici.
As every year, here are a few blogs from French students recently arrived in Scotland, and more particularly in Edinburgh... Mostly written in French!
Lxox
I have met quite a lot of new students in the past few weeks, and inevitably the question of why they want to learn French crops up at our first meeting as [a] I am curious, and [b] well, there is no real [b] - I am just curious!
Most of the time, people get quite embarrassed, and mutter quickly that
in Britain, we are very lazy and we expect everyone to speak English when we go somewhere on holidays or for business...I often have to disagree with this statement: I have been teaching French since 1991 in Scotland, and have seen a lot of very motivated individuals, who undertake the study of French either for a short holiday or because they love France or for business related reasons... There was never the sense, for me, that British people were particularly lazy, or that they were uninterested. All I have seen in the past, and even today, is a bunch of sensitive people, who want to improve on themselves.
Being in a state of perpetual reinvention, at the image of this blog (is it personal? is it a business? is it an open gate for a French person lost in Scotland's frustrations?), of course, it could only end like that: I contacted my auld friend from uni the Irish poet (yes, I did google him. For hours. He was not easy to find!) and it reminded me of:
O saisons O châteaux, quelle âme est sans défaut ...I refer you to this, here, for the full picture [in English] about Rimbaud...
hey, I am going to have a haircut!I actually went as far as mentioning it to Hubby: he turned green , because of course, it is a 'damned if you do, and damned if you don't' kind of situation for him...
Some of my French groups are going to have the opportunity to sample some wines from LA PROVENANCE, a new wine venture: lucky them!!
Valerie Blanc will come in and presents the selection of wines she has imported especially from the Bordeaux region, and it will be an opportunity for the students to learn how to appreciate wines in French.
The tastings will only take place for the Elementary 2 and above levels, so that the tastings can take place completely in French.
The students will then have the opportunity to purchase the wine they preferred, with a 5% discount.
More information on LA PROVENANCE (in English and in French):
La Provenance Débute
Un nouveau concept dans la vente du vin démarre. Sous la direction de Valerie Blanc, originaire de Bordeaux et Amanda Brown, La Provenance est désormais prête à recevoir vos commandes et votre réservation pour une dégustation.
La Provenance a passé un temps considérable à choisir ses vins, en rendant visite à chaque chateau en France. Les vins proposés dans un premier temps, sont de la région de Bordeaux et ont pour la plupart gagnés des concours de vins et spiritueux à Paris, Bruxelles, et les Etats Unis. La Provenance continuera à fournir des vins venus de France et aussi d’autres pays européens au fur et à mesure que Provenance s’agrandira. Aucun de ces vins ne sont disponibles ailleurs dans le Royaume Uni.
Afin d’aider ses clients dans leur choix de vins, La Provenance propose d’organiser une dégustation chez vous et de passer commande en fin de session. Si vous avez un groupe d’amis interressés, n’hésitez pas à les réunir pour une soirée agréable. (groupe entre 6 et 8 personnes)
La gamme des vins de La Provenance est disponible en bag in box de 5 litres (l’équivalent de 7 bouteilles mais plus facile à stocker et recycler) et en bouteilles 75cl. Le Bag in Box vous permet de conserver votre vin pendant 4 semaines après l’ouverture, ce qui est idéal pour ceux qui veulent savourer un verre de vin, sans avoir à ouvrir une bouteille au risque d’en perdre la qualité le lendemain!
Nous avons aussi un superbe vin pétillant, crémant de Bordeaux, qui est un substitut idéal au champagne pour une occasion spéciale, à un prix moindre.
Si vous êtes interessés et désirez passer une commande ou organiser une dégustation, n’hésitez pas et prenez contact avec Valerie ou Amanda
Laprovenance@msn.com ou 07784736537.
La Provenance IN ENGLISH
A new concept in wine retailing is now ready for business. Under the direction of Valerie Blanc, a native of Bordeaux and Amanda Brown, La Provenance is now ready to receive your orders and book your wine tastings.
A large amount of time and effort has gone into the sourcing of the wine and each wine is sourced from a Chateau in France personally by La Provenance. The initial wines originate from around the Bordeaux region and all are medal winners. La Provenance will continue to source new wines from throughout France and further a field as the business grows. None of these wines are available elsewhere in the UK.
To help our customers decide which their favourite is, La Provenance will carry out a wine tasting in people’s homes at no cost to the host. Ideally we would encourage the host to invite 6/8 other guests to make an event of the tasting.
The range of La Provenance wines are available as bag in box of 5 litres (which equates to just under 7 bottles, and easier to recycle) and 75cl bottles. Bag in Box allows you to keep the wine for up to 4 weeks once it has been opened, meaning that those drinkers who like a glass a night can now enjoy fantastic quality wine without the pressure of finishing a bottle.
We have also sourced a mouth watering sparkling white wine – Cremant – which is a great substitute for Cava or champagne for those special occasions.
If you are interested in hosting a tasting at your home or workplace, to taste some wine before you buy, please contact us either via email at Laprovenance@msn.com or on 07784736537.
Following issues linked to the change of timing of the original absolute beginners group, I have decided to start up a new group taking place on Saturdays between 11am and 12.30.
Please contact me immediately for more information on this course.
It is due to start on Saturday 7 October 2006.
Fees: £92.50
Duration: 10 weeks
There are still a few spaces left in my conversational evening classes, in various different levels:
Film Course: 12 weeks : £105
Improving Listening Comprehension through Film [Thursdays, 7.45-9.00pm]:
It suddenly occurs to me that it could be useful for all the new students out there to post again the link to Radio France's Les informations en francais facile...
It is indeed quite invaluable when you reach a certain level (ie master the present and past tenses mostly), as it presents a radio news bulletin - in 'easy' French, in other words, substantially (but not stupidly!) slowed down! Besides, they also offer a transcription. Brilliant!!
So if you want to know more about this, click right here!
Quick note to say I am (just about) beginning to master the fine art of 'podcasting', ie including audio files to a web site, which can then potentially be downloaded (hurray!) onto an iPod or an mp3 player...
:-)
Please go and check out my Transsiberian page, and tell me if the audio format is OK (or not, as the case may be)... It will be an opportunity to listen to the lovely Sacha, who distracted us on the first leg of our transsiberian journey!
Lxox
Toulouse-Lautrec and the Art Nouveau Poster
"A display of French poster prints, spanning from the Romantic period to the start of the Art Nouveau movement, including 15 works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec."
When? Until 22 October
Where? City Art Centre
How much? £5 (£3.50-£14 family)
Roussillon: Now and Then
"A selection of work by Scottish painter Ian Scott created over the last 30 years in his French base." - Part of the Mackintosh Festival
When? Until 30 September, Mon-Wed 10.00am-4.00; Thu-Sun 10.00am-1.00
Where? House for an Art Lover (Glasgow)
How much? £3.50 (£2.50-£7 family)
More info: www.glasgowmackintosh2006.com
Every Tuesday, 9-11pm: French/English @The World on Thistle Street - come and practise your French or your English with friendly native speakers....
19 September: 1.10pm
Get Organised! - The French Connection: "John Kitchen presents an all-encompassing programme of French music, including ballet music by Lully and Rameau, works from the time of the Revolution such as Balbastre's 'Variations on the Marseillaise along with organ favourites by Franck and Widor."
Where? Usher Hall
How much? £3
20 September: 8.00pm
Tribute to Stéphane Grappelli: "Pioneer jazz violinist Grappelli who formed the first all-string jazz band, the Quintette du hot Club de France, is resurrected by Dutch jazz violinist Tim Kliphuis and the John Russell Trio."
Where? North Edinburgh Arts Centre
How much? £9 (£4-£6)
20 September: 8:30 PM
French Meetup. Monthly event - come and join other French speakers!
Where? Au Bar (101 Shandwick Place)
How much? FREE!
25 September : 6.00 pm
Les Journées Télécinéma
"The INA (French National Institute of television and radio archives) reveal the fruits of their annual foray into their archives, containing more than 60 years of French TV footage, which aims to allow the public to rediscover the best of screen through the free screening of two selected programmes."
Where? Institut Francais d'Ecosse
How much? Free!
Tuesday 26 September only
Le mépris: film by Jean-Luc Godard with Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang. "A young woman (Bardot) is gradually possessed by an overwhelming contempt for her husband (Piccoli), a writer beset by doubts when he is called in as script-doctor to a film of 'The Odyssey', being made by a director (Lang) who wants to capture the reality of Homer's world, and a crass producer (Palance) who just wants more mermaids..."
Where ? Filmhouse
How much? Cinema price, I suppose!
28 September: 6.00pm
The Edinburgh Quartet and The Auld Alliance: "The Edinburgh Quartet and friends introduce their 2006/2007 season at this exclusive event, performing and discussing a selection of excerpts from their forthcoming French and Scottish pieces."
Where? Institut Francais d'Ecosse
How much? Free
To look forward to in October and December:
4 Oct: 7.30
The Gipsy Kings: "The legendary French band return to keep the flamenco tradition flying."
Edinburgh Playhouse
£36.50
Thursday 5 October at 6.30pm
MARIONAS (concert)
Gordon Ferries is musical director of the Baroque ensemble Symphonie des
Plaisirs and he teaches lute and guitar. This concert is an opportunity to
discover period instruments used in baroque compositions, as well as
French and Spanish, with dancing accents borrowed from mediterranean
music.
Entry free
20 Oct: 12.45
Travel and Study: George Reid in Holland and France
"Dr John Morrison examines George Reid's travels to Utrecht, The Hague and Paris between 1866 and 1871."
Weston Link
Free
24 Oct: 7.00
Phoenix: "Groovy French popsters who marry the best of 70s pop with a club sensibility."
The Arches (Glasgow)
£12
24 Oct: 12.45
Painting Idleness: Boudin in Normandy and the South of France
"A talk on Boudin's paintings of tourists on the Normandy Coast by Frances Fowle."
Weston Link
Free
14 Dec: 7.30
Scottish Chamber Orchestra: The Old Rivalry
"A comparison of dance music and symphonies from France and England featuring the composers Rebel, Charpentier, Haydn, Handel and Purcell by director and harpsichordist Richard Egarr."
More info: www.sco.org.uk
Queen's Hall
£8-£24 (£6-£18)
Thursday 14 September, 6pm
"Penrose as a collector, curator and apologist for Surrealism"
"Elizabeth Cowling is a specialist in 20th-century European art and particularly in artists' working processes, techniques and use of sources.
Her talk will embrace Roland Penrose's lifelong love affair with France which began in 1922 when he moved to Paris to study painting. In 1925 he married the poet Valentine Boué, through whom he met many of the leading Surrealists. Paul Eluard became a particularly close friend and it was through him that Penrose first met Picasso in 1936, shortly after the major Surrealist exhibition he helped to organise in London. Although he continued to practise as a painter, collagist and maker of 'objets surréalistes', after World War II Penrose became increasingly involved in arts administration, curating exhibitions and writing. In this talk Elizabeth Cowling, author of a recently published book about his forty-year relationship with Picasso, will talk mainly about Penrose as a collector, curator and apologist for Surrealism."
The talk will be in English, and it is free!
Where ? Institut Français d'Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh EH3
Tonight, you can go and dance in French with Les Bof! - apparently "a night of 60s French pop with a live set"
When? 8 Sep: 11.00
Where? Henry's Cellar Bar
How much? £5 (£4)
Tomorrow, in Glasgow....
Border, a documentary about the French Sangatte Red Cross Camp with Afghan and Iraqi refugees.
When? 9 Sep: 7.30
Where? CCA (Glasgow)
How much? ?
Or else: pop to the Filmhouse to watch this:
8-13 Sep: various times
Regular Lovers (Les Amants Reguliers) (18) : "Much acclaimed but overlooked in the UK, Garrel directs his son, Louis, in experiencing the emotional upheavals of revolutionary France and falling in love. Shot in low definition monochrome, a series of exchanges, visual and occasionally verbal, capture the emotional freefall of the era in a demanding piece of work that is worth seeking out."
avec Louis Garrel, Clotilde Hesme, Julien Lucas, Eric Rulliat
When? 8-13 Sep: various times
Where? Filmhouse
How much? normal cinema fares I suppose...
This week-end....
Toulouse-Lautrec and the Art Nouveau Poster
"A display of French poster prints, spanning from the Romantic period to the start of the Art Nouveau movement, including 15 works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec."
When? Until 22 October
Where? City Art Centre
How much? £5 (£3.50-£14 family)
Roussillon: Now and Then
"A selection of work by Scottish painter Ian Scott created over the last 30 years in his French base." - Part of the Mackintosh Festival
When? Until 30 September, Mon-Wed 10.00am-4.00; Thu-Sun 10.00am-1.00
Where? House for an Art Lover (Glasgow)
How much? £3.50 (£2.50-£7 family)
More info: www.glasgowmackintosh2006.com
To look forward to...
Thursday 14 September, 6pm
"Penrose as a collector, curator and apologist for Surrealism"
"Elizabeth Cowling is a specialist in 20th-century European art and
particularly in artists' working processes, techniques and use of sources.
Her talk will embrace Roland Penrose's lifelong love affair with France
which began in 1922 when he moved to Paris to study painting. In 1925 he
married the poet Valentine Boué, through whom he met many of the leading
Surrealists. Paul Eluard became a particularly close friend and it was
through him that Penrose first met Picasso in 1936, shortly after the
major Surrealist exhibition he helped to organise in London. Although he
continued to practise as a painter, collagist and maker of 'objets
surréalistes', after World War II Penrose became increasingly involved in
arts administration, curating exhibitions and writing. In this talk
Elizabeth Cowling, author of a recently published book about his
forty-year relationship with Picasso, will talk mainly about Penrose as a
collector, curator and apologist for Surrealism."
The talk will be in English, and it is free!
Where ? Institut Français d'Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh EH3
16 Sep: 10.30
Death Disco: "An Edbanger Records two-hander, with French electro pairing Justice (of 'vs Simian' remix fame) and deej Pedro Winter, ably supported by resident DJ Mingo-go."
The Arches (Glasgow)
£10
17 Oct: 6.30
Carol Drinkwater: "Drinkwater celebrates the launch of 'the Olive Route' not just with a talk, but with a tasting session too at which you can sample olives from her farm in southern France."
Ottakar's (Glasgow)
Free
19 Sep: 1.10
Get Organised! - The French Connection: "John Kitchen presents an all-encompassing programme of French music, including ballet music by Lully and Rameau, works from the time of the Revolution such as Balbastre's 'Variations on the Marseillaise along with organ favourites by Franck and Widor."
Usher Hall
Edinburgh
£3
20 Sep: 8.00
Tribute to Stéphane Grappelli: "Pioneer jazz violinist Grappelli who formed the first all-string jazz band, the Quintette du hot Club de France, is resurrected by Dutch jazz violinist Tim Kliphuis and the John Russell Trio."
North Edinburgh Arts Centre
£9 (£4-£6)
25 Sep: 6.00
Les Journées Télécinéma
"The INA (French National Institute of television and radio archives) reveal the fruits of their annual foray into their archives, containing more than 60 years of French TV footage, which aims to allow the public to rediscover the best of screen through the free screening of two selected programmes."
Institut Francais d'Ecosse
Tue 26 Sept only
Le mépris: film by Jean-Luc Godard with Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang. "A young woman (Bardot) is gradually possessed by an overwhelming contempt for her husband (Piccoli), a writer beset by doubts when he is called in as script-doctor to a film of 'The Odyssey', being made by a director (Lang) who wants to capture the reality of Homer's world, and a crass producer (Palance) who just wants more mermaids..."
Filmhouse
28 Sep: 6.00
The Edinburgh Quartet and The Auld Alliance: "The Edinburgh Quartet and friends introduce their 2006/2007 season at this exclusive event, performing and discussing a selection of excerpts from their forthcoming French and Scottish pieces."
Institut Francais d'Ecosse
Free
4 Oct: 7.30
The Gipsy Kings: "The legendary French band return to keep the flamenco tradition flying."
Edinburgh Playhouse
£36.50
24 Oct: 7.00
Phoenix: "Groovy French popsters who marry the best of 70s pop with a club sensibility."
The Arches (Glasgow)
£12
20 Oct: 12.45
Travel and Study: George Reid in Holland and France
"Dr John Morrison examines George Reid's travels to Utrecht, The Hague and Paris between 1866 and 1871."
Weston Link
Free
24 Oct: 12.45
Painting Idleness: Boudin in Normandy and the South of France
"A talk on Boudin's paintings of tourists on the Normandy Coast by Frances Fowle."
Weston Link
Free
14 Dec: 7.30
Scottish Chamber Orchestra: The Old Rivalry
"A comparison of dance music and symphonies from France and England featuring the composers Rebel, Charpentier, Haydn, Handel and Purcell by director and harpsichordist Richard Egarr."
More info: www.sco.org.uk
Queen's Hall
£8-£24 (£6-£18)
Here I am, reporting back after my first week back to teaching! Quite an enjoyable week, if a bit stressful, as incredibly I had completely forgotten what it was like to work!! And I was only away for 3 and a half weeks... One of my students has been away, travelling through Africa for 10 months, and I cannot start to imagine how difficult it must be for her to re-adjust to the british way of life...
Anyway, it's great to meet old and new friends, and to discover how I can help them (hopefully) improve their language skills. The False Beginners courses seem like quite a challenging set of classes to teach, given the various skills the students possess, and what they need really still remains to be determined at this stage. It's going to be a tailor-made affair, which i quite like, since I will have to decide on a week by week basis what we do next so they reach the levels we agreed on! I suspect this will keep me out of mischief for some time to come!
I have also had good news, as I was contacted by Valerie Blanc, a French woman who has just started a new wine venture (La Provenance). She has offered to organise wine tasting sessions in French for those classes whose understanding of the language was sufficient to cope!
Keep your eyes peeled - I suspect the second week of October will be an alcoholic one!
;-)
Otherwise, I have been contacted by Jubilee Scotland, who are looking for volunteer interpreters to help in November:
Jubilee Scotland, the debt campaign organisation in Scotland is looking for French interpreters willing to volunteer their skills in November. We have a Malian activist coming to Scotland between 1-18 November and we need French speakers who could help translate/interpret for him at events. If you would like more information please get in touch at mail@jubileescotland.org.uk
"une Vodka Martini, médium dry, au shaker, non à la cuillère"Truthfully, it seems to me a tad literal, but - hey! - who am I to judge?: all I could say when asked was 'erm... erm... Dunno... will look it up, I promise...' Anyone coming up with a better answer though will win... my eternal gratitude!
