It was a Sunday in 1985 and a group of us were invited round to Adam’s for lunch. After sitting at the table for a few hours, someone suggested we go and play croquet in the garden. As it was winter, the days were short and it was very dark outside, so I said, “But it’ll be impossible to see in the dark.” Someone else said, “It’s more fun this way!”
This is the approach I adopt with my visits to the French farm. Not knowing the language (and to tell the truth, even if I did, their strong local accent would render all that knowledge practically useless anyway) means that I have to guess what they might be saying, waiting for key words to confirm my conjecture.
This makes eavesdropping a very interesting exercise, because they think I have zero French so they are quite free with their comments (about me or otherwise) and also because I have to learn not to give the game away when I do understand certain bits (cf. my other blog entry: The Two Italians in Prague) by remaining poker-faced.
When the phone rings at lunch time, I immediately surmise it’s someone who knows them well, someone who will know they’ll be sitting down indoors to lunch, not out and about the farm tilling the fields or tending to the animals.
When the phone rings late’ish at night, I know it’ll be one of the two daughters, and the bisou* uttered by farm mistress Jeanette at the end of the call will provide confirmation (and double-confirmed when she then informs me it’s Colette or Isabelle).
(London, 1985; France, 1996-2011)
(London, 1985; France, 1996-2011)
* bisou: (from googling) a French word that is an informal, masculine noun meaning a “kiss” or a “little kiss”. It is often used in spoken language to express an informal, friendly kiss, particularly with children. The plural form, “bisous” (pronounced the same way), is commonly used at the end of a letter, email, or text message as an equivalent of “Love,” “Lots of Love,” or ‘Kisses” when addressing close friends or family.
The Two Italians in Prague: https://piccola-chinita.blogspot.com/2011/07/two-italians-in-prague.html
No comments:
Post a Comment