Newsletter July 2023

Bonjour à tous et à toutes !

  • French with Shelley website

The changed, and finally mobile friendly French website is currently being finalized.  Have a look, and if/when you spot any funny connections, omissions or whatever, please advise. The Facebook page will follow shortly.
www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz

  • The Tauranga Tree in Paris

You are already on that European holiday or it is fast approaching for many of you. So just a reminder that, if you are passing through/staying in Paris on your travels, do stop and say bonjour to our tree in the Tuileries Gardens. Then send us your pic of ‘the tree and me’. We want to see how it’s growing ! Here’s how to find it :

First, have a look at « Je découvre les arbres parrainés » for the map of the   garden.    https://www.tousmecenes.fr/2020/les-parrains-de-la-grande-allee.html

Starting at the end of the garden with the hexagon (on the left on the map), head up the Grande Allée.  The Tauranga Tree is the fourth tree on the right after the Allée de Cataglione.

Whether you are juilletiste, aoûtien or septembriste , it’s going to be hot.  The Red Alert days began in June, with temperatures reaching the early 40s.  « Une canicule » is a heat wave, and  « une canicule n’est pas un canular » (A heat wave is no joke). Good luck and be careful to those on cycling tours. Best wishes for “des vacances fantastiques” to those already abroad, and to those about to depart.

Bon voyage ! Enjoy your travels ! Travel safe.

  • French Classes start up again from 24th July 2023

If you haven’t already done so, please let me know if you will be continuing/returning/starting so groups can be organized. Class times and levels will be on the website www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz at the end of the week but are relatively flexible and will be confirmed by July 17th.  Phone or email if you have any particular queries.
“Avoir une autre langue, c’est posséder une deuxième âme.” 
(To have another language is to possess a second soul.)   – Charlemagne

 

  • French Movies

Just spotted this. Tonight 16th July at 8.30pm  Māori TV is showing the French movie  Sous le ciel d’Alice (Skies of Lebanon)
Film: Sous le ciel d’Alice (Skies of Lebanon)
In the fifties, young Alice leaves her natal Swiss mountains for the sunny and vibrant shores of Beirut. She falls madly in love with Joseph, a quirky astrophysicist intent on sending the first Lebanese national into space. Alice quickly fits in among his relatives, but after years of bliss, the civil war threatens their Garden of Eden.
Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1088228471674730

·         On the Big Screen

Some of the films shown briefly during the French Film Festival are finding their way back for general release.
Voir la rubrique https://www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz/at-the-movies-this-week/
For screening times and details, go to www.rialtotauranga.co.nz  or www.tivolicinema.co.nz/papamoa .

  • Au théâtre  –  on stage : Edith Piaf : The Legend 

International singer Mandy Meadows presents Piaf: The Legend, a celebration and reflection of Edith Piaf’s extraordinary view on love and tragedy.  With performances in Europe garnering five star reviews, Piaf: The Legend has consistently sold out in theatres across the world. The show is backed by a six-piece band with an authentic French sound, including Accordion and Clarinet.  Do not miss Piaf: The Legend, or you WILL have regrets…

I saw the show last year and it was superb. Mandy Meadows has offered a discount for those who wish to attend her concert on Saturday 12th August 2023.  The discount code is LITTLESPARROW that can be applied at checkout. You don’t need to all book at the same time. This will give you $5 off.

CLICK THIS LINK TO BUY TICKETS

  • Les Bonnes Adresses autour de chez nous !

French people doing things in our area are for the moment listed on https://www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz/category/links/

You will find the contacts for all your old favourites –

Benny & Brew – le café-bistrot français d’Otumoetai , Chez Moi Chocolaterie at Waihi Beach, Ateliers Peinture avec Audrey, Sky Dive Tauranga, Nathalie at New Hair and the Petanque Group.
Plus, there are some new additions – SG Trees is a professional arborist, Sebastien Delattre is a registered osteopath, and we are hot on the trail of a mobile barber. If you know of any others, please let me know.
Sadly, the Trading Post at Paengaroa is no longer a French food restaurant (now Italian) and the French Soul Café that I could walk to for a croissant aux amandes has permanently closed. The Cameron Road road works have proved just too much.

  • Celebrate à la française – Les journées internationales

These will be popping up on the website as the weeks pass by. Here’s one for tomorrow.

Le 17 juillet : Journée mondiale des emojis: World Emoji Day
It’s not possible to have fluent, complex conversations or express specific thoughts using emoji, so it’s not a language yet. But it is a powerful tool for transcending language barriers because people understand what the symbols mean, regardless of their native tongue. Will it succeed where Esperanto failed ?

   And lastly
If you are looking to widen your range of learning activities,
check out the www.letslearn.co.nz site and have a great term 3.