5-element
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Posts posted by 5-element
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I am not at all surprised, as those are comments I have been hearing throughout the Tour from some French commentators, journalists, and cyclists alike. It seems that the SKY team's dominance of the Tour is not well perceived everywhere.
Lots of sour grapes everywhere! They don't want to have to compete against athletes who are so rigorous and strict in their training all year around, as are Wiggins and Froome, as this goes against the French cyclists occasional lackadaisical-ness.
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Gotcha. All good stuff.
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[quote user="NormanH"]He gave a super interview on French TV yesterday, explaining that he used to live in a dangerous bit of London and spending his time drinking six-packs of beer. He came over as a really nice guy.
[/quote]He IS a really nice guy, AND his French is so good! Bradley Wiggins, just like Mark Cavendish, makes me go all British...[:D]
I like the way the English riders come over as modest and self-effacing, not taking themselves too seriously - as compared to the French ones, who seem (most of them but not all) often keen to blow their own trumpet.
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It is generally estimated that between 11 and 15 million spectators watch the TdF go by live every year.[;-)] - but perhaps you mean, watching the TdF with an Englishman in yellow?
So glad it was such a good experience for you Mogs this year - very special for Britain indeed, with 5 stage victories so far (hopefully another one today, and another for Cav tomorrow on the Champs. I am very happy that it puts British riders firmly on the map, and can't wait to see what they do in the Olympics
I didn't go to watch the Tour this year, but remember seeing David Millar win a stage before, and Chris Boardman and there were others. Both David Millar and Chris Boardman have been in yellow too.
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If you really want to know what the French cycling public has thought about Wiggins in particular, and Sky in general, just read l'Equipe of the last few weeks, and listen to Laurent Jalabert. Some of the French commentators, (including Jaja) until very recently openly disliked and distrusted him. It's 9nly since they discovered that he is a cool dude and collects guitars, AND behaves in a really gentlemanly fashion, that they are now taking a shine to him - the image he projects now is much more consistent with the idea the French have of what is typically anglais. (London chic is what they say about him - too funny [:D])
I reckon he should play to his audience and ride the Champs Elysées with a bowler hat on, when they get to Paris on Sunday. Perhaps with an umbrella tied to his bike too.[:P]
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Ah but are you sur le lit, dans le lit, or au lit?
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[quote user="sweet 17"]When I spent one summer teaching English to Italian teenagers, we had a game called Preposition Bingo, where they had slips of papers with different prepositions (for, from, to, between, etc etc). The game went on much like Bingo in that I'd read out a sentence (with a missing preposition) and they had to find the right preposition and put it on their Bingo cards.[/quote]
I like that, Sweet, I like it a lot, and I am going to steal that idea right now for my next French conversation group. I will naturally, include dans la campagne, à la campagne, and sur le parking. As I am sure you worked out, it can't ever be "sur la campagne" - but you've given me plenty of food for thought... THANK YOU!
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It all depends of course, on how good your antivirus is.
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Tell you what Rabbie: how about, you do English pedantry, and I (and whoever else) can do French pedantry? What do we prefer: mélange des genres, or equitable task distribution?[:D]
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[quote user="ericd"][quote user="5-element"]
Perfect now, Sweet. If I was nit-picking, I would say "dans" la campagne - now to tell you exactly why in this particular case... perhaps because you are already there. If you were to go and live in the country, it would then be "à la campagne". [/quote]
[:D]......
[/quote]
I said "if I was nit-picking", which of course I am not, as that could be seen as pedantic.[:P]
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[quote user="sweet 17"]
ce soir, je me suis très bien passée de la télé et je me suis promenée avec mes voisines à la campagne!
[/quote]
Perfect now, Sweet. If I was nit-picking, I would say "dans" la campagne - now to tell you exactly why in this particular case... perhaps because you are already there. If you were to go and live in the country, it would then be "à la campagne".
I was going to reply in the same vein as ericd, but found myself unable to log on yesterday!!!
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[quote user="Clair"]From 30°C to 15°C!
CHILLY! [:-))]
[/quote]Yep! Quite a shock. Good day to do all the ironing![:)]
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And to go even further, you can also say "un gosse pourri-gâté" - no room for ambiguity there!
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Just so that Norman doesn't feel too lonely in Hot Hérault - I confirm the heatwave in the hills too! 34 in the shade under a tree in the garden. I even bought another fan for my bedroom, a "colonne" one - always hoping to find the most silent fan ever created! Still, it's OK to have it switched on to lowest setting with earplugs, and this one provides a very gentle breeze, it prevents those feelings of suffocation at night. I do find it hard to sleep in a room where the temperature is higher than 25.
I really don't know how I would manage without the clim in the living room downstairs. just the one room with it.
And on a day like today, I suffer from pool envy. [:'(] The Med is about 40 very hot-busy-road minutes away. Luckily, I will go to our public swimming pool later today, see if I can enrol for their aquagym classes!! The pool is only open during school holidays - but in June, also 2 afternoons during the week (Wed and Sat).
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I loved that movie too: "La graine et le mulet", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487419/ All couscous lovers should see it!
Norman, although there are many types of couscous (the dish, as opposed to the semoule), and they do vary a lot depending on whether they are Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan etc., merguez is still (to me) the quintessential ingredient of franco-maghrebin couscous, so I feel as if I know where Idun is coming from...[:D]
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Idun, I feel your pain...[:D]
As you can imagine, I have no idea where you could possibly get merguez in NE England. Some years ago, someone told me merguez were (partly) made with old donkey's meat - no idea if it was true!
Interesting that harissa is so readily available in England now, I remember bringing back tubes and tins of it when I was coming back from France to England.
To me, a good couscous is just as French than steak-frites, and one of the foods that I missed a lot when I was living in England. The lack of merguez was cruelly felt when I attempted to make couscous just like "at home"[:P]. And now look at what you are making me do: as soon as I am dressed, I will walk to our butcher and get some his homemade merguez - pity I can't send you any!
Although I am sure your couscous was yummy with the chorizo chipolatas, probably a great substitute for those who eat pork.
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Russethouse asked: I wonder how many French people will see their future in GB now ?
How many? I don't know. But that might be because I don't personally know anyone in the group affected by the 75% tax - i.e. whose income is over 800,000 euros or pounds p.a.
Yannick Noah (who is still the "personnalité préférée des français") said he would be happy to pay - so, not everyone in that income bracket is going to run to Britain to try and avoid tax.
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[quote user="NormanH"]
I share Betty's experience of the French obsession with the right answer.
[/quote]And me too, ever so.
In retrospect, I believe this is what drove me out of France in the late 60's! In some tortuous way, it might be something that drives people to suicide or more gentle forms of self-destruction!
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Your gendarmes must be working undercover somewhere Betty.
As for ours, they might just be skilled impersonators...I never asked to see their badge!!![:'(]
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[:D] Ha Gardian... you just described our local gendarmerie too... I wonder whether they are the same throughout France, or whether this is particular to our area - they must have seen "Assault on Precinct 13" too many times. Ours is impregnable too, and the level of interest in many events is similar - or so it seems -
I know that the local police station is supposedly very different from the gendarmerie, but when I went there to take a wallet I'd found in the street, no ID and only about 20 euros and bits and pieces, they were so BORED!!! and in the end, suggested I "store" it at home, as they couldn't be bothered to put it anywhere on their premises, it seemed much too complicated a procedure.
I reckon you should offer your services to your gendarmerie, as an informant for local events.[:P]
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You say "we". Perhaps only one person needs to drive your son to Eurostar? You could toss a coin, so that at least one person will see the Tour on your doorstep, take pics, etc. [:D] No doubt you will have thought of that, if it is an option...
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Thanks Coops, I'd done that (following SD's advice and having studiously and carefully read all the official blurb on the subject - it's just your post that threw me, as I hadn't remembered you not having an S1/exE121 - so I thought "could I have it ALL wrong?". Mostly reassured now, it's so easy to get anxious and paranoid[:)] about filling a tax return correctly.
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