Reasons to Live in France

Our friend Dean sent us this link to this year's Quality of Life survey results, and France tops the list! The publisher of International Living, which conducts the survey, had this to say about the reasons for France's ranking: "In France, life is savoured I don't think anyone will argue that France is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The French love tidy gardens, pretty sidewalk cafes, and clean streets. Cities are well tended and with little crime.Variety is also seen as a major factor in France's appeal, with the survey noting: 'Romantic Paris offers the best of everything, but services don't fall away in Alsace's wine villages, in wild and lovely Corsica, in lavender-scented Provence. Or in the Languedoc of the troubadors, bathed in Mediterranean sunlight."


Read the rest, and see where your country lands on the list, here. While we're on the topic of life in France, here are a few links that may be of interest: 

• It's been twenty years since Peter Mayle published the book that popularized Provence in a way, Mayle suggests some French people are still peeved about, "I’ve been accused of causing everything from the baker running out of bread to a surfeit of Germans in the cafe."
• Our current barter, Elizabeth, has a post up at the Kenyon Review blog that touches on some of the pleasures of life in Labastide (unlearning English and lucques premier among them). 
• French-foodies are probably already reading (and drooling over) Chocolate & Zucchini, but if not, check out Clotilde Dusolier's culinary adventures in Paris and try your hand at one of her recipes. If your interests fall squarely in favor of chocolate over zucchini, you might check out the beautiful Tartelette (we're definitely trying our hand at these adorable gingerbread macaron men next December). Both of these blogs have recipes in French and English, so you can practice your cooking skills and language skills simultaneously! 
• Or, better yet, pay a visit to La Muse and see for yourself what life in France is like. 

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July Potluck

Here's a couple of photos from last month's end of retreat potluck dinner.

We fired up the bread oven and the poet Elizabeth Knapp (green top on the right) made a cool vegetarian/Sicilian pizza which Kerry is cutting on the left.

John and Kerry made a leg of lamb stuffed with sardines and garlic and it was fun doing it and all the other stuff in the bread oven.


Below, Robert Olmstead with Julianne Mooney and Bob's famous oatmeal raisin cookies. They were goooood! Julianne was working on her young adult novel for the month and Robert was working on the sequel to his last novel Coal Black Horse.


Robert and Denise Oventile, below. Robert was working on a book about Satan and Denise was working on her art. Robert's book Impossible Reading: Idolatry and Diversity in Literature just came out.