I am a big reader. I always have been. From my earliest days, I’ve loved books. As a result, our house is full of books. My devices are full of books. And I honestly can’t imagine my life without reading at least a few pages of a book every single day. These days, I mostly […]
What To Read
27 posts
Is there anything more French than the plat du jour? It’s my favourite thing to order when we’re eating out in France. I love the fact that restaurants advertise their dish of the day on blackboards out the front of the restaurants. I also love how the plat or menu du jour can stretch your […]
The thing I love the most about creating Distant Francophile is all the fabulous francophiles I’ve met over the years. And one of my favourite fellow francophiles is the very fabulous Jo Karnaghan. I first introduced you to Jo in episode two of The Franco-Files. Jo is the very clever founder of frugal first class travel. […]
It’s time for my next book review. I know that because another book was dropped at our front door yesterday. And that means that my ‘to be reviewed’ book pile is now officially two piles, because the original tower was starting to get ridiculously high. And today, I thought I’d share my thoughts on a […]
If you’d been staking out our Melbourne home over the past month or so, apart from being extremely bored, you would likely have come to two realisations. Firstly, Scotty and I have led very dull lives during lockdown. And secondly we’ve recently had lots and lots of books delivered. I’ve always loved anything to do […]
I have to tell you, my heart skipped a beat when I first heard about the upcoming release of a book titled Provence Style – Decorating with French Country Flair. You see, the concept of Provence Style took me straight back to my earliest Francophile days* when I first read Peter Mayle’s A Year in […]
Well, the Melbourne Covid lockdown looks set to continue for longer than we might have hoped. I guess that means I’ll just have to keep reading about France rather than travelling there! And that’s where memoirs have a certain appeal. If I can’t see France through my own eyes, I can at least enjoy French […]
Ever since I was a kid, the thought of travel has inspired me. And in the last few years, the countdown to trips has kept me engaged with both my day-job and my side passions. So what does a human with permanent wanderlust do when Melbourne’s ‘return to lockdown’ takes travel off the table? (I […]
From my perspective, the fact that more of us are cooking at home is one positive that’s come from this rather nasty situation. All around the world, the Covid -19 crisis is changing the way we live our lives. But cooking at home always requires some level of inspiration. And often that inspiration is difficult […]
Before I share my thoughts on Parisian Chic encore, I have to tell the story about how I came to buy the book in the first place. You see, I was feeling sorry for myself. I was at the airport. It was stupidly early in the morning. I was in the early stages of a […]
If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you’ve probably guessed that I like to read. When I was a kid, I always had my nose in a book. And it turns out that, when I have the luxury of time, things aren’t that different today. I’ve actually surprised myself with how much I’ve […]
We’ve had a lot on lately. Who knew that getting ready to spend nine weeks in France would take up some serious time? Truth be told, things have felt pretty hectic. What does that look like? Well, for us it’s looked like long days at work ensuring our teams were set up for success before […]
I have a confession to make. I read way more books related to France than I share with you here on Distant Francophile. Actually, scratch that. What I should have said was… I start way more books related to France than I ever finish. Some come highly recommended, but fail to grab my attention. Others […]
Megan Dalla-Camina, the fabulous Australian author, coach and speaker, regularly references the concept of ‘following breadcrumbs’. The idea is that you pay attention to the things that spike your curiosity and simply see where they lead you. Megan suggests that utilising this strategy is one way to find your life’s purpose. I’ve found […]
Thanks to a brilliant recommendation from frugal first class.travel, not so long ago we enjoyed High Tea at the Ritz Paris Hotel. Visiting the Ritz Paris has long been on my must do list, and the experience was well worth the wait. Of course, the elegant afternoon tea was everything you’d expect it to be. […]
Now that I’m down to counting sleeps until our next trip to France, it seems very appropriate to be reviewing Katrina’s Lawrence’s Paris Dreaming. After all, I’m dreaming of Paris almost constantly at the moment. Interestingly enough though, I really resisted reading this book, which was released back in November 2017. I have no […]
Let’s wrap up what turned into a series of reviews with a couple of ‘mini reflections’, highlighting two of my favourite things – Parisian style and French footwear. First up, why don’t we take a look at my new favourite French Footwear brand – Arche? French Footwear – Arche In this post on The Essentials […]
It’s the height of summer here in Melbourne. The weather has been hot (and oddly steamy) and the days are luxuriously long. It is the perfect time of the year for a little rest and relaxation. And what are lazy days without a good book – or two – to dip into? Jamie Cat Callan’s […]
How many Parisian travel guides does one household need? That’s the question I asked myself recently as I unwrapped our autographed copy of Don’t Be A Tourist In Paris – The Messy Nessy Chic Guide. Given the fact that our home already contains plenty of guide books, my intuition tells me that the answer to […]
How connected are you to your passions? Do you even know what they are? Interestingly, many, many women struggle to get clarity on the things they are passionate about. But there is a relatively simple way for women to start to explore their passions. And it comes via an easy to access source. In her […]