Oh la la! Enchante! It's Bastille Day

It's Bastille Day, and naturellement I am with striped t-shirt in New York, on conge (vacation). Of course if I really had been French I would have completed my ensemble with a saucy yet surprising hat and a mis-atching scarf tied jauntily around my neck. I did find this Eiffel tower necklace in Tallulah's toy box...how very Jeu d'esprit! Pic below of necklace shows a distorted view of stripes. Say no more.


Pic below shows me in front of Lady M Cake Boutique, pure white with chandaliers on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It sells $75 cakes, and contains many signs: you are not allowed to take photos or sit longer than 45 mins or touch the counter. How French and yet how New York . Thrilling!

A little known fact about me is that I am fluent in Franglais. In some respects I feel this gift has got me where I am today (unemployed in Oakland) Here I share some of my favourites which you are welcome to use too. Credit to my fellow Franglaiseur, Kenny, who inspired the first two translations:


Enchante: Smell you, Princess Grace

Oh la la: Oh, you are Princess Grace

Quel Horreur!: Bloody hell

Toot de sweet: Bloody quick

Bon mots: (witty remarks) Bloody quick with the bullshit

Sur la tas: (on the fly) as above

Les boules: (you are speaking the dreadful balls) Bad bullshitter



And a cautionary note:
Moi Aussi: (me too) which a good Kiwi should never utter. Those less cultured (louche) and who don't know Franglais may think you're Australian. No offence, some of my best friends are Aussie, but Quel Horreur!

And my personal favourite:
Mais oui (but of course!) feigning agreement to get a complete bore off the subject. Similar to "hmm interesting..."

It is tres difficulte being so au fait aporpos of Franglais and I have to keep reminding myself that not everyone is similarly gifted. I'm talking about declasse persons who live in cul-de-sacs. You may think cul-de-sacs are simply dead end streets, but in fact they are "buttocks of the bags'' in French.

Sometimes around persons who live in cul-de-sacs I can't say Moet with a hard "T" which is technically correct. This is because declasse persons think the T is silent, and so titter as though moi has made a gaffe.

That's all for now. Hope this is not adieu where in fact I farewell you to God and never see you again. But rather, au revoir.

Pic shows me posing with the Statue of Liberty (only $3), gift from French to US after independence and another Statue resting for lunch.