The French Factrice

Braille Letter "W'

2010-02-26T09:06:00.001+01:00

I'm learning braille and noticed the the letter 'w' doesn't have a logical dot position in relation to the other letters. Apparently the letter was added later in 1914 by Americans. Louis Braille didn't encode the letter when devising his ingenious tangible alphabet in 1821 because the letter didn't exist yet in French dictionaries!

Canary Island HIstory

2010-02-18T19:51:00.004+01:00

Twittering little canary birds are obviously named after the Canary Islands. But the island's name came from the Latin canariae insulae which means 'islands of dogs.' Apparently the island's inhabitants all owned ginormous tail - waggers! It was originally an island famous for being full of fidos and not birds!

The Cat's Out of the Bag

2010-02-11T11:08:00.001+01:00

In medieval England, piglets were sold in the open marketplace. The seller usually kept the pig in a bag, so it would be easier for the buyer to take it home. But shady sellers often tried to trick their buyers by putting a large cat in the bag. If a shrewd shopper looked in the bag - then the cat was literally out of the bag. That is where the expression came from!

Dog Tired

2010-02-04T23:18:00.007+01:00

Dog tired is an old English phrase. It derives from an old tale of Alfred the Great who used to send his sons out with his extensive kennels of hunting dogs. Whichever of his sons, be it Athelbrod or Edwin, were able to catch more of the hounds would gain their father's right hand side at the dinner table that evening. These chases would leave them 'dog-tired' yet merry at their victory!

Jour des Crêpes

2010-02-03T09:29:00.000+01:00

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on 2 February, is a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière, or jour des crêpes.

Not only do the French eat a lot of crêpes on Chandeleur, but they also do a bit of fortune telling while making them. It is traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other, and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year!
french vintage postcard

A Bouquet of Lily of the Valley for the Ozark Madieval Fortress

2010-01-27T10:30:00.002+01:00

I just can't stop tooting The Ozark Medieval Fortress' horn! I blogged about the ingenious project here. The stone stronghold of the past is set to open on May 1st! Here's an illustrated aerial view of this momentous undertaking.

I stumbled upon the little beut of a vintage postcard at an open market in Toucy, France. Isn't it just perfect for announcing the starting date of the unique medieval construction site? The scented lily of the valley is considered to bring luck! Here in France we give small bouquets of the delicate blossom to friends and family on May Day. Bonne Chance to you Ozark Medieval Fortress!

Be sure to visit the official Ozark Medieval Fortress Site at:

http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/

ozark medieval fortress

Rainbows, Arkansas, and the Ozark Medieval Fortress

2010-01-20T10:49:00.002+01:00

The etymology of the word 'Ozarks' is a subject of speculation. It has been suggested that it's a linguistic corruption of the French "aux arcs-en-ciel," which means "toward the rainbows" Apparently the spotting of Roy G. Biv* is quite common in the mountainous regions of Arkansas. I'll surely see one when I visit the Ozark Medieval Fortress!

* Roy G. Biv - This stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. That's how I was taught to memorize the order of the colors of the rainbow in school:)

Be sure to visit the official Ozark Medieval Fortress Site at:

http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/

french vintage postcard rainbow

The Ozark Medieval Fortress

2010-01-18T10:43:00.001+01:00

I just scribbled the phonetically misspelled US state of Arkansas onto my bucket list! The 25th state of the union is home to the ingenious Ozark Medieval Fortress project! The rugged Proterozoic mountain range, extensive underground cave systems, world class trout fishing, sparkling lakes and streams, abundant wildlife, famous fiddlers, quilt makers, and tall tale story telling were enough to lure me to vacation in AR. But the fact that a stone medieval CASTLE using 13th century tools and techniques is being built has convinced me to hop on a plane and visit the "Natural State!" Here is a selection of the "medieval" artisans in action courtesy of the Ozark Medieval Fortress Facebook fan page.

The burly resident blacksmith forges every tool, nail, chain, etc. used on this astounding medieval construction site.

Each quarried stone is shaped by hand using a mallet and chisel and then put into place on the 6 foot thick castle wall.

All materials are transported via horse and cart. Isn't this image simply postcard perfect? Every imaginable task is accomplished by hand, from scratch and with passion! Historians, archaeologists, castle lovers, and laymen alike will be watching as the walls of this unique stronghold mount. I can't wait to visit! Don't hesitate to visit their informative website at: http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com.
ozark medieval fortress large letter vintage postcard curt teich

IKEA and Clumsy Omelet Chefs

2010-01-15T00:08:00.003+01:00

I can relate with this all-thumbed, undexterous, butterfingered, maladroit, graceless girl who dropped her eggs! The card reads,"Ah! That's a funny omelet!" I hopped over to IKEA to replace all of the glasses that I've broken lately. I decided to give a palette of 12 glasses a good home and... slip...slop... I dropped them all!

Omelet!

2010-01-12T15:30:00.000+01:00

This grumpy gus is collecting eggs for an omelet.When Swedes want a smile for the camera, they say "omelet," which gives a decidedly more subtle and less radiator-grill-like result than when saying "cheeeeeeese." Zut! Now I'm hungry.

french vintage postcard collecting eggs

God Save the Queen

2010-01-08T00:01:00.002+01:00

Here's a glimpse of a London in retro postcard form to go along with these snazzy Union Jack chucks I just found online. I must have this flag footwear!

I always assumed that the name 'Union Jack' was a fond and very specific nickname for the British flag. But apparently flags have been called 'Jacks' since the late 1500's. It's was a generic term denoting any bit of cloth flying in the wind! Yep. I'll be humming 'God Save the Queen' as I strut around in these babies.

Thank You Librivox!

2009-12-31T15:52:00.001+01:00

I found a fabulous free audiobook resource! Volunteers over at Librivox.org read and record books books that are in the public domain. The selection is endless and also includes foreign language texts. Books in French, Urdu, Ancient Greek, Church Slavonic, and Tagalog (I've never even heard of that one) are all up for grabs in MP3 form.

I'm currently reading, listening, and bumbling through 'La Femme de Trente Ans' by Balzac. It's a big help to hear the pronunciation of each and every word. I'm hoping that some of the vocabulary will get stuck in my wee brain:) Have fun!

librivox.org

That Old Chestnut

2009-12-29T10:30:00.002+01:00

This little lady from the Limousin region of France is busily cracking open chestnuts. I often make bread with chestnut flour. It's naturally sweet and doesn't grow stale as quickly as a baguette. Chestnuts are also surprising bursting with vitamin C!

Chestnuts used to be a common food staple in the United States until the chestnut blight fungus of 1904 devasted the population. 4 billion American chestnut trees died within 40 years. That makes me want to plant a chestnut tree in my backyard!

The History of Tinsel

2009-12-14T16:10:00.002+01:00

Tinsel in its modern form was invented in Higham Ferrers England in 1843, and was originally made of shredded silver.

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary the word is from the Old French word "estincele", meaning sparkle.

Back To the Salt Mines

2009-12-09T09:56:00.002+01:00

The word 'salary' actually comes from the word salt. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder stated as an aside in his Natural History's discussion of sea water, that "[I]n Rome. . .the soldier's pay was originally salt and the word salary derives from it. . ."

Having a Snapping Good Time in Florida - Postcard Friday #46

2009-11-26T21:47:00.005+01:00

Fossils from 3 brand new crocodile species were recently found in the ancient Sahara wetlands! The Rat Croc (silly name, eh?) was a rather smallish reptile. This 3 footer ate roots and grubs that he dug up with his bucktoothed lower jaw. These crocodiles walked on two legs rather than flat on the ground like their modern snappy cousins! Click here to read about the pancake, duck, and boar crocs! The full article is amazing.

Editor: This postcard features a large and in charge ALLIGATOR.

Marie: Picky! Picky!

Welcome to this weeks Postcard Friendship Friday! If you're visiting and would like to join in the fun we would be thrilled;) It's easy! All you need to do is:

1. Have a blast with this mail theme! Examples include: any type of postcard, a photo of a mailbox, mailman, a stamp image, postcard altered art, or simply a photo of something that you find 'Postcard Perfect' etc etc etc!
2. Link in with Mr.Linky at the bottom of this post
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what a blog party is all about!
4. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is talking about today! Please grab the badge if you'd like to add a bit of PFF colour to your post:)

Silver Shed Romance

2009-11-25T10:25:00.001+01:00

Here's a bit of jelly to complement the peanut butter post! Silver Shred would be an odd J to add to your PB though. It's a finely cut lemon jelly marmalade. It's apparently good for your complexion and scrummy by the spoonful too. Isn't this a darling card? vintage postcard

Peanut Ointment and Jelly Sandwich

2009-11-23T18:48:00.000+01:00

O Canada! Peanut butter was invented by Mr. Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec! He described his new product as having '' a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment.'' A peanut lard and jelly sandwich doesn't have quite the same appetizing ring to it. This food pioneer might get a kick out of knowing that the average American will have eaten 1,500 of the sandwiches before graduating from high school!

Phantom Metro Stations of Paris

2009-11-18T12:05:00.000+01:00

This grainy vintage postcard is a rare find. The mustached gentleman is making his way down to what is now called a phantom metro (subway) station in Paris. The stop Saint-Martin was officially closed on September 2, 1939.

The phantom station was recently spiffed up by the Salvation Army of Paris, France. The homeless are sheltered in this antique setting during the bitter winter months. The station still has beautiful porcelain tile advertisements on the walls.

Hopefully warm soup and a bit of old world charm can bring a smile to their face!

Going Bananas for Stamps!

2009-11-09T09:02:00.003+01:00

tongo banana stamp

Tonga was the first country to issue peel and stick stamps in 1969! They took the squareness out of stamp collecting by printing this banana shaped franking option. There is no lack of this elongated fruit on the islands or on their letters.

Tonga is the only surviving monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean. The late king (Tupou IV) was also listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest monarch in the world. He must have eaten a few too many bananas!

A Flying Vintage Blacksmith

2009-11-03T09:45:00.001+01:00

Here is a darling vintage winged blacksmith for you! The term 'smith' originates from the word 'smite', which means 'to hit'. The black color comes from fire scale, a layer of oxides that forms on the surface of the metal during heating. This anvil isn't made out of iron though. It looks like it's been sculpted from white chalky stone! french vintage postcards

The Catacombs of Paris - Postcard Friday #43

2009-10-30T00:19:00.001+01:00

Ghastly, gruesome, ghoulish, grim, grisly.... These adjectives effectively describe this 'Catacombs of Paris' vintage postcard Yes, those walls are made out of stacked skulls! The labyrinth of Roman gypsum quarries lurking under the city of lights was turned into an ossuary for the simple reason that there was no room left for the newly dead in the small medieval cemetaries within the city. Mass open graves filled with rotting corpses had been the only solution for years. (blerkkkkkkk) The problem obviously needed a solution. The skeletons of six million Parisians, the combined dead of 400 years, were transferred by horse and cart to the underground boneyard at night for two years. Is this topic Halloweeny enough for you? Halloween vintage postcard

Welcome to this weeks Postcard Friendship Friday! If you're visiting and would like to join in the fun we would be thrilled;) It's easy! All you need to do is:

1. Have a blast with this mail theme! Examples include: any type of postcard, a photo of a mailbox, mailman, a stamp image, postcard altered art, or simply a photo of something that you find 'Postcard Perfect' etc etc etc!
2. Link in with Mr.Linky at the bottom of this post
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what a blog party is all about!
4. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is talking about today! Please grab the badge if you'd like to add a bit of PFF colour to your post:)

Coventry True Blue

2009-10-28T10:14:00.001+01:00

The expression 'true blue' derives from the blue cloth that was made at Coventry, England in the late middle ages. The town's dyers had a reputation for producing cloth that didn't fade with washing. The color remained fast and true!

John Ray wrote in the first edition of a Compleat Collection of English Proverbs in 1670:

"Coventry had formerly the reputation for dying of blues; insomuch that true blue became a Proverb to signifie one that was always the same and like himself."

Related Article: Madanno and True Blue Cumin Powder

Bewitching Mint Leaf Flavor

2009-10-23T00:00:00.001+02:00

Here is yet another gummy tidbit. In June 1974, the first bar code scanning equipment was installed in a little grocery in Troy, Ohio.What was the first product to ever be scanned? It was a 10 pack of Wrigley's juicy fruit gum! The package is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Here are a few more sticky posts!

Dubble Bubble Trubble
Meatloaf and Wrigley's
The Greatest Name in Goody Land

Wrigley's - The Greatest Name in Goody Land

2009-10-22T10:17:00.002+02:00

The William Wrigley Jr. Company originally sold soap and baking powder. In 1892, the company offered a free pack of chewing gum with each can of dry chemical leavening agent. The chewy confection became more popular than the baking powder so Wrigley smartly reorientated the company. Wrigley's quickly became the greatest name in goody land!vintage retro ad