Le Mot de President

 Bonjour,

At the beginning of March, I was invited to a webinar organised by the French Embassy on the PACA region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). Its beauty, diverse landscapes, climate, culinary specialities and wines were discussed. Among the speakers was Barbara Santich, professor emeritus at the University of Adelaide, who spoke about the history of food in Provence. Following her presentation, we discovered two of her books, one of which, Wild Asparagus, Wild Strawberries: Two Years in France, may well be of interest to some of us (see your April La Mouette).

As autumn begins to show the tip of its nose and the evenings grow slightly cooler, we are entering the perfect time to enjoy the comfort of home, relaxing with a cup of tea, or perhaps a glass of wine, and this edition of La Mouette!

April Fool’s Day, affectionately known as le Poisson d’Avril (April Fish) in France, comes with a tradition: secretly sticking a paper fish onto someone’s back. To celebrate this “fishy” time of year, this month La Mouette is diving into French sayings and idioms all about fish, along with a recipe to match.

Although only 11 members participated in the picnic on 12 March, we were 11 “jolly good fellows” delighted to get together and share a good time. As for the picnic baskets, they contained a few cakes just waiting to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, especially Mike! The afternoon continued with a game of pétanque, and although the ground was bumpy, stony and sloping, this did not discourage the players. For proof, take a look at the photos on page 4 of your April La Mouette.

Tasting seagull eggs, yes, you read that right! In France, “seagull eggs” are a beloved treat, but not quite what you might expect. A traditional Easter specialty from the coastal regions of Vendée, Brittany, and the Île de Ré, these delicious confections are made of praline (hazelnut or peanut), coated in smooth chocolate, and finished with a thin, crunchy sugar shell. Designed to resemble real seagull eggs, they are delicious and irresistible, one bite, and you are likely to fall completely in love!

A Joyous and Happy Easter to you all! Joyeuses Pâques à vous tous !

Le Mot du Président

 Bonjour,

This month, my Mot is a little longer than usual. I hope you will forgive me and, above all, find my prose interesting! After a well-deserved break, our first event of the year, the “Welcome (Back) Party”, took place on 7 February at Lilias and Mike's house, but in a new format since, to the delight of many members, we hired a caterer, Sapphire Coast Eats. A successful evening, with 48 members, set in a wonderful atmosphere, with pleasant food, plenty of laughter, and lively conversations—yet another truly memorable evening! A big thank you to you all and a special one to our hosts, Lilias and Mike.

In February, we also organised our first French-language lunch debate, which took place on Thursday 26th at Metro restaurant in Merimbula, bringing together 10 guests around a very convivial and chatty table.

I strongly encourage you to show your support by visiting Anh-Thu and Roger Stuart’s double exhibition that is taking place from the 20th of this month at the Artspace Gallery in Bermagui. You will find all the details on page 3 of La Mouette.

In this issue, La Mouette brings you more highlights from the French scene, including an article that is sure to catch your attention on Les Carrières de Lumières, a venue dedicated to digital art located in a former limestone quarry in Les Baux-de-Provence (southern France). Floor-to-ceiling projections of famous artists' works and music, creating a unique, 360-degree sensory exhibition inside the 14-metre-high cavernous space. A fascinating experience and a very interesting article written by Wal.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is back for its 37th edition with 38 films celebrating the diversity of French cinema. From 5 March to 8 April (Canberra screenings will run until 12 April). For our cinephiles the program is available via https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/

I recently read an article entitled ‘Eat cheese like the French’, which I decided to share because it is not only relevant, but also very informative: In a formal setting, the French have their cheese after the main course but before the dessert – a sensible attitude as you will still have enough appetite to enjoy the cheese. A small green salad is often served with the cheese course, the sharp crunch and fresh bitterness of the leaves making a refreshing contrast to the richness of the cheese. Bread is the favoured medium of delivery rather than biscuits, plain so as not to distract from the flavour of the cheese, and small hunks are torn off to accompany each mouthful not too much! We are not making cheese sandwiches here. Or you could enjoy your cheese au naturel in a more rustic, straightforward way – which would still be eminently French.

To conclude, I discovered that the Dunkirk carnival (Dunkerque - north of France) includes some rather surprising competitions, including the world championship for the best seagull cry!!! I will tell you more about this in next month's French Corner (the carnival continues until 18 April). Are there any volunteers to start training for the 2027 championships?

All that remains is for me to wish you happy reading, happy movie viewing, happy seagull cry training and happy cheese tasting!

See you very soon, on 12 March in fact, for our first picnic of the year.

Sylvie

From the President

Bonjour,

The Committee and I wish you a peaceful, pleasant and a gourmand 2026, full of projects, happiness and shared moments. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great end to the year, and that after the holidays, you are ready to immerse yourselves in the French spirit once again. First, get planning with our full 2026 calendar of events to add to your calendar.

We ended the year on a high note with three particularly successful events: the French wine tasting on December 4, with 18 members delighted to chat while sampling some fine vintages, provided by Brent McKay from Amazing Grapes, followed the next day by the ever-popular Coupe d'Antibes. The winners of the 2025 cup are Olive, Peter, and Greg, followed by Trish, Robert, and Raymond.  Finally, the end-of-year lunch, during which some of our talented members took to the stage. 34 members responded positively, including 12 who took to the stage for a total of 9 performances. Music, songs, dance, poems and ballads, mime, stories about the epic history of our Alliance, as well as rhymes and riddles, all in an excellent atmosphere. What a memorable day!

 This month, our French corner article has nothing to do with France, but is about some local history, I hope you will enjoy it.  Don’t forget the delightful tradition of la Chandeleur (Candlemas), France’s festive day of crêpes and fortune, on 2 February. So get your frying pans ready and celebrate “Crêpe Day”, any day of the month, or every day of the month!

To conclude, here is some interesting news from France:

The first one is for Champagne lovers, and I know many of you enjoy it. Growers said that grapes had reached optimal ripeness and quality, making the 2025 vintage one of the best seen in decades despite reduced volumes. The Palais Garnier (Opéra de Paris) is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Opéra national de Paris are dedicating an anniversary exhibition (14 October 2025 - 15 February 2026) to this iconic monument. The exhibition explores how this building, commissioned by Napoleon III for the elite, became, beyond France's borders, a temple of opera and ballet, a national emblem and an iconic monument.

When the Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889, the names of 72 of France’s greatest scientists were engraved in golden letters on its first floor, but no women's names were included. This long-standing omission has now been addressed and the names of 72 female scientists will be added, a monumental recognition indeed!

Bonne lecture,

Sylvie