Bonjour à tous et à toutes !

Looking for a way to celebrate le 14 Juillet ?
Looking for something to club-sandwich in between last Saturday’s test in Dunedin, rugby in Wellington on the 12^th , and rugby in Hamilton on the 19^th ?
Voici quelques suggestions !

Firstly, the date specific happenings.

Soirée Quiz 2025

Date: Wednesday 16^th July 2025 (Post – Bastille Day this year!)
Venue: Wesley Church, 100 13^th Ave, Tauranga
Quiz Start Time: 7pm
Cost: $10 per person
Bring: Yourself, your friends, your partners, in fact anyone who wants to have fun, stretch their mind in hexagonal directions, and discover what they know about all things French. We will provide supper, some spot prizes and some entertainment.
Format: Tables of 4-6 people (not necessarily pre-arranged). Questions are about France, French things, Francophone countries and Franco-NZ links. Questions are in both French and English, so no French language knowledge and no dictionaries are required. No laptops or other digital devices please.
Lots of multiple-choice questions plus some that require answers. For example:

1: France has which geometric shape ?    a) pentagon    b) hexagon    c) heptagon ?

2: One of the Beatle’s songs begins with the Marseillaise.  Which one ?
a)  Michelle    b) Here comes the Sun King   c) All you need is love

3: Toi Tauranga, what is it ?

Book in : Could you please advise ASAP – and before 9am Tuesday 15^th July at the very latest – if you will be coming.
Phone 578 9416 or email shelley@lovefrench.nz

Petanque Open Doubles Challenge  – Bastille Day Theme

Date: Saturday 19^th July 2025
Venue: Mount
Start Time: 11am registration for 11.30am start
Cost: $10 per person – pay cash on the day – includes soup and bread

Prize for Best French Dressed. Bring cash for raffles.
There will be 4 x 50 minute randomly drawn games.  All ages and abilities welcome. Single entries too – partner will be arranged if required. Bring your friends.
Bring your own boules if you have them, but there will be plenty available if you don’t.
Entries to Bruce dbinglis1@gmail.com or 022 309 9143 by Friday 18^th July would assist with planning.

French Classes start up again from 14th July 2025

If you haven’t already done so, please let me know if you will be continuing/returning/starting so groups can be organized. Proposed class times and levels are on the website but are relatively flexible.  Face to face groups, Zoom and private classes will be held. Phone or email if you have any particular queries.
“Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift. Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club – the community of speakers of that language.” -Frank Smith
Click here for the Proposed Term 3 Timetable.  Note that Wednesday classes don’t start until July 23^rd. This will allow everyone to come along to the Soirée Quiz, n’est-ce pas ?

Tauranga Film Society: French Canadian Film

Date: Wednesday 9^th July 2025
Venue: Luxe Cinema Tauranga
Time: 6pm
This eerie, dreamy story of growing pains recounts the experiences of nearly-14-year-old Bastien, an awkward, earnest teenager who falls for the slightly older and more worldly Chloé while their families are vacationing in a lakeside cabin in rural Quebec.  In French with English subtitles
For full details  https://letslearn.nz/event/tauranga-film-society-4/

Ateliers peintures avec Audrey: Friday Painting Workshops

* French + Art in the Afternoons
Audrey is proposing afternoon workshops for Francophiles. Explore and develop your artistic side and your language skills at the same time. Listen to French, use French, experience French in a practical hands-on situation with a French artist tutor.
When : Fridays  1.30pm – 3.30pm

Cost : $60 per person per session
All materials are included with nibbles and soft drinks. Contact Shelley or Audrey to book in.

* Monthly Friday Evening Workshops

For an evening of creativity and fun, Audrey Dubois has the following up-coming Friday evening 6pm-9pm workshops. Explore your artistic side and create a beautiful tableau. No prior experience required. All materials are supplied.
Le 18 juillet, Palette Knife $70
En vacances
Le 19 septembre, water colour natural pigments $70
Le 17 octobre, drawing $70
Le 21 novembre, pastel $80

Contact Audrey Audrey.duboisnz@gmail.com or ph 022 502 1671
Website: https://www.week-end-a-la-mer.com/

Return of Festival Films

Date: From now…
Venue: Luxe Cinema Tauranga and Papamoa
If you missed the Count of Monte Cristo, you are in luck. It is the first of the French festival films to return and showing now. The Divine Sarah Bernhardt is next followed by When Fall is Coming.  Picasso- A Rebel in Paris about the life of the famous painter is also programmed. If we spot a movie to watch, we pop it here. https://www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz/at-the-movies-this-week/

Le Tour de France 2025

À l’attention des adeptes de la petite reine (aka le vélo). The 112^th edition of the Tour de France began in Lille on July 5^th 2025.  It is 100% French and will finish in Paris on Sunday 27^th July.
Here’s the Tour in numbers:  333.8km, 184 riders, 21 stages including 7 flat, 6 hilly, 6 mountain stages with 5 mountain finishes, 2 time trials, and 2 rest days. The Col de la Loze is the highest point at 2304m. The TV coverage is always excellent with great scenery, commentary, and racing.  I suspect many of you faithful will be in need of some rest days at the end of the Tour as well.
If you want to know absolutely everything about the history of the Tour de France – why the winner wears a yellow jersey, for example – then watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7wPa1Hl5ZA  And it goes through Brittany this year.

Find a Francophone…
Grab a café, or something more consistant, in one of our visibly French-linked establishments on their Monday 14^th July  Fête Nationale. Other Francophones offer other services.  You’ll find them all at  https://www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz/category/links/   

Celebrate à la française – Les journées internationales

These will be popping up on the website https://www.frenchwithshelley.co.nz/category/days/ as the weeks pass by.
You may have seen the film The Divine Sarah Bernhardt during the festival.  Have a look to see what Sarah did to scandalise Paris – well, at least one of the scandalous things she did.

The Tauranga Tree in Paris

Just the usual reminder that, if Paris is on your holiday agenda, do stop and say bonjour to our tree in the Tuileries Gardens. Here’s how to find it :  Starting at the end of the garden with the hexagon (on the left on the map), head up the Grande Allée.  The Tauranga Tree is the fourth tree on the right after the Allée de Cataglione.
‘The tree and me’ pics are always appreciated. We like to see how it’s growing ! However, our tree is too young to provide any shade if the current canicule continues. « Une canicule » is a heat wave, should the word come up in conversation.  Bon voyage ! Enjoy your travels ! Travel safe.

Le tube du jour
Speaking of hot, have you ever wondered what song was “le numéro 1” when you were born ?  The site playback.fm will give you the International hit, but why not have a look at what was hot in France !  PlayBack propose le même service avec des titres made in France !