The French group meets weekly, the members taking it in turns to host the group and provide the subject matter for the meeting. As a result there is a wide variety of material studied. We usually start by each of us recounting in our best French (somewhat variable) what of interest (if anything) we have done since the last meeting. Sometimes we listen to a recorded item in French and do our best to translate it.

In recent weeks we have become somewhat highbrow and read and translated extracts from “Becket”, a play by Jean Anouilh, and from “David,” a novelette by J M G le Clézio. (“Challenging” is the word that comes to mind).

We have also read and translated more mundane prose:  recently various newspaper reports about wolves, believed to have come from Italy, attacking sheep in Lozère, a forested area south of the Auvergne, and more recently some useful information about when in France one can use the familiar mode of address “tu” and when one should stick to “vous”, the formal mode.

In the past we have had songs in French, and games, such as a version of “What’s My Line”. No doubt we shall return to these when the host for the week so decides.

Brian Caulkett