French Comfort Viewing Spotlight:
The French Country Life You-Tube Channel
(Bottom shelf, French pottery, cream-colored confiture pot).
We all need our comfort watches. For me that’s Call the Midwife, Anne with an E and Mad About You (the last on GET-TV, which I have about memorized. The ensemble talent on that show! The middle seasons are the best, imo). But none of these are particularly French. When I need to scratch that itch, in addition to some well known shows that help me learn the language that I mentioned in past posts, I’ve discovered some great you-tube channels that allow me to relax and pretend I’m already across the pond, relaxing at a cafe or strolling through a brocante shop.
One of my favorites of these is the French Country Life channel. Featuring a Dutch couple who have renovated a series of homes and cottages to rent in the Burgundy countryside, French Country Life often posts videos about topics like French brocantes and thrift stores, as well as design and lifestyle featuring the female half of the couple, Marloe (Olaf, her partner, does renovation videos). Marloe narrates these videos in English—one thing I learned when I lived in Maastricht, NL years ago: the Dutch speak impeccable English—in the most soothing tones, describing a morning in her French kitchen, an afternoon spent at a brocante, or even 15 minutes touring the most charming postage stamp of a Paris apartment. Marloe has the kind of calming, minimalist style I crave and watching these videos has given me tons of ideas for decorating our home this summer. I share her amazement at the things she finds at brocantes, especially pottery and dishware—so many simple, beautiful confiture pots, so little time. I love how her camera will linger over a particularly lovely set of faience or saregguemines as she sighs, “I would buy this but I already have a few sets like this at home.” I have already learned a great deal about the wonderful world of French pottery from her soft, placid voice. And I love how so much of her content highlights how well the French value their material culture by sustaining and recycling it. As I watch her appreciatively turn a piece of pottery for the camera, I find it restful and hopeful even, to consider how many lives one confiture pot may have led, how many homes in which it may have dwelled over the decades.
Seriously, even if you’re not as deep into the world of brocantes and second hand stores as I am, give French Country Lifestyle a try. It may be just the kind of comfort viewing you need.
A bientôt,
Stephanie
PS—What are your comfort watches?
These days, my go-to comfort-watching show is "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist"—I recently discovered lots of episodes of this show from the 1990s on YouTube. All these years later, they still make laugh out loud. And these days, I need those moments of laughter.