We’ve just had our first few cool nights here in the Northeastern United States and while still weeks away, it got me thinking about a fall state of mind.  En France, la fin de l’été et le début de l’automne signale l’ouverture de la chasse (In France, the end of summer and the beginning of fall signals the opening oh hunting season).

I love fall, and there is something charming about the rituals of hunting. Mind you, I’m not really a fan of hunting. I think that’s why the following song from the great French singer Michel Delpech spoke to me.

* The words marais, étang, and marécages all describe some form of wetlands environment. They can be translated in English as swamp, marsh, or bog. If you’re interested in exploring these environments (and other milieux humides), click here.
** Why is the south of France referred to as “le midi“? Well, selon (according to) this clip from Europe1, we call the south of France (at least the 1/4 of the country below the 45th parallel) le midi because “à midi (en Latin le milieu de la journée) lorsqu’on regarde le soleil, il nous indique le sud)” / at noon, (midi in Latin signifies the middle of the day) when you look at the sun, it points to the south.
*** Notice the use of the verb être here. Remember that bien can be both an adverb (modifying a verb) and adjective (modifying a verb). When used with the verb aller as in Je vais bien it relates to an emotional state of being and describes one’s mood. When used with the verb être though it has a slightly different meaning. For example in Il est bien là ou il est (He/it is good where he/it is) or Les filles étaient bien au chaud devant le feu (The girls where good in in the heat from the fire) it relates more to a physical well-being.