10 choses essentielles pour la rentrée

In France, this month marks la rentrée – the return to school, work and regular trade after a long, languid summer. The French school year starts in early September, rather than January, so it’s a time many parents will be rushing around to get their kids ready.  

Top of their to-dos? Gathering all *les choses essentielles pour la rentrée scholaire.

* back-to-school essentials

Grape picking in France

If you’re looking for a unique Euro travel experience from late summer through spring, taking part in vendange (the harvest) is a time-honoured tradition for Aussies. You can dip your toe in as a vendangeur d’un jour (harvester for a day) or go all in as a *vendangeur (ou vendanguese) – sleeping on-site at a French winery and picking *les raisins alongside local crews in exchange for meals and pay.

This Guardian article gives an honest overview of the realities of the work (repetitive and demanding, but also rewarding and convivial), while the Wine Travel Guides website has all the details on how, when and where to volunteer.

* picker | *grapes

Le vieillissement: Juliette Binoche

Back in June, we met Jacline – a feisty French centenarian with plenty of pep in her step and some strong opinions on ageing. This month, we revisit the subject of *le vieillissement with award-winning actress and icon, Juliette Binoche.

* ageing

Pétanque espadrilles go viral

If you love boules but hate bending, French espadrille brand Payote has gone viral with a genius pair of espadrilles US sports fans are snapping up in droves. Starting out as a joke dreamed up when founder Olivier Gelly was playing with friends, the pétanque espadrilles have an inbuilt magnet for collecting *tes boules.

With a social media video of the prototype garnering over 40 million views, tens of thousands of orders flowed in before Gelly and his team had figured out how to make them.

The brand is also known for its fun collabs – like this one with La Vache qui rit – as well as classic styles in leopard print or chic stripes. There’s even a pair with a bottle opener for those hot summer days.

* your balls

4 French podcasts to try

Do you listen to podcasts *en conduisant, en marchant ou en préparent le dîner? We do – and we’ve recently introduced a few more *chouchous to their joys 

Whether you love a good yarn, are a newshound, or are simply looking for a new way to level up your French learning, here are four LF-approved podcasts to try. *Bonne écoute!

Duolingo French Podcast

Fans of the popular Duolingo language app will love this podcast aimed at intermediate learners. The easy-to-follow episodes feature a wide range of compelling real-life stories told in clear French, interspersed with English where explanation is needed. The podcast has since wrapped, but it’s well worth working your way through the back catalogue.  

Listen here

Little Talk in Slow French

Hosted by French actress Nagisa Morimoto, this intermediate-friendly podcast is a pleasure to listen to. Covering everything from the French revolution to topics such as how to stay optimistic in *ce monde fou and Nagisa’s *meilleurs conseils pour apprendre des langues, the slow(ish) pace and transcripts help with comprehension.  

Listen here

News in Slow French

Like it says on the tin, this weekly podcast delivers news and current affairs in (truly) slow French. Practice your listening skills while keeping abreast of *l'actualité in under 10 minutes. There are episodes for intermediate and advanced learners.

Listen here (intermediate) and here (advanced)

French Through Stories

If the last thing you need in your life is more news, this podcast provides a welcome respite. Listen to well-paced short stories (or passages) in French, then see how much you understood as the host translates them into English. For beginner (A2) to intermediate (B1) learners.

Listen here 

* while driving, walking or making dinner | *teacher’s pets | *Happy listening! | *this crazy world | *best advice for learning languages |*the news

Tour de Haute-Garonne

It’s that time of year again, when your couch gets a workout for three nail-biting weeks during la Grande Boucle (the Big Loop – aka le Tour de France). And, if all that cycling action and alpine beauty leaves you craving your own adventure, you’re in luck.

There’s a brand new *cyclotourisme attraction in France – the 13-stage Tour de Haute-Garonne, which spans 665 idyllic kilometres in Occitanie.

Explore the route – and stunning scenery – here.

* cycle-tourism

Are French-Canadians more French than the French?

Fun fact: Conversations among friends in Quebec may be littered with them, but in the workplace, streets and public life, Anglicisms are frowned upon – and vigorously policed by the Office québécois de la langue française.

For example, while European French favours the terms e-mail, parking lot and week-end, French-Canadians stick steadfastly to the pure French equivalents – courriel, stationnement and fin de semaine – in attempts to protect the French language.

In Quebec, KFC goes by PFC (for Poulet Frit Kentucky), and movie titles must, by law, be translated into French, despite often being marketed *en anglais in the motherland.

*C’est fascinant, non? This article explains the background.

* in English | *It’s fascinating, isn’t it?

Where to find the best butter in France

From the iconic Maison Bordier – hand-kneaded in Saint-Malo, Brittany – to the hazelnut notes and smooth texture of Échiré, French butter is widely deemed the best in the world. (Ask the opinion of an Irishman at your peril.)

As much a cultural symbol as a culinary staple, the delectable dairy lures tourists from all over the globe, including one intrepid National Geographic scribe.

“*Le beurre, c’est la vie,” the author writes in this article – and here’s where to savour it on your next trip to France. Plus all the other, less calorific attractions in France’s best butter regions.

* Butter is life

Le vieillissement: Jacline

If age is an attitude, not a number, Jacline is several decades shy of her 100 years. From embracing ageing gracefully to the pursuit of pleasure and maintaining relationships, we’ll explore the French approach to *le vieillissement in this new video-based series.

* ageing

Sublime Saint Laurent

With the world on fire, we’re all looking for some escapism, and this breathtaking video offers just that. Katrina chanced upon Saint Laurent’s women’s summer ’26 show when looking to update the Club de culture *mode material – and she couldn’t resist sharing.

Staged against the backdrop of a twinkling tour Eiffel, the show is sheer perfection. Make sure you hang around for the glorious gowns at around the 8-minute mark. Sublime.

* fashion

La Bonne Brosse

How do those French girls get their bobs looking so chic? The answer, we suspect, is La Bonne Brosse. Launched in 2021 by friends and former beauty industry executives Flore des Robert and Pauline Laurent, the Parisian brand is taking on the iconic Mason Pearson with premium hairbrushes infused with that quintessentially French ‘*je ne sais quoi’.

With a signature twisted handle in biodegradable cellulose acetate (produced in France by the last remaining French acetate manufacturer), La Bonne Brosse (The Good Brush) brushes come in a rainbow of colourful, ergonomic designs. Made with sustainability in mind, they feature high-quality ingredients designed to pamper your *cuir chevelu and bring out the best in your strands.

Not sure whether boar, nylon or a combination of bristles is best? Take the online quiz to find your perfect match. They’re not exactly a steal at $272 at Mecca ($190 for la petite), but there’s luxury in every stroke.

La Bonne Brosse | Website and Instagram
Shop La Bonne Brosse at Mecca

*Indescribable quality | *scalp

Two People Exchanging Saliva

If you have a spare half hour, you might want to watch the absurd sapphic tragicomedy Two People Exchanging Saliva – (tied) winner of Best Live Action Short Film at this year’s Oscars. Shot artfully in black and white, largely at Galeries Lafayette (where filmmakers have been invited to film at night since 2021), the film is the vision of Bordeaux-born, Brooklyn-based Alexandre Singh and his Romanian American wife, Natalie Musteata.

Set in a world where kissing is punishable by death and *les achats are paid for with slaps (cue: painting on bruises to suggest wealth), it’s a dystopian diversion that explores themes of consumerism, desire and repression.  

* purchases

Laure Calamy

Born in Orléans in 1975, Laure Calamy is one of France’s best-loved *comédiennes, best known for her breakout role as the lovelorn and libidinous assistant Noémie in the hit Netflix series, Call My Agent!

Equally adept at dramatic and comedic roles, Calamy trained at Paris’s prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique and began her career in theatre before branching out into TV and film.

Her first big screen nod came in 2021, when she won the César Award for Best Actress for her screwball role in AFFFF favourite Antoinette dans le Cévennes (My Donkey, My Lover & I).

After last year’s moving festival outing in My Everything, playing a single mother of a 30-year-old son with cerebral palsy, Calamy is taking a lighter turn in the comedy *Classe Moyenne (The Party’s Over ).

* actresses | *Middle Class

Scrunchies, but make them chic

After being ubiquitous in the ‘80s and ‘90s, then being relegated to the back of the bathroom cabinet, the*chouchou (or scrunchie) is back – with a decidedly chic twist.  

Created by French-born, WA-based entrepreneur Camille Collison, Kmellia is an Insta-famous hair accessories brand that specialises in luxurious knitted chouchous*.

Choose from *le petit ou le grand in classic colours, starting from $49.90.

* scrunchies (yes, it’s the same word we use for our Teacher’s Pets!) | *the small or large

Le nécessaire à culture

If you’re keen for a French comprehension challenge, *Le nécessaire à culture is a great Instagram account to follow for Culture, Histoire & Savoir (Culture, History & Knowledge.)

From Pourquoi Bordeaux est devenue la capitale du vin? to Boucicaut, l’inventeur du shopping, you’ll learn something new while testing your listening skills.

* The Cultivation Kit | * Why did Bordeaux become the wine capital? | * Boucicaut, the inventor of shopping

Cedric et la Chocolaterie

If you happen to find yourself in Paris this *Pâques, may we suggest you make a beeline to Cedric et la Chocolaterie. Opened in October last year by celebrated pastry chef Cédric Grolet, the cocoa-themed concept store is a feast for the senses that would delight Willy Wonka himself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by pastrywithjenn • jenn yee (@pastrywithjenn)

This New York Times article explores how Grolet’s meteoric rise has ruffled a few feathers amongst the old guard.

Cedric et la Chocolaterie
33 avenue de l’Opera, 75002 Paris
Du lundi au dimanche, 11h - 19h
Instagram

* Easter

Embracing the French Sunday

If your Sundays are spent frantically washing, grocery shopping and meal prepping for the week ahead, the French would tell you, you’re doing it wrong. In France, productivity has no place in your day of rest, with many shops closed – and nobody up in arms about it.

Intentionally languid, low-stress and filled with family, food and aimless strolls, French Sundays are an institution. Brunch plans? Far too much pressure. Sleep in instead, then savour a croissant.

To-do lists are out, and daydreaming is in. Other approved activities include browsing farmer’s markets, doing a puzzle while listening to music and, *bien sûr, making time for some romance.

Here's how to have the perfect French Sunday.

* of course

Book It: Nouvelle Vague

Putting a chic twist on ‘80s new wave and punk tracks from the likes of Joy Division, The Cure and Depeche Mode, French musical project Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) is headed back to our shores. For one night in only, they’ll bring their bossa nova-style covers to the Tivoli in Fortitude Valley.

Not familiar? Get a taste of their sultry vibe below.

Tickets start at $99, and *les portes ouvriront at 7 pm on October 1st. We’ll see you there

Nouvelle Vague
1 October, 2026
The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley
Grab your tickets

* doors open

QAGOMA Visit in French

Fancy levelling up your next cultural outing and challenging your French listening skills? We have just the thing.

The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) and Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) offer free gallery highlights tours – conducted *en français. Visit the website for times and brush up on your art vocab before you book.

French Language Guided Gallery Tours
QAG & GOMA, South Brisbane
10:15-11am, selected dates
Book here

* In French

See It: L'Étranger

For lovers of French literature, one of the most anticipated films of the upcoming Alliance Française French Film Festival is undoubtedly L’Etranger (The Stranger) – François Ozon’s take on one of the most-read French novels around the globe.

Ranked number one on Le Monde’s 100 Books of the Century list, The Stranger is Albert Camus’ first foray into absurdism, telling the tale of a mysterious expat, Mersault, who is unwittingly drawn into a murder on an Algerian beach.

Set in 1930s French Algeria and sumptuously shot in black and white, the auteur’s faithful adaptation of the 1942 classic has received numerous accolades, including the awards for best film, best actor (Benjamin Voisin) and best cinematographer at The Lumiere Awards – France’s answer to the Golden Globes.

View session times here.