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The origins and meaning of tirer les marrons du feu
As Christmas approaches, we look at a phrase to describe someone who takes advantage of a situation
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Step back in time for some ‘dinosaur’ planting in your French garden
Captivated in the garden this month by one species of plant that dates back 200 million years, and another which is one of the oldest flowering plant families on the planet
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Classic French recipe with an exotic twist: caramelised onion soup
A dish inspired by the travels of two Paris chefs
Connexion Tip: Sound the sirens
At midday on the first Wednesday of every month you will hear a sound to send shivers down your spine.
This is the day France tests its national warning system (réseau national d’alerte RNA) and 4,500 sirens go off simultaneously with a noise most people have not heard outside of war films.
Outside of these tests the network exists to alert the population to the unlikely events of aerial bombardment (nuclear or otherwise), natural disasters such as flooding or man-made ones such as a radioactive leak. Your immediate response should be to find a radio, TV or internet connection and find out what is going on.
