The Mellow Meanderings Playlist by DJ French Bee

Merci beaucoup to Frances B - the charming and lovely travel blogger & owner of Boutique L'Abeille Française - for making a Sparkplug playlist for us. I hope you enjoy the Mellow Meanderings of DJ French Bee as much as me!

DJ French Bee

Hi, I’m Frances and today’s DJ French Bee with my Mellow Meanderings playlist!

The inspiration for this playlist was that I love a song with great lyrics and a good tune. Something that I can sing along to while in the car or have on in the background while I'm working. And, if it happens to be a Canadian classic, all the better.

I grew up in a small town in the Ottawa Valley, and while Toronto has been my home since my university days, my heart has been in Paris for the past ten years.

I first visited the City of Light in 1995. Before I had even laid foot inside the apartment I would be staying in, I got my first taste of Parisian coffee culture.

My travel companion and I were bunking with a friend of hers who was on a four month work term in Paris. She had left a key to the apartment in a nearby café for us. So, after picking up the key, having just gotten off an overnight flight, we decided to sit and have a coffee. (Little did I know at that time that the option for a take-out coffee did not exist.)

It was then that I discovered that French cafés charge based on where you sit. You will pay a premium to have a waiter serve you at a table. A coffee served at the bar will be a fraction of the price.

Another thing I learned that morning was that the French take their coffee seriously. And they usually take their coffee in a demi-tasse, hot, strong and black. As with most things, they focus on quality over quantity, and charge accordingly. They also take the time to savour 'la vie en rose'.

I have come to admire this French sensibility. And each time I return to Paris now, it feels like going home.

So much so that a few years ago, after retiring from a career in IT, I was inspired to share my French food and travel adventures in a blog called L'Abeille Française - The French Bee. A little while after starting that, I got the idea to create an online shop. Boutique L'Abeille Française was born. With the help of my graphic designer niece, Julia, I offer home and living accessories with that touch of je ne sais quoi, including some charming, Paris-themed latte and coffee mugs.

I hope you’ll make yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and enjoy browsing through Boutique L'Abeille Française, savouring la vie en rose!

Why the Bees?

You’ll find lots of bees and Eiffel towers at the Boutique L'Abeille Française. The Eiffel tower is obvious, even if you’ve never been to Paris. But why bees?

In case your French is as rusty as mine, L'Abeille Française translates to “French bee”. This is both kind of a pun on Frances’ name and a sweet allusion to the bumblebee which is a popular design, especially in the south of France. Clever, non?!

P.S. If you’re feeling française, check out Sparkplug Coffee’s GUIDE TO BREWING THE BEST FRENCH PRESS COFFEE and don’t forget to get some fresh COFFEE to go in that sweet mug.

Check out all the Sparkplug playlists here: Sparkplug Coffee’s Playlists. And sign up for the Scoop news so you’re the first to know about new tunes, coffee tips, exclusive deals, and other good stuff.