July and the Australian Invasion

July seems to be never ending this year!
But such a great month I'm not complaining.
After the week in Provence Sarah arrived!! All the way from Melbourne to spend the week with me!


We had many romantic dinners together, at Hotel du Nord and Frenchie. It's hard not to make dinners for 2 romantic in Paris.


She was also here for Bastille Day which was a bonus.
We had first class viewing for the fireworks, accompanied by first class champagne courtesy of Siggy.


The fireworks were pretty spectacular..... (this video is not).



Other social outings have included a Rose Bakery picnic in the Parc Buttes Chaumont.


There was lots of amazing food, juggling, inappropriate drunkeness and a watermelon water melon eating dog.



My old friend Gen arrived in Paris Friday night and I have been busily playing tour guide and hostess.


We managed to catch the end of the Tour de France on Sunday when they did 8 laps of the Arc de Triomph, just a stones throw from chez moi. (Gen took this photo, I was way too short, all my photos were of the back of other peoples heads and cameras).


We spent Saturday afternoon around the Marais wandering the streets,


and popping into the little squares and gardens.


Monday we did tea at Mariage Freres, Macarons at Laduree, chocolat chaud at Les Deux Magots and, dinner at Kong, made famous for the view, and for some, mainly Gen, by it's appearance in the penultimate episode of Sex and the City.

Une Semaine in Provence

Making the most of having my parents on the continent and profiting from the wonderful French working laws and all their accumulated paid leave, I took a week off to explore Provence.


We had rooms in this gorgeous 16th century house and garden in a tiny little village called Le Paradou.

It was such a good feeling to get out of the city - now I understand why Paris is void of Parisians in August.

The 25m pool was where I could be found before breakfast, in the afternoons and late at night.

I got along swimmingly with Mlle Plume, the resident cat.
Days were spend driving around and visiting the many hilltop villages,


the Abbey of Senaque, set amidst fields of lavender,

local olive groves and vineyards,

grand old chateaus,

fields and fields of sunflowers,

and more medieval hilltop villages.

In the evenings we sampled the local produce.
I was so lucky to be able to see Provence like that with my parents.
Now before I leave France I just have to focus my energies on finding a viscount or baron who would like to bequeath me his century old Provencal chateau (with all the mod-cons of course).