Exceptional Phenomenon
As I ducked down in my seat on the bus to let the lady beside me take photos of the art installation on Pont Neuf I was unprepared for the little “merde” that slipped out of her perfectly drawn mouth. “It’s broken” she told me and indeed the canvas has been torn by a “weather-induced exceptional phenomenon” so I can only assume a man was in charge. I offered to send my bus-friend photos I’d taken before the incident, which unfortunately involved french numbers and pretending “no this is also my stop don’t worry” to allow time to finish the job, before walking 3 extra stops home.
We celebrated Noisette’s 9th birthday with a few treats and a polite agreement not to mention her greys, plus a low key photoshoot in the park. I originally lied to my husband about how easy sausage dogs were to train and he was perplexed when he realised she a) is quite stubborn and b) likes a little yap but that’s the price you pay for glossing over due diligence.
I rounded out the working week covered in chocolate during a baking session with David Lebovitz and Sami Tamimi, who tossed compliments back and forward over their fabulous new books (The Great Book of Chocolate and Boustany respectively). Sometimes you have a day that justifies every single life choice.
I worked early Saturday morning so my husband did the weekly market shop which means our meals will look a little like Ready Steady Cook as I work out creative ways with parsley and 24 eggs. Then Saturday afternoon I strolled the neighbourhood with a high school friend and lapped up her news about life in my favourite Aussie beach town. I might have had a quick look at spousal visas later that evening but luckily for my entire family I’m really too lazy to move.
Last weekend we re-discovered Parc Montsouris, a delightful green space where the grass isn’t forbidden, and as the kids talked of nothing else all week we returned to let them run wild for a bit. I hesitated near the baby geese wondering if I should tell the tourists to back away but decided to let them find out on their own. I’d rather their holiday story was “attacked by angry geese” than “attacked by angry lady.” There are fish and turtles and magnolias as big as my head, plus lots of fun areas for kids, and if the RER B is running you’re there in no time.
Have a great week,
- Emily
Cheese we’re eating this week:
L’Ové Japonais - a soft textured raw goat’s milk cheese from Normandy, matured with a Sakura leaf.
Manigodine - a pressed raw cow’s milk cheese produced in the village of Manigod with a light woody taste from the spruce strap it’s packaged in.
Gorgonzola - an Italian veined blue cheese made from unskimmed cow’s milk, with a creamy texture and a pungent aroma.
All three cheeses were from Barthélemy.
Elderflower Granita
Easiest dessert ever if you have elderflower syrup to hand - there’s a recipe to make it here or you can buy it (I have a delightful friend who makes me some each year).
Elderflower syrup
Water
Lime
Mint (optional)
Mix the syrup and water in a 1-to-1 ratio plus the juice of 1 lime. If making larger quantities taste and add more lime as you like, it’s just to take an edge off the sweetness.
Place in a shallow metal tray (I used a large metal salad bowl as didn’t have the right tray) and place in the freezer. Every hour or so pull it out and break up all the frozen bits with a fork to create big icy flakes. It will take around 6-8 hours to freeze properly.
Serve in cute little bowls with a hint of lime zest or some finely chopped mint.
Bon appétit!
Real Life Paris Photo
Imagine being as fancy as a Mandarin duck.
Recent Finds Worth Sharing:
Competition will be fierce for this concert in the Louvre (tickets on sale the 16th)
The cheap zodiac necklace I’ve been wearing for years has finally worn out - should I upgrade to this or change to something with my birthstone instead?
The must have French summer travel accessory
Did everyone else already know jelly shoes were back?
Paris Mail Club art is ready to ship on the 14th, don’t miss out!
Wracking my brains to figure out how I can get accepted into this program and journey to the Arctic
Regretting chopping my hair now I saw this blue-ringed octopus clip
Zodiac pendant!!
I was there for jelly shoes the first time and we really need to stop this trend before another generation has their feet ruined. (Or maybe the jelly-shoe technology has advanced in 40 years?)