Un weekend à Venise

La Fenice Theatre

Métro

World Cup

Apparently spring and summer are also lazy bugger non-blogging seasons.

Here are some shots of World Cup celebrations in Paris. French World Cup joy was short lived this time around, so only a few shots!



Stade Charlety - France v Uruguay.





Illegal fireworks post France v Uruguay. My safety was endangered when a security guard who came to stop fireworks trampled me.




Brazil v Portugal at Trocadero. SO. MANY. MULLETS.

Printemps

Twenty degrees yesterday, 21 today! Spring, finally.



Pique-nique (ing). Essential spring-time activity.

Light and Colour

My mum emailed me today and asked me what this season's fashions were like in Paris. I had no idea because:

(a) I have been in winter hibernation.

(b) No one looks that cool at 11am in my local supermarket (actually, that's not entirely true but it really is pensioner's hour).

(b) Everyone has been sporting big bulky jackets and hats for so long I've stopped paying attention.

But all that seems to be changing with the gradually increasing springtime-ness. The light is long and late - I only wish the weather would hurry and catch up with it. The first hint of sunshine last weekend and every Parisian flocked to sit outside in parks and in cafés - to read and play and smoke and smoulder and to watch the world go by.

It's nice to see some colour around again.

(Photo Copyright S Gallagher).

Joyeuses Pâques

Home made Hot Cross Buns! Happy Easter!

Montmartre

Why are you standing around looking at the sky?

The perfect winter afternoon

For the perfect winter Sunday afternoon, take:

1. one Ritz Tea gift voucher from a fantastic friend;
2. one exquisite room known as Bar Vendome - full of dark reds and golds and dark marble which reflects the room off the walls;
3. one lovely, new husband;
4. two glasses of champagne;
5. countless attentive, charming french waiters;
6. one pot of Royal Assam tea;
7. five assorted finger sandwiches of cucumber, cheese, crab and nuts (heavenly), chicken and mayonnaise; a mini smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel;
8.one plate filled with verrines of raspberry pannacotta and lemon and passionfruit mousse and a tarte au chocolat;
9. two raisin scones, two madeleines, two friands with pine nuts on top and two citron cakes;
10. one pot of the most incredible clotted cream (over which we nearly came to blows), one pot of runny peach compote and one pot of flowery honey (for the madeleines!);
11. tables full of purple hydrangeas, tulips and white roses;
12. one walk home through the Jardin du Tuileries;
13. one sunset over Place de la Concorde.

La Champagne

We spent a couple of days in January with two of our dear friends in the Champagne Region of France in the divine Chateau d'Etoges. Champagne was quiet and cold and silent. And the snow made it almost black and white. It was quite the shock returning from an Australian summer, but it was so glorious I could have stayed there for a month cruising through the vineyards, stopping in for champagne dégustation and stepping into little inns for hot lunches.




Burning the dead vines.


Cold ducks.


You know it!


Pommery cave - the magnums.


A bit of colour...



Mini snow-lady.

Home

We are lucky enough to be from this part of the world and even luckier to have spent 3 weeks over Christmas at home and in Margaret River.

Yup, Kangaroos...

Sunset over kangaroos.

Sea Gardens

On our travels, we discovered this lovely little café just out of Prevelly. It's called Sea Gardens is easy enough to find and has a fantastic courtyard where you can sit and look out over Surfer's Point. They do a whole lot of organic fare, great eggs, great coffee and delicious sweet potato, artichoke, eggplant, sun dried tomato and feta pizza - the best vegetarian pizza I think I have ever had! After just searching for the website, I see that it has a recipe of the month! Also you can write in with your own. How cool is this place?