jeudi de paris

My two daughters could not be more different than chalk and cheese.  Anaïs loves her bath hot, Téa likes hers cool.  Anaïs loves durian.  Téa  hates it.  Téa  loves cheese.  Anaïs hates it.  Anaïs is creative.  Téa  is pretty straightforward.  Téa  is a tidy-er. Anaïs is not.  Anaïs is an introvert.  Téa, needless to say if you already know her, is clearly an extrovert.  Anaïs is a dancer. Téa  is a runner. 

I could not get any good photos of the ballet concert they were in last Sunday.  So I'm posting some photos of the mini marathon that Téa  took part in two weeks ago.  She had already won the cross country race in her school in KL last year, and she knew it was no easy feat.  The mini marathon was organised by the town hall.  There were some 'entertainment' for the afternoon, and a prize giving tea party scheduled for after the race. A multi-talented talking/singing giraffe was the emcee/cheerleader/entertainer of the day.

This is our quartier, at Place du Panthéon, two minutes from our house; in the background you can see the Bibliotheque St Genevieve where the young and studious come to do their research and on the left is the law faculty.

The Panthéon was orgininally a church built by King Louis XV in the 18th century in dedication to St Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris.  Over time, its use and function has evolved.  Soon after its completion, it was turned into a mausoleum for the internment of great Frenchmen (and women).  It was also where physicist Léon Foucault conducted his experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the earth by constructing a 67-meter pendulum beneath the central dome.  In the early 1900s, Rodin's first large scale bronze casting of The Thinker sat contemplating in front of the Panthéon.  Although it has reverted to being a church a couple of times, today the Panthéon  is a very distinct monument of the city and serves as a mausoleum (the other bring Les Invalides for historical military leaders like Napoléon), restricted to "National Heroes" like Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Louis Braille, amongst others.  The inscription above the entrance reads "AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE"(translation: "To the great men, the grateful homeland").

Anaïs was celebrating the moment, quite happy to cheer her sister on and let her take all the limelight.

Téa ran in the 7 to 9-year old category.  Here she is trying hard not to be intimidated by the bigger, taller kids...

Can hardly see her above the fence!

But I can see her super fast feet peeping out from underneath, ready to fly!

I'm small, but strong and determined...

Nearing the finish line, she gives her all.

She comes in third happily, and is asked to go onstage with the very musically-inclined giraffe.

Smiles all around, third place is not a bad place to be, it means you have something to aim towards to next year!

At the prize-giving, she meets the son of the mayor.

It was a perfect day; the sun was out, the race well run and at the tea party, there were cakes and lollies.  On top of that, there was a medal to bring home!

its not thursday, but ...

I was sick last week and was relieved to have my cousin Karen here to nurse me and help watch the girls.  I just felt bad that she spent her few precious days of holiday here not doing much apart from that!

Those happy faces above tell of happy times in Sturget.  We were there during the spring break.  Unfortunately we left before the roses came into full bloom and well before the cherry season.  There are two cherry trees in the backyard and we are never there the right time to appreciate the fruits!  

Back in Paris, with Ivy and Caitlin, we walked our neighbourhood park, the Luxembourg Gardens, and visited the Basilica de Sacre Coeur in Montmarte.  With the weather now being almost 'correct' as the French would say, the artists were all out and about.  

Of course the Notre Dame in our neighbourhood cannot be missed, especially now that the lilies are out.

I took one morning off my tour guide responsibilities to accompany Téa and her class to a reading at a kindergarten.  This being the year they learn how to read, Téa and her camarades  have looked forward to this day for months.  Their being invited to read to a group of pre-schoolers is a fantastic way for them to show off their newly-acquired skills, boost their confidence and motivate the pre-schoolers.  What a great idea.  I loved the question and answer session at the end when the younger kids asked in admiration if it was difficult to learn how to read.  The older kids shake their heads, all looking wise and confident, saying "No, not at all".

Tomorrow the girls are dancing in their end-of-year ballet concert.  I hope to be able to take some photos and share them with you.  Enjoy your Sunday, and to all fathers out there, Happy Father's Day!

jeudi de paris

I promised to post some photos of Ivy and Caitlin's visit.  Here are the first lot.  They were all taken in Sturget.  The roses were all just starting to come out, we wished we were staying a week longer just to be able to see them bloom.

Today my cousin Karen arrived so we've been catching up and I decided it was time to cut my hair.  To celebrate the nice weather that has finally arrived!

The camera-totting tourist about town and her model, sometimes willing, sometimes not.

In the town of Blaye we visited the citadel which overlooks the estuary.  Click here to read more about it.  

Some other willing models for Ivy.

Visiting JB's aunt and uncle in their summer home in the Perigord area, we were treated to lunch and some tree climbing.

Notice from the photos above that I've put on weight?  Not a big surprise, we spend most of our time in Sturget, shopping for food, cooking and eating...

Time for dinner, so I'll leave you for now, and promise to try and post more pictures soon!

many thursdays gone

I would like to say that spring is finally here.  There are some signs, as you can see, but its really all a deception.  Spring has decided to hold back this year and three degree days are still common.  We have had to take back out our winter coats and hats. Perhaps summer will make an early and sudden appearance.  So we hope!

I have a lot of catching up to do.  I've just been so completely over my head; I haven't abandoned the blog but I have just not managed to find the time to do my Thursday posts.  I was hoping the two-week spring break we had in Bordeaux would allow me some time, but the internet was erratic and just refused to cooperate.

My good friend Ivy and her daughter Caitlin arrived in the second week (with a suitcase full of pantry goodies), having delayed their trip a couple of days to stay back and vote in the Malaysian GE13.   Playing tour guide (I should know Versailles like the back of my hand soon) was a full time job so I neglected to update the blog.  But we took lots of photos so I'm hoping this week to find some time to post them. 

We visited an ancient windmill in the area, reconstructed from the days when villagers would bring their grains to be ground into flour by the miller.  It had us all singing this popular children's nursery song:

Meunier, tu dors

Ton moulin va trop vite

Meunier, tu dors

Ton moulin va trop fort.

Ton moulin, ton moulin va trop vite

Ton moulin, ton moulin va trop fort

Ton moulin, ton moulin va trop vite

Ton moulin, ton moulin va trop fort

(translation in brief: miller, you sleep and your mill spins too quickly) 

We had a couple of sunny days in Sturget for which we were grateful.

Young-at-heart old friends hanging out together.

As always, a visit to Sturget is not complete without a meal with the Faux family.

This is how the barbecue looks like in vineyard country in France.

 Love and peace to all.

I'll try to be back soon, but first, the laundry calls.  Ah, the life of a domestic goddess.

jeudi de paris

About a year ago today, we cringed a little as as we saw all our belongings packed up, and travel the more than 10,000 kilometres to France.  Our time in Malaysia, captured in photos and videos, but mostly in our minds and in our hearts came with us, and will continue to stay with us.  

JB insists that e-books are the way to go, but I couldn't leave my old paper types behind.  They are still in their cartons, as I haven't found the bookshelves I want, but I know they are there (along with my soya sauce, they were my most precious cargo).

You know from these titles that they aren't my books... its clearly in the HIS section of our library.

We spent a quiet Easter this year.  After all that moving and unpacking I couldn't muster up enough energy to have the girls' friends around and paint eggs or do egg hunts.  We did do some baking though.  Anais loves home-made bread and this Jamie Oliver version which is filled with parma ham, eggs, cheese, basil or anything you want really, is scrumptious.  This is the second time we've made it and we've re-named it the 'Love Bread' because we fashion it into a heart shape and its made with love for people we love... cheesy!!

We had lunch with my father in law to celebrate his birthday and went for a walk at the Parc de Sceaux, five minutes from his home.  Click here for a virtual visit.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but still very cold.  Quite unlike last Easter, when Tea painted her Easter eggs by the poolside, shirtless...

Prior to coming to France, the girls did train for cold weather.  Here they have cranked the air conditioning up high (not great for the environment, I apologise on their behalf) and have creatively fashioned some earmuffs from their headbands and socks.

And here I was in my kitchen at this time last year, preparing for our farewell party.  All that space!

Here now, a year later in Paris, we have been just as lucky, finding a very charming apartment which dates back to the 16th century.  There are still things to be done, light fittings to be installed etc but I promise to post some photos soon.  In the meantime, I wish spring would hurry up and really arrive.