2012 is on path to be a good vintage. A celebration of life, a time of change, a step forward on the projects of 2011 and breaking ground on new ones ahead.

Yes, it is full of bubbles, spark, and much good company, including those to have recently passed through Paris; Norma of My Beautiful Paris, Mary Ann, Priscilla … and of course, ‘Fraussie’ –  from my tiny and remote  corner of Australia who also happens to be loving the life here in France.

Ahead lies a discovery of France from both within and outside the Peripherique, sometimes well away from the limits of Paris, at times crossing borders and finding a side that is often overlooked for the big city sister.

It means we’re finally winding the clock forward and starting the movement of the hands that have been frozen for the past three years. We’re going to think about selling, buying, and renovating – learning from the lessons of three years ago and dreaming bigger than before.

It’s going to be an amazing time ahead, and I’m so happy you’re here for the journey.

There can only be one drink and one place to celebrate…..Champagne.

Whilst Parisiens woke this morning to a new dusting of snow on the streets and chimney pots, we remain surrounded by a layer of white that covers the ground. It’s the most beautiful white ever as it keeps the house  full of non-stop giggles from children spending their day making snow angels or romping up the hills to speed back down on toboggans.

With the white is a cold, one that penetrates the warmest of coats and leaves toes and fingers frozen. The giggles, the pink cheeks and little fingers wrapped around sweet hot chocolates do their job and defrost everyone. Hope is that it isn’t about to end, with more cold and possible snow on the way for next week.

In the meantime, here are more photos of snow in Versailles along with some favourite places to visit if you are in the area:

Delicious lunch in an art school / gallery / restaurant : Esprit d’Atelier

Traditional french cuisine and an incredible steak : XXL Café

Hard to plan so far ahead, but Versailles celebrates Molière the entire month of June.

Pick your own fruits and vegetables near Versailles

Warm up with a kick-butt Vin chaude

More snow photos here

We’re also on Twitter and Facebook - come say Hi.

I’m staying housebound and not heading out to take crazy amounts of photos of the late winter dumping of snow this year,  instead I give you photos from December 2010 when snow fell frequently and a blanket lingered beautifully over the Yvelines.

You can see pictures of this past Sunday’s snowfall and how it is outside our windows here.

Come back tomorrow for part II of Winter in Versailles.

Brrrr. Everybody is talking about it, the cold that is. Minus 10degrees celcius this morning! In our eleven years in France, it’s the coldest we’ve seen the temperatures drop to, and it is showing on the streets. Outdoor café tables and chairs that are normally filled with smokers, sit empty as everyone has taken to the indoors.

Given that it is forecast to remain well into the negatives until next week, we’re staying in, wrapped up with a kick-butt vin chaud simmering away. I’ve experimented with lots, but the cognac in this one gives it the extra buzz needed on a chilly day like this.

Vin Chaud

2 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bottles decent red wine
1/2 cup Cognac
Grated zest of 1 lemon

1. Combine the water, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to the boil allowing the sugar to dissolve.
2. Add in the wine and continue to heat until you have vin chaud.
3. Add the cognac, leave on a low heat for a couple of minutes, before removing. At this stage it will be too hot to drink so let it settle a few minutes.
4. Serve in large red wine glasses, adding a final touch with a sprinkle of the lemon zest.

It’s the best way to warm up on an arctic winter evening.

Have a great weekend wherever you may be and stay warm!

Last summer our holiday plans collapsed at the last minute as we fell to the charms of a holiday scam across the border in Spain – a long story for another time. We’d so desperately wanted to return to Spain, a land we’ve travelled through and lived in, I was feeling homesick for tapas, balmy evenings and late dinners, longing to practise my diminished, almost non-existant Spanish. But it wasn’t meant to be and we found ourselves face to face with a whole lot of ‘No Vacancy’ signs hanging across Spain and most of Europe, not to mention the limited days until school broke for two months.

Hours were passed online in search of a last minute getaway that had all the criteria we were seeking. For most of what remained available, there was always ‘just one thing’ that got in the way of it being *the* place.  It began to seem evident that we might indulge in a ‘homeliday’, until I got a late reply in my inbox and everything started to come together…..Tuscany, a gorgeous medieval tower, Chianti, rolling countryside vistas, antipasti, and all within twenty minutes of Florence. It fit like the best of the best of puzzles.

Once we’d arrived, settled and found our feet,  I caught the train alone, and headed the short journey into Florence, leaving the family hanging by the pool. It’s a luxury of life that I indulge in when possible, alone time.  I love my family moments, but I also enjoy that time when I can wander, stop, gaze for long periods of time over something that might bore another to their core. I can sit and do nothing, not say a word. I can drink a coffee, write a few words, look up, look around, take a breath and lean back in a chair to watch the world go by. Florence was a place to do this.  She took my breath away and at times I felt an emotion in my chest of utter adoration.

On a quiet street on one of those afternoons, hidden close to the Ponte Vecchio, I snuck in a coffee with the adorable Rosanna of Belvivere. It was hot, as is the Tuscan summer, and whilst I’d left my little people soaking in poolside sun, Rosanna had an adorable one along side of her, who just so happened to be celebrating a mini- single digit birthday, gelato smudged across her cheeks.

With gelato appropriately melted, and no more coffee in the cup, we walked for a little through the centre, past the Palazzo Vecchio, and eventually came to  part our ways, Rosanna heading off on a bicycle as Florentines do, and me to wander some more. I happily continued to soak it all in, sauntering across crowds gathering around artists creating murals on the footpaths. I’ve seen it done before, but not to this level. Simply put, they were stunning and incredibly beautiful.

Fast forward seven months and today I spent the day at Maisons et Objet, and for the better part of the time in the elegant and serene surroundings of Hall 7.  Luxurious furnishings, yet refined, simple, and ever so elegant.  Whilst many of them were French, there was a large contingent of international companies present, many of them Italian, and I came home reminded of Rosanna and the beauty that I  found in Italy and Florence. It felt like a good time to share these “street frescoes”.

Before you go, take a look at Belvivere’s luxury Italian linen range and follow Rosanna on Twitter.

Have a great weekend wherever you are – may it be sweet and in the best of company. xo

To the west of Paris lies Monfort l’Amaury, a chic bedroom community that houses many rich and famous who work in Paris but hang their hats outside of the city each night. It also houses some not rich and famous, but that doesn’t sound half as exciting!

Narrow cobbled streets make up a centre ville that is lined with charming shopfronts and tiny restaurants.  One of those is Les folies de Gustave, owned by a South African expat, Elmari, who has created a zen of white. Mixing her native South African touches, her french life and with strong Scandanavian influence, her rustic wood furniture (recuperated and restored by Elmari) provides a corner for people to relax by the window, indulging in tea and cake, while she fuses about the store.

Les Folies de Gustave is also one of the new stockists for our cards. Drop in and say hi, sit for a coffee and browse amongst the gorgeous items in the store.

Les folies de Gustave

38 rue de Paris

78490 Montfort L’Amaury

Paris has no shortage of an amazingly talented group of people known as ‘urban artists’. Wander any arrondissement and corner after corner, there is the chance you’ll come across a wall covered in an image (or multiple ones for that matter) that should easily be hung in a gallery.

Many of those images belong to Jef Aerosol, one of the first artists to take his talent to the streets back in the ‘80’s and now a legend amongst others. Identifiable by a red arrow that accompanies the subject, his images are intense and provocative, often with eyes that penetrate deep into your soul.

Along with the two books he has had published on his work, Aerosol was the subject of a 2009 film by Manuela Dalle and has been commissioned for street projects internationally. With no less than seven exhibitions of his work on display in galleries across France, Belgium and La Reunion throughout 2012, today saw the opening of the first of the year at the Musee-en-herbe in Paris.

If you happen to stumble across his art somewhere throughout the world, take a photo and upload it to a Flickr group maintained by Jef Aerosol himself.

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For more on graffiti / urban art take a look at:

• Randy Harris’s comprehensive collection of images on his website devoted to ‘Street art in Paris’

• Read Beth Arnold’s piece on Jerome Mesnager

• View our constantly updating gallery on urban art  discoveries   -  (these images are for the purpose of sharing only – Street art is one of the many areas in France protected by Intellectual Property rights and the artists themselves retain copyright. You should contact individual artists for permissions concerning commercial rights).

Cliché as it may be that there is never enough time in the day, the truth is there isn’t.  To-do lists get longer, never shorter, and it really does feel that life is passing by at a centrifugal speed.

My youngest, just today, lost his two front teeth. I glance at him standing in front of me, and then sideways to the bookshelf ….my eyes are drawn to a photo where he lay wrapped up in blankets, just the size of the teddy bear he now cuddles to go to sleep. His sister, my beautiful little princess will say goodbye to single digits this year – she’s radiantly blossoming.

And I see this happening, and I want to yell, “Heh life, rest!  Give me more hours in the day to enjoy, don’t rush me through”. But I get the impression life isn’t listening.

more photos after the bump….

I want the 366 days of 2012 to take forever until they pass. I want to savour the moments, soaking up each and every one.  I want to be the dry sponge that absorbs every drop it can get it’s airy holes onto.

Yet I know things won’t go that way, they just won’t.  It’s already a week back into school, three weeks since we rode our first carrousel of the holidays. Then we rode more for we were on a crusade to ride as many as possible. Then we kept going and there were many more (more photos to come) , before returning to the one above for a second time. That was all two weeks ago….. already.

Round and around, giggles, laughter, sparkles in eyes. On our own, with friends.

It was a perfect way to end the old year, and the best way to start the new one.

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Have a lovely weekend wherever you may be in the world – and to Cindy, sending you a very happy birthday from Paris for Monday. xo

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For extra carrousel activities, bbonthebrink had the same great thinking plan – to ride those provided by the Mairie de Paris over the Christmas holidays.

Pairing wine with words, because the two go so well together and neither should ever be alone. Not on a summer evening, nor in the winter chill.

Each in their own way, they satiate our palette’s, hungry for words, thirsty for taste.

Shakespeare & Company matched with a Pouilly fumé.

Perfect tipple for a former wine bar!

For all the non-believers, Father Christmas does indeed live on.

He’s currently ensuring that youngsters (and young at heart) laugh, giggle and delight in the spirit of good will around Paris.

Here are some photos of day one of our Christmas Carrousel crusade …..first stop = Hotel de Ville. (PS – The majority of the city’s carrousels are free of charge until 2nd January and we’re on a mission to discover them).

Paris is getting cold, it’s wet, and there are many that are hungry on the streets of the city. Remember them now and offer them hope that they are not forgotton….pass them something to eat, a warm drink, a smile, some spare change.

A little gesture of great importance.