barcelona

Some photos taken on my Diana Mini from a few sunny days in Barcelona last month. It was like having a burst of Spring for a few days in a long, damp winter. Although I love the dark in Autumn, when nights grow shorter and evenings are cosy by this time at the tail end of Winter I can't wait for Spring....

my paris

Finally I have gotten around to posting about my trip to Paris at the end of October and I thought the best way to do it was through some of my favourite pictures and experiences and let the city speak for itself...
(From the top down)

• A sculpture in one of the parks made of cymbals that people were gathered around throwing stones at to make a plinky plonky sound - there appeared to be a respect for public space in Paris that I really liked.
• An installation by Annette Messager in a survey of art by women from 1960 to the present day at the Pompidou centre which replaced the general survey of art from that period usually on display there. I thought it was a bold and important decision for a public institution to dedicate that much of it's gallery space to women artists.
• Napoleon III's apartments at the Louvre - one of the most breathtaking environments I've ever been in.
• French style.
• The Pere Lachaise Cemetary - (yes that's me!) the highlight of my trip and I shall be dedicating a whole post to it soon...
• The Opera Garnier and a lamp-post - Parisian architecture is incredible.
• Macaroons or Macarons! I was aware that macaroons are gluten-free but wanted to wait until I went to Paris to try them - from Laduree where this particular kind were invented. The wait was worth it particularly for the pink grapefruit ones!
  
• Some gloriously, frothy Fragonard.
  

So that's my Paris.

good things

just a few things that have brought me much happiness over the last few days...

• that I managed to cook myself two perfect boiled eggs on Saturday morning. Although I am actually quite a good cook as a general rule my boiled eggs are always undercooked and partly raw (I am not a huge fan of timing things) so much so that both 'R' and my Mum will not let me cook them boiled eggs and always insist on doing it themselves....
• that I got my copy of Dita von Teese's new book Stripteese signed by the lady herself on Friday evening.
• that my seedling are growing! albeit quite slowly...
• that I went to the Sunday UpMarket on Brick Lane yesterday with my sister to find that not only it has expanded hugely since I last went and now has loads of vintage stalls upstairs but one lady had a box of 'free stuff' she was getting rid of at the end of the day and I got a kimono with this amazing dragon on! it has a hole in one of the shoulder seams and the belt is missing but otherwise it's in perfect condition. I have another one in dark blue I bought ages ago which I altered and made into a shirt/top type thing and am yet to wear so had been kind of regretting it but now I have another one I can flounce around in when it gets warmer!
• that it has been forecast to rain all day (although it isn't right now...) and there's loads of good stuff to listen to on the radio iPlayer including last week's Dylan show!