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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 30 – Thoughts for the New Year
January 1, 2021 Happy New Year & Bonne Année! Today was a lovely day here in Paris – very cold but bright and sunny. I took my usual morning coffee-gratitude walk past the Eiffel Tower (as you can see from the photo.) Even as early as I go out, there were a few people already walking around on the broad plaza. There were, as always, several van-loads of armed police in riot gear stationed around the plaza. I nodded and thanked them for their service as well as wishing them a happy new year (Bonne Année). (It was below freezing this morning and these guys were standing out on the…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 29 – Thoughts from the Old Year, cont.
December 31, 2020 This post continues my reflections on how my family, friends and I experienced 2020. Covid was certainly a unifying (and terrifying) experieince for the world, showing us a downside of globalization. I feel that I personally was very blessed with so many good things even though this year has felt like a long struggle for us all. Even though we around the world experienced things in common from this year, we lived the collection of 365 days each in our own way. Looking back over what I personally lived and felt and thought about, I ask myself – what am I particularly grateful for from this extraordinary…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 28 – Thoughts from the Old Year?
December 30, 2020 It’s the day before New Year’s Eve. It was a lovely, sunny and cold day here in Paris. I just entered the apartment – I came rushing in right at curfew time. (My daughter and I had visited friends in the 7th arrondissement.) I can tell you that we marched double-time up the hill from the metro station to reach our building by 8 pm (France’s national curfew.) What a year we have all had! I haven’t devoted very much time yet to thinking about what types of changes or resolutions I might want to make for the new year. Today, I’ve paused to think about what…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 27 – Rest and Relax
December 29, 2020 In Fiona Ferris’s book, A Chic & Simple Christmas, she encourages us to take a rest break during the holidays. Whether it’s a short nap or an afternoon tea break or even a full morning puttering quietly around the house, the rest break refreshes our outlook and rebuilds our strength. Today was a lovely rest break for me here in chilly, windy Paris. (For my readers who live in truly cold climates like Canada or northern UK, thank you for your patience as I call slightly above freezing temperatures cold! I saw that Quebec had a low of 12 F (-11 C) this morning!) I wandered the…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 26 – More Holiday Investment Cooking
December 28, 2020 In A Chic & Simple Christmas, author Fiona Ferris describes how she makes sure that there is a stockpile of healthy meals stashed in the freezer for the busy month of December. By doing a bit of “investment” cooking before the rush and bustle of the holiday season begins, she can be sure that there will be a tasty and healthy meal ready to be popped into the microwave even on the busiest day. (No need to do a high-calorie and lower quality “take-out’ or delivery order.) I followed Fiona’s example and made several delicious soups that freeze and reheat easily. (I like the idea of “investment”…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 25 – More Treats
December 27, 2020 Today dawned cold, rainy and windy here in the City of Light. I did spend a few moments thinking wistfully of warm ocean breezes and beautiful beaches. Then I got dressed (in wool – cotton is not my friend when the outside temperature drops below 45 F (8 C)) and wandered outside with my coffee. It was a sleepy Sunday morning after Christmas weekend. Even the market street was almost deserted. The Marks & Spencer store was full of empty racks – not a block of cheddar or a little mince pie to be found. I decided that my treats today would a gorgeous mango from the…
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A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 24 – Treats for After the Big Day?
December 26, 2020 Fiona Ferris encourages us to have something to look forward to in her book, A Chic and Simple Christmas. The idea is that we have all of the holiday excitement and build-up to experience but we might also enjoy some type of treat after the actual Christmas Day festivities. Ordinarily, I would have some kind of trip planned. Here in France with the nation still watching rising CoVid-19 case numbers, a quick trip is not really on my possibilities list. Instead of having a bigger treat to look forward to, I am building a list of smaller treats to enjoy for the period between Christmas day and…