2012

Things have been quiet here lately but I closed 2011 doing some of my favourite things. I had the opportunity to travel, celebrate holidays with family, try new recipes in the kitchen and finish a few sewing and knitting projects. Although I have been remiss in writing, I had to share one of my Christmas presents from my husband.

Voila! It was a complete surprise, too. He picked out this particular model based on reviews online, and so far so good.

He also rather wisely gave me some reading material to go along with it! After perusing the book, the serger manual and other blogs, it seemed like threading the machine would likely be my biggest challenge. I was prepared! It must have been beginner's luck but I managed fairly easily. I tied on the new thread to the spool the machine came threaded with and just pulled it through. It worked for one out of three spools. For the rest, I just followed the manual. I've already started a project from the book and will write more about it soon.

Happy 2012!

Le quatorze juillet

I didn't take a single photo on France's independence day but I did enjoy being in Paris for the holiday. We started the day with a run along the Seine, looking up at the sky to watch the flypast of helicopters and jets accompanying the parade down Champs Élysées. After brunch, as we watched cyclists climb the Pyrenees on le Tour de France, I made another chocolate cake to bring to a potluck dinner.

This photo is months old but we enjoyed a similarly spectacular sunset with the same vantage, from a friend's apartment with a fantastic view over the city. We nibbled on delicious food and sipped on wine as we waited patiently for the fireworks. The theme this year was From Broadway to Paris, and the show didn't disappoint. La Tour Eiffel made for a grand backdrop, and it was probably the most extravagant fireworks show I have ever seen.

All in all, a splendid day in the City of Light.

Fête de la Musique

The first official day of summer started off rather gray and cloudy but the sun made a brief appearance before the day was up. We spent the evening wandering about the city and listening to music. Without a pucca plan, we were able to stop at street corners, in front of cafés and mairies, and at various parks to listen to whatever caught our fancy. We returned home with exhausted feet, tired and weary but we had a good time! Here are a few photos from the evening:

Bonne année

I closed the year with a quick trip to Japan,

with buying lots of sweets from a confiserie, and enjoying them with my husband,

wandering the boulevards and rues of Paris and taking in the festive lights,

decorating a teeny, tiny tree with handmade ornaments, and cooking up a big feast.

We brought in the New Year with champagne, and then, more wanderings about town,

with visits to museums,

and cat sitting for a friend,

waiting patiently in queue for a baguette at our neighbourhood boulangerie,

and cooking, and eating some more.

Here hoping the New Year brings health, wealth, and happiness. Bonne année, mes amis!

Last week

I celebrated my birthday with a French meal at A La Biche Au Bois, which was authentic, cosy and delicious.

It snowed off and on all of last week. Not much, but just enough to make all of Paris look so pretty.

And, in addition to a rich chocolate gâteau, I had several other petit birthday treats. Yum. Hope you had a good week too.

Thanksgiving in Paris

This year we get to enjoy two Thanksgiving meals. Last night's dinner was a pot luck, to which I had agreed to bring cranberry sauce. I fretted a bit about finding fresh cranberries after having so hastily volunteered, but I easily found some at La Grande Epicerie.

I added some sugar, fresh orange juice, zest, and finely minced ginger to the cranberries, which cooked down to a delicious sauce.

I'm looking forward to our second Thanksgiving dinner this evening. I realise that not everyone who reads this blog celebrates Thanksgiving but for those that do, I hope you have a good one. I, for one, have much to be thankful for.

Diwali in Paris

It rained all day on Diwali, but that didn't dampen our spirits. We met up with a few friends for a late lunch at Krishna Bhavan. We shared a few plates of the samosas and onion bhajjis while we waited for our main order. I got a masala dosa and chai to follow. It was a satisfying meal but let's just say I still haven't eaten a fantastic masala dosa outside of India. I would go back to try their thali but would skip the samosas and bhajjis. If you like chai, I recommend it. It hit the spot.

We wandered around a bit, familiarising ourselves with the neighbourhood. I stocked up on spices and would have bought more but the store was very crowded. Next time.

We bought some sweets to celebrate Diwali and then headed south along Canal Saint-Martin, eventually stopping by at Louis Vuitton to check out the Diwali lights.

I have to say that being in the store was strange because I am not typically one to make a beeline for the Louis Vuitton store on Champs Elysees but we went anyway, took it all in and headed home after a long day.

Trying to get a metro back to our apartment, our tickets wouldn't work. Yes, they were valid. We were trying to figure out what the problem was when a woman started talking to us. Assuming that she was asking us to hurry up and get out of the way we tried to move, but she very kindly let me pass with her through the ticket gate, on her ticket. She even held the door open for my husband to pass. When I thanked her and tried to explain that I couldn't understand why our tickets didn't work, she said pas grave. She didn't really have to help us, but she did.

Several friends and acquaintances shared their experiences about Paris with us when they heard that we were moving, and I've had much time to reflect on their comments. I've even read a few books about the various cultural differences. I have to say that so far Parisians have been nothing but nice. You know, in their culturally different sort of way, but always nice. Every person that I have spoken to has tried to understand 'my' French and assist me. At the markets at grocery store, on the street, at the boulangerie. Nothing but nice. I know, now that I've said it, it's going to bite me in the behind, but the kind lady in the metro made me do it.

And it was Diwali. Hope you had a good one.

Happy Diwali

This is a photo from last year in India. No rangoli for us this year but we are going to the Indian neighbourhood at Gard du Nord tomorrow to soak in the festivities. The plan is to try the vegetarian thali at either Sarvana Bhavan or Krishna Bhavan. I'm also hoping to stock up on spices and other Indian treats. And if we have the time, we might check out one of the Louis Vuitton stores; we hear they are decorating for Diwali this year. Diwali in Paris!

2010

I hope the new year has been treating you well thus far. The last few weeks of 2009 were busy and full. Full, just like 2009. Full of travel, celebration, challenges, love, new experiences, hard work, learning, gratitude, hope, expectation, and a brand new blog (!).

The start of a new year is always exciting for me, and the first week of 2010 has started off....well, pretty full. Full of work, plans of travel, reflections on the year past, expectations for the new year, and love. I'm excited to see how 2010 unfolds. I hope that it's a good one.

Happy new year to you all. Thanks for stopping by, and thank you for all your kind comments.

Happy holidays

Just popping in to wish you and your family the best this holiday season. I'm working on last minute presents,

Using scraps to make a few zippered pouches.

and hoping that the cake I'm making for Christmas this year turns out well; it's the first time I'm making it.

More than pies and candy, cakes are popular with those that celebrate Christmas in India. The fruit-y bits (including petha, candied gourd/pumpkin) have been soaking in rum for the last 3 days. Should have been more like 30 days. Ah, well.

We are going to the cinema this evening and then to dinner, before which I must sew, sew, sew. So I'll sign off now. Stay warm, have fun and happy holidays.

Festival of Lights

Happy Diwali.

Wine country

We headed to Nashik over the weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday. Nashik is considered a 'holy' city that hosts significant religious events and weary pilgrims each year, but we mostly went to check out the wineries. It is Maharashtra's (probably India's) wine capital. The weather was perfect - a little wet, but with the cool breeze, it felt like spring in high-country Colorado.

View from the deck at the Sula vineyard.

We sampled some wines (Dindori was a favorite) and went on a tour of the Sula winery on the first evening.

Hills around Trimbak.

We went to Trimbak the next day, around 30 km away. Trimbakeshwar temple houses one of 12 jyoti lingas (Shiva shrine) in India. Without planning to visit them, we've quite accidently seen two of 12 jyoti lingas in the last six months!

Hiking up to Gangadwar.

Our plan was to hike up Brahmagiri hill to find the source of the Godhavari, a major Indian river. We took the path up towards Gangadwar, climbed 500-odd stone steps (the locals love to tell you how many steps lead up to the various temples), and took a quick chai break before hiking on.

Vanita, Sunita, and their dad. He makes a good cup of chai.

Can you spot the trail that goes up the hill? I'm not sure how to draw arrows on my photos (maybe one of you will enlighten me), but it's the steep path climbing up smack in the center of the photo.

It felt a lot like hiking in Scotland - it was misty and wet - but we had a wonderful time. You can view more photos of our trip here. We closed the evening with a tour of another winery (no pictures, I forgot the camera in the hotel), and tasted some more wine.

We had a lovely time in Nashik, although I did feet guilty enjoying the verdant countryside knowing that the farmers in the surrounding area have been badly affected by the poor Monsoon this year (it had started raining a few days before our trip, therefore the green hills). Hopefully, there will be more rain soon and hopefully it will bring some respite.

Ganpati bappa moriya*

After a typical Maharashtrian breakfast of poha (flattened rice, all spiced up), we decided to take a walk around the neigbourhood on the first day of Ganesh Chaturti.

The streets were decorated,

and people were waiting patiently in anticipation of the evening's celebration.

We saw Ganeshas being transported on foot, bicycles, and motorbikes. The smaller ones are generally for peoples' homes, while the larger ones are put up on a makeshift stage in the neighbourhood, like this one below.

We were inspired to make our own little 'shrine' when we got back home. Bringing a 'real' Ganesh idol into your home for Ganesh Chaturi is considered a big deal. Once you decide to do it, you are committed to bringing one home each year (along with carrying out a whole slew of pujas) for the next several years. We almost bought one this year, but then decided to refrain from angering the Gods!

It rained in the evening, but with the setting sun, the larger processions took over the road. I didn't get too many good shots in the dark.

We also stayed busy in the kitchen, making sweets and snacks. And eating! More pictures tomorrow.

* A cheer heard throughout the festival of Ganesh Chaturti.