TONIGHT OR TOMORROW ?

Major question :

"Should I change our bed sheets tonight or tomorrow ? "

Well, well, well, what a philosophical question to ask at this time ! What a preposterous and stupid dilemna !
You definitely must be blond. Well, I am... Sorry about that .

So, let me describe "The" dilemna in hand :
usually, I change the bed sheets on Friday morning ( stopped changing them twice a week now that I don't have a full-time maid, nor even a maid anyway !) BUT
- would it be nicer to change them tomorrow so that the year starts off with a new set of voile bed sheets from D. Porthault of course, where else ? !
- or we can imagine that the year really starts at 12 and then it will much better to slip in new sheets right in the middle of the night.

I've opted for that choice.


From Verdigris Vie

NO COOKING IN SIGHT : INDULGE ENTIRELY

You've been cooking like a crazy for Xmas , had almost a breakdown from all that hastying, from these 84 hours in the kitchen,  so now it's time for you to sit back and enjoy !

How is one to choose from all those Paris restaurants ?

Here is a small list :

- A Room with a View : " LES OMBRES" close enough to big Sis Eiffel Tower and with breathtaking views on Paris's skyline.


A bit chilly to be out so I'll show you inside; follow me !
Restaurant "LES OMBRES"


Dazzling,  right ?  Excellent Meursault....
Restaurant "Les Ombres"

Deco : Jean Nouvel
http://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/

LES OMBRES
27 Quai Branly
75007 Paris
Tél: 00 33 (0)1 47 53 68 00

- On Ice : " LE KUBE"
Chill out with your ugly Ugg's on for a 30 mns vodka shot at the icy freezing cold Ice Bar . ( It will melt all that fat we carry on like a mammoth since that damn 24th !)





Chill out at the bar of THE KUBE
Hotel Kube
1-5 passage Ruelle
75018 Paris
Tél. 01 42 05 2000
http://www.kubehotel.com/

- Exotic, Hot and Spicy : THE BLUE ELEPHANT


Hardly know where you are , right ? Bali or Tasmania. No, Paris.
At the BLUE ELEPHANT


Looks good to me !

The Blue Elephant Restaurant
43-45, rue de la Roquette
Paris (XIe).
 Tél. : 01 47 00 42 00.

- All That Jazz : M64 at the Intercontinental Marceau

Jazzy and elegant : that will be your night out in the Triangle d'Or with langoustines carpaccio, Saint Jacques with black truffle ( remember to check on "Ronds de Sorcières" website for more info on truffles) .


M64 Restaurant at the Intercontinental Avenue Marceau

64, avenue Marceau (VIIIe).
01 44 43 36 50.

Russian Roulette : LE DIAPASON
or Fiddle on the Roof ?
Set on the roof of the Terrass Hotel in Montmartre, you can hardly get higher in Paris !


Blinis and caviar will give a last homage to this Year of Russia.


Sorry, that's in Summer Honey ! You'll come back !

LE DIAPASON
Le Tearrass Hotel
12-14, rue Joseph-de-Maistre (XVIIIe).
Tél. : 01 44 92 34 00.

I wish a great evening out !

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU !

COUNTDOWN : 3....2....1

NEW YEARS EVE IS JUST A FEW HOURS  AWAY.... Scarry, right ?

Especially when you want to exceed your hosts expectations !

Rush first hour, meaning now, to the nearest florist and send a small bouquet of white flowers to each of your guests with a little white note :
" 9 p.m : your sidewalk "


What they don't know is that you have arranged for a white limousine to pick them up with a glass of champagne awaiting them in the car. That sweeping car will take them to your home where you'll greet your guests with another glass of champagne straight in the entrance hall of your home.

Your appartment will be only candle-lit ( have the firemen's number at hand ; not for a Chippendales number but in case of a fire starting ! Shit happens ! Happened to me on Xmas night ! So, you may believe me; I'm afraid !)
The chill lounge music playing it mildly for your guests to start to feel comfortable. You have asked you son's 20 year old friends to do the service : they are all clad in a white shirt and black slacks and they all look gorgeous, of course ! And fun !

Your table is set in white and silver and to make it easier,all the food comes from La Grande Epicerie : 1 stop and not the 14 stops I had for Xmas ! It's all there from sensational lobster to goose to foie gras and all the sweets you can ask for.



La Grande Epicerie de Paris

Easy as can be as you can even go on their "Boutique en ligne" and choose everything while staying nicely in bed !! Have a look at the bloggers's list too on the website.
http://www.lagrandeepiceriedeparis.fr/

HAVE A GREAT EVENING !

WHITE

Tenderness in white on littlebrownpen. A blog you have to see, believe me !

http://littlebrownpen.blogspot.com/



White from  The French Eye of Design



Brrrrrr ! Still from freezing http://thefrencheye.blogspot.com/

"REMARKABLE CREATURES" AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ME !

"REMARKABLE CREATURES"  by Tracy CHEVALIER



In 1810, a sister and brother uncover the fossilized skull of an unknown animal in the cliffs on the south coast of England. With its long snout and prominent teeth, it might be a crocodile – except that it has a huge, bulbous eye.

Remarkable Creatures is the story of Mary Anning, who has a talent for finding fossils, and whose discovery of ancient marine reptiles such as that ichthyosaur shakes the scientific community and leads to new ways of thinking about the creation of the world.

Working in an arena dominated by middle-class men, however, Mary finds herself out of step with her working-class background. In danger of being an outcast in her community, she takes solace in an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a prickly London spinster with her own passion for fossils.

The strong bond between Mary and Elizabeth sees them through struggles with poverty, rivalry and ostracism, as well as the physical dangers of their chosen obsession. It reminds us that friendship can outlast storms and landslides, anger and and jealousy.

Indulge; it's brilliant. You might remember her fantastic "The Girl With the Pearl Earring" ; well, that's still her.

And for January, that girl has the same plans we have , shush, it's a secret : 3 "R's" : Writing, Reading and Running. Just like us. Wait until you see all the exhibits on for January, you'll feel over tired already !

TOTAL SOPHISTICATION VS TOTAL WILD

The WESTIN PARIS - VENDOME all photos :  credit of Hoosta Magazine











My little garden... Just trying to see who I could fool ?
Didn't even have the chance to try the beautiful WESTIN PARIS - VENDOME .

Hôtel The Westin Paris – Vendôme
3, rue de Castiglione
75001 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.44.77.11.11


AND BACK TO THE WILD

to




From Hoosta Magazine

Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel
Amazon Rain Forest
Manaus
Brésil

I do realize there are different kinds of Wildernesses : the one below is wild enough for me, what about you ?


 

 
Wild, sure is... there's noone there !
 

Southern Ocean Lodge

Hanson Bay, Kangaroo Island, 5223 - Kingscote South Australia -
 
 
STILL INTO THE WILD
 

Longitude 131°

Yulara Drive, NT 0872 Ayers Rock

GOOD MORNING !

Be reassured, this is not exactly how I say "Good Morning" to my fellow human 2 feet buddies !
That was found on that incredible web site http://www.trufflepig.com/sounder/iceberg-alley.aspx

TOO BEAUTIFUL NOT TO SHARE

Karen by Herb Ritts via http://elizabethavedon.blogspot.com/

SIMPLE HARMONIOUS QUOTE : YOU'LL SLEEP BETTER !

From http://www.justbeautifulthings.blogspot.com/

HOTEL PHOTOS FOR INSPIRATION

DYLAN HOTEL  in Dublin, Ireland. Via Hoosta Magazine

The hip and trendy design hang out in Dublin
with only 44 rooms in this Boutique Hotel.






What better place to taste a cocktail  " French Grandeur" ? A mix of Calvados, Grand Marnier shaken with Ginger roots, apple juice and lime. Energetic !
Or to discover the joys of the Guiness.



from Hoosta Magazine


FROM SOPHISTICATION TO THE WOODS !


KOLARBYN ECO-LODGE

Which is your favourite ?




from Hoosta Magazine

Kolarbyn Eco-lodge
Magistervägen 14
734 31 Hallstahammar
Sweden
T.: +46.70.400.7053
info@kolarbyn.se

TOP BABYSITTING AT THE PLAZA ATHENEE

Years ago you were all happy with giving birth to about 8 kids. But on the 31st, you'll feel sorry !
THE day when it is impossible to find any babysitter except maybe in Bhoutan.
Well, the PLAZA ATHENEE thought about you; remember I had told you it's as if they could read your mind .



So, even if your young little brats are not actually a customer of the PLAZA, they will be taken care of till 4a.m.



For a mere 290 € per child. Told you you would be sorry to have 8 kids that night !!

DEFINITELY PIGS DAY !

The days after Xmas : definitely PIGS DAY .
A glance at the mirror only confirms what I presumed when gently squeezing my hips and tommy : bulges sliding from my grip . A real pig; there's nothing more to say.

In less than a week, another Himalaya of divine scrumpious and irresistible food to take in. How am I gone deal with that ?
So, I figured Boot Camp of my own to try to fight a few grams off.

On waking up to the sensual aroma of the Colombian coffee your husband took you to bed for a gentle "Good Morning" in return ( oh ! What's that rounded black ball smelling of chocolate right next to the mug ? Wey, wey, wey, just a truffle ! Darling husband still thinks we're in the middle of Xmas or whatever eating event there could be !)
So, what do you do ? Sip the coffee with an enthusiastic "Thank You" and handling your husband that one last chocolate truffle you hid at the back of the fridge for later on ? There's a good girl. I don't even dare imagine you might actually stick that chocolate moth ball into your greedy wide open mouth !

Start with a few relaxing and elongating movements like a cat , fold out your whole body outwards ... it'll give you the feeling of being as souple and lean as a hungry cat ... you see, you're already on the right track.
On stepping down out of your bed, a wide "Good Day to you Sun" will do  ( that's supposed to be a yoga mouvement).

Put your rollers on to get to the kitchen ( that's exercise, isn't it ?) and once arrived without any broken leg ... and no broken furniture  pour yourself that delicious detox wonder : tepid water with the juice of half a lime. Your liver will look 15 years old then. Almost ready for the full bar load of champagne to be poured down your throat at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Boot camp is not finished yet, so hang on, it has just started.
No snow out ? No rain either ? Well, you might have a hint of an idea of what's coming next ? Don't you ?
A run , a 1 hour jogging in Paris's streets or at the Bois de Boulogne or the Tuileries for a change.

You've shed about half a calorie by now ! Now finish off with a few AMAZING exercises meant to be done while at Xmas lunch, advertised by that so hilarious  blog http://www.brillerenville.com/.

Get a plastic turkey that you hold between your thighs and squeeze tight : 20 times. The inside of your legs have turned like Demi's in G.I Jane by now.
For the next exercise turn to the website above.

Refresh your mouth with a few spoonfulls of 0% cottage cheese : that's BREAKFAST !

This is enough for today otherwise you'll hate me !!!

THE KINGDOM OF CHOCOLATE : " UN DIMANCHE A PARIS"

Paris is one of those cities with "Concept-Stores" as we call them : Colette, L'Eclaireur, Merci etc... Now, just opened the chocolate Concept-Store. Who would have thought of that ? Pierre Cluizel who is a man who wouild rather live his dreams than to just dream his life. That's a good motto !


"Un Dimanche à Paris"

He recently created his kingdom of chocolate in the heart of Saint Germain des Près, in a romantic setting of old stones; the 800 m2 are totaly dedicated to smelling, tasting, patting, chewing, cooking, mastering and taming chocolates.
Pierre CLUIZEL offers a chocolate bar, a chocolate restaurant where every platter has a hint of chocolate spice, a chocolate lounge and library and of course a boutique.

"UN DIMANCHE A PARIS" feels like a good and relaxed moment . So, enjoy !

4-6-8 Cour du Commerce Saint-André
75006 Paris
Tél : 01 56 81 18 18

SUCH A RACE FOR SUCH A XMAS !

Now that Xmas is over, I can tell you the hell I went through to make a splash of a day ! 
12 stops in all , a 3 pages list ( only kidding !) :
- the regular food store , unavoidable. Boring, uninteresting, so better get it down 1st. Which I did. Blinis, fresh clotted cream, soft drinks.... bla,bla, bla. You know what I mean.
- the florist to pick a whole bunch of White Lilies, white roses, white amaryllis, light green eucalyptus, white orchids and small azaleas.

- the butcher for the foie gras; didn't have time to catch the train to the Périgord to choose the veined damn duck.
- a whole sea of oysters ( fine de claire N°2) straight from the best waters of Brittany along with a few bright orangy-red-rosy shrimps.
- Petrossian for the king of salmon: the "Royal", s'il vous plait. Skipped the caviar this time, didn't get any bonus this year; thank you Mr Maddoff .




- Brie de Melun for a change ( even tastier than the Meaux), an 18 months old fruity Comté to die for, a few greyish whitish goat cheeses from the Niort and Touraine, a gooy and bleuy Gorgonzola spreading all his creamy blue fat all over my cheese board.


A real guided tour around France picked by Androuet.
- Brazilian coffee grinded right in front of you at the "torréfacteur"; what a big word for a few coffee beans.
- Grand Lapsang Souchong at the Palais des Thés where they always try to impress you with their 250 boxes all looking alike. A real maze. Who know, maybe half of the boxes are empty but how could you tell ?
- "Les Merveilleux" for the exquisite and most divine Xmas "bûche" I've ever had.



Whenever you see that sign, you HAVE to get in and try there pastries.



A meringue layered with lightly beaten chocolaty fresh cream and topped with chocolate chips.



Impossible to resist. And part of the pleasure is to see them elaborate  the cake in front of you: the meringue on one side, the huge bowl full of cream and mounds of chocolate chips. Ouh !!!
- the bakery for ... well, even at Xmas time you need the "Passy Passion" baguette ( a mere 1,40 €) from Desgranges and their "pain d'épices" for the foie gras.
- And with all this , aren't you drinking anything ? A stop at the wine cellar for some champagne rosé, white Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and red Les Hauts de Smith.
- "Régis" on the Rue de Passy  for their scrumptious "marrons glacés" and dark chocolates or otherwise how could we ever serve coffee ? It's incredible how people are still hungry by the end of that wonderful meal !
There's even some space saved for the exceptionnal old rhum Clément ! Ouh ! And for a cigar !
- I almost forgot the fruit stand for the clémentines and fresh herbs.

I'm done. I'm exhausted, and it hasn't started yet ! Now anybody can understand why the host is falling asleep right in the middle of that feast !

MY LITTLE XMAS

My Little Xmas looked like this after my early morning jogging around the lake at Boulogne.

One of my great pleasures this year has been to  scrap book all my gift tags with collages that really had a link with each present and each person. Very time consuming as I had to dig in about a truck full of magazines but so much joy !

The BIG question after Xmas is : what did you get for Xmas ?

After the Wish List, there's the result: did anybody read your wish list and follow it ?

THE BEST GIFT

from darling Kika from her home town in Brazil http://www.kikareichert.com.br/

The BEST gift is not the sink, you stupid. It's not either the frames with weird bodies . It's THE WORDS !!!!!

" YOU LOOK  MARVELOUS" : that's a hell of a present.

"YOU ARE MARVELOUS" might sound sweet too. That's the best suggestions for a great Xmas ! Merry Xmas !