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Friday, January 04, 2013

Blanc du Jour

Yesterday was 'Jour du blanc'
Parisian fleurist's windows are full of white flowers right now.

I learned it's a French tradition to start the Nouvel an/New Year off with white flowers = meaning a fresh start. I started seeing WHITE everywhere!

Snow must be a factor too like these powder sugar-dusted galettes from Polaine
Piles of white chevre in every geometrical shape - cone, cube, pyramid and cylinder in fromagerie Laurant Dubois' window.
My first time in Paris you could buy shards of snow white coconut on the street along St. Germain. Now you get it in Monoprix.
Pierre Herme has a beautiful red shiny copy of his paper pastry bags but in plastic (?) and big enough to hold all your white hyacinths and coconuts and chevre.
It could hold The Dog of the Day too,on Avenue Pasteur...
Thank you Jennie in Hong Kong for writing about your pet in Paris portrait for the morning paper!
Jour de blanc ended with white vanilla ice cream from reknown Picard, French frozen food heaven (famous for their produits alimentaires surgelés, melting on top of Picard's Crumble aux pomme. Yes it was YUM.
There's a plethora of white fuzzy animals in Paris shop windows. The non-existent French squirrel can be counted on to show up decked out white as snow.
BONNE WEEKEND PBers!

26 comments:

  1. Have you seen Orson at Cafe Le Conti on rue Buci yet?

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    Replies
    1. I haven't had a chance yet to pass by rue du Buci but I will
      Orson is a darling doggie!
      woof

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  2. How I love your drawings, Carol - these and the parapluies - wish you'd show more! Dog of the day is my favourite new feature, and I do love seeing Paris colours through your artist's eye. xx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Karen!
      Dog of the day is a new permanent fixture at PB
      As are the daily drawings if I can get my act together and do them in a timely manner.
      Blogger was acting up today ahem :(

      Delete
  3. The Pierre Heme bag is now on my to-do list during my upcoming March antique buying trip.

    White flowers for fresh start...didn't know that. Must go buy some.

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    Replies
    1. Bring a big bag of euros
      380 of them :(

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    2. C - the leather bag cost 380 euros?!? Oh, I want it!

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  4. I love white--
    The ranunculus:-) They take my breath away..Hyacinths too..
    And Les Galettes Du Roi?
    Tout best si beau..surtout ton aquarelle.

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    Replies
    1. Of course...rununulas
      Only you would know that Monique
      I was thinking peonies

      Delete
  5. Anonymous5:58 PM

    Today's blog made me wonder about French flowers. I know that each kind of flower has a different meaning and certain ones can be no-no's as gifts and inappropriate on certain occasions. Would love to see a blog post about this

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  6. Dog of the Day! What a great new feature, especially for us whose cats won't let them have a dog -- Thank you mille fois.

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  7. White is an excellent choice for a clean pure new year!

    oxox
    from Buster too

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  8. I'm loving your daily drawings!

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  9. I love that opening watercolor! The handbag photo is a great shot.
    Looking at the flowers and greenery in the shop windows cheers me up as we go through a dreary cold snap over here in the Northeast!
    Have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Very lucky so far with Paris weather
      Bet yr snap will head this way soon..

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  10. Is this what I think it is? Your first white post? As a child, I could never have any white clothes...too hard to keep clean. Now I have all the whites I want...and every darned one of them is stained with something! I must switch to eating only Picard vanilla when I wear white.

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  11. Mary and I will be there in a few short weeks. WE've never shopped Picard's but after your photo, it's on our list! I will be photographing florists and flowers, so any that you especially love would be welcome!
    V

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    Replies
    1. That's a tough one Virginia
      They are all so beautiful but the to ones may not let you shoot if you do not also buy something
      C'est comme ça

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  12. Good to hear the daily drawings and dog of the day are to be permanent features. Love seeing both. Wish I could read that paper. But congrats for being written up in it.

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  13. Belle année Carol,de la gourmandise dans tes peintures et en vrai...

    Amicalement,

    manon

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  14. What amazes me is the variety of whites!!...and your gold fingernails do go well with them...I had just been thinking that our white Maine snows seemed to me like a clean slate...we get another chance with another year...Your daily pages, very cool!

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  15. Happy New Year.

    I follow your lovely mouth watering pictures. Thanks for all you work in 2012.

    Love Denise.

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  16. Anonymous3:55 PM

    Hello,
    I live very close to "le Conti", unfortunately since around the 31st of Dec we haven't seen Orson. The owner has put signs in the neighborhood asking to bring his dog back. Hopefully Orson will show up soon.

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    Replies
    1. That is heartbreaking :(
      who would take Orson?
      Too sad...hope he shows up soon.

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    2. Anonymous1:45 PM

      Hello,
      Good news; after 14 days, Orson is back. Not sure where he went for 2 weeks, but the owner of the cafe just put a sign today : "Orson est de retour, Merci a tous!"

      Delete
  17. I was thinking that I should be a new handbag on my trip to Paris this year, perhaps you've already found the one for me? PH and all. I just love your diary page, it's gorgeous, I wish I had some talent to record my days like that.

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