Friday, April 11, 2014

My day this and that

My day starts around 4 with an hour of mindless surfing. Time to address sketch letter envelopes.
I listen to Portrait of a Lady on BBC 4 Extra as I scribble names and addresses.
On a good day I leave early enough.
To drop letters at the post office. Yesterday I noticed a letter with NO stamp. Chris wrote me she got her Paris sketches in her mailbox with NO stamp on the envelope. Maybe the La Poste isn't so bad..
 
On to piscine Pontoise and in the water by 8 am. This is a very good day. The two ladies I eavesdrop on, now let me chat/bavardé with them. I understand every other word maybe. They talk politics. One is a professor of Russian, the other teaches French. Time goes faster when you bavardé dans la piscine.
 
Thursday is market day at Bastille - next on the to-do list after the pool. Arriving early around 9 am is the best possible time. No crowds. I discover a new stand. Purveyors from Picardie and a delicious bottle of fizzy nectar de rhubarbe.
I forgot to eat breakfast.
Why not a dozen oysters?
These are fresh from the La Rochelle area - Marennes Oléron fines, just opened and only 10€. This could become a weekly habit.
I'm a big fan of French radishes but they always wilt so quickly.
*Coco says I must not put them in the refrigerator. Instead put the leaves/stems in water like a bouquet. When I get married I'll be carrying radis. Coco's 1st cookbook of 68(!) in French, 500 tricks in the kitchen is full of excellent information like how to boil water among others.
Walking home I pass Dalloyau with the most original Easter eggs I've seen yet.  Giant strawberries and a carrot. Plus a chocolate pea pod with the peas inside filled with friture. Witty and adorable. Designed for vegetarians?
Marie asked me to shoot Meert's Easter windows.
 
Giant exquisite embossed eggs, one of them with gold leaf.
What's inside?
The realistic eggs on the right are full of praline made of ground hazelnuts caramelized with sugar, traditional at Easter. *Coco says you can find this ready to go at G.Detou - 58 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002.
Two modern sculpted chocolate hens at Meert.
At Easter the dopie, stupid chicken is de rigueur in Paris as shown in the windows of Maison Georges Larnicol's.
Any chicken with the least semblance of intelligence is thrown back into the vat of chocolate. That's just the way it is.
And the stupidest chickens cost the most like at Patrick Roger. Another unfathomable French mystiere no one has figured out.
 
Pierre Hermé's windows are elegant and simple. All the chocolate is on the inside.
I'm a big fan of the children's shop (but really for adults IMHO), Amuzilo 34, rue Dauphine 75006
 
They've been around for 50 years! I bought the windup chickie (a piu piu) but the little mouse school  was calling my name. So much temptation in Paris and not all of it caloric Thank goodness.
On rue St-Dominique in the 7th an Easter window really for children.
Comptoirs Richard across the street at #145 has more delights.
This egg hunt in the 7th offers chocolate eggs by all the top chocolatiers: Hugo and Victor, Jean-Paul Hévin, Foucher, Puyricard, Dalloyau. How can I disguise myself as a kid and sign up?
 
The flower shops are showing off their best Spring flowers and the first strawberry fraisier cakes are starting to pop up. Yesterday was a lovely day from start to finish. 
Bonne Week-end PBers!

20 comments:

  1. Yesterday was a perfect day; I'm glad to see you spent it perfectly!

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    1. Yes no staying inside on such a beautiful day!

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  2. Isabelle7:15 PM

    Coucou Carol, I'm a big fan of your blog who visits here at least twice a day! So far reading only as I dont do my own blog but this time I couldnt just leave this page bcs your idea to carry radis bouquet when you get married was too cute (I might do it as well for I'm a huge french radish lover too). Always love all your posts so much which remind me of all my Souvenirs de la vie Parisienne few years ago. (please hello to my lovely home, Saint Germain des Près.. miss Cafe de flore so badly!!) Already looking forward to your next Nouvelle!

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    1. Thank you Isabelle!
      Most kind
      You make me smile ;))

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  3. Those chocolate hens look great! The oysters, too - never had seafood for breakfast :)

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  4. As you might say - Ahem! I believe I detect rabbit school, not Mouse school. Granted, they have no fluffy tails, but mouse ears are quite short, nest-de pas?
    Meert's storeforont is so adorable, they could display dirty laundry in those windows and it would look great!

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    1. Oh Jeanette...
      It must have been wishful thinking because of you. But those are a special breed of mice - very long-Eared and they only eat carrots. No cheese.
      Ahem

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  5. OK, so I meant n'est-ce pas...not nest-de pas.

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  6. Did you have Champagne with your breakfast oysters?
    Looks divine

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  7. Amazing that the letter got there no stamp.
    I have had mail returned because a few pennies were off.
    Our stamps have gone up to $0.87- $1.00 from $0.63..
    Can't believe all the ebautiful chocolats:) Now I want to hang eggs for the kidlets..On the subject of eggs I looked for an egg mold locally ..no luck..and at Amazon.ca..usually ships within 3 months..
    Next yr!
    Can't wait for a bunch of French radishes.

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  8. How wonderful to step into your day, Carol! We're hoping it will warm soon enough so we can plant our radishes, too. So tasty! And again, loving all the windows and chocolate -- even the stupid chickens!

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  9. I have followed Paris Breakfasts for quite a while. Many times your blogs are the highlight of my day and make me smile. I love following your adventures. I can't tell you how thrilled I was for you on the day you crossed paths with Ines de la Fressange. That was perfect.
    I am looking forward to receiving my lovely Paris Breakfast letters.

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  10. I enjoy window shopping in Paris through your blog. I love all these pictures of chocolate chickens you keep posting! I'm surprised we don't see more chocolate chickens stateside as they are very cute!

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  11. CAROL ... holy cow, I missed the day you posted running into Ines ... if you can tell me a date, I'll go back in your archives to look. How did I miss that?

    I was MIA when my niece was in town .... I'll check back tomorrow to see if you post a reply. OMG, I would have passed out (well, maybe close) ... xo

    Karen in VA

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  12. Wow! What a wonderful day. I so love reading about your life in Paris! I know there are probably days of mundane things like laundry and such, too. But days like this more than make up for them, I'm sure.

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  13. Another wonderful post. Love the radish bouquet idea. :))

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  14. Oysters for breakfast sounds like a perfect world to me.

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  15. Anonymous11:06 AM

    hi,
    you have the loveliest drawings and i think it's wonderful how you remind us of things most of us would just walk by and ignore in our rush to get to places, alas.. You also make Paris all that more colorful with your wonderful water colors!! I would love to see you draw at a cafe or park. Do you paint in public??
    Do you dress just as colorfully as well?? I ask because I once saw a blonde lady with prominent glasses and brightly coloured clothes, and I now ask myself if it were you!

    Anyway, i just wanted to tell you if you don't want to have your radishes wilt, leave them with their leaves on! Mine last forever like this - even in the fridge. If yours don't, buy from another place. If they're fresh, they shouldn't wilt so easily.
    oh and how could you forget breakfast! Especially after swimming!

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  16. Carol,
    I've just joined your blog after reading some of your prior posts about dress in Paris. I love your comments.
    I have engaged a "house exchange" with a couple in the 20eme & will be going for 3 weeks in August. Although I've been several times, each visit was only a few days so I look forward to learning the city better. I truly appreciate all your advice.
    Brenda

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