Happy Mardi Gras! Or, as I like to call it 'Fat Tuesday'!

The one day I like to celebrate eating like a little piggy, whilst still managing to splutter between spoonfuls of awesome food "The diet (aka Lent) starts tomorrow!".

Traditionally in France, as at home, pancakes are eaten today each year (those lucky French, they get two Pancake days within the month!), as the day's common name in English describes. As I have been making Swedish pancakes of late due to my place of work, here is the recipe I've been handed down by my Swedish boss, despite the fact that in Sweden semlor are eaten today instead - my friend Anna has posted an awesome recipe for these over here.

Diet starts tomorrow...

xx

Summer in the city :: Paris Stay-cation

There will be no grande vacance pour moi this year. Work prevents me from joining all the other Parisiens leaving the city in droves for their five-weeks-holiday every year, but, honestly, I don't mind. The streets are already calm, the metro is quiet and there are no queues at my local boulangerie for our 5pm baguette.

Contrary to the eerie mass exodus that happens every été, the city and a handful of its arrondissements have organised a slew of events to keep us and our fellow Juillettistes and Aoûtiens, that have chosen to spend our summer amongst the sandstone Haussmans as opposed to sandcastles, content. The following are just a couple of those that I'm most looking forward to enjoying during my Parisian 'stay-cation'.

City Beach

Image source

Love it or think it's gross, the Paris Plage is probably the most popular and celebrated of all the summer offerings. The 5000 tons of sand shipped in to create the yearly pop-up beach just satiates the regular yearnings I get for a trip to the seaside, which being a two hour drive away from Paris is a far cry from the 15 minute trip I was blessed with growing up. It's also the only place I feel comfortable stripping down to a cossie in the middle of the city to lie in the sun for a significant amount of time without feeling all weird and self-concious.

Paris Plage
Voie Georges Pompidou (M° Sully-Morand to M° Louvre-Rivoli) + La Villette (M° Stalingrad to rue de Crimée)
Open everyday 9am - midnight
July 20 - August 18
Free access
More info.

Films under the stars

Image source

Open air cinemas are just magic. There's nothing like being completely absorbed in a film that's being projected on a screen the size of  house while a light breeze washes over the heads of everyone around you. Combine the fact that this open air cinema is free and you can take your own food and bev to picnic and you have yourself a winning combination.
A very eclectic line up has been chosen for the program this year; amongst French, German, Finnish and Iranian films are 'Where the Wild Things Are' (25/07), 'Be kind, Rewind' (27/07), 'The Dirty Dozen' (28/07), 'The Social Network' (10/08), 'A Prairie Home Companion' (21/08), 'Tetro' (23/08), 'Taking Woodstock' (24/08).

Cinéma en plein air
Prairie du triangle, Parc de la Villette
Films commence at nightfall
July 24 - August 28
Free access. Deck chair hire; single: 7€, x5 ticket: 20€, Carte Villette (18€) holders: free
Full program: www.villette.com

Free train travel

Image source

For a while now the Île-de-France region has been de-zoned for Navigo holders on weekends, meaning those with the metro transport pass can travel throughout all the 5 zones of the region on Saturday and Sunday despite only having subscribed for zones 1 & 2, ie Paris proper. However, for a trial period of just over one month during the summer, the Stif and Ratp have extended this service to include weekdays also so those with a Navigo can travel fare-free from Paris to Versailles, Fountainbleu, St Germain-en-Laye and the two airports, which will no doubt please the vacationers. St Germain en Laye is one of my favourite day trips from the city, and after a couple of recent meet ups with Melanie in the city, who actually lives in Versailles, I have no excuse to return the favour and go visit her in her town. If only the Transilien lines went as far as the coast! 

Dézonage du Pass Navigo for the summer
July 13 - August 18
Free for Navigo holders. Navigo subscription, one month: 65€10, one week: 19€80

Canal boat rides for 1€

Image source

The canal north of Stalingrad is uncharted territory for me, I hardly go there despite all the fun things I hear that comes out of this watered part of the city. To change that and get more acquainted with the area I'm keen hop on one of my favourite modes of transport of all time - a boat! The local council of Seine-Saint-Denis are charging 1€ on Saturdays and 2€ on Sundays for their shuttle boat service along the canal from the Bassin de la Villette, behind Stalingrad, to Bobigny just outside of the city.  Lasting for one hour, the ride would the perfect way to cool down in the afternoon, especially as next week temperatures are reported to nudge close to 40°C! Ouf!! They've listed here all there is to see and eat along the way for you to make the most of the nautical jaunt, and should you wish to go even a little further there's a second 1€ shuttle boat that will take to you to the guinguette Chat qui Pêche at Aulnay/Pavillons-sous-Bois for some lunch. 

Les navettes de l'Ourcq
Bassin de La Villette - Paris/ Parc de La Villette/ Pantin/ Bobigny
From 12 noon then on the half hour from 12h30 until 19h (Paris) and 20h (Bobigny)
June 29 - August 25
Saturdays: 1€, Sundays: 2€
Further info

Fun Fair

I have to hand it to the French, when they do a fair, they do it well. Again this year the La fête foraine du Jardin des Tuileries have been set up in the centre of the city, changing the skyline of the city's most famous stretch of landmarks with its ferris wheel and that tall chair thing that goes around really fast - I don't know what it's called, but it's my favourite. Even if rides aren't your thing there's various games-of-skill caravans and outlets selling barbe à papa ('fairy floss', but it literally translates to 'Dad's beard' - isn't that neat?!) and churros for your tummy to take part in the fun fair, too.

La fête foraine du Jardin des Tuileries
The Tuileries gardens, Rivoli side
Sun - Thurs: 11h - 23h45, Fri + Sat: 11h - 0h45
June 24 - August 21
Free entry, rides various prices

Site: www.feteforaine-jardindestuileries.com

And, to provide the soundtrack for the next two months, here's a little rock and roll...

xx

Un dimanche à Paris :: Dîner en Tricolor

Sunday's Quatorze Juillet was spent at the Carrousel du Louvre for a second Paris Picnic Party - Dîner en Tricolor - with lovely friends, good vin rouge, a salted-butter caramel crêpe cake and the prettiest of fireworks. Thank you to all the lovelies that came down and made it a beautiful evening. 

xx

DIY Mini Canotier Picnic Party Hats

Every good party needs a party hat. And attendance at any lake-side picnic requires sporting a canotier, or a boater, hat. My all-time favourite hat (I have a thing for hats as I am frequently susceptible to "bad hair days"), the canotier was first seen in public fashion towards the end of the 1880's and was worn by sporty-types, cyclists and recreational sailors - hence its name 'Boater' in English. It was immortalised by Renoir who painted happy, sun-loving Frenchies all wearing canotiers in his two paintings 'Le Moulin de la Galette' and then 'Déjeuner des canotiers'.

For last Sunday's picnic I combined the two to create party boater hats and then took along some supplies so my friends could make them, too!

DIY Mini Canotier Picnic Party hats

You'll need

 + One piece of yellow, straw-coloured scrapbooking card*
+ Scissors
+ A ruler
+ A compass
+ Sticky tape
+ Double-sided tape
+ Some brightly coloured or patterned washi tape for decorating
+ A headband or some ribbon

Full instructions after the jump... xx

Anzac biscuits

While Australians around the world all celebrate Anzac Day in their own way, one staple year in, year out, is the consumption of Anzac biscuits.
A hearty treat made with shaved coconut and oats, the original biscuits were much tougher to be able to withstand being sent overseas to the troops by their wives and mothers. It has become so iconic that the base recipe of the contemporary version is now protected by Australia's Department of Veteran's Affairs which forbid it to be called a cookie!
The version below recipe is on loan from my bestie who used to be very popular with her fellow Australians at the cabaret she used to dance at, so much so that the usually figure-conscious dancers wouldn't stop at one!
While the recipe calls for quite a lot of ingredients the biscuits are ridiculously easy and super quick to make.

Anzac biscuits

Makes approx 20 biscuits

Ingredients

(French terms of ingredients are provided in brackets for those on this side of the world to more easily locate them in the supermarket).
+ 125g butter, chopped into blocks (beurre)
+ 2 tbsp golden syrup (this product, as us Anglos know it, doesn't really exist in France, I buy my golden syrup from Marks and Spencer in Levallois)
+ ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda (bicarbonate de soude)
+ 1 tbsp water
+ 1 cup rolled oats (flocons d'avoine)
+ 1 cup desiccated coconut (noix des coco rapée)
+ 1 cup plain flour (farine de blé)
+ ¾ cup caster sugar (sucre en poudre)


Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix together in a large bowl the coconut, flour, sugar and oats.
Place the blocks of butter in a small saucepan and melt on low heat melt. Once half the butter has melted add the golden syrup. Stir until melted and then add the bicarb soda to the water and stir to dissolve. Add the water to the butter - it should froth and double in size. Very quickly add this to the dry ingredients and mix together until the all the mix is wet.
Take a small amount of the mix and roll into a ball. Place on the baking paper and flatten slightly. Repeat until the baking tray is full - don't place the balls too close together as the mixture will spread. Bake for 15 minutes or until the outside is toasty brown. Take out the tray and with a spatula transfer the biscuits to a flat surface - I use a glass chopping board - as they will be very soft and need to set flat as they cool. Repeat with the rest of the mix.

xx

N'oublions jamais l'australie

Today Australia and New Zealand celebrate Anzac* Day, the day we commemorate those that fought for our countries in the great wars and all peace keeping conflicts since. The day usually starts very sombre as millions of Australians and New Zealanders attend dawn services through out the world to lay wreaths and let the haunting sounds of the 'Last Post' ripple through their hearts. Usually it finishes in an RSL* club to drink beer and play Two-up, a gambling game where people bet the results of two coins tossed in the air against one another, as it's the only day of the year unlicensed gambling of this kind is permitted.

For the previous two years I've had the opportunity to attend the Anzac Day dawn service at the Australian National Memorial just outside Villers-Bretenoux, a tiny village of a town 20 kilometers east of Amiens in the Somme region about two hours drive north of Paris. Unveiled in 1938, the Memorial lists the names of the 11,000 Australians that died in the surrounding country that have no known grave and encompasses a military cemetery for hundreds of fallen who fought on behalf of the British Empire.
Both expats living in Europe and Australians on a war history pilgrimages in France come together in their thousands to hear the stories of the men and women that gave their lives protecting their country as well as France for the French people. The service is broadcast live on Australian television networks and the minister of Foreign Affairs is always in attendence.
Situated on a hill, as you approach it in the dark, the monolith of a tower that rises in the middle of the memorial looks much taller than its 30 metres. Aided by a bright light shining upwards that can be seen from miles around, it acts as a beacon summoning those that have journeyed to pay their respects.

Attendees clambering to get a photo with former Australian Prime Minister and 2011 Minister of Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd.

It was at Villers-Bretenoux in 1918, coincidentally on April 25, that the Australian contingent of the Allied Forces halted the German invasion by liberating the city for the local people. From that point onwards Germany proceeded no further into France during World War I and the Australians were heralded as heroes. Even today any Australian that finds him/herself in The Somme region may be bestowed with extra friendliness from the local townsfolk as the children are taught from a young age N'oublions jamais l'australie (never forget Australia), as this is what graces plaques and murals throughout their primary schools.

Australians are renowned for their camaraderie and spending the Anzac Day public holiday amongst family and friends after attending the local veterans service is both very humbling and uplifting. However, to be remembering those that bravely gave their lives on the very ground that they did so is an incredibly moving experience and one I'd highly recommend to anyone that finds themselves in the north of France at the end of April.

After the service the local people serve breakfast of tea/ coffee and croissants to all the 7000 odd attendees before most head into the town centre for more services.
For future information on the dawn service and subsequent services in the area keep your eye on the Somme Anzac site.
http://www.anzac-france.com/

Photo: Diane Robertson Photography

Lest we forget.
xx

*Anzac stands for 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps'
*RSL stands for 'Returned Services League'

:: 'La Pelouse en Fête au Parc Monceau' - Little Pieces of Light

The lovely Meg documenting this ridiculous moment! 

Each year the Mairie de Paris close the lawns in almost every park in the city to the public for the colder six months of the year so the grass can "rest". It is forbidden to walk, sit, run, play on the grass that gets fenced off to the city's inhabitants and visitors. To someone who had just arrived from the Great Southern Land and grew up with huge green spaces at immediate disposal for any al fresco folly, the notion of this was just absurd and I vowed to, one day, throw a huge picnic party to celebrate when we were allowed on the lawns again.

Yesterday this very idea, which had been banging around in my head since my first springtime in Paris three years ago, was realised and to say I was ecstatic of its festive fruition would be an absolute understatement.

It was such a joyous day; the weather was positively perfect and Parc Monceau came alive with families and young folk all rejoicing in the early spring sun. Everybody I had invited, both long-time friends whom I've known since my first week in Paris and bloggers-about-town I'd only just met through social media and their invitees, got into the spirit of the fête superbly and I can't thank everyone enough for coming along and helping celebrate. It was so lovely to catch up with familiar faces and become acquainted with so many of the ladies whose blogs I'd been following for a long time and have come to cherish.

Despite my usual Sunday practice of taking photos of everything I see and do I was so nervously occupied with hosting duties that I didn't get much of a chance, and I'm not all that much of a photographer as it is. So for more absolutely stunning pics of this gorgeous day I've pasted links below to the posts of the gracious girls who have shared the day also.

Organising this little picnic made me miss terribly the event production work I loved so much prior expat life and the cogs are already in motion scheming up an even bigger and brighter fête for 2014!

Watch this space!

xx

:: 'La Pelouse en Fête au Parc Monceau' - Little Pieces of Light

:: 'Pelouse en Fête' - Paris in Four Months

:: 'Diary | The Weekend' - Ambitieuse

:: 'Pelouse en Fête: Celebrating Spring in Paris' - Expat Edna
:: 'Pelouse en Fête' - De quelle planète es-tu?
:: 'Pelouse en Fête: A Spring Picnic at Parc Monceau' - Diane, A Broad

(Pavlova cutting pic credits: Olivia)