Baie de la Somme, which is at the mouth of the Somme River in Picardy, is a delightful little town that goes back to Roman times. It still has an abbey church, a sea lock, a stone tower, ramparts and small winding streets. It has a colourful market on Sunday mornings that often extends along the waterfront. It has lovely light and attracted artists such as Sisley and Degas who both had villas there. Baie de Somme is one of our favourite cycling areas and is a good stop on the way down from Boulogne to Dieppe, for example. It’s also an easy weekend trip from Paris.
Abbey church taken in the other directionAbbey church with its checkerboard patternEntrance through the old rempartsEstuaryLovely old schoolTurn-of-the-century steam trainEstuary viewEstuary view showing early 20th century seaside housesYou can see the other side of the estuary
In part 6 of my Croatian itinerary, published way back in June last year, I recounted out stay in the Istria Peninsula. The next day we left Croatia for Slovenia. We stopped at the little mediaeval town of Vodnjan (Dignano) with its somewhat dilapidated Venitian Gothic Renaissance buildings to write our last postcards.
The main square of Vodnjan in Istria
We then worked our way up the coast, skirting round Trieste where we had intended to have lunch, but the traffic was so bad that we headed for Slovenia instead.
Inside the Proteus Restaurant in Postojnska
Our first stop was the town of Postojnska where we had a very cheap three-course meal for ten euro at the Proteus. Inside the restaurant, the people were sitting around tables surrounded by strip curtains. They obviously like their privacy! After Istria, everything seemed very neat and clean.
Philharmonic Hall in Congress Square
Our arrival at Ljubljana at 5 pm was a little traumatic even though the town seemed very pretty. There was nowhere to park near our hotel so we lugged our bags in the rain to Hotel Emonce. It turned out I had made a mistake with the booking and they were not expecting us until the next week! Relationnel, who had been driving all day, was not impressed.
Along the Ljubjanica River
We went to the tourist office where they found us a much classier hotel called the Central Union which was offering a cheap mid-week rate and had underground parking. We dropped our luggage and went in search of an apéritif. We sat down gratefully to a glass of lovely cold Slovenian wine at the Divine along the Ljubjanica River just near the Triple Bridge.
Recycling bins in Ljubljana
I immediately took to Ljubljana, the only large city in Slovenia with a population of about 270,000 people. I found it clean and friendly. I liked the people, the architecture and the atmosphere. There are five different sorts of recycling bins that are emptied into the ground below, electric cars, city cycles and lots of bike paths.
Triple Bridge
It was a little difficult to choose somewhere to eat, but I always find that’s the way when you go to a new country. It takes a while to know how everything works. We settled for al fresco eating at the Abecedarium where we had lamb cutlets and veal medallions with dumplings. Nothing special but pleasant. Afterwards we wandered round the city a bit before walking back to the hotel.
Saint Nicolas Cathedral
Next morning after a good sleep despite the sheet system (the same size as the bed!) and an excellent breakfst we visited the market which was rather sparse and went back to the cathedral with its lovely frescoes outside and beautiful baroque interior.
Dragon Bridge
We visited the famous dragon bridge, which has given the city its emblem. We then hiked up to the castle on the hill overlooking the city and got there just as the rain started pelting down. The mediaeval castle is nothing special but the panoramic view from the top is stunning. You can take the funicular if you don’t feel up to walking.
View from the castle
We then went past the strange façade of the university and into the Krizanke Summer Theatre, once the monastery of the Holy Cross and wandered about Congress Square before buying bureks (a filo pastry sknack wiht a savoury filling) at Dvor and having coffee at Solist.
Krizanke Theatre which houses the Summer Festival
After a little nap, we decided to risk the possibilty of rain and go cycling. You can read all about our adventure in another post. It took a somewhat surprising turn!
Collage above a basement clothing shop
We didn’t get back to the hotel until 9 pm, but after a quick shower, found a restaurant in Juricidece Trg. called the Okrepceurlnioa where we felt we really deserved our tagliata and Slovenian wine ! The next day, we were off on the next leg of our journey – Innsbruck.
Relationnel is on call this week. The reason we live in the Palais Royal is not because he’s a wealthy banker or some such thing. About 4,000 people work in the French reserve bank (Banque de France) that occupies the block of buildings across the road from us. Because of the xxx hectares of gold bullion underground, the technical installations such as the heating, air-conditioning, power generators and IT installations, have to be working at all times, so a team of 8 people (4 for heating & air-conditioning, 4 for power) is on roster during weekends and evenings and need to live close by. Relationnel is one of them.
Snow on the balcony balustrade
So we go to sleep on Monday night around 11 pm, which is early for us, and his beep goes off at 12.09. Fortunately, he is able to deal with the problem remotely from the computer but by the time he comes back to bed, we’re wide awake. We eventually turn off the light.
Some time later, “Are you sleep?” he says, which immediately wakes me up. “Your phone keeps making noises. Can’t you hear it?” I listen for a while and eventually hear a sort of little ding-a-ling. I go and have a look. I make sure my landline is firmly on its base and go back to bed. By then, I can detect a powerful smell of gas. Relationnel goes downstairs to see where it’s coming from (we don’t have a gas connection so it can’t be us) and comes back to tell me he’s opened the window on the landing and that it’s disappearing.
Snow on the cars in our street
By then, the entire bedroom is invaded but it’s pointless opening the window because it’s worse outside. I lie there resisting sleep just in case I die from gas poisoning which is something that happens in this country, mainly due to faulty gas installations. Relationnel starts snoring lightly. Then the ding-a-ling starts again.
I dash into my office and frantically dismantle the phone. The ring continues. I go and wrap the phone in the throw-on rug in the living room and close the door. I go back to bed. The ding-a-ling continues. I realise it must be the other landline, the one the firemen at the bank use to ring Relationnel when there’s an emergency. So I can’t do anything about it and I can’t close the door either in case the phone rings.
Snowing on the Palais Royal (it’s very hard to take a photo of snow falling)
I go back to bed. Fortunately the smell seems to have disappeared (or maybe I’ve got used to it, which is even more worrying). I read my Kindle for a while using the little clip-on light and eventually drift off. I don’t hear Relationnel get up at 6.45 but at 8 am, on the dot, I’m wrenched from sleep by a loud pumping noise in the normally quiet street below. I can’t believe it. Once a year, they deliver heating oil to the bank for three hours and this is the day.
It turns out that the smell came all the way up the Seine from Rouen due to a leak at a chemical plant that makes lubricants and paints and is classified dangerous for the environment. It was mercaptan gas which has an odour of sweat, garlic and rotten eggs and is said to be harmless. I’m glad I’m not in Rouen. We know the plant, actually, from spending several Christmases in the area. We could often smell fumes. The gas was also blown over the Channel to England! It seems that the poor firemen spent all night reassuring frightened Parisians and Brits. None of us died in our sleep however and the mysterious ding-a-ling has stopped.
The stunning cameo on one of my friend’s doors
Oh, and I’ve only lost half a kilo this week, due to an excessively rich meal at a French friend’s house, particularly the tiramisu at the end which was so good that I had an unnecessary second helping. Sigh. It’s much easier to control what you eat in a restaurant.
My Wednesday’s bloggers’ round-up this week starts with fellow Australian Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles who’s been having a holiday from blogging but after a recent trip to France, she’s fortunately back on the job. So I’m starting with her authentic experience of Christmas in France with a French family. Next Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike lists resources to plan a bike trip in France, including my beloved Loire Valley. Jill from Gigi’s French window, also Australian, compares cellar doors in France and Australia. Nothing could be more different! Enjoy!
Celebrating Christmas in France
by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian who an ongoing passion for France and the French language just back in Australia from two months in France
My love for La France is intrinsically linked with my passion for food. I have been extremely spoilt in staying with Valérie who is a generous and wonderful cook. In France the main meal at Christmas time is usually on Christmas Eve. Valérie’s son Grego offered to prepare this meal. Having lost weight for a film role he had been dreaming about an extra special Christmas Eve dinner. He devised the dishes, bought the ingredients and then he and Valérie worked as a team to create the dishes.
We started with champagne, foie gras on toast, radishes, carrot, foie gras and fig macarons from Pierre Hermé. I was rather sceptical about the foie gras and fig macarons as I have only ever known macarons as a sweet rather than something savoury. They however worked very well. I even bought some for New Year’s Eve. Read more
Great Resources To Help Plan Your Bike Trip to France
by Maggie LaCoste fromExperience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history
Cyclotourism is getting to be big business in Europe, worth somewhere around 45+ billion Euros per year to the European economy. This is great for you and me because countries like France, (and Germany, Austria and Switzerland) want our business. Their improving their marketing efforts and they are rapidly stepping up efforts to provide better information on major routes. Don’t get too excited, this doesn’t mean that you will have an easy time finding information on all major itineraries. But it does mean that access to better information is improving, more of it’s offered in English, and the result is easier trip planning. To kick off the new year and bike trip planning season, let’s take a look at several major websites to see how they can help you decide where to go and where to bike. Read more
Wineries/les vignobles
by Jill from Gigi’s French Window, French ponderings from an Australian who must have been French in another life
This year I have decided to search out and enjoy all sorts of ‘french experiences’ right here in the land down under…
I made a start last weekend by visiting a local winery…well it was an hours’ drive away, but I didn’t have to take a 2 day trip across the world!
But first some ‘pics’ to compare….
Last May, the ‘travelling bridesmaids’ and I went for a beautiful Sunday stroll along the tiny winding roads of Cassis, southern France. We thought we would try a wine tasting, have lunch..you know how it goes….well the walk was fabulous, the scenery amazing…but none were open to the public! It seems that tourism doesn’t come into play with french vineyards..(these ones anyway) .I think it must be all too serious a business for that! Read more(and don’t forget to read the comments as well)
On Friday, Relationnel and I went to the sales to replace some of the clothing that disappeared with our missing suitcase. We left our sports shoes until last and I was a bit reluctant to make the effort. Fortunately, Relationnel overcame my reticence and we went to Au Vieux Campeur. This time, I was eventually helped by a young man who was keen to practise his English and talk about Australia. The shoes I bought are actually much better (and cheaper) than the last ones. Thanks to Aurelia (see comment), I managed to get a receipt for the ones in the suitcase.
Palais Royal Gardens
So when I woke up on Saturday and saw that the snow was still on the ground, I was able to go power walking for the first time in months. At about 10.30, I headed for the Tuileries where I was certain I’d find a good depth of snow.
Night Revellers Kiosk on Place Colette
Next to the Night Revellers’ Kiosk on Place Colette, greatly improved in my opinion by its layer of snow, the waiter from Le Nemours was sweeping a path across the Place, doing what all retailers and caretakers should do: remove the snow from the pavement to avoid accidents, particularly when the temperature drops and it becomes icy.
Ducks on the first pond in the Tuileries
In the Tuileries, there were no sailing boats on the first pond – just the ducks swimming busily around the unfrozen section.
Looking towards the Louvre Museum
Neither was there anyone sitting on the green chairs facing the Louvre and piled high with snow.
Pond behind Café Diane
I checked out the pond next to Café Diane, one of my five favourite lunch venues near the Louvre, but the tables were deserted there too.
Big Wheel at Concorde
In the distance, the Big Wheel was just a haze and the whole scene looked as though it were in black and white!
Pond near Place de la Concorde
Closer up, I could see the seagulls on the pond near the Big Wheel with the Orangerie and Place de la Concorde in the distance.
Rodin’s “Kiss”
There were still two people kissing further down, though, undeterred by the cold snow.
Henry Moore’s “Reclining Figure”
As I made my way back, Henry Moore’s Reclining figure seemed to be making the most of the snowfall.
Family having a snow fight in the Tuileries Gardens
Further on, a family was having a joyous snowfight, and aimed a snowball at me when they saw me taking photos. But I ducked just in time!
In front of the first pond in the Tuileries
When I reached the last pond, I asked a photographer with his tripod if he wouldn’t mind taking a photo of me with my iPhone. I figured he’d know how to take a good photo first off. And he did! I’m wearing my new headband which is the warmest thing I’ve had in a long time – much more comfortable than a woolly hat and wonderful protection for my ears, not to mention my rabbit-lined leather gloves. It was about 1°C after all.
Africans selling hats and gloves in the Tuileries Gardens
As I walked back to the Triumphal Arch, I saw that the itinerant sellers were spreading their wares – hats and gloves – to the relief of unprepared tourists.
Caroussel Triumphal Arch
By the time I got back to the Palais Royal, there were people galore!
It doesn’t snow a lot in Paris – probably once or twice a year – and the snow doesn’t stay on the ground for long. This year, however, there has a been a decent fall, enough for the more adventurous to get out their skis and sleds! We stayed within our neighbourhood because it snowed most of the day and it was pretty cold after a couple of hours walking around.
View from our balcony in the Palais RoyalVélib’ and Blanca NievesThe Calife river restaurantAn outdoor Christmas treeA snowbear climbing a tree in the Palais Royal gardensA long snowman in the Palais Royal gardens – the scarf is one of the safety tapes around the fountain!A miniature snowman in front of Miss Bibi’sA bike cart not discouraged by the snowThe Louvre pyramid with the water iced overRiver boat carrying tourists on the Seine
It’s about 1°C and I’m taking the metro to meet friends for lunch. As I walk through Palais Royal, I see that one of our regular pavement artists has begun work. I’m cold just looking at him. On the metro reading, I open up Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” which I’m reading again. The French lady next to me asks if I’m happy with my Kindle. “Oh, yes, I love it!” “My husband bought me one for Christmas but it hasn’t arrived yet”, she says. I then proceed to tell her about my favourite features: you can increase or decrease the size of the characters which is wonderful when your sight diminishes and you can download an extract of a book before you buy it.
Pavement artist on Place du Palais Royal at 1°C.
As I mentioned in a previous post about Kindles, I’m one of those people who can’t survive without reading. I hear many book lovers say they have to have the physical object but I must confess that that I’ve now been reading on my Kindle non-stop for nearly 10 months and I don’t miss paper books one little bit! My preferred place to read is in bed and some paperbacks are just too big to read comfortably.
If you’re eating breakfast alone, you can prop your Kindle up in front of you. It fits easily into your handbag when you take the metro. If you’re going on holidays, you don’t have to find room for several heavy books and with the 3G version, you can download a new book anywhere! When you’ve finished one book by an author, you can then proceed to read all their other works. I’ve nearly finished the complete collection of Jane Austen, which I’ve never been able to do before.
Pavement artist nearly finished three hours later
It’s a great space saver of course and extremely environment-friendly. I unfortunately don’t have the back-lit version but I now have a little light that I can clip on so I can read when Relationnel’s asleep – a big boon for an insomniac like me.
Some people use their iPads to read, but I find it’s too heavy and the light isn’t comfortable for reading. The Kindle is just perfect. Another thing is that you don’t have to keep track of a bookmark. It always opens at the right place. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s a bit tricky to flip back to check on something you’ve already read though maybe there is a trick to it that I don’t know.
Kindle books are much cheaper than paper ones and you can get most classics free. I was amused to see that the only novel by Austen that is not free is “Sense and Sensibility” but it costs less than a euro. I love it when someone talks about a book and I can immediately download the extract and see if I like it. There is also a “share” function that I haven’t explored yet.
So with all these wonderful possibilities, what have I been reading apart from Jane Austen that I can recommend? I’ll let you check them out on Amazon as book reviews are not really my thing.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, which I really enjoyed, though it’s pretty tough. It tells the story of a returned soldier in Australia who went to live in a lighthouse. I chose this book after reading an excellent review on a blog called Word by Word.
The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt who is one of my favourite writers and did not disappoint me. Its about a poor young graduate student struggling to find an identity.
A Month in the Country by J. Carr which combines the return of a WWI veteran with mediaeval church restoration.
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, an Indian writer living in the US. It’s a collection of short stories whose main theme is the clashes of culture.
The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt, whose main character is a mature woman whose husband decides he needs a « pause » in their marriage.
The Secret River by Kate Grenville who follows the lives of a family of convicts and first settlers in Australia and there relationship with the aborigines.
Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville, the sequel to the previous book.
Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton, my favourite in 2012: the autobiography of a Hungarian woman who married two famous men, the ABC anchor Peter Jennings and the diplomat Richard Holbrooke.
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult, which is a bit strange but readable nevertheless. It explores a man’s relationship with wolves and how it affects his family.
We’re going to Barcelona for six days on a home exchange in February. I can’t wait. Apart from our trip to Australia in September, we haven’t been out of the country for a whole year. We haven’t even gone anywhere except Paris and Blois during that time which means that I’m travel-starved.
Blois from the cycle path on the banks of the Loire
During the same twelve month period in 2011, we went to Seville, to the south-west of France, to Normandy, to Angers and Loche in the Loire Valley, then on a four-week trip to Croatia in the summer that included 9 countries. After that, we went to “Wet” Champagne, then back to the Loire where we found Closerie Falaiseau. And we spent Christmas in Normandy.
Seville during orange season
So you can see why I’m so excited. One of the reasons I love living in Paris is its proximity to so many other countries. Over the years, we’ve been to Italy several times and have now started visting Spain. Ah yes, I forgot to mention Madrid in my list. We went there last March on our first home exchange. But it feels so long ago.
Harrap’s Spanish method by Michel Thomas
Now that we’ve booked the airfares (we’re travelling with Easy Jet for the first time), Relationnel has started reading the guide book. He decides on how we fill our days, acts the tour guide and writes up the travel dairy while I organise accommodation, do the talking, find places to eat, take the photos, write blog posts and occasionally contribute to the diary. So I’d better start listening to my Spanish tapes again. I use Harraps’ Michel Thomas method. It’s a very effective, entirely audio method which exists for other languages as well. You can download ten free lessons to test it.
Our Spanish travel diary waiting for Barcelona!
I’ve checked the temperatures which should be 10 or 12°C during the day and it should be sunny which is fine by me. It’s 3°C and overcast in Paris at the moment. I’m not sure our home exchanger is getting the best deal, though she will have an unhindered view of the Palais Royal gardens. So any advice on places to see (particularly off the beaten track), things to do, tips for avoiding queues and things, and, especially, places to eat, are very welcome.
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie Paris 1er arrondissement
And while we’re on the subject of eating, how’s the diet going? I’ve managed to lose a kilo this week, despite the galette des rois, an apéritif at Le Meurice (where I stuck to the olives and nuts and ignored the cheesy things), dinner at Le Mesturet (without dessert or café gourmand) and lunch at Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie (duck and café gourmand, I have to confess).
Finishing off the foie gras in Paris
The main things that have changed this week are my greater intake of fresh fish from the market and no afternoon tea. I’ve also had fresh citrus fruit for breakfast as opposed to orange juice. I’ve been having a small portion of carbs at lunchtime and just protein and vegetables at night. Maybe a bit less wine as well. We also finished off our Christmas chocolates in Blois. We weren’t eating a lot, but two with coffee at lunch and dinner every day is definitely too much! The foie gras is finished too. There’s still the Christmas cake, but it’ll last a while yet.
Le Comptoir de la Gourmandise, restaurant and gourmet food store, 34 rue Montmartre, 75001 Paris, 01 42 33 31 32 http://www.comptoirdelagastronomie.com contact@comptoirdelagastronomie.com
The three posts on my Wednesday’s blogger round-up today were all written by fellow bloggers whom I met up with in Paris this week. Searching for Home is a young blogger who presents some of my favourite châteaux in the Loire in an original and amusing way. Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris has encouraged me to revise my (over)use of the iPhone with comments from her children while offering the perfect gift for a smart phone user! Carina Okula, a most talented Australian photographer and blogger living in Paris is running a photo giveaway that you shouldn’t miss.
House Hunters: Castle Chapter
by Searching for “Home”, a half Swiss, half American citizen of Earth who shares the adventures and musings of an adult TCK* finding a place in the world.
“A man’s home is his castle and fortress, et domus sua cuique tutissimum refugium (and each man’s home is his safest refuge)”
– Sir Edward Coke
Come one, come all, Ladies, Gentlemen, step right up, step right up. Looking for a palace to live out that “happily ever after” fantasy? Look no further. We’ve got the castles you want at the prices you’ll most likely never afford. Read more
The perfect gift for someone who is addicted to social media!
by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use
It’s not always easy being the mother of adult-aged children, especially when they start discussing my foibles like I’m not even in the same room as them. I mean seriously, don’t they know that my hearing is still intact?!
Sara (sighing): Mom keeps tweeting. Philippe (in an exasperated voice): I already told her that she had to stop tweeting at the table a long time ago. Sara: Well, she hasn’t tweeted at the table…yet…but she has been tweeting on the metro…and the bus. And she even tweeted in the D’Orsay Museum even though I told her not to. Me: (attempting to get a word in edge-wise) I was checking me email not tweeting. Philippe: (completely ignoring my explanation) She would have never let us tweet at the table when we were young. Read more
Paris Photo Giveaway
by Carina Okula, an Australian photographer and rhildren’s craft creator living near Paris. She also has a blog
I’ve decided to have a giveaway, only I’m going to vamp it up somewhat.
Whenever I’ve run a giveaway in the past, I wanted everyone to win but there was only ever one gift waiting to go out. It got me thinking about how I might be able to make it possible to do a giveaway on a larger scale, and then it came to me; I could give away images!
Instead of choosing one person to send a gift to, I’m going to give everyone – yes everyone – an image of Paris, and I’m super excited about it.
Rather than select one person to send a printed photo to, I’ll send everyone a high resolution image that you can use however you wish. You’ll be able to print it out and frame it, or, use it as a screen saver. I don’t even mind if you want to use it on your blog – I just ask that you credit and link back to me if it used online for non-commercial purposes. Read more
It’s Saturday and I’m back in Paris at last. The scaffolding has been removed from our windows so we decide to replace some of our house plants because I’m not the only one to have suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder. We go down our four flights of stairs with the shopping trolley and discover it’s spitting. Neither of us wants to walk back up for an umbrella. I have a hood and Relationnel has a hat. That will have to do.
Plants suffering from SAD
We walk down Rue de Rivoli to the end of the Louvre then turn right towards Quai de la Megisserie. On our left we see a brass band and some sort of stall being set up in front of the Town Hall. It looks as though the neighbourhood association (1er arrondissement) is going to be handing out galettes des rois. If you don’t know what they are, you can read my last year’s post, Galette des Rois – King’s Cake. We decide we’ll check in on the way back, despite my diet.
Quai de la Mégisserie
It’s winter of course so most of the traditional pet and plant shops don’t have much out on the pavement and the largest, Vilmorin, is closed for renovation. Relationnel wants to find a new fern to replace the one he loves best which I think is a fishbone fern. We also need a bird’s nest fern and at least one other plant. None of the stores has a fishbone but we buy a bird’s nest and another plant at Casa Nova and Relationnel sees two little maidenhairs that he wants. I object because, in my experience, they keel over within weeks of buying them.
Meat is a profession
He insists however so we get them. We decide to go and get the car and go to Truffaut, an enormous nursery on the other side of town. We go past the Town Hall again and there are lots of people eating galette and drinking cider and hot chocolate while the band is playing a catchy tune in the background. There’s a big banner up on the Town Hall that mysteriously says “La viande est un métier” (Meat is a profession).
I nearly crack my tooth on the fève, which is a tiny red handbag of all things. I go and claim my reversible crown (Reine on one side and Roi on the other which I’ve never seen before!). A lady comes up to me and asks to see my fève obviously very sad she didn’t get one herself but I don’t hand it over because I want to add it to my collection.
Fraussie gets the fève!
We move off and go past a bag and luggage store which is having its after-Christmas sales and buy a suitcase with four wheels to replace the one that disappeared on our way back from Australia, plus a cabin bag to match. I’ve been wanting a four-wheel model for a while. I love the way people just glide them effortlessly along the ground. We chose dark red so the suitcase will stand out better than black on the carousel and not get pinched again.
Jazz band in front of the Louvre
As we reach Place du Palais Royal, just opposite the Louvre, we hear more music. It’s a jazz band this time with a big pink and white tuba. They’re all clowing around and enjoying themselves. The classical orchestra that is often on nearby Place Colette hasn’t made an appearance. I guess they were put off by the rain which fortunately has ceased.
Shiny new plants
At Truffaut, there is a still no fishbone fern, so Relationnel very reluctantly settles for another kind instead. I promise to cut the old one right back and see if some TLC and a lot of light (in my office) will revive it. We get home and replace all the dead plants, taking particular care when replanting the maidenhairs. I’ll let you know how long I manage to keep them alive!
