Paris

12 Days of Christmas; Ironwork

This year our salvaged marquise went up – the difference it’s made to the front of the house is substantial. I have more plans for the front that I may work on progressively over the year.

Here’s a quick reminder of what it looked like before….

And here it is now…..

The first thing that I’m thinking of changing is the colour of the marquise; at present it’s this purple. Originally it was spray painted lavender, but the paint got damaged when erected and I couldn’t spray paint it in situ. As a result I tried to recreate the colour with white metal paint and a colour addition. The lovely grey purple I’d had just couldn’t be replicated, to my disappointment. So I’m thinking of going classic Parisian black or grey like this….

What I’m definitely wanting to do is add some garde-corps like this….

These can range from 100€ to 250€, so depending on the cost it’s possible to get a garde rail up per month.

At the top of the house there is one, long central window and I’d like to have a bigger, Juliette style grill as it will be on a hallway…..

So a quick one today, still tender from New Year celebrations. I hope your twenties have started well.

Paris in the Springtime

The last time my husband and I were in Paris was in the Autumn and we stayed by the Seine. This time we stayed close to La Gare Montparnasse. Totally different atmosphere! It felt more like a city than the city of love, but there were some highlights.

We stayed in Hotel M, which was a great hotel. However the location was a little….well, when I saw a couple of sex shops in the area I wasn’t overly surprised. Nevertheless it was full of little theatres and bars and was lively. Having stayed near the Seine and walked along it’s banks last time though the area didn’t have the same impact.

I was waiting for my husband to arrive, as he was coming in from abroad, so I found myself walking the area alone and a lovely little square – a tranquil oasis.

Sat in a café alone people kept asking me what was happening with Brexit. I don’t know and I don’t think anyone else does either was my reply.

The highlight of the visit was la Basilique de Sacré Cœur. We first went there on our first anniversary. There is a group of nuns attached to the Basilica and as they came out to sing and my breath was taken away.

For some reason the ability to get to confession recently had alluded me, so we had headed out at a time I could go. As I sat down waiting I was overwhelmed by the feeling of God’s grace. I felt like the prodigal son, surrounded by his father’s love even before I could get the words of my repentance out.

I sat next to a woman who told me she’d been sat there hoping for the courage to go. It’s the second time I’ve had that kind of conversation. It’s so sad. Confession truly is a gift.

As I waited I prayed for my husband’s conversion. I’m so lucky to have a spouse that supports my faith despite his doubt. I sat with him after receiving absolution and just as I did so the nuns came out again, ready to sing. Such beauty.

Here are his shots of the view….