A British Summer

Perhaps it's time to move on. The previous post of my final night in Paris now feels like a distant memory. I've been in the UK for 3 months+ now and my constant nattering in French is becoming less acceptable. I always try to control myself by a little reminder of a favourite quotation from The Jane Austen Book Club whenever I start to say "Put the milk in the frigo":

Allegra: If only she'd stop speaking French

Jocelyn: Or at least go to France, where it would be less noticeable

 So I'm now back in Yorkshire following my summer internship in London. Living in the South was filled with celebrations: birthdays, small victories, big decisions and a reunited family.

  

And many many many many weekend roadtrips.

For example, this one! Arundel Castle

Magical warm evenings...

Like this one! Brockham village fair

A final trip to the seaside. We picked Bexhill-on-Sea by pointing at the map. Great descision in the end.

And after all the adventures and misadventures, we rented a big van for our old man to drive us back up the M1 to our lovely abode.

It's almost three weeks that we've been back now. I was greeted on the first evening with the spectacular sky from my attic window.

 

Whatever is next? There is another internship opportunity in London, more job applications. Fingers crossed for those already sent out into the world. But either way, the long and lovely summer that graced us this year was certainly appreciated.

But I do love autumn....

Bring it on!

A Mouzaïa wander and a Buttes Chaumont picnic

Mouzaïa in the 19th: a hidden village inside Paris

At the recommendation of one of the women that I live with, I grabbed my camera and spent an hour exploring the unusual neighbourhood which centers around Rue de Mouzaïa. Behind concrete tower blocks, you can find this little haven of flowers and felines. There were no tourists, and I even got some funny looks as these Parisians are certainly not used to having their territory snapped.

This area makes a fun change from the beautiful (but repetitive) Haussmann style of central Paris. Little pedestrian alleyways run off the main street and meandering up and down them, you'll find cute gardens and houses better suited to a village far away from the capital. There are plenty of helpful signs warning you about the dangerous and savage animal population, so thankfully I knew to watch myself around this wild cat.

The charming details of the villas

 I saw families playing in their gardens which is certainly something you miss in the city where a private garden comes with a hefty price tag. The charm is in the detail so this is not a place to visit if you're in a rush but is a great add on if you're heading to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. As I happened to be...

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

 I had been invited to a little picnic and so four ladies gathered with wine, bread, cheese and radishes for a thoroughly French meal. We nattered away until dark, until we were kindly welcomed back to one of the girls' pad for snuggles with her cat. Lots of wine was had, and the next morning, I had about 50 blurry photos of that cat. A good time indeed.

Wine and whiskers

Jardin des Plantes: home to a thousand and one orchids

The mysterious gazebo atop the labyrinth may cause expressive dancing

Sunshine hits the 5th arrondissement

To profite bien du soleil, after my classes I headed to the Jardin des Plantes to soak up the vitamin D along with every other Parisian with a lunch break. This garden has a pretty rad history, thanks to the little Menagerie. This zoo housed all the animals that survived the French Revolution in the Royal Menagerie of the Château de Versailles, although most had been eaten or sold. Whilst it was being constructed a lion, a polar bear and a sheep (amongst others) had to live in harmony in the basement of the museum. When it was finally ready, visitors apparently spat at the lion and yelled obscenities at it since it represented the guillotined Louis XVI, and he too, was once the king of the jungle.

However, not one to release my anger on wild animals, I popped into the Mille et une Orchidées exposition to admire the crazy selection of beautiful orchids. I was definitely the youngest person there by around 65 years, however since watching this awesome video about Marianne North, I have decided that flowers are basically The Best Thing Ever for a young lady to enjoy. Transported to the Tropics I wandered the expositions in an absolute daze - the sudden warmth, the sweet smells and the complete confusion of having just stepped out of Paris and into a jungle. Magical.

Mille et une Orchidées

Only missing a paint brush...