At one time, the French beret was, next to the Eiffel Tour,  the most ubiquitous symbol of France!   Did you know that in 1835 the beret was adopted by soldiers in France who began wearing blue ones to show that they were elite members of the French Army?   Then, in the 1920s,…

  God, my Dad could be difficult, impossible, and infuriating… And how I loved him. I miss his sense of humour and fun. Dad had a way words and storytelling, and most of all, that he had a sparkle in his eye that never ever diminished, not even with age and creeping dementia. My Dad…

Painting by Sylvia Kingsley, UK   Connecting with women all over the world is one of the best things about having a blog. So, let me introduce you to three of my loyal readers, in Europe and beyond, with whom I keep in regular contact. I am happy to say that during this difficult time,…

  As if Paris did not have enough to offer, another vibrant element is its street art. There are even paid tours you can go on.   Sometimes I take my own tour, that is I go for a  long aimless walk, iPhone at the ready,  photographing what I find.   Some of the wall…

  Canal Saint-Martin is a 4.6 km (2.86 mi) long canal in Paris.  It starts with a wide basin at the top. Then it narrows into three tree-lined double stair-cased locks drawing down towards the Seine river.     And you probably have never heard of it. It is not on the usual list of Paris…

    I am not ashamed to admit that one of the very first things I will do once we can finally feel confident about the relaxed restrictions is to schedule a hair appointment! I was lucky that I got a haircut a week before we all went into confinement. My hair is kept pretty…

  “All By Myself” Written by Eric Carmen And sung brilliantly by Celine Dion    Recently I asked a male friend for advice about a business matter. He answered me this way; “Well I can give my two cents worth, although my wife says that since I have been home here all day every day,…

  Whenever I am in Paris, I often just like to  meander. When I decide to take a long walk,  I head in a certain direction and see where it takes me. One day I headed north from my apartment in the 9th arrondissement crossing over Rue de Clichy walking up hill into Montmartre.  …

  “Spring has sprung. The grass has riz. I wonder where the birdies is.”  Author unknown but suspected to be from Brooklyn, New York    It’s been more than a month now, hasn’t it? Give or take, depending on where you are, that we have been cut off from so many of our friends and…

  Ladies, I could not believe the response from last week’s blog about wearing your pearls! I want to thank you for the emails and comments. And I wanted to share with you the pictures I received from readers along with their comments and stories.   Janet Fleming “My Mum gave me my pearls for…