Where the June weather doesn't satisfy everyone

June 18th, 2010


Well dear readers,

Paris is lovely but for once Parisians were a little grumpy. It is often heard in the streets, " Ah quel mois de Juin pourri ! " which one could translate in a distinguished manner, " what a putrefied month of June ! " but which we should translate in a more pedestrian fashion as " What a rotten month of June." French have sometimes a pretty aggressive way to qualify their weather.

And fair to say, the temperature while it was raining yesterday was close to what you see in November, but as old and wise street french people say " Ah ma bonne dame, y a plus de saison ! " which one could roughly translate by " Ah m' good lady, there ain't any more season like it used to. "

So this was the weather like yesterday :

note this chic wall shelters a supermarket, like this ain't Vons, m'good lady,





note also that at the cafe outside while it is raining, the usual attire for drinking coffee and reading the paper, is a straw hat,




So, the Reporter ambling courageously under the rain along the Rue du Bac [ Ferry Street ] met the new branch of Monoprix, So Monoprix is like Vons, Ralph's so the reader will note what a Vons looks like in Paris Rue du Ferry,



Just sayin'.






Then a few more cheap buildings, seen from the street,


So continuing fearlessly Quai Voltaire the Reporter went to her fav store : Sennelier, the art store where you find every tube, turpentines and other delicious things and on the door it said :


it said " 20% sur toute la gamme Isabey " Which means nothing to you chic readers, but that would be in english " 20 % discount on the whole range of Isabey brushes " and Isabey brushes to a painter are like Vuitton to someone a little versed into the garment things. It's not Lanvin, but it's pretty good. And 20% was like " Night Music" to the ears of our cheap Reporter. So she went in to get some thinner and some medium. No brushes, because in fact, the Reporter likes the Lanvin style.

Then she went out and there she met a lovely old lady who was probably saying, " Ah Jeune Homme, ca n'est pas un vrai mois de Juin" which of course is : " Ah Young Man, this is not a real month of June " No ain't for this distinguished little parisian woman.







Then the Reporter walked past Les Beaux Arts, the Art school to where her parents wanted her so much to go. But she didn't.





Yes, the Les Beaux Arts buildings were a little too pedestrian for our chic Reporter.












So she went on, passed the lovely rue Visconti,







then arrived at the place that has her Tall daughter snark about since now she makes them as well, if not better,




and frankly Tall is right, that yellow is so obnoxious.











Then late at night, the Reporter met with Dear Hubby, her most delightful friend, Andre, and we had dinner with Andre, at Georges on top of the Pompidou Center, with a magnificent view. We have no pics of this as Andre is a very chic and private person, and persona grata.


Then on today, June 18th, which is a historical day, the Reporter's devoted Dear Hubby decided to go get some shoes as to replace some of his very antique ones, so we went to a little distinguished shop, and checked out the different colored shoe laces.



but Dear Hubby was not too much that day of the adventurous kind, though a little bit to the disappointment of the Reporter, and we ambled out.

Then after a stop at the cheap Vons:


we went to languidly walk through the awesome Deyrolle, http://www.deyrolle.com/magazine/ and Dear Hubby had never seen it so he was in for a treat...
Now Deyrolle has been in existence since 1832, and probably is the only taxidermist left in Paris. It is Rue du Bac too.
Then on February 1st, 2008, it burnt... the whole collection of animals was destroyed as well as the workshop where the taxidermists worked, and some of the wonderful 18th century wood panels which decorated the first and second floor. Paris was stunned. So everyone got on board, collectors, lovers of Deyrolle, publishers, and about 80 works of art were donated for an auction that Christie's did at the Musee de la Chasse. Along with other donations, Deyrolles managed to be rebuilt and reopened in 2009.

If you go to Paris, do not skip this, just walk up the little stairs to discover these extraordinary rooms...








If you click on the pic below, you will see it says : " MATERIEL D"ENSEIGNEMENT, INSTRUMENTS pour les SCIENCES NATURELLE" and there is a nice hand pointing since in france it is not rude to point.
It means of course, Equipment for teaching, Instruments for Natural Sciences. So there.








We left after spending nearly one hour there, fingering books and checking out little birds skeletons, we had a pretty awesome time.

To the acute demand of readers, the Reporter would like to reassess some superficial elements, indeed the socks are still there [ rotten month of June ] as can testify this view of the Nespresso store today at 4:28 pm :




With love, from a very froggish weathered Paris,

the Reporter