This post will deliver what I promised in my last post; whether it will deliver on the title’s promise might be debatable. Think snippets. . . .
This afternoon, in a trajectory I attempted to set when I bought airplane tickets several months ago, I would have boarded a plane in Vancouver a few hours ago and stepped off one in Charles De Gaulle airport, weary and somewhat crumpled a sleepless nine hours later to make my way to a favourite little hotel not too far from Paris’s Bon Marché.
Instead, this morning I got up at 5 and mixed up sourdough, wrote and posted a bunch of postcards, went for a walk/run (Week 3 of a Back to Running program), did a soul-and-body-resetting YinYang Yoga class, then lunch, bubble bath, and rejuvenating nap. I’m finishing this post while sipping a mug of Cinnamon Chai Rooibos, and in a few hours The House Chef and I will be joining our son and daughter-in-law for dinner. Via Zoom, at son’s invitation. Not sure how that will work, but I’m surprisingly keen about the social occasion. Really pleased–moved, even– that they arranged the dedicated time together (they’re putting the kids to bed first). . . .
Meanwhile, though, to finish writing this and fulfill last post’s promise to show you something I picked up in the gift shop at the Kiki Smith exhibition at Monnaie de Paris last December. There it is, above, as photographed for the exhibition’s promotional material: a chain from which hung medallion about 3.5 cms. circumference, gold-plated, made by the mint (they turn out Euros, as well as other commemorative coins and medals) from a design based on the tapestry you can see in this Instagram post. I rarely buy anything in museum/gallery gift shops other than a postcard or two, the exhibition catalogue, but I’d been keeping an eye out for a necklace/pendant with a longer chain (I also wanted a strong presence, but somehow classic or at least non-trendy, and with personal significance) — And there it was, the day after I’d resisted buying a dress and a sweater. . . .
At the bottom of this page, you can see me wearing it with a sweater dress I bought here in Vancouver at COS, and managed to wear out a few times before our hibernation began. . . . I don’t think I’ve shown you this before, and I must say it felt so good finding it after I’d resisted the cashmere one in Paris. This is perfect for my lifestyle and will be a wardrobe staple for years ahead, I know. A lightweight merino knit, firm enough and skimming enough to flatter, not sag, its only drawback being a lack of pockets. . . which, I acknowledge, might have made for some sloppiness, even some sagging. . . .
Also promised, pages from my travel journal for the day I visited the Kiki Smith exhibition in Paris. I worry about the fate of the little crêperie on Rue Servandoni. At the time, the owner’s concern was the disastrous effect on business of the ongoing, disruptive general/national strike. In retrospect, I wonder if that will seem relatively benign compared to what’s happening now. . .
Ah, I can taste the cider now, and feel the grainy texture of the sarrasin playing against the smooth texture of the melted Gruyère. . . .I sit at the table in the window, looking across the street at the gloss green woodwork of the Hotel Luxembourg Parc (we’ve never stayed there — beyond our budget — but often admired it). . .
You’ll notice that I jot the same notes in my travel journal as I occasionally do here, wishes or promises that I’ll write “More on that in a page [or post!] or so, I hope” instead just buckling down to “complete today’s entry.” . . .You might also notice my reference to visiting Haude and wonder who this is — I wrote about that visit here. . .
And that’s it. Promises kept for now, as much as I can remember, at least. Now I have to dress for dinner — I could either cheat with a tabletop Zoom approach, keeping my jeans (or pyjama bottoms) and just changing my top. . . or, since it’s cool enough here today, I could wear this dress again.
With my Kiki Smith medallion, bien sûr. . . .
(It’s a bit dark for Spring, perhaps. . . . another possibility, bought at the same time, back in “the old normal” on a shopping expedition with a girlfriend — at a store, wandering through, trying things on, moving to another store, trying on more, stopping at Nordstrom’s for a glass of bubbly, chatting all the time. . . will we ever, again? . . . on that same outing, also at Cos, I bought a pale pink sweatshirt dress which hasn’t even had the tag removed yet, just hung in the closet ever since waiting to go out. . . . Choices, decisions. . . Dressing up for dinner! After all these weeks. . . )
Okay, that’s enough of my Not-in-Paris-Now but It’s-Good-to-Be-Where-I-Am post. . . .Your comments, as always, very welcome. I’m curious to know if any of you have used Zoom yet specifically to socialize, and I’d love to hear how that went. . .
Hello Frances. Hope your Zoom dinner is going (went?) well. My therapist uses Zoom because it's HIPAA-compliant, so every two weeks I Zoom with her in SF. We also have cocktail Zooms with, for example, my house host's daughter and her boyfriend. I find those most satisfying with the screen set so our images are side-by-side (as opposed to the little image in the corner of a larger image). Night before last we participated in a Zoom birthday party. We were each sent a box of birthday party favors including gold crowns, individually packaged festive cookies (delicious), and party horns. I love a laptop-to-laptop Zoom with one other couple where each couple can set up their laptop on a table in front of them so their hands are free for drinking/eating/talking/gesticulating. The Zoom birthday call had ten people in it, and I found that a bit chaotic though still fun. I've been using FaceTime with a lot of friends I'd normally text or email with, or see in person, and I find it very satisfying as a way to see a face and body language, and hear a voice. My first post-pandemic FaceTime I was casually attired, having just returned from the building gym. My friend was three hours ahead and having a cocktail. She'd dressed for the call, including beautiful earrings, and red lipstick. The way she looked boosted my mood to such a degree I resolved to dress for all my future interactions just as I would if I were going out for coffee/cocktails/dinner. In a way, this pandemic has expanded my interactions with friends at a distance, and I hope to keep that up.
Your travel diaries are wonderfully immediate. I felt as if I was in that crêperie with you. Do visit Brittany – so very different to where you've been in France so far. And the crêpes and cider are sublime.
Your mention of Zoom as I read this over breakfast has reminded me that I failed to dress this morning for my Zoom French café conversation session shortly. And since daughter has now started her day's télétravail in our bedroom (remote working husband occupies the study, we are keeping the living room as common space, daughter's bedroom while she is with us was hastily salvaged from having no floor due to building work, and the rest of the house is a building site) – ANYWAY – upshot is that I can't access my clothes. But I do have plan B, which is to move chairs and tables and boxes to access a wardrobe of my presentable clothes, relegate for the duration of the building work. I hope I'll find something – I've totally forgotten what I have. Having asked to borrow clothes for a work Zoom meeting and surveying my accessible wardrobe, daughter remarked, "you don't really have much in the way of 'smart casual', do you?" I do like your "smart casual" tho!
We've been doing a weekly family quiz or games night since lockdown started. I listen to 8 year-old granddaughter reading to me regularly and catching up with her, and we had a surprise 40th birthday party for my son in law with around 20 zoomers participating not just from the UK but Trinidad and Spain too. I'm also using zoom professionally as I'm fortunate in being able to carry on working in these strange times.
Of course, you don't get the sweet smell of a toddler's hair or the warmth of their hugs: I do miss the physicality of my daughters and grandchildren almost more than anything… But we just have to make the best of things and remember that this too shall pass. Elizabeth
I guess,Zoom is here to stay-love Elizabeth's family quiz nights and your dinner with son and DIL
I didn't use it yet, I use Viber and WhataApp for one-to-one conversations with my son and some friends- the rest don't use even that
Love your Cos dress- actually love a lot of Cos pieces – have a light navy coat, two navy dresses and mulberry silk navy pants,love their esthetics,minimalism and natural fibers. The medallion is so beautiful
Dottoressa
I agree the medallion is beautiful and will be a sentimental keepsake of a special day. I like COS on others, you included; it has never fit me well which has been frustrating sometimes as there is a huge store here.
It's so true that what we found highly annoying, such as a strike, now seem less disruptive as we enter the third month here of lockdown. (You will know but others may not that Montréal is the epicentre in this country.)
Hope you have a fun Zoom dinner. We find them too long (Le Duc is hearing impaired and the requirement to concentrate as people talk over one another is tiring) but cocktails work well!
I just looked back at your photo of that gray cashmere dress you almost bought in Paris. Leaving it behind and finding the COS dress turned out to be most fortuitous. You look great in it and the medallion is the perfect compliment–a lovely, wearable memory. Enjoy your zooming dinner date.
I love the idea of a 'wearable memory' ! In any of the bits of jewellery or clothing/shoes I've bought in my travels, I truly believe there is a bit of time travel when I put the item on. The medallion is beautiful.
As for your lovely and flattering knit dress, it looks fabulous. I can tell it functions well. As for my similar one 🙁 , I really don't like the fact that it has pockets.
On the subject of Zoom, yes, I've been using zoom for meetings and catch up with friends for a couple of years and more so lately. I liken it to reading on an electronic device. It's doesn't replace a real book but it has it's place.
I've had 3 Zoom events so far this week (a cocktail chat with a group of DH's close friends in lieu of the weekend on the central California coast we were supposed to have; my weekly check-in with my bff, and a bi-weekly chat with writer friends). Tomorrow is Trivia, and Saturday is cocktails with our best-couple-friends. So yes, a lot of Zoom in our lives these days! And tonight, on another platform, a friend has put together a talk from a biologist on the bears of Lake Tahoe, which should be interesting.
Yes, you should plan a trip to Brittany when this is over! DH and I spent a couple of days wandering in 2016 as part of a larger trip (Camino Ingles, followed by a road trip across the top of Spain and into coastal France, winding up at the D-Day beaches), and one of our favorite memories is the lunch we had sitting outside on a perfect day at Anne of Belon, the oyster beds below us, the sea beyond, and oysters and a seafood tower in front of us.
KCJ: I love all of your examples — and your emphasis on having hands free for the important work they had to communication 😉 Our visit with son and DIL surprised and delighted me with how much of "the real thing" it could capture. . .
Linda: Thanks! The journal pages are idiosyncratic, I know, so it pleases me to know that something of them resonates with others. You are managing so well in challenging circumstances — if we'd been able to choose when and how and where to shelter in place for this long . . . Had to chuckle at your daughter's dry observation. . . our adult children all have a few changes they'd make for us, don't they? 😉
Elizabeth: What fun! We did manage one Saturday morning chat that got everyone "in the room" at once, but the nine-hour time difference makes it tough. WhatsApp seems to be our biggest connector at the moment. . .
Dottoressa: It's astonishing, really, how quickly Zoom has moved into our lives, despite the evident security weaknesses. . .
Duchesse: Like LeDuc, my hearing problems can make any kind of digital listening a challenge — but being able to sit in front of the screen and watch lip movement is actually easier for me than the telephone. I do find it exhausting, though — we were happy to say "good-night" after about an hour and a half.
Mary: Right? This one has more longevity built in, I think. . .
Sandy: We need to Zoom! 😉
CarolP: I'm up to five Zoom events this week — two yoga classes (another one for later today), a sketching class, my Italian class, and then the dinner with our son. The latter was the first purely social Zoom acrivity, but I suspect it's started something . . .
And yes, I hope we get to Brittany someday, and I definitely hope there will be oysters!
I have a COS dress that's part woven, part sweater knit and it's SO comfortable. Non-fitted from the bust down, and on the short side, it works perfectly with neon-shade tights and I've been known to wear it to Treasury Board, no problem. With a chic scarf, it's the best of everything.
K: Those dresses! When we find those. . . . Bet you're very careful with the laundering. A power dress that's comfortable and fits perfectly — and is enhanced by neon-shade tights!