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Loiseau

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Everything posted by Loiseau

  1. Cooperlola! So sorry i couldn’t remember her name when I posted. She was amazing. Coco had a lovely B&B in Normandy; I stayed there a few times en route to the Vendée. Dear TeamedUp was in some ways the ALBF d'antan; always reminding newcomers to France to remove their rose-coloured spex; I hope she's doing ok back in England. Oh, SundayDriver, So full of good advice.
  2. I am sure i joined in the very early 2000s. I remember Coco, **** (short form of Richard) Smith, and other old-timers. In fact some of us made an assignation at the French Property exhibition one year. Russet house of course, and Auricaria(?sp), Christine Animal, and the marvellous woman from Le Mans, who went on an "itchy feet" tour to meet some of us.
  3. I love it too. A huge magnolia across the road has been resplendent, and my slightly naff pink camellia has more blooms than I have ever seen on it. But my star performer is a viburnum burkwoodii next to it. Its white flowers have the most amazing perfume that you can tune into from halfway down the street. Three weeks of fragrant heaven ahead…
  4. Vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre. To want to have one’s cake, and eat it
  5. Just remembered: horrible mashed swede, served at school.
  6. You'd better move fast to snap up a copy of this: It only comes out every leap year, so you'll need a retentive memory to follow the serial they apparently publish!
  7. Mr Banana and I did manage to get to one of the morning workouts of the Spanish Riding School, which was fascinating. I had seen them perform at the International Horse Show in White City Stadium, in - ahem - probably about 1953. I particularly enjoyed a visit to the MAK museum, for the Viennese furniture etc, including a fabulous display of Thonet bentwood chairs.
  8. Yes, thank you Lehaut for opening our eyes to these quirky structures. It's been fascinating to read about them
  9. Well, I betook myself to the Wallace Collection today in the rain and, indeed, found a magnificent shiny fountain, adorned with muscular caryatids. After a pleasant wander through the first-floor galleries (my goodness, that guy just didn't know where to stop with his collection of paintings!), I ducked into the shop and saw on the very first shelf the guidebook mentioned above. French-published, and in two languages, it contains suggested walks around Paris to find all the fountains. Looks great fun, though at £11.95 a copy I thought I wouldn't invest in it just yet. Better wait till a trip to Paris is in the offing.
  10. Aha, found a fuzzy photo on which the London one appears:
  11. And the "interval" films: potter's wheel, kitten playing with wool, etc… (Just testing who is old enough to remember!)
  12. How fascinating! I had never been aware of them, despite having lived in Paris for a time. i shall scurry off to the Wallace Collection to admire my nearest one!
  13. Ha ha! Maybe it does! But no, in the context, it is definitely a thank you. I think in the cas contraire it would be a decisive blast on the horn, or worse...
  14. Been doing this for years in the UK. Before we had hazard lights, one used to pump the brake pedal to indicate to the approaching car behind that they needed to pay attention. And here in the UK we give a quick flick of hazard lights these days to thank another motorist for some considerate manoeuvre.
  15. Eeeeew! But SUGAR in the mixture?? Yuk. Mine are much more basic; I think, from memory, it's 4oz plain flour, one egg, pinch of salt, and add milk while it whizzes round in the robot-chef till the consistency of thin cream. Then let the batter stand for 30 min or so before use. I'll be making them on 13 Feb here in the UK, of course.
  16. Loiseau

    Chamonix 2024

    Wonderful pix, Lehaut!
  17. "High net worth" adj. - urghhhhhhhhhh. Why not just say "rich"
  18. I quite agree about the fantastic range prepared meals available in the U.K., Gardian. Not just from M&S, but from Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and Cook. In France I always feel that any such offerings in their supermarkets give you the feeling that the makers despise anyone to idle to cook for themselves. It may be different in cities, where there are posh traiteurs, but here in the U.K. availability is pretty much nationwide.
  19. Exactly, minty. She did say that they substituted a paper crown from a cracker when it came to the day. I think I ought to try making one next year, if she asks me. Actually, I forgot to tell her that the smallest person at the table has to hide underneath it and then call out the names to receive each slice as it is cut, to avoid any shenanigans. Pity, as her 5-y-o would have loved doing that!
  20. Hmm, my daughter asked me to bring one back to London after Christmas, and the only ones I could find had SpiderMan crowns with them. is that some new French trradition?
  21. Oh dear, I hadn’t heard about this. It must be terrible for those who know they will never be cured, too.
  22. I love that, Norman! Thank you for posting. I am going to read the book about Madame Tussaud…
  23. Ooo, thanks Dave! I never thought of that approach, but I have drilled down into Settings, and might have succeeded. Time will tell… 😀
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