The Finished Product

The couch and the chair. After A LOT of hand sewing and quite a few movies! They may not be perfect, but they're a heck of a lot better than they were before... so until I have an income, and can replace (at least the sofa) they'll be just fine!

the sofa

the chair

The sofa's the only significant problem for the time being. It really does not make a very comfortable seat for 2. One at a time it's great... but for our quiet sunday nights there's just no good angle to snuggle and watch tv!

The SPROUTS!!

So in my days of being spoilt in the west end of Toronto, I had access to all the fresh sprouts I could imagine (and a dehydrator). How I miss those ammenities (not to mention I rarely did my own laundry). In any case, my sprout intake had been at an all time low since arriving on this side, until I re-entered the Bio Co-op (Organic Co-op). I was bombarded with greatness and freshness and I was so happy! So the organic store combined with the local market, made for some pretty fantastic spreads... the following one was just the first.

the first 'fresh' dinner

A few other treasures that 'took my breath away:

dehydrated beets (and that's it)

To boot... I think they're better than chips... and they come in beet, sweet potatoe and carrot versions!

tomato purée

Tomato purée with, really, nothing but tomatos (and a little bit of salt). MMmmmmm!

The Cover Up

my workbench

So the day we moved it rained... and rained... and rained... and the couch got quite a few smears and stains on it... that I scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail. So Lyaz and I went and bought 7ms worth of basic cotton so as to fabricate some covers. Lyaz's idea was to throw a piece of fabric on upholstered item of choice, and sew up some seems so as to make more or less a form... then cut away the extra... I didn't follow that method.

the chair in pins

I decided to do the chair first, not sure why anymore, but it worked out okay. It's not quite perfect as you will see, but certainly looks better than the stains.

the couch in pins

The couch had much longer seams, and was certainly not as interesting in terms of the sewing part... long and straight... kind of like the 401! In any case... they were a fair bit of work, but some enjoyable entertainment and certainly a sense of accomplishment.

The Fruits of Market Day

I forgot to add... this is what came home with me from the Market. At least the raw ingredients for this came from the market. And although this plate looks very healthy, all steamed and boiled... I made a hollandaise sauce to go with it.

a late lunch after the market

In the end, the sauce didn't work out too well (I'm very out of practice and I tried to half the recipe), so we just ate everything with a bit of salt, pepper and mustard. Not too bad in the end, health wise. Of course it's no live salade with a malt vinegar and olive oil dressing. I need to find some good mason jars in order to start my sprouts!

We're off to the Flea Market this afternoon to browse for the two pieces of furniture missing from the living room. Hopefully I can stumble across some mason jars there.

The Market Day

Tuesday and Fridays are Market days and I'm appreciating them very much while I don't have a day job!

To and from the Market I walked along the canal. It's kind of nice to have a lush green strip that meanders through the city. I mean, the water's green, which isn't perhaps beautiful, but there are lots of trees along the edge too, at least around here there are. After Faubourg du Temple the canal goes underground and appears as just a nice boulevard with an ample garden down the middle. La Grisette stands at the head of the garden, looking north(ish) up the canal.

La Grisette

Grisette is a term that refered to the working class women of France. The term began as a reference to their typically grey clothing. The title developed over the centuries:

The 1694 edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française described a grisette as simply "a woman of lowly condition". By the 1835 edition of the dictionary, her status had risen somewhat. She was described as: "a young working woman who is coquettish and flirtatious." 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisette_%28French%29

As did most lower class women's titles, into the 20th century it became associated with sex. But that's all in the wikipedia explanation. As for the MARKET..

The first tuesday we went (it was before the end of Lyaz's holiday) there was a lebanese stand that did manoushe... mmmm... manoushe... I didn't see it on this occaision. But as always there were veggies and fruits and meat and fish galore... some more mouth watering that others... but all for sale!

some veggies

some life aquatic

The rest are bits from the walk home.

The lock marks the point where the canal goes underground, or comes out from underground, which ever your direction of travel. Picturesque, the image is well known from its starring role in Amelie! Mostly though, it's just a great place to sit and relax for a bit.

The locke along the canal

Chez Prune is a great bar. I spent a very animated evening there with some friends a while back. Their food it a little expensive, if I remember correctly, but the beer is relatively cold and costs an average sum. Patios are the key to any bar's success it seems... Prune's is good. It looks right out to the canal and the intersection is relatively quiet in the evenings. All in all a nice bar to occupy for an evening!

le coin de chez prune

The Larger Picture

I figured it would be nice to have some orientation as to where exactly all this is taking place... 

Paris

 

 

So Paris is this big mess'a roads... If you want more details as to the roads and buildings I would urge you to read my thesis or any other of the vast number of publications written on the subject... I may get around to putting some more of that up here... after all that was what this blog was meant for originally... but 'fer now' this is what you need to know...

The Old Digs versus the New!

 

 

The street views will follow shortly... I forgot my camera today when I left but tomorrow is a market day... so there will be lots to enjoy and share!

The Inside-out

What is beyond our walls, I mean our rooves?
Well I have to start with my BALCONIES!

The balcony off the bedroom

Most of my plants have very much appreciated their new 'outdoor' status. One got stressed out, and is a little delicate for the moment, but I'm treating him with love and care... and hopefully he will bounce back soon.

As for beyond my little outdoor refuges... (also known as balconies)

The courtyard

I hope it's possible to read the captions... they really explain alot!

Anyway, for now that is my new little world. It is awfully quiet (even with the echos in the courtyard) compared to the oasis in Bloor West Village that I grew so fond of. From living with 2 little munchkins and loving the 3 next door down to a 6th floor apartment between 2 adults is a big change! But I'm getting used to it... slowly... we do have one of the best bakerys about 3 doors down... so that is a plus! It was actually designated as "The Best Bakery in Paris" in 2008...

http://www.dupainetdesidees.com/en/index.html

(I can't disagree with their 2008 title, at least not so far!)

The Move to the Middle (of the 10th)

So the road to one's own apartment is long with many ups and downs (the move in to the 6th floor also had many ups and downs)... but here we are, installed and only missing a few bits and pieces.

So, for the grand tour! (if I can ever get my images to upload)

The Floor Plan

This is the floor plan. It should help to understand the photos a bit. All in all it's 35m2 (according to the loi carrez) but with the slope of the roof there are a few extra meters here and there tucked under eaves that are considered too low to count as floor area.

The Living Room

So 'fer now' we've got the littlest sofa from ikea and the littlest chair from ikea neither of which have any kind of slip cover made to fit them... and unfortunately they're not in prestine shape anymore... (moving in the rain is not 'clean'). In any case, 'fer now' they're great. The coffee table is on the 'immediate replacement list' the current coffe table is made up of the printer box and an extra shelf from the shelving unit. (hahaha). The other thing on the 'immediate replacement list' or rather the 'immediate to buy list' is a table to put the imac on so that it doesn't stay on the dining room table forever... in anycase, a work in progress, but certainly in a comfortable living condition!

The Kitchen

The kitchen, ahh the kitchen. A lively and wonderful place! It's currently missing a freezer... another item on the 'relatively soon to buy list'. (we need to fill the last hole under the countertop beside the washing machine), also, we currently don't have a freezer. Ice cubes would be a very nice thing to have, so I'll look forward to an 'under the counter' freezer. It will also be a welcome place to store Lyaz's new favourite... frozen fish sticks!

The Bedroom

And the last of the major spaces is the bedroom... since I took the(se) picture(s) I've installed a shelf over the radiator... another surface is always welcome! One of the most welcome parts of the bedroom is the fact that we have more than a 50cm walkway around the bed! It's like we finally have SPACE!

YAY!