Hello fellow IMK friends! I'm late to the party this month as I finally got to take a break and go to the beach last week.. June was a bit better than previous months, but the heatwave hit super early, let's say June was a Jungle June.. I'm afraid there's zero sense or order in my post today, let's just take a wild ramble through Jungle June!
Ritz le Comptoir opened near us recently and we finally got to try it. This picture does not do justice to how amazing this "chocolate biscuit" was. It's a full tablet of chocolate with a creamy white chocolate filling, a speculoos crumb and a hazelnut border. Yum yum
We went to the countryside for a quick weekend and enjoyed our dinner outside, just a simple gnocchi with tomato sauce
A beer to wash down the end of the day
We bought these incredible strawberries fresh from the farmer at the tiny market in Compiègne
I know, I know, tomatoes aren't made for pots but when all you have is a railing this is all I can manage and the growth of these tomato plants have brought me so much joy
I went to the Réanimation conference for the third year in a row and visited their super fancy Monoprix (in the Palais des Congrès building)... look at this amazing display of soup!
It was a bit emotional for me because the first time I was there in 2024, G was 0.5 and I was just about to do the specialist exams, S even brought him at lunch so I could feed him. The second time in 2025, he was 1.5 and I just went back to work. This time he is 2.5 and I've been at work for a year, and actually saw colleagues I can catch up with. The story of my reconstructed life in France...
My dad arrived from Australia and brought these beautiful macadamias
I visited my favourite tofu shop for breakfast..
My dear friend visited us in Paris one weekend and it was so hot we ended up hiding in cafés with air conditioning. For some reason I just love this water jug in the Finnish institute..
The heatwave was pretty bad. My dad tried to combat it with traditional Chinese green bean soup to cool down (it's surprisingly effective)...
And I tried to cool down with cold beer.. here you can just see my window planter herb garden too. I don't drink much and I had brought this beer back from Deauville a long time ago. It was time though when it was so hot... one day it was 35 degrees at 10pm, how is one supposed to sleep?
Which brings me to the curveball. This is how the public hospitals in Paris function - this is not even the tiny hospital in whoopti-doo that I work in, this is La Pitié-Salpétrière, the largest hospital in France (I was there for a couple of days for a conference). Without AC, the temperatures are dangerous indoors. We have a limited number of portable AC units, last year we had 5 for 22 patients and had to ration which patients were the most severe. This year they seem to be arriving every week and most rooms now have them, although we had to take one severely dehydrated patient out of a room that measured 41 degrees. INDOORS in an ICU!!! It's one of those "you won't believe that it's true" kind of things...
I'm breaking all the rules this month and sharing another curveball from the stupendous Matisse exhibition at the Grand Palais, focusing on his later years. Here he is painting with Chinese ink!
I leave you all with my monster who discovered fairy floss (in French, barbe à papa or papa's beard) for the first time at the Fête de la musique...
Sending this to Sherry who hosts the monthly IMK series. Have a great July everyone!
I am happy to hear that June was better for you even if hot. The chocolate biscuit looks absolutely divine. We also enjoy eating outside, there is just something relaxing about it. I love that you're growing tomatoes and herbs on your railing, the rosemary looks really good. Your son is growing so quickly and is just too adorable. I hope July is an even better month.
ReplyDeleteWe call fairy floss SPOOK ASEM which means ghost breath :) I cannot believe all of those soups. I am going to have to look when we are there as that is a great idea for a quick lunch. It is ridiculous that the hospitals do not have air conditioning. It must have been exhausting to go to work in that heat xx
ReplyDeleteOMG Little G is now Big , he seems to have grown so much! I would say I can't believe that about the hospitals but I think it's the same here. Everyone says we should be used to the heat because we lived in Australia but the difference is (almost) everywhere in Australia has air con! Those soups are something else and I am very impressed with your herb garden. Hope your July is jolly and full of cool (in every sense!)
ReplyDeleteNice rally in June, heat and all! Of course friends, that beautiful water pitcher, and an air conditioned café or two had to help! I am assuming the soups are pureed, which has become my favorite style to make and enjoy. Your herb garden box and your tomato are perfect, I hope you enjoy what they bring to the table. And yes, I agree G has grown! Cotton Candy (our name for spun sugar) is always so fun for kids, especially the first time they try it. I always look forward to the variety you share, and those strawberries are stunning! PS my convertor states 27 inches is equal to 68.58 cm.
ReplyDeletei love the photo of baby G with the fairy floss! a second curveball is always welcome. That chocolate biscuit looks fabulous! How lovely to have your dad visit. I can't believe how quickly time has flown; i remember when you were talking about being pregnant! Now G is 2.5!! I love the water jug in that photo. and i can't believe how hot the rooms must be without air con. Have a wonderful month and see you in august.
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry
The heatwave in Europe has sounded insane and when you talk about hospitals without air conditioning, it sounds really scary. I remember living in Scotland and how hot it was at 23 C in buildings not built for heat. I have the opposite problem right now with an office building where the boiler has broken down midway through winter and we are told it wont be repaired til spring. Melbourne buildings are not built for cold days! How lovely to have your dad there to make a cooling soup for you! I would love to peruse the Monprix soup display. G looks so grown up with his fairy floss and no doubt very sticky after - love "papa's beard". Beer and fresh strawberries and a weekend away sound like a perfect way to cope with the heat outside of work!
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