Magnum opus

Actually it's just an idea I've had for a while - call it the "Where are my friends" project - to show with points, on an interactive map, where on the face of the earth are to be found my friends (well, since many of you have wanderlust let's say to show "where you live mostly").

I've finally found an easy-to-use, web-based, free and almost fun application, a sort of DIY map, which seems to work OK. Take a look at their samples at http://backspace.com/mapapp/.

I started working on this last night and I've only just added a very small set of buddies in Europe, USA and Japan - but it looks promising. As soon as I have a viable, visible web-available version I'll let everyone know via a post on here.

(Oh, if you think I may not have your current, correct home address please e-mail it to me - if you know your latitude/longitude in decimal send that too and make my life easier!)

FLASH: Just looked out the window (around 11PM) to see this surprise snow storm - unusually fierce for Paris. The view is from our window looking east (towards avenue Général Leclerc).

Chikungunya

Anne dropped by and we all went to the neighborhood Le Mauritius for good & cheap food, wine, talk (not cheap) and rum.

Lowry met me and Odile for dinner at Le Paradis with his friend from Dijon, Sherry. Afterwards we walked over to the Rosebud for an after-dinner potation.

Hélène stopped by to see Odile and stayed for dinner. We were joined by our upstairs neignbor, Jean-Marie, who added his home-made chocolate cake.

Musée du Compagnonnage

I had lunch with Odile, Anne and Lowry at a new (for us all) place called Pétula in the 6th arrondissement. Pleasent surprise: reasonable pricing, a more than commendable effort at presentation and tasty dishes.

Afterwards we all went to the Musée - Librairie du Compagnonnage which Lawry had been wanting to visit since last Sunday when we passed by on our stroll. It covers, in part, the long history of the "Compagnons". Asked lots of questions (what were their links to the Knights Templers; how were/are they organized ...) but, irritatingly, few answers

Afterwards we stolled over to chez George (hole-in-the-wall bar with a funky cave - which had a nice fire going in the fireplace below) for a drink before all heading home(s)/hotel.

Bruno's vernissage

About once a year our artist friend, Bruno Ottenheimer de Gail, comes up to Paris from his village of Gévaudan to show his latest painting. Today was his vernissage at the atelier Richelieu, a marvelously large space, with many friends and champagne galore. Odile bought the pastel of Venice shown here.

Afterwards, Odile and I with Lowry and Anne went with Fanchette to her Saint-Michel digs for an improptu dinner before turning in ... around 2am.

Feel my eel ...

I'm off to the 10th arrondissement to grab some eel for tonight's dinner. Slippery sucker!

UPDATE: Once again ... it is well past the witching (or eeling) hour, going on 2:30am and one last die-hard remains (the ineffable, stolid Flo). Excellent Odilized dinner of lemon grassed/gingered eel & pleurotes with saffron rice and bak choy/soja.

Around the highly convivial table: Odile, Lowry, Anne, Roland, Fanchette, yours truly, Florence with discussion ranging from Rudolf Steiner to Freemasons, from the Compagnons to Gian Carlo Menotti. Without mentioning (I will, if I must) my killer-flan-to-die-for (recipe on request) with molto whippéd cream. Ay! Pix to come ...

Cleanliness ...

Nothing like regularly (every 7 years or so) cleaning your crudy kitchen window-fan to feel like you've actually acomplished something on a slow, rainy day.

Dinner at home with Denis, back from his two-week Spanish vacation at Altea (nar Valencia) and with Fanchette, in town from Coucy-le-Château for a few days. We all got caught up on who, what, where, when of the last weeks ... and our plans for the weeks to come (including the mid-March "Carnaval" at la Comedia).

4:30 am ...

I should be sleeping ... zzzzzzzz ... oh, I AM!

Sunday stolling ...

We arranged to meet Lowry at Shakespeare and Company bookstore from whence we walked over to Le Saint Severin (next to the fine church of the same name) where we had coffee and some wonderful conversation - we decided to stay for lunch and afterwards went strolling together around the 5th arrondissement. We ended up in front of the photo expo (Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent ?) at the Luxembourg gardens. We parted ways there as we had a dinner with our friends, the Texidors, and Lowry was off to a dinner with the best known ex-pat in Paris, Jim Haynes.

We picked up Odile's mother,Myriam, at her place and the three of us trundled over in the rain to dinner with Guy & Arleni and their friend, Blandine (a back-to-the-country Parisian ,now living, with numerous goats, sheep, cows and some horses, in the Ardèche). Arleni made a SUPERB chapon - my first ever! I finished off dinner with a snifter of Pampero Ron Anejo Aniversario.

An excellent day.