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Easing myself slowly back into blogging in 2010.
No words for today, apologies for my silence. Having a bit of a tough time at the moment but I promise to do better, and hope you had a fantastic Christmas break.

Here are some of my snaps from Paris and Nantes, more to come of some of the best food I ate in the last decade.

En Francais

With our travel and accommodation in Paris booked I am able to concentrate on the far more important matter of what to wear. I have been finding inspiration by watching some beautiful old movies including Belle du Jour and Une Femme Francaise.

This has led to the development of acute crushes on Emmanuelle Beart, Catherine Deneuve and my current idol Vanessa Paradis (apologies, I can't find the accent in blogger for Beart).

Aren't they incredible looking? The epitome of the elegance, grace and sense of confidence that the ladies of France are so famous for. I love the simplicity of Belle du Jours' beautifully tailored jackets and dresses and am desperately shopping my wardrobe for something similar. I have just 3 days in Paris to get my fill of gawping at the ladies in the hope that some of that subtle style will rub off on me...

Mistletoe and wine

London town has been dipped in glitter and sprinkled with Christmas cheer over the last fortnight and I have been loving snapping the decorations and window displays as I dash around town.

The late November weather has been cold, wet and very windy so a lot of these photos were taken in the few moments between downpours, just before I had to run back to shelter.

My mind is turning to Christmas shopping, planning for Paris and what I am going to enjoy eating while in France.

I am about to sit down to enjoy Jordan Ferneys' fantastic guide to Paris and then create my own itinerary which doubtless we will completely ignored once there in favour of hours spent in cafes and parks.

This weeks activities include a cinema date with a gaggle of girls and the world's most adored vampire (I only managed to see Twilight last Friday and now completely get the R-Patz thing having previously been fairly snooty about him), a dinner cooked for me by extended family in Wandsworth and a date with my beloved to round off the week.

French Retreat

I have just 27 more working days this year before I wave goodbye* to my colleagues, kip over at my friend Katys' flat and then arise at 4.30am to jump on the Eurostar to Paris.

I spend three days in Paris with my beloved and then catch a snazzy French train down to Nantes in Western France to spend Christmas with my family. My aunt and uncle own a rambling old chateau and I will spend a week frequenting the local market, eating the freshest green beans covered in butter and sleeping as much as possible.

I have already touched on how important this Christmas is to me. Apart from my desire for a more positive Christmas, there is the added factor of my desperate need for some solitude and time to decide on my next big step. I just cannot wait to hole up in the French countryside, walk my dog in the local forest and enjoy a few days sauntering along at a much slower pace.

I have not yet booked my accommodation in Paris so if anyone has a recommendation please do share....

* or flip them the V sign, depending on my mood. Apart from you Z - I would never cuss you.

A quiet weekend

So far this weekend has consisted of; muggy heat, recipe reading, lemonade, cooking new things, an enormous storm, catching up on sleep, having my favourite bag pummelled by hail stones (as I stupidly left my window open in the storm), cleaning, washing, ironing and replacing thick, heavy duvets with thin, cool sheets and a lot of dancing around the Michael Jackson songs in tribute to the great man.

We also had one of those amazing experiences you hope for in a city as big as London. Wandering through Liberty on Thursday evening we met two of the most charming and stylish Parisians. They ran a section of the shop where there are 3 large canisters, big enough to stand in, which are actually tunnels to sample perfume. The company is called Editions de Parfums, and my basic understanding is that they invited the top Perfumers in the world and asked them to make their dream perfume regardless of cost or restrictions or others peoples opinion or ideas. To sample the perfume they put a couple of spritzes in a canister and you put your head in, close your eyes and are giving a rundown of what you are smelling by one of the staff. They both have the most beautiful voices, and it is more pleasurable than I imagined being lulled into an almost hypnotised state by the dulcit tones of a beautiful Parisian man running you through what your senses are experiencing.

We spent a while talking to the store manager Peggy and her colleague and got a recommendation for a place in Soho we had never heard of. Unbelievable for us all knowing Londoners. The place is called Bob Bob Ricard and in a strange coincidence Susie Bubble also mentioned it on her blog yesterday. Apparently it is wonderfully French, and it was recommended as somewhere to go to wile away a few hours without the pressure to drink. Both of them commented on how shocked they were to come to London and realise there really were not many places you could go in the evening in London where drinking was not the main activity. I agree with them, and I am looking forward to visiting Bob Bob Ricard soon.

Dressing like a French Woman

Last night I found one of the resolution lists that litter the boxes. drawers and stowed away bags in my bedroom.

I have hundreds, all detailing the ways in which I will be a better, kinder, more elegant woman living a simple life without a focus on material things, yet one who dresses in the most stylish way and is always groomed to perfection (hmmm). These are generally made when I have a hangover, have chipped or chewed my fingernails to the quick and have done something horribly shameful the night before. As such I am counting down the seconds until home time, a chance to clear up the mess of the night before and going to bed to awaken to the new day - and my new self. 

Of course 3 nights later the same pattern repeats itself. I am painfully aware of the contrasting sides of my personality - one of which wants to live by the sea, grow vegetables, drink jasmine tea and be a teacher just like Miss Honey and the other who likes nothing more than a large glass of wine, making a spectacle of herself, shopping until she drops and dreams of running her own magazine. 

I digress, because the point of this post is that the one thing that is consistent across all these lists is the promise to myself that I will "learn to dress like a French woman", also known as "create a tailor made wardrobe of simple and classic pieces - inspired by Vanessa Paridis" or "Be more French".

I spend hours poring over pictures on Garance Dore and loved the interview that Joanna Goddard did with her, asking how she could add a French touch to her wardrobe. 

Although I have been honing my style as best as can I do seem to turn to one fail safe French look, that of the stripe. I think of Carrie standing in front of the Eiffel tower in her striped ensemble and I yearn to channel that look (I know that citing an American woman as an example is sacrilege but I care not). But being neither a size 6, or a yogi, the striped look just doesn't work for me. It took me a while to realise this, and I now have almost as many striped pieces as Garance Dore - 4 jumpers, 3 t-shirts and one pair of ill

-advised leggings. 

So it is that I turn to the striped bag, and on Friday when I arrived at Paddington Station to the sight of a board announcing every train was delayed I dived straight into the shops only to re-emerge with the slouchy Accessorise sailor bag which is just the right size for either day bag, beach bag or overnight carrier. I also like the Fora III featured on Etsy. 

For now I will stick with the sailor bag to add a touch of French to my wardrobe. And will channel this stylish lady, who does chic and simple without the stripe. 

I think the reality is that I must learn to find a happy balance between the 2 sides of my personality before I can dream of really emulating the mystique and elegance of a French woman. 

Because, in the words of the inimitable Garance Dore..

"The French woman is like Alain Delon**. The French woman doesn’t take any resolutions. The French woman is. The present is her sole religion. In fact, Joanna, the mystery behind the French woman is that she has confidence in herself, despite all the nonsense she says.

There’s the secret to her indestructible Frenchitude."

And I can't imagine the woman she describes making daily lists of how to change herself...so perhaps the first step shall be a happy acceptance of who I am.

Accessorize Stripey Sailor Rope Handle Slouch Bag

Fora III Everyday Purse from Etsy seller Bayan Hippo