wow, food

This one time I spent a whole weekend in a food coma. Here's the story of how...

It all started on Saturday, it was the Alpha away day and that meant a day trip to Versailles for team Alpha. If was a very early start but completely worth it, the day went without fault and it was wonderful. After all the guests had gone the team wandered into the town for a brief glance at the château then mojitos and beer in the last of the beautiful spring sunshine we were graced with. Proper mojitos, and for half the price then in Paris, so good we had two jugs. Then there was pizza, I'm a tough cookie when it comes to pizza because I'm not really a fan, I was a fan of this pizza though, for sure. It was gooooood and fresh, in fact I watched it being made thanks to a handy mirror. Well done Versailles, you were wonderful.

Paris at 7am

There's countryside in Versailles

Then there was Sunday, international women's day and I was so blessed to go for lunch for a lovely lady's birthday. 5 of us young adults with 2 women with a lotta life behind them and I just had the best time. We went to a restaurant in the Champs Élysées (keeping it classy) and over lunch Sarah and Jean told us stories of how they came to be in Paris and their husbands. Both just the most amazing stories. The food wasn't bad either, and there was coffee and little cakes. Then we went for more coffee and little cakes, I had macarons this time. I spent roughly two hours post food trying to stay awake and not move to quickly for fear of vomiting, so worth it. Beyond the food though, spending IWD with a group of women, old and young, whom ALL inspire me and I adore was just the loveliest thing. Well done Paris for giving me them.

Then after church we went for drinks. And nachos. And coleslaw. And stolen chips. Washed down with more beer. I'm surprised I could still move to get the metro home. 

But my gastronomical delight of a weekend didn't stop there, nope there was more today, brunch to be exact. There was a 45mins wait for the table so we got coffee from some cool coffee place nearby, very nice. I don't pay much attention to where's cool to go but I sure have a lot of friends up to speed, so I just get them to take me cool places. Anyway, coffee was good. Then brunch, I had cheese, baked camembert. Yum. Then this drink called London Fog, some earl-greyey milky slightly spicy combo, well done me for that choice. Then there was more coffee, and it was free which automatically means it was good. And finally, because it was Caleb's 21st we went for pastries (we probably would've done this minus the birthday but I like to tell myself there was a reason)

Oh Paris (and Versailles) and everyone here, with all your wonderful knowledge of nice places to eat and good coffee places. You've made this weekend a very very happy one. So much love, laughter and food. Killer time. 

I learnt what content feels like

Holidays are over and yet again I've forgotten to write anything for a looong time. Yeah so half term, in France this means two weeks off for the kids. I'm one of the lucky ones, I only worked 3 days in the first week then the rest of the time off. I did lots of walking and exploring.

I went to some greenhouses and spent ages staring at awesome cacti and colourful birds.

I wandered a long way down the Seine and found this awesome shelter thing that tells you all about fishes.

I had lunch in the coolest little café with Nat and appreciated the service in a very good coffee shop with Zoe. There was a fondue outing also which included me discovering Earl Grey beer, it was wonderful. I liked Paris holiday time, I found lots of lovely new places.

But the Kent half of my holiday won, 5 days at home was my best idea. I was super productive which is unusual for me, I got my yearly hair cut, back to having a cold neck. I waved byebye to my trusty little car (finally). I had an assessment for some work over the summer, found my spare glasses and altered some dresses that have sat waiting for ages. And I saw my beautiful friends and spent time with Pops and the A team. Home gave me the chance to just sit on the sofa and watch crappy telly, I genuinely miss this the most.

The dog share my sofa love. She even has her own armchair.

I don't have much else to talk about, no rants up my sleeve or burning issues, life is just life at the moment. It's lovely, I feel at home in Paris and just pretty content with it all. And whilst that might sound like normality for people it certainly isn't for me. I stopped worrying about the future and started trusting that God is going to send me down the right path. There's no trail of destruction following me around here. I quit some really bad habits and discovered I can be quite a patient person. I'm happy, I love my life here and whenever I go back to Kent that's pretty sweet too. Of course life could be better; I have still got a long list of wishes, things to work on. If I could have it my way my mum would be included in the list of people I saw in Kent, I would be a lot braver in situations that terrify me and I probably would learn that whilst guarding your heart is good, it ain't Davy Jones' locker. But for the first time in forever I'm not constantly worrying about what life's gonna throw at me next, but just accepting that this is my life and I should just enjoy it.

“On soft Spring nights I'll stand in the yard under the stars - Something good will come out of all things yet - And it will be golden and eternal just like that - There's no need to say another word.”

Jack Kerouac