L'Orangerie de Sceaux

I think it was a brochure I picked up in a cafe which pointed me to a concert on at a chateau in the banlieues of Paris which hosts chamber music in it's Orangerie every summer.

Since my parents were coming I thought I'd get some tickets. We saw Schubert's Trio No 2 in mi bemol major, op.100 and Tchaikovsky's Trio in minor, "In the memory of a great artist", op.50 performed by Svetlin Roussev on violin, Francois Salque on cello and Elena Rozanova on piano.

The experience was sublime. Un-amplified the music filled the room, once quite literally used to grow citrus - as well as host parties according to the brochure. Aside from the cellist sweating rivulets, the performance seemed effortless. The concerts run every year and I'd recommend it to anyone in Paris. Not to mention the fact that the chateau and gardens are exquisite also.

I managed to forget my camera so pictures are from Wikipedia and the Orangerie festival website.

The opening photo was the Orangerie itself and this is the unprepossessing house built by one of Louis XIV's ministers.



And here's some of the gardens

Come on Eileen

We discovered a great new second hand shop yesterday called, incongruously, Come on Eileen. It's not particularly cheap but the quality is good and the space is enormous. There is everything from heavy coats, party shoes and handbags to sun-dresses and hats.

I won't say the staff are particularly friendly and helpful but it's certainly worth a visit. When I get around to it, I'll put up a photo of the Givenchy vest I picked up.

16-18 rue Taillanders Paris 75011

Previously undocumented wardrobe staples

Jacket from a vintage shop on rue Roi de Sicile. Tried out my French bargaining skills and got 20 euros off. I love the cut.



Belt from Sessun on Rue de Charonne, 11th. This street is great for that affordable, made in France, young designer sort of thing. Pause cafe is a good spot for a drink and people watching. The street also houses Machine a Ecrire, the bar whose window is filled with typewriters and whose decor is decidedly writerly.

Ile des Moustiques

So here's today's work outfit including Anne Elizabeth skirt. The fabric is cotton, polyester and a little metal thread which means it holds the shape you scrunch it into. Wunderbar. Please excuse the facial expression.

Paris Plage

So kids, here's what's happening on the banks of the Seine at the moment. If they hadn't called it Paris Beaches I might have been impressed. There's table tennis, fencing, ice cream, playgrounds, a fitness stop and plenty of buskers. The amount of sand is minimal but like most Paris happenings, it's altogether civilized. Many are reading books, there's swing dancing and when it gets too hot, an adult sized sprinkler to wander under. Altogether rather fun.



Alice on sand beach



David on grass beach