A Rainy Sunday

Thank goodness I'd organised brekky with a couple of friends this morning or I might have pulled the doona over my head and not surfaced.  Brrr it looked cold outside and about to bucket down. 

Slowly getting ready to head outside & brave the cold, not feeling too enthused at all, I let out a little yippee as I remembered I'd bought a new beanie.  Yay it was finally cold enough to take it out for a test run.  A new item of clothing is always an immediate mood shifter for me (I'm such a girl), so I gloved & booted up, whacked the beanie on (oh my I was very pleased with my purchase...thank you Witchery) and with brolley in hand, practically skipped off to Chapel Street.  This little lady was feeling good.



Today's choice was Lucky Penny

Now generally if I head to Chapel Street I stick to the Windsor end, however I'm glad I ventured a little further this morning.  This little gem only opened last month but already it seems to have quite the following. 

From the moment we arrived we felt the love.  The staff were genuinely friendly and the service was great - attentive, but not intrusive.  I'm glad we got there early as by the time we were leaving it was absolutely chockers, however the staff were totally chilled and took it in their stride.
 

 

 

 

My poached eggs with smashed avocado, chilli oil, sour cream and rocket and mint salad absolutely hit the spot.  These eggs tasted as delicious as they looked and I was one happy little Vegemite.

 

Note to self:  Be mindful when dipping into the chilli oil to avoid talking while doing so as I wasn't paying attention and it truly took my breath away.  I take full responsibility for making my own eyes water, but just go easy...it's all I'm sayin. 

 

      

 

Mmm coffee was so good I had to have two.

 

Thanks Lucky Penny...I'll be back. x

A Little Pick Me Up...

Boy oh boy, getting out of bed this week has not been easy! 

Coming off the back of a spring / summer holiday into winter is not easy & even though it hasn't been freezing in Melbourne I've really struggled.  It would have been so easy to pull the doona over my head, curl up in the foetal position & not surface until it was at least light outside, but unfortunately no can do as work beckons.

As I fell out of bed & headed towards the shower I knew I would need some extra help today and I thought of Peppermint, not the lolly kind, rather the essential oil.

Ready for a little lesson in all things Peppermint?

Medical Properties:

Anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antiparasitic (yep worms), antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, gallbladder/digestive stimulant, pain relieving, and curbs appetite (hmmm maybe I should have used this bad boy more in France!).

Uses:

Rheumatism/arthritis, respiratory infections, viral infections (cold sores etc), fungal infections/Candida, digestive problems, headaches, nausea, and skin conditions (itchy skin, varicose veins, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis).

Impressive hey?

Peppermint is one of my favourite oils and I use it every day, especially in the office.  My work colleagues have slowly clued onto the benefits of these simple remedies and if I had a dollar for every time someone has come to my desk asking for some relief for a headache, the hiccups, congestion, upset tummy, well I'd have enough for a flight to Paris.  To be honest they may have sought me out initially due to the First Aid sign above my desk - it's totally legit as I am a First Aider & haven't just stuck it up there as artwork - but unless someone is in desperate need of the defib I tend to stay away from the First Aid Kit.  Natural is best people. 

Here's a list of my favourite things to do with Peppermint:

Put 1 drop of Peppermint in a mug & add hot water - voila Peppermint Tea (1 drop is equivalent to over 20 tea bags).  Trust me once you've tried this, tea bags just won't cut it.  I can wake up half my floor at work walking back from the kitchen to my desk, mug in hand.  Note to self:  Speak to the powers that be as I'm sure I'm sending productivity through the roof.  Yep I need a raise...I'm truly an asset.

Put 1 drop of Peppermint on your thumb & place your thumb on the roof of your mouth.  Hold it there for a few seconds and then remove your thumb (probably best not to attempt around others as sucking one's thumb is not exactly a good look - especially in the office).  Whammo - an instant pick me up, helps clear the mind & you instantly feel more alert.

Place 1 drop of Peppermint in the palm of your hand - lightly rub your hands together & cup your hands over your nose, NOT your eyes (keep your hands a few cms from your face as Peppermint may make your eyes water - it certainly has a bit of grunt).  A great simple remedy to clear a congested head / sinuses etc (no cold & flu tablets required!).

You can also use Peppermint as a "driver" i.e. if you're applying another essential oil topically place Peppermint on next and it will help drive the oils in.

I only use Young Living essential oils as they're 100% organic and the quality is far superior to anything I've ever used in the past.  I always get great results with these oils, however I can't comment on results you may get from any other oils you choose to use.

A word of warning - if you have oil on your hands / fingers, please ensure you don't rub your eyes as they won't be happy & it'll be tears before bedtime.  If this does happen DON'T use water to flush out - use a good quality olive oil (unsure who carts this round with them, but best not to get oil in your eyes in the first place people).

  

So at 7.30am this morning after sucking on my thumb for a few seconds & then pulling said thumb out of my mouth (I was alone at the time) I felt very revived, jumped in my car and off to work I went.

Unfortunately I was involved in a 3 car accident on the way as someone decided to run up the back of me...no-one hurt so all good.  However poor Beau (my little pug, car not dog) has a few dents in his backside...ouch. 

Luckily I had sucked my thumb before leaving home as I was alert and totally on the ball.  How do I know this?  Because I'd left enough room in front of me & didn't get up close & personal with the car in front - gosh I'm good.  Now the same can't be said for Monsieur Lexus who'd run up my butt.  I was tempted to pull my Peppermint out of my bag & give him a sniff as he was not having a good morning.  He wasn't rude, but he was definitely trying to hold his temper in check (he'd only had his car for 6 months - you'd think it was an actual child - and he was gutted).  As he'd copped it back & front I guess he was just really feeling like the meat in the sandwich (I'm sure some guys wouldn't complain about this...being wedged between 2 ladies & it's not even 9am) but hey that's what insurance is for right?

Look maybe I was on a Peppermint high, who knows, but I thought it was pretty much a win/win as no-one was bleeding from the head & no ambulances were required.  In my mind I like to think some of my Peppermint fumes rubbed off on Monsieur Lexus as by the time we jumped in our cars & drove away he truly did seem much calmer.

Good luck with the repairs Monsieur & wishing your Lexus a speedy recovery. x

Back In My Hood...

I love Sunday mornings.  It generally starts with me waking up with hunger pains, followed by a quick "Starvin Marvin...hungry?" text to my friend who lives a hop, skip & a jump away.  Madam G (her name isn't Marvin, although it is quite catchy) never disappoints and usually responds quickly with a "You betcha...meet you on the corner".
 

We're very good and always like to include some exercise, and unless it's raining buckets we tend to walk to our location "choice of the day", which in my simple little mind justifies a big brekky.  We live in Prahran, are spoilt for choice, and the hardest decision on a Sunday is what we feel like eating which generally determines which direction we head.  Today we'd decided on "Two Dudes Kitchen".

 I love this place.  The staff are super friendly, the coffee's awesome (this is how they describe it on their website & I can't argue) & I've never arrived & not been greeted with a smile.  Moustache Dude was there in fine form with a big smile on his dial, however Hat Dude was nowhere to be seen.  To be honest I'm not sure I have ever seen him.  Although maybe he is there incognito...minus the hat?

.

Hooroo dudes, I'm all fuelled up & ready to hunt down some almond meal as I'm going to make something fabulous this afternoon.  Thank goodness the sun was shining & it was a gorgeous winter's day as the hunt turned into a bigger outing than expected.  Who would have thought almond meal could be that hard to find...thanks Thomas Dux for coming through with the goods.

As I'm still having withdrawals from drinking coffees as big as my head, I had to grab a roadie on the way home.  Please don't judge...let me just dream I'm still in Paris!

 I love my weekends. x

Love Handles & Then Some...

Saying I love holidays is a definite understatement.  In fact it's my absolute favourite thing in the world to do. 

 

My last few holidays I've not considered going anywhere but France as at the moment anything else just seems to rate a very poor second.  I love everything about the place, the people, sights, food, wine - I can't get enough of it.

 

One of the best things about being in France was all the delicious meals I ate.  Trust me I didn't hold back and indulged, every day, several times...how could I not?  I guess that's the thing about holidays - indulging to the max and doing things you normally wouldn't i.e. eating pastries till they come out your ears. 

Obviously I'm an adult and no-one was holding a gun to my head as I ate my body weight in butter alone, however there came a time when I just had to give in & say I can't do this anymore.  This was my second last day in Paris and my poor little bod had just had enough.  Fair call on my body's part as I think it had realised it needed to start preparing for when I returned home (hmmm I love my bod, it's such a smart little unit).  Eek my real life was only a couple of days away! 

In my other (real) life, to pay for my travels, I work as a PA.  In my other, other (real) life I'm a pilates instructor which I absolutely love.  It was the latter I was starting to get a little concerned about thinking of my class at 6.30am on Tuesday morning, a couple of days after I arrived home, as I had noticed not only some love handles proudly protruding over the top of my pants (yep these puppies weren't in the least bit shy), but also a couple more extra layers as well.  Eek.  Would I be able to roll like a ball without getting stuck, get up into a teaser without my food baby hitting my thighs, not to mention look like I was drawing in my deeper abdominals when I was breathing - would this even be possible with these extra layers?  I mean there are certain things you just have to nail as an instructor & I hoped I could pull it off.  Strewth...could be embarrassing.

I got a text the night before my class from the fabulous Monsieur D who had been taking my Tuesday morning classes while I was away, saying "Your class are looking forward to your return and I've taught them to say We Missed You in French".  Aw too sweet.

Tuesday morning arrived and walking into my class, tightening my imaginary corset & standing tall, I definitely felt the love as I got a lovely reception with lots of questions about how my trip went.  I'm not stupid though & quickly realised they were trying to distract me to delay the commencement of the workout (come on guys I wasn't that jetlagged).  Monsieur P got a gold star as he was the only one who delivered the "We Missed You" in perfect French (the others still half asleep muttered "oh yeah I think we were meant to say something, I can't remember, blah, blah, blah").

Now I'm unsure if I left the love handles at Charles de Gaulle, I always panic over excess baggage so they may have dropped off out of sheer fright, but I got through the class beautifully with no problems whatsoever.  I'd only had 4 hours sleep the night before & was a little worried I may fall asleep in the prone position, however it was Monsieur P2 (yep I have 2 of em in my class) that actually did fall asleep face down on his mat.  Monsieur P2 is a total party animal & had definitely partied hard on the weekend (Queen's birthday long weekend - what hope did he have) and even after me prompting him twice to roll over he didn't move.  When his neighbour gave him a nudge he said I wasn't asleep I just couldn't hear you - I'm going deaf.  Pffft...I didn't believe a word of it, but just gave him a smile as after all he had made the effort to get out of bed with god only knows how many hours sleep, assuming he had actually made it home to bed at all.  Can't help but respect a man for that.

Ah it truly is good to be back & my bod is very grateful I'm sure to be getting put through its paces again.

Signing off now with the award winning "Mille Feuille" (natural of course, no flavour / no icing). 

Oh my...if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. x

Vieille Amie - A Lovely Memory

Trying to decide on a village in Provence to spend 2 weeks holiday is never easy as there are so many gorgeous places to choose from.  My friend, Aggie, & I after much umming & ahhing decided on a property in the little village of La Roque Alric.  

Sometimes what you see on a website isn't quite what you get in reality, however Vieille Amie exceeded our expectations.  I had a really good feeling about this place as the emails I'd sent to Maria, the property owner, were always answered promptly & thoroughly & her friendliness & warmth came through her words.

The drive up into the village was breathtaking & from the moment the fabulous Yves, the caretaker, opened the door & we had our first glimpse of our home for the next 2 weeks, well we couldn't have been more excited.  Vieille Amie just had us written all over it.  We felt so welcome & were delighted with the fridge full of eggs, ham, beurre, milk, the beautiful vase of roses picked from the garden (so fragrant & as big as my head!), not to mention the champagne & wine just begging to be opened.  5 mins in & I thought Maria may need police assistance to evict us when the 2 weeks was up!

Here's a little taste of our "slice of heaven"...it was hard, but we pushed through.

Our garden with the fountain that ran all day & was a lovely background noise to chill out to when we were lounging about reading in the sun.
 

   

   

 

Who would have thought I'd get excited about washing of all things?  The Bosch 15 minute cycle together with the fragrant laundry detergent just got me into a spin!  Ah it's the little things.

 

 

Our "blog spot".

 

 

My bedroom leading to the upstairs library.  I was in heaven.  So many books, so little time.

 

Although I will admit on arrival I nearly freaked out when I saw the "little" door (check behind the Rocky Robe) as for a split second I thought I'd stumbled across Colin's weekend getaway (the webbed fingered dwarf).  It was actually a cellar that had been converted into a child's bedroom with a full bathroom etc (pretty spesh), however I slept with one eye open for the first 3 nights as I wasn't convinced. 

 

 

 

View from Aggie's bedroom.  Really does it get any better than this?

 

 

One of our friendly neighbours.  "Go Slow" was the perfect guest and never left any nasty little surprises for us, unlike the creature that would come by each night and leave a little pressie for us on the terrace.  The terrace tiles I could turn a blind eye to, however no little surprises on our table please - that was just bad manners. 

 

 

Each morning & night, weather permitting, we would eat outside on the terrace (after cleaning up any "surprises" that may have been left the night before).  Although we were known to have wrapped ourselves up in our Rocky Robes and Uggies to take full advantage of our gorgeous surrounds - it takes a lot to force us indoors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pool which we used once (I use the term "used once" lightly as we dipped, sort of - see my earlier post "The Day We Dipped").

 

 

 

 

 

We were so lucky as we got to meet Maria the day we were leaving & she would be one of the loveliest people I've ever met.  Her kindness, positivity and love of life are infectious and she's one of those people that you walk away from with a big smile on your face.  Positive energy - I love it!

 

Thanks again Maria for welcoming us into not only Vieille Amie but also giving us the grand tour of your property just a door away.  You've done an amazing build and fitout and I don't know how you tear yourself away to come back to Australia in September. x

Plane Etiquette

A long haul flight is never something I get excited about, but I suck it up as I love to travel so I have no choice.

We arrived at Charles De Gaulle feeling pretty good about our flight to Doha.  There was really not much waiting around as by the time we'd gone through Immigration (twice) -  yep after going through the first time, getting the passport stamped by some dude who wouldn't have known if I was waving a gun around, had 2 heads, or was male or female, as he didn't bother to make eye contact, we then had to turn around & go back out to find the Tax Refund section (hmmm maybe one of us bought a leather jacket, guess who?  OMG it's gorgeous!) and then come back in.  I knew the immigration dude took no notice the first time as I got him the second time too, he looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time, which technically he was, stamped my passport (again) & that was that.

We couldn't wait to board the flight as we were in real need of a sneaky little nana nap.  It was going to be so good...put on the eye mask, headphones & off to la-la land we would go.

Reality was we were sitting behind a couple with an 18 month old little girl & we started to panic thinking "oh oh here we go again".  On the flight over we'd been lucky enough NOT to be sitting behind this couple who had a child that I thought was a 12 year old boy and I kept asking why they were putting him in the bassinet?  Just didn't seem fair as he was nearly as big as me!  I say we were lucky not to be sitting behind them as they were the "rocker" parents from hell & seeing them in my peripheral vision was bad enough.  Now I'm no rocket scientist but I would think if a baby, or 12 y.o. boy, is screaming their lungs out the last thing you'd want to do is rock back & forth so forcefully in your seat that you actually escalate the situation, not only stressing the child out more, but those around you as well.  I truly thought at one point the seat was going to break and dad would end up in the guy's lap in the seat behind and the 12 y.o. boy would be airborne.  Scary thought as this was a big kid and he could have taken out quite a few rows behind him.  Would a bottle not have been a better option?  Hmmm something to ponder.

Anyhoo we just kept putting out the positive vibe that this flight was going to be very different and all children would be well behaved & quiet. 

Couldn't have been more wrong. 

The couple in front were rockers too (although on the positive side not violent rockers like the 12 y.o boy's parents - bonus).  18 month old certainly had a set of lungs on her and at one point I thought they may have been holding "The Voice - Baby" auditions on board as this kid was going for gold.  Personally I don't think she would have made it past round one as there were a few pitch issues, but this didn't stop her. 

The screaming was bad enough without the addition of a rattle toy that just annoyed the bejesus out of me.  Seriously you think a screaming child is going to be soothed by a noisy toy?  They should be banned, I'm talking about toys of this nature (or am I?). 

Now I'm probably sounding quite negative about the whole situation, but please don't judge me harshly as it truly just went on & on & on.  Dad was having a great time watching 12 Years a Slave while mum was going the shake, rattle & roll, and he seemed totally oblivious to what was going on around him (nicely done dad). 

At one stage The Voice breaks free from mum & flees to my seat & stands there giving me the evil eye.  Really kid, really?  I just thought this was poor form, but couldn't really blame The Voice as she's a child after all & was getting no direction from the big folk.  If I thought I could have had a
decent conversation I would have pointed out that there really is no point stacking on a turn as it's not going to make the trip go any quicker and you're just going to be very unpopular.  If I thought laying
face down on the floor and pummelling my fists would have got me upgraded to Business Class well I would have been face down in a flash.  Reality - it just wasn't going to happen so whatever the issue  suck it up, shut up & just have a little nap as we don't always get what we want.

Let's just say the 6 1/2 hour flight seemed like 24 hours & the nana nap we were so looking forward to didn't eventuate.  Forever the optimists we just moved on...to the 14 hour flight to Melbourne, putting out the "no kids in front of us please" vibe.

Someone heard our pleas as no kids in sight.  We were ecstatic!

Our delight was short lived though as I was unfortunate to have a thumper behind me.  Let me explain...

No-one loves a touch screen more than I do...if it's used correctly.  What some people fail to understand is there is a person sitting on the other side of the screen i.e. the seat in front.  Again you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work this out, but for some it just doesn't register.

They had obviously installed a "thump" screen rather than a "touch" screen behind me.  How did I know this?  Because Thumper nearly gave me concussion, that's how.  Yep she proceeded to thump away at the screen & from her heavy sighs it was not going well at all.  I'm surprised she didn't break it as she was really giving it a good what for (the screen that is, although it could have very well been my head).

Thumper finally fell asleep, she'd possibly worn herself out from her cardio workout & I was very relieved, until I looked down at my armrest & see Thumper's socked foot cheekily resting near my elbow.  Was Thumper for real?  Personal space madam, come on.  I wasn't impressed as I thought what an amateur...I mean they weren't even compression socks. I sensed there were going to be some real fluid retention issues on landing as Thumper was one wound up chick.  I just pulled my eye mask down, turned my head the other way & thought about the Portugese custard tarts I'd had at Tasca in Le Marais (see below).  Dare I say it, these were even smoother & creamier than those I'd had in Lisbon.

Oh my I'd found my happy place & thump screens & screaming kids were a world away.
 

Before I sign off a special shout out to the dad & his gorgeous little 2 y.o. on the flight from Paris to Doha.  This little one was as cute as a button, sat quietly hugging her doll & we honestly didn't hear a peep out of her for the whole flight.  Could have something to do with dad being calm & relaxed & no rocking involved.

Cute as a button you get my vote for best on ground, or should I say best in air, on the day. x

P.S.  To the lovely flight attendant who woke me to "welcome" me aboard the flight as I'm a Qatar member please don't do that again.  I know where the toilets are & I know you will feed me several times (no need to tell me feed times as I don't wear a watch so this means absolutely nothing to me).  My heart skipped a beat as for a split second I thought you were going to upgrade me to Business Class after the luggage debacle on the flight over.  That would have been a nice touch & most appreciated, however my heart quickly dropped when I realised this wasn't going to happen.

Just to repeat, NEVER wake me unless an emergency situation has arisen or an upgrade is involved as it's just mean.

Au revoir Paris!

The time has come to say au revoir to Paris after another fabulous holiday.

Both Aggie & I usually feel a little sad when we're leaving to come home, however we had a plan to ease the pain.  Let's start organising our return trip for next year (to be honest it was the only way we'd get on the plane to fly home).  Yep we were all over it like a fat kid on a Mille Feuille.
 

Once we had our new "mindset" in place our whole attitude changed and we were ready to go out for our last pain au chocolat and coffee as big as our head.  Fabulous.

About to walk out the door when the phone rang.  It was definitely a "Bling Ring".  We froze.  The phone had been ringing the last couple of days and we had chosen to ignore it, however the time had come to bite the bullet & take the call from Bling.

Approaching the phone with the Jaws theme song running through my mind, I tentatively reached down to pick it up, closing my eyes & taking a deep breath.  "Bonjour" I said in my happiest, friendliest voice.  "Bonjour, blah, blah, blah" I hear.  Yep it was definitely Bling and she was in fine form.  I could have eaten a pain au chocolat and downed half my coffee by the time I got a word in as she was on a roll.  God bless her, if she told me once she told me 5 times that she needed to come by to make sure all shutters and windows were locked, no taps had been left on, make sure we knew where to leave the keys, and to ensure that the door was locked when we left.  Standard procedure one would think, but Bling likes to get her point across.  I understood it the first time she went through it all, I'm brilliant I know, however saying yes I understand, oui, and I think I even may have pulled out a si at one point, she continued to go on, and on, and on.  I tried to tell her it was fine to come by even if we weren't there as we were on our way out to eat, but she wasn't getting my hungry vibe at all.  As I'm looking at Aggie rolling my eyes, and cocking my finger to my head ready to pull the trigger, I'm starting to get concerned that we may miss our flight.  I mean it was a few hours away but once Bling is on a roll there's no stopping her.  She's like a perfumed steamroller!
 

Unsure how I did it, but I finally hung up and we raced out the door before we heard the clickety clack of her heels on the stairs as we did not want to be in the apartment when she did her inspection".  Bling on a full tummy is still quite the challenge, but we would not want to go there on an empty stomach (remember we're not good when food deprived).

I probably should explain a little here about the apartment.  On this trip we wanted a terrace and we had been totally spoiled with our first apartment as it ticked all the boxes.  This apartment definitely had the view to die for, however the second bedroom left a little to be desired and we'd dubbed it "the dungeon".  It sat above the elevator and was extremely noisy - couldn't hear any people, but the mechanics scared the heck out of us.  Every time I got woken up I thought there was a dishwasher in the room.  Not ideal...in a bedroom.

The main bedroom on the mezzanine was lovely, spacious and quiet so we decided to drag the mattress up from the dungeon on the first floor to the second level and place it in the living area.  Problem solved.  We were very proud of ourselves, but shaking in our boots just in case Bling decided to "drop by" when we were out.  Check out our handiwork.

 

We were chuffed, but Bling honestly would have ripped us a new one had she seen this.

Needless to say we fled the apartment before she arrived, fuelled up, had one last shop (just a wee one), & even had a few moments to enjoy our view one last time before heading to the airport.  We made sure we took lots of pics as we definitely won't be staying in this apartment again.

By the time we departed the apartment looked fabulous once we'd put everything back in its rightful place & I'm sure Bling would have been impressed, or at the very least happy that the windows & shutters were closed, no taps running etc.  Jeez we're good.

Ah Paris...until next time. x

The Best Laid Plans...

Our last full day in Paris & we'd ticked everything off our list that we'd wanted to do with the exception of Holybelly, a cafe in the 10th that supposedly did great coffee.

The city had really turned on the weather for us after yesterday being so wet & we were delighted as we could have our brekky on the terrace.  A baguette from Julien's in our street (hands down the best we'd had), with figs & blueberries from Monsieur Legume our favourite fruit & veggie dude on rue de Rivoli, well it really doesn't get much better.

 

 

We had so much fun having brekky "watching over Paris" that we decided that's where we wanted to spend the rest of our day.  The plan was to head to Holybelly for coffee, grab some treats at Rose Bakery for lunch & dinner & chill out on the terrace.

The walk to the 10th was great as we hadn't really explored that area.  Holybelly was in a street that you wouldn't head down unless by accident.  It was opposite a garage & thank goodness for the chairs out the front or we might have missed it.

 

 

 

  Such a happy vibe walking into the cafe.  The staff were friendly & the barista really had his groove on bustin moves as he was churning out the coffees.   

Was very different not having my coffee in a bowl & serving it in a glass made me think I could be back in Melbourne.  Good coffee though & next time I go back I'd like to try their dishes.

Walking to Rose Bakery our best laid lunch plans went out the window as we found so many great places to eat on the way.  So us!!

 

 

We decided on Marlette for some carrot & orange soup, a ham & cheese toastie & salad.  Delish & just what we were after.

Hate to say it, but after nearly 4 weeks I think I may be getting to the point where I just can't fit too much more in.  Eek...embarrassing.  Feel like such the amateur.

Picked up 2 tarts & salads from Rose Bakery on the way home & just had to include this shot of the lovely girl that served us.  The queue was out the door, the receipt machine ran out of paper, customers who couldn't make up their minds...nothing phased this young lady as she just continued on as cool as a cucumber totally dismissing the frustrated sighs from those in line.  Well done you.    

 

   Apparently I was more the professional than I thought as I did manage to fit in a take away cafe creme from Le Pain Quotidien, a large one at that. I'm truly fabulous at times. x