THE HUNCHBACKED CAT AND THE BLUE SHEEP

The hunchbacked cat

Rue des Deux Epees (Two Sword Street), Rues des Chats-Bossus (Hunchbacked Cats Road), Place des Oignons (Onion Place), Rue du Bleu Mouton (Blue Sheep Road)...if there's one thing you can say about Lille, it's that the street names and architecture will give you no end of distraction. The end of a small era is drawing to a close - that of my first experience living in the dead centre of a city (I've only lived rurally or in the nearby suburbs of a city before) and it has been fantastic - especially as a cyclist/pedestrian.

IN BETWEEN

We often travel out to the Mont Noir region on weekends - a footstep over the French border in neighbouring Belgium.  It's basically shopping on the cheap as a lot of goods (namely alcohol and cigarettes) are taxed differently in Belgium. As you'd expect, weekend shopping pilgrimages out to border towns are a common habit for northerners. Aside from the cheaper booze, there are also many lovely countryside walks in this area, and I'm a sucker for an autumn ramble...

IN LONDON STILL

So, London. I'm still all lurgy but I'll battle through with a bit of hot lemon and honey. Just don't be surprised if the sentence constructs are a bit off.

So, as I was saying, London. I really do have a soft spot for the UK, slowly developed over many short visits. My first impression of London is quite possibly the most entertaining first impression I've ever had of a city. As I hesitantly crept out of the underground system somewhere in Hammersmith the first thing I clap my eyes on is a woman sitting spread-legged on the footpath, torn stockings, crazy hair, talking loudly and obviously into a mobile phone. The message scrawled on a ripped off piece of cardboard in front of her reads 'I am a psychopath'. Welcome to London (though on later reflection I do wonder if it wasn't a 4 non-blondes comedy sketch)

PORTOBELLO

Portobello Markets, London

BRADERIE

It's all action in Lille at the moment as this weekend welcomed the nationally famous 'Braderie de Lille' (where the city basically transforms itself into a giant open air flea market). It takes place every September and about 2 million people show up and expect to be fed.

LILLE 3000

October kicks off the anticipated 'Lille 3000' festival. A new biannual cultural festival starting this year, sort of like a fringe festival, but with a cultural theme. This years theme is Bollywood, and for the last couple of weeks, 12 of these 8 m high elephants have been greeting me every morning on my way to work. It's been surreal. It's been beautiful. Mostly I've just been wondering why all cities can't have these kinds of features everywhere, all the time.

ART AND INDUSTRY

Once a municipal pool done in extravagant art-deco style, the 'piscine de Roubaix' has since been transformed into a museum although has kept many of the interior features of its former incarnation. I've been meaning to visit this spot for ages - a stunning must-do of Lille tourism tucked away unexpectedly in one of the city's less interesting suburbs. In much the same way as we all don't get around to visiting cool local stuff until we have a guest (why is that?) I took my mother here on her most recent trip over.

LILLE ZOO PART DEUX

But wait, there's more...
Some scenes from the pond;

A TRIP TO THE ZOO

At the heart of Lille's old citadelle (now a fantastic and much needed green space near the city centre) there's a free public zoo with a modest collection of animals. I head down there quite often as it's a great place to get out to breathe and unwind or catch up with friends for a stroll. Since getting my DSLR camera I've been keen to get down there and get some decent shots. So this weekend I headed over to see who was out on view...

SCENES FROM THE GRANDE PLACE

I live a short hop, skip and jump from the dead centre of Lille, and its gorgeous 'grand place'. Every summer it's closed off to cars and becomes a pedestrian only zone. One of my favourite things about this city is the architectural mashup; baroque, art nouveau, art deco, medieval and modern. Most buildings are something worth looking looking at (including the one I live in, even if it is likely to be in breach of building health codes).

LE CHAT BLEU

First photos with my new digital reflex (Nikon D50), at a gourmet chocolate shop in Lille.

THE ACCIDENTAL MARATHON

Some shots from that 'accidental' 50 round trip cycle around the Baie de Somme, including the Parc de Marquenterre

SUMMER MELT

wtf?
Originally uploaded by Nyx.

Hats for Dogs

Hello digital internauts! Been a while, but my lazy ass bone has been playing up again.

So, y'know, it's been hot. And if it's not the heatwave, the hezbollah or Zidane's headbutt it's not news. And heat means a couple of major changes here in France - first is the transformation of old people into sort of geriatric houseplants (have you misted Madame Tartempion yet this morning?), the second being the bone melting epidemic amongst small dogs transforming them into a canine rag mutts.

This weekend past was July the 14th, which, like most historical celebrations in any society around the world, means a chance to drink more alcohol. I went to some northern beaches in the pas de calais region, soaked up the faux tudor and tacky souvenir shops, watched dogs get carried and witnessed some nightmarish toddlers face meets chocolate icecream incidents.

DAY OF HAPPY

Someone has calculated that today - the 23rd of June - is the happiest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere at any rate). And I'll have you know that I spent this allegedly momentously joyous day on active mold duty as this apartment (told you I'd complain about it eventually) tries to pass itself off as The Best Little Sporehouse in Texas.

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT...

I'm eating a Tim Tam, it's pretty good.
I've been back about 4 days now, slowly getting back into the rhythm of the tropical lifestyle and changed time zone. Mostly recovered but still getting up insanely early. But that's also partly because around the equator the sun has pretty much only 2 states - set and up. The intermediate dawn business lasts about 10 minutes.

HOUSEWARMINGS

Current view of our internal courtyard - it's coming along gradually, and has finally evolved slightly beyond the the three primary colours of moss, putty and cement by some orange marigolds and an ornamental kumquat given to us as a housewarming present. Crossing fingers that it doesn't turn up its leaves and die within the first month (considering my criminal track record with nursery plants that are any older than 6 months and retail for anything over 20 euros  - just ask my recently departed ficus). It's only because they load them up with chemicals and grow them in perfect hermetically sealed greenhouses (i.e. their 'ideal growing environment' or some such rubbish), so that the minute you put them into the real growing world (where they might get too over or under enthusiastically watered, the pollution diluted stuff filtering through the dirty window doesn't actually count as light, and there's dust clogging up their stomatas), they just go and die ungratefully on you.

SHOPPING MAD

I don't know why I do this to myself but when it comes to clothes shopping it's rarely, if ever, a good idea to tackle a clothing quest when you specifically want something. So why oh why did I find myself braving a hot and sticky day, without sunglasses and wearing the wrong shoes (which I need to unlace, take off, put back on, relace) and the wrong pants (unzip, peel off, sob at pasty white wobbly legs in mirror, put on, rezip) as I desperately lurch from one stretch cotton mecca to another, half dying of heatstoke and ignoring a rapidly increasing thirst in search of A Pair of Jeans that Fits and Does Not look Like it's from the 80's. And try not to get distrac - ooo, that's a pretty top - by the fashion pitfalls along the way. Mission:Impossible is finding a pair of jeans, and if I get dehydrated and faint from lack of food and too much walking along the way, well, that just might make the difference between the zipper closing and not.

A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS

The rain let up for one or two hours yesterday - long enough to grab my bike and explore some of Lille's adjoining suburbs and marvel once again at the extreme abundance of cycle paths (many of which leave the road system entirely and take you through green groves with wild flowering forget-me-nots). Golden sunlight filtering through the freshly rainwashed green leaves in the eternally gorgeous citadelle park/forest prompted me to think for the 680th time that I really should picnic there.

Earlier that morning I braved the tropical style downpour to visit the Vieux Lille markets (classed as one of the 100 prettiest markets in France). New seasons treats included fresh peas (which remind me of being a kid, my grandma always made me shell them), gariguette strawberries (a French variety I think, longer, sweeter and silkier than your standard strawberry - the best come from Plougastel in Brittany*). An unplanned 'treat' was the sweet talking cheese seller who skilfully bombarded me with a tasting a range of sheep milk cheese from the Alps, unpasteurized gruyere from Savoie and before I knew it had wrapped up a modest block in some waxed paper before I had asked the price. I shouldn't have asked the price. In these situations it's just best to hand over 20 euros and be happy if you get some change out of it.

*As an aside, the French apparently consume 2.5kg per person per year of strawberries. Considering I buy about 1/2 kilo a week for the entire season, I must be taking up the slack for a lot of people.

SUNDAY IN CASSEL

I remember we drove through the rather pretty town of Cassel about a year ago, and I commented that I'd like to visit this quaint little town on the hill again. So this Sunday we loaded our bikes onto the car and headed out.

Unfortunately the weather didn't hold out and the cycle adventure was a little damp (however, that is what warm estaminets and hot waffles are for). Flanders is pretty flat and the hills are few and far between - they call them 'mounts'- it's cute, and optimistic. Cassel is well known for its 17th century windmill perched on the very hilly top of the hill. Mostly though, we just rode around on our bikes getting hopelessly lost, and asking 'where the fuck is zeemersteenvordebrouck?'

ETRETAT

'un hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps'
As the saying goes 'one swallow doesn't make it Spring.'
But I think the one I saw really did
Last minute plans on Thursday culminated in an oft-promised but long overdue visit to Etretat.

FOR WHOM THE BELL DINGS

Not my actual bike, but representative of the coolness of my bike - despite its lack of ding bling
Now that spring is (allegedly) on it's way, I've pulled the bike (and my ever expanding butt) out of winter hibernation and found it's had little banlieu rats nibbling away at it while it was stored in the private communal courtyard of the Paris apartment block. For starters, someone tried to have a little chomp away at the bike lock and being too lame to properly steal a bike I figure they just decided to steal the bell instead. How much street cred does that get you these days?
One thing I have learned about living in Paris is that whatever it is, if it's not nailed down, someone will steal it. The other thing about Paris - is that if it is nailed down, they will steal the nails. And then they will steal it.

NORTHERN LIVING

New life, enjoying;
- I can practically leave the pot on the boil during the time it takes me to pop out and run an errand (I also frequently do this when I go for a run around the block with scissors)
- The car is currently parked about 3m from the front door (vs the standard approximate 4km radius of Paris).
- Residents parking fees are actually very reasonable - for any country where a garden/carpark/garage is not some kind of automatic birthright
- Bike paths, everywhere bike paths
- A very spacious UNESCO classed heritage site just a short stroll away
- The fact that I hear more birds than cars, despite being in the city centre.
- Ground floor versus 5 flights no elevator (my lazy arse is happy)
- Art nouveau architecture
- Private internal courtyard...it's inside, but outside
- People actually doing recently forgotten polite things (holding open doors, stopping at pedestrian crossings, smiling, not scowling at you for daring to read on public transport)

KARMA

le chat blanc
Originally uploaded by Nyx.

Bit of a fortune pick and mix assortment of late. For starters, I thought I was strong and worldy enough to deal with an online booking system (trying to book accommodation for a visiting friend) whose call centre appeared to be located somewhere out in Tajikistan and used up all my phone credit trying to sort out the whacky but inevitable fallout (which they obviously refused to sort out anyway but devised to keep me on line as long as possible while they avoided sorting out the problem). In the end I myself solved the problem by calling someone competent - namely the hotel in question, who immediately cancelled my reservation no questions asked. Except I called from work because I had no more phone credit. And of course I got a telling off for making one, ONE measly personal call.

CITY SLICKER

After a bit of scouting, I finally found an apartment yesterday. We’d left it late – as usual – so for a March availability it’s either the ones that no-one else wants…or well, maybe they just aren’t trying very hard (if you're lucky). So I picked one that I might end up bitching about later, but it does have a lot of classic art nouveau add ons, and I am a sucker for the art nouveau. I think its been a student artist haven for at least as long as it has existed, so needless to say for the surprisingly large size, extreme proximity to the city centre and (suspiciously) low price, it's going to have a few little problems.