There is always romance in the air in Paris, but in Spring, romance and love seems to envelope the whole city more than ever. I adore Paris in the Spring time – I moved to Paris in the Spring, I fell in love in the Spring, and it seems I keep coming back in the Spring. Perhaps I’m addicted to the romance…

So for this final soundscape for the series, its all about Spring love in Paris – a collection of photos taken while wandering the streets of the city in Spring, along with a soundscape captured while strolling at dusk with French Boy through St Germain the other Saturday night, stopping in at Taschen (which was still open at 10pm!), and then wandering around the corner, hand in hand, to find an old dude singing I can’t believe you’re in love with me, dressed in berret and suspenders. so. ro. man. tic.

The sound quality of this one is very poor unfortunately, but I rather like the 1920’s feel of it, and I hope you will still enjoy it. So, please take it away, monsieur…

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Thanks for lending me your ears for my series 4 soundscape. Click here to be whisked back to series 1 (in Amsterdam), series 2 (in Paris), series 3 (in Sydney).

You may all be well aware by now that as much as I love music (and taking photos, food, nature, art, all things handmade…), I love books. And it just so happens that on one of my favourite wanders in paris: made by hand (that being wander 6) there is one of my favourite bookstores in the world. It is a rather particular bookstore. To be precise, it sells comics…

The French love comics, and it didn’t take me long to understand why – comic books these days are bound pages of incredible hand drawn illustrations by both well-known and lesser-known artists. These books are like short films on paper, storyboards. And for me, they have been the most fabulous way to learn the French language. The first French comic I read with French Boy’s help was Les Schtroumpfs, or as I’ve known them best, The Smurfs. Just to be able to pronounce ‘schtroumpf’ is not so easy (its something like schhhhhhtrrrroooompf), and you may recall the stories are filled with such sentences as “the smurfs smurfed this and they smurfed that, and everything is smurfalicious”. It’s bloody hard to say this in French. I persevered.

Today I am rather proud to announce that I can now read such books on my own. And my very first illustrative book which I’ve read on my own in French, I bought at philippe’s during my recent weekend in paris. It is called mon frère nocturne by joanna hellgren, and it is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read…

mon frère nocturne is a little story about a boy who is about to turn ten. and that’s all I will say. Its a very moving story that resonated deeply with me. It also features a piano. Here are a couple of pages from the book which I found on the publisher’s website …

I highly recommend you check out more of Joanna’s work on her extensive online portfolio. And of course, while on wander 6, please go and check out philippe’s fabulous bookstore – it’s just opposite galerie vegetale.

Visiting Paris is a festival for the senses. For French Boy and I, its notably our taste buds that party like its 1999. The moments prior to this particular trip, we spent the train ride deciding where we would eat for every single meal. Since we only had 2 nights there, that being 6 meals – we realised we had to cull our list of favourites down substantially.

But to my surprise, it wasn’t the food and wine that stole my heart this time.

It was music.

No matter where we wandered, no matter what time of day or night, there was incredible open-air music coming from all sorts of places – from the habitual accordian player on metro line 12, to a saxophonist whose somber, slow tunes at midnight were reverberating through the thick stone walls of the Richelieu hallway of le louvre. Our weekend was marked by spontaneous musical intervals and for me, it was very special, being the week after my musical friend had passed away. I imagined he was there, in the air somewhere, waving a magical mystical conductor’s baton everywhere we went…

However, there was one particular interlude that moved me to tears. We were wandering around the palais royal and as we turned the corner there, out of nowhere, was a 12-piece string ensemble in full swing, performing la petite musique de nuit (4th mvt) , by Mozart – a song I have adored since I was a child. It whisked me right into the moment and I realised at that point that my mind had been everywhere else – thinking about loss, mortality, my family, past events, future projects… but then, for the first time in such a long time, I was right here, in the present, in the middle of Paris, captured in the moment by this music.

With wide eyes and whole heart, I listened, watched, and felt. My senses were enchanted.

I watched as a lady in the crowd waved her arm in the air and gently dropped it with each fall of each note. I watched the conductor – who was also playing a violin – as he came to the woman and played his instrument, just for her. The space between them was filled with admiration, love, passion, understanding and pure pleasure.

I was present.

The music filled my whole body and my heart heaved. As I took my next breath tears welled in my eyes. I watched this lady enjoy the performance without inhibition and I understood: this is life, and I am living it.

Please press the play button below…

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This one’s for you, Mum.

there is lots going on! and I’m barely able to keep up with it myself. So my sincere apologies to all the wonderful bloggers who emailed me requests for a blog package about the book a few weeks ago which I still have not sent to you. You must think I’m terrible! But I hope not, I hope you know that my little legs are running as fast as they can, trying to get everything done on my ever-growing to-do list.

But in lieu of that idea, I recently spotted that Stacy over at La Boudoir had added a little Paris: Made By Hand book button on her blog which is such a wonderful idea. Thank you Stacy! So I thought I’d pass this idea onto each of you as perhaps you feel so inclined to do the same. Here is the button…

…which you can copy and paste straight from here, and then you can link it to either my blog page about the book, The Little Bookroom webpage, the random house australia webpage, or amazon.

I also want to thank you for all your support – the book has had such a fabulous response, and I have no doubt it’s because of each of you. Right now I want to give you a group hug. So huddle round, and I’ll stretch my arms out as far and wide as I can.

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next up: who is ready for another Paris soundscape? If you missed the last one, please click here.

ha! I know there is not such thing as ‘regular’ programming here in the (blog)house, but I love the sound of this line! anyway, I shall continue:

…to let you know about a special someone who has been working on a special something.

Introducing ms. ebony bizys, the author of one of the newest and funnest blogs around called hello sandwich.

hello sandwich is a fabulous blog filled with interesting posts about art, photography, illustrations, fashion and more. And as ebony’s day job is senior designer at Vogue Living, she comes across some pretty amazing things.

Ebony is also one of the 10 finalists in the News Limited 1degree challenge along with katie crackernuts! Now, call me an eco geek but I get ridiculously excited when corporations as big as new limited ‘goes eco’, and I think ebony and kate are fabulous examples of what individuals can do within the workplace, and how influential and integral each of us can be.

Ebony has come up with a very special giveaway on her blog, especially for the contest. And along with many other initiatives, she has also organised a presentation for her colleagues at vogue living tomorrow (or today if you are in oz) for world environment day!

I will direct you straight to ebony’s giveaway post to read more about what she has in store for you, but I warn you – her style, enthusiasm, energy and creativity will have you jumping up and down and running to fulfill one of her eco friendly actions pronto. Here is a sneak peek of the gorgeous little treats that you could win – wherever you are in the world – all wrapped up in vintage japanese fabric…

So please, click here to read ebony’s full post, read her one degree of difference blog here where she takes you behind the scenes of her vogue living editorial office and spreads her love of green, and to read more about the eco initiative at news limited, please click here.

Ebony, thanks for being such an inspiration! Best of luck with the 1degree competition, and most of all, have a great day!

Happy World Environment Day everyone!

xx