In May we visited Monet's house and gardens at Giverny. In a word, beautiful.

These photos say to me, in the midst of grocery shopping, bike riding and getting the car towed because of 2 flat tires( nothing changes wherever you live), we are absorbing some indefinable french je ne sais quoi.. perhaps only visible to the trained eye, but Im working on the training part.

Been a very long coffee break; dont be fooled -its all hard work experiencing summer in Paris!

Some highlights.. Parc Herouval, an hour's drive out of Paris, kids running barefoot and plenty of low key fun.

Chic cafe in Le Bon Marche ( exceptionally chic store..)

Jardin Du Luxembourg where we heard more English spoken than in 10 mths. Sad to say this made the children very happy.OK so we're not global just yet.

The summer fete at the Tuileries : big thank you to Amber for going on crazy rides with the kids while I stayed on the ground. Totally wimped out,I know, but gorgeous hot day with the Louvre a fabulous backdrop to fairy floss and screaming.

Fireworks on the skyline at La Defense- for several nights around Bastille Day the sky was exploding with riotous colour and booming sound.

I know it's Paris- architecture, shopping, style on every street corner( mostly) but the summer skies from my balcony are completely distracting.

I will point the camera elsewhere- Normandy next week - but it's too enticing for now.