A Rainy Day Chickpea and Spinach Curry

I think spring got it all wrong this year.

March was beautiful, soft, sunny and warm. Which we totally deserved after the big freeze of February.
So I figured the worst of it was over.

Well, April has had other ideas.


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Photo du Jour - Mooooooooo

Or maybe that should be Ommmmmmm...

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Photo du Jour - la Pêche

The old man and the sea. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Scenes From a Balcony

I happened upon this whimsical little balcony scene while walking down a pedestrian street in Caen this afternoon.
I am very curious about the artist.

Here's a shot of the whole group.

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France Magazine Subscription Offer

France Magazine has always been good to me.
When I first started writing Chez Loulou, they very kindly added a link to my newbie blog on their Selected Sites page, sending many readers my way. Now they've given me the opportunity to offer Chez Loulou's readers a significant discount on a yearly subscription to their magazine.*

Long before we moved to France I was already a fan of France Magazine. They gave me my much needed "France fix" in a way that other magazines didn't.

For more than 25 years, a select American audience has been turning to France Magazine for authoritative coverage of French culture, travel and art de vivre. In lavishly illustrated features, renowned journalists explore topics ranging from contemporary design to summer music festivals to the most exciting shows on the museum circuit. Our lively departments, meanwhile, keep readers up to date on cultural events in France and the U.S., insider travel tips, food and wine, great new French products and much more. Especially popular are our special travel issues, which invariably earn a permanent place on bookshelves as invaluable resources for future trips.

France Magazine is published by the French-American Cultural Foundation in Washington, DC. The FACF's mission is to foster cultural and educational ties between France and North America.

France Magazine is offering a 33% discount off the newsstand price, plus a bonus issue, if you use the code LOULOUFM when you check out. Click on Subscriptions on the very bottom left of the page then you will see a box where you can add the promotional code.



*I'm not being compensated in any way by France Magazine to offer this discount. I simply love their magazine.


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Photo du Jour - Trois Fromages

Three of my husband's favorite French cheeses, le Crémeux du Mont-St-Michel, Pouligny Saint-Pierre and Roquefort.
He has very good taste. Pin It

Photo du Jour - My Parisian Twin

Seeing this girl reading in the sun was like seeing my twin.
She has hair like mine and her green coat is the exact same color as the one I was wearing that day. Also, she is doing one of my favorite sunny day Parisian activities - sitting in le Jardin des Tuileries, reading and watching the world go by.

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Happiness Is...

Making pancakes and drinking Ilva's decadent, delicious hot chocolate while watching the rain fall.

Reading a story like this one.



Colorful cafés.

Reacquainting myself with an old friend.





Asparagus and strawberries...signs of spring at the market.

The Duck bag.



Watching our cat discover grass for the first time.

Learning that marshmallows can help soothe a sore throat.



A visit to Maison Gosselin - une épicerie exceptionnelle!
Many thanks to Karina for introducing me.

Pinterest. I'm hopelessly addicted.


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Le Grain d'Orge

The alchemy that is cheesemaking never ceases to amaze me, and after five years of tasting French cheese, I'm convinced that cheesemakers should be revered for their imagination and talent.

Here in Normandy alone, they have given us La Crémeux du Mont-St-Michel, Livarot, Camembert and Le Pavé d'Auge, and I would like to personally thank them for each and every one.



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Photo du Jour - Still Standing

Beautiful ruins at the Abbey of Cerisy-la-Fôret.
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Rose-Colored Glasses

I started thinking about the expression, "looking at life through rose-colored glasses" while searching for pink colored shots in my Flickr photo pool for last week's Tickled Pink post.

Defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the expression rose-colored glasses means favorably disposed opinions : optimistic eyes. According to the Cambridge online dictionary, the expression means a happy or positive attitude that fails to notice negative things, leading to a view of life that is not realistic.

Well, I definitely think I am realistic.
And I do focus, or try to anyway, on the positive and not the negative. Also, I do my best to remain optimistic, which isn't always easy when you consider that I live in a country where pessimism could be considered a national sport.



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Tickled Pink

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I Know I've Said it Before...

Let me just say this one more time...and then I'll stop (maybe).
I know I must sound like a broken record.

I love Normandy. 

More than I ever imagined I would.

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