11 Comments

Happy new year, Hannah! Bonne année!

It seems crazy, but I am nearing one complete rotation around the sun now reading your letters! Hard to believe it is that time of year again when it is very warm here (although today it is non-stop rain and bleak, grey skies) whilst Paris awaits eagerly for return of cafe terraces come March!

I chuckled at the phone in black and white. Hope it works out for you.

All the best for the year ahead!

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Bonne année, Nathan! I hope you had a lovely time in the UK and that you enjoy the warm weather (except the days when it's rainy!). It snowed here yesterday, which was quite beautiful.

All the best to you and thank you for reading for a whole year!

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Yay for the snow ❄

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We’ve got a leek left over from our Christmas holiday shopping. If you know a delicious recipe let me know please😀.

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I made a leek gratin! Chopped the leeks and sautéed them, made a cheddar sauce (Cheddar brought from the UK), and then put it all together in the oven. It wasn't too bad!

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I think it’s totally that!! It’s like January is a moody month. Plus some of us received our salary end of December so you are broke in January lol 😂

Also it’s so funny how we complain about winter although it happened every year ... I mean 😭 this is like a national sport complaining about the cold .

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Ahah I am glad that you valider my impression of Paris in January! I hope you're enjoying the hibernation time though

Ahah I feel like the most typical Parisian line is "ça caille hein !"

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Bonne année! It’s beautifully crisp here in Bristol and I’m also enjoying getting back into my routines (wrote about that on my own Substack yesterday). Would love to read the Telegraph piece but the link seems to go to a 404 error.

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Bonne année, Lily! Ahh that's a lovely part of the world.

I read your lovely post -- glad that you're enjoying getting back in your routine too!

Thank you for flagging about the article link, it should be fixed now (also here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/paris/stratford-of-paris-shaking-up-city-stuck-in-its-ways/)

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“’Protestant January’ – a return to work and routine after the excesses of les fêtes.”

OMG!! That captures the cold dip-in-the-pool of returning to reality from a month in which we all try to be merry and bright! Perfect accompanying illustration!

“It was a feast worthy of the ‘Be My Guest’-singing candlestick in Beauty and the Beast.” Wonderful description!

“that is the Frenchest thing I’ve ever seen.” Another great phrase!!

This newsletter is an antidote for “Protestant January.” Thank you

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Thank you Judge, and Happy New Year! I hope Protestant January is treating you as well as possible!

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