Wolfie!

photo by Kevin Macdonald @A.M.P.A.S

A couple of my gentle readers have been wondering what happened to Tom Hulce of Amadeus fame. I had such a crush on him in 1984. I must have seen Amadeus six times that year.

Well... Since the 80s it been rarer and rarer to see him on screen.

I liked him alot as the cartoonist Drood in the 1987 film, Slam Dance. I don't know if this film stands the test of time but it was very "new wave" and appealed to me as a 25-year-old. He was great as Ray Liotta's mentally challenged brother in Dominick & Eugene (1988).

I saw him in a TV adaptation of Mississippi Burning. It was called Murder in Mississippi and Hulce played Mickey Schwerner. It stuck with me.

Hulce played Stalin's private film projectionist in the 1991 movie The Inner Circle aka the Projectionist. Thanks for the reference Kat!

He played Henry to Kenneth Brannagh's Frankenstein in the 1994 movie. Funny - I always thought he was Igor. In 1996 he did the voice over for Quasimodo in Disney's animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

He had a bit part in the very enjoyable 2006 movie Stranger Than Fiction which starred Will Ferrell & Emma Thompson.

Hulce does a lot of work on stage. In 1998 he undertook the enormous task of bringing John Irving's 1985 novel, "The Cider House Rules", to the stage. It was an 8-hour production which required the audience two days to see the whole performance.

He lives in Seattle. Some websites state that he is married and has one child. Hulce says this is a complete fabrication according to Hulce himself in an October 3, 2008 interview he gave to the Seattle Gay News. Need I say more.

Here's a link to a great page with pictures of how the stars from Amadeus look now.

http://community.livejournal.com/howtheylooknow/243326.html

Apple Roast Chicken

Here's a recipe that my Mum found in the Globe & Mail and wanted to share.It's from Michael Smith's The Best of Chef at Home.

Ingredients

4 local apples, quartered and cored

2 onions, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 whole head of garlic cloves, peeled

1 or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

A sprinkle or two of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

One 4 lb (1.8 kg) roasting chicken

1/2 cup (125 mL) of apple cider

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Toss the apples, onions, garlic and rosemary together in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken.

Season chicken well with salt and pepper and rest it on top of the apple mixture. Pour in the cider. Roast chicken until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of one of the thighs reads 180°F (82°C), about 20 minutes a pound.

As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, and without removing it from the pan, slice and pull the meat from the carcass and toss with the apple pan stew. Sprinkle with the sliced green onions and serve directly out of the pan.

Serves 4 to 6




picture of Michael Smith from http://eastcoastecoparent.com/Eco-Food-Archive.php
picture of recipe from Michael Smith,The Best of Chef at Home

Royal Fireworks - Handel vs Hendrix

Pop Plaque Plan Rocks Classicists

Thus rean a headline in the London Times of 16 March 1995. The Handel House Trust, headed by Dr. Stanley Sadie, had acquired 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, Handel's home for 39 years, and with number 23 next door wished to turn it into a museum devoted to the composer.

Problems arose when English Heritage expressed a desire to decorate the front of number 23 with a commemorative plaque dedicated to the rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix who had lived in the house in 1969.

Dr. Sadie promptly deemed such a move "inappropriate", perhaps mindful of the fact that Hendrix had only lived in the house for a few months prior to his squalid death the following year.

While Sadie acknowledged Hendrix as "an important figure in the history of pop music", the star himself was unimpressed with Handel: "To tell you the God's honest truth, I haven't heard much of the fella's stuff."

Opposition to the plaque for Hendrix shocked a former lover ("Hendrix has sold more records than Handel...he's more relevant in today's society than Handel..."), while another acolyte opined that a certain musical elitism was at work.

Denying any such motive , Dr. Sadie pointed out that his New Grove Dictionary of American Music carried a long entry for Hendrix. In a small masterpiece of understatement this volume has the final word on the star: "He was not gifted with a naturally fine singing voice."
Taken from the Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Music, Helicon Publishing 1997

Here's a link to the Handel House Museum. http://www.handelhouse.org/the-house/

Mon Petit Giverny

Tansy, Hostas, Phlox, the dreaded Monkshood

Hollyhock

Monarda, Phlox, Purple Loosestrife, Anise Hyssop, Hollyhock

Misia - Another Red-headed Muse - Part Three

Photo of Misia by Vuillard, 1897
Misia by Renoir 1904

In 1907 Misia’s marriage to Alfred Edwards was in tatters. Misia was extremely jealous of her husband's mistress Genevieve Lantelme, and said in her memoirs "I had contrived to get a photograph of Lantelme; it adorned my dressing-table, and I made desperate efforts to look like her, dress my hair in the same way, wear the same clothes."

Genevieve Lantelme

Genevieve Lantelme and Edwards married but in 1911 Lantelme drowned after falling off Edwards’ yactht.

Around 1909 Misia began an affair with the lusty Spanish Painter José Maria Sert; she married him in 1920. Sert’s murals achieved international recognition. His work adorns the assembly hall of the League of Nations, the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and his mural at the Rockefeller Center replaced the one painted by Diego Rivera which was dismantled after Rockefeller objected to its subject matter.

José Maria Sert

Sert had been working at the Ballets Russes painting sets and creating the dancer's costumes. He was a colourful, fiery man with enough money to keep Misia in the style to which she had been accustomed. They decorated their apartment on the Rue de Rivoli in an unorthodox but staggeringly grand way. Massive pieces of rock crystal were placed in front of the fire to refract light. Tables were made of tortoiseshell or the semi-precious malachite.

Mural by Sert, Rockefeller Center

In the meantime thanks to Serge Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes, Misia’s drawing-room on the Rue de Rivoli became home away from home for the Russians. She opened her door to him while he broadened her horizons. When Igor Stravinsky first played the score of Le Sacre du Printemps to Diaghilev, the event inevitably took place in Misia’s apartment.

Serge Diaghilev

Misia loved José Sert, saying she was the only man who truly “satisfied” her. But Misia had a way of attracting younger, prettier women into her circle who threatened to steal her man. This time Roussy Mdivani was the thief.

Roussy managed to crawl into the Sert’s bedroom the last time José made love to Misia. Misia didn't hold a grudge, "The poor girl was not responsible for the feeling she had for you." she wrote Sert. "I found it very natural that she should adore you."

Misia was weirdly fond and protective of Roussy Mdivani, inviting her everywhere and tending to her health. All three were taking drugs; Sert had always used cocaine, Misia was finding release in morphine, Roussy was willing to try anything. The triangle lasted for as long as Misia’s pride allowed. They divorced in 1927.

In Misia’s circle between the wars, fashion steadily got the edge on art. In 1916 Misia met Coco Chanel who was to become her closest female friend. Apparently Misia, although morphine-addicted, created bonsai-like table-top trees out of rock-crystal and semi-precious stones. It’s uncertain if she made the trees herself but she certainly designed them. She designed dresses for a New York City fashion house around the same time.

When Sert finally cut ties with Misia, she consoled herself with the company of Coco Chanel, who was to now assume the dominant role in Misia’s life. Jean Cocteau dramatized their friendship in Les Monstres Sacrés but apparently he really never understood their relationship.

After Roussy’s early death, José Sert moved back in with Misia. During World War II Misia did her best to save artist Max Jacob’s life, She tried to pull every string to save him from the Nazis.

At her post-war soirées she invited collaborators and résistants on different days, but if they happened to bump into each other by chance she left them to sort it out. Her close friend Coco was arrested for a short time, suspected of being a Nazi collaborator.

Misia lived until 1950. She survives only in the works of others.

photo of Lantelme found at http://elgrillo.web-log.nl/el_grillo/paris/index.html
top photo of Misia by Vuillard found at the great website http://www.aloj.us.es/galba/monograficos/LOFOTOGRAFICO/POSTIMPRESIONISTAS/Fotos_Vuillard1.htm

Misia - Another Red-headed Muse - Part Two

Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard
Edouard Vuillard

In 1900 Misia was a voluptous 28 years old. The Paris Exposition was on. Misia was about to lose her good friend Toulouse-Lautrec. Her husband, Thadée Natanson, began taking more of an interest in politics. He found le Revue Blanche boring and entered into new and not-so-lucrative ventures. And the newspaper magnate Alfred Edwards fanatically pursued Misia like Pépé le Pew pursued the little black and white cat.

Photo of Misia and Thadée by Edouard Vuillard

Misia was offended and a little afraid of the extremely boorish, powerful Edwards. Misia’s husband found her attitude childish and urged her to use her charm to secure financial backing from him.

His plan backfired. Alfred Edwards did in fact help ease Thadée Natanson's financial woes, but Edwards was so obsessed with Misia that having her as a mistress was not enough. He wanted her as his wife. The fact that he already had a wife didn’t seem to matter.

Alfred Edwards

Once again Thadée had bungled his affairs. He resigned himself to the situation between Edwards and his wife and cabled Misia to “arrange everything.” Misia now saw Thadée as a tarnished knight - Edwards as the dragon. Perhaps by marrying the dragon she would no longer need protection. Misia began to feel “the agitation which strongly resembles love”. She began living with Alfred Edwards in 1903 and married him a few years later.

Misia acquired new friends in the Parisian musical and artistic circles. She was a confidante of Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau and an early and devoted patron of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. She was an inspiration to Proust and Apollinaire.

Maurice Ravel dedicated "Le Cygne" to her. When Ravel failed for the third time to win the Prix de Rome, Misia used her new husband’s clout to make the director of the Conservatoire resign. Gabriel Fauré, Misia’s childhood piano teacher took over the postion.

Misia played the piano for Caruso while he sang Neapolitan songs, and told him to pipe down when she’s had enough.

Misia was a close friend of designer Coco Chanel. Coco said "Misia never read a book"; however, she was always surrounded by people who were pure culture.”

Many of her friends from the old days stayed close and at least one grew even closer. Renoir didn’t pick sides. He was a deeply moral man and approved of Misia’s gift for bringing life alive.

Renoir longed to paint Misia’s famous breasts naked, but she would never bare them, probably because Edwards was lurking jealously despite the fact that Renoir was badly crippled with arthritis. Misia once rewarded Renoir for a portrait by giving him a blank cheque. He filled it out with the going rate. Apparently Renoir wrote love letters to her, but on the advice of her literary agent, deeming them as “too silly”, Misia destroyed them before her death.

Misia by Renoir

Misia lost Edwards to the gorgeous actress Genevieve Lantelme. As the break-up took a long time Misia was able to continue enjoying a large income. In the early stages of the breakup she headed for the coast to get away from it all. Marcel Proust was on hand to observe that Misia had ended up sharing a stretch of beach with her husband and his new mistress and her ex-husband Thadée.

More to come. (including a third husband)

Misia - Another Red-headed Muse - Part One

Portrait of Misia - Henri-Toulouse Lautrec

I had never heard of Misia until G-Pup bought me the book Misia, The Life of Misia Sert, by Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale, second hand.

It turns out that Misia is one of the most inspirational muses and patrons of the Parisian avant-garde. Artists, musicians, writers and dancers at the turn of the (last) century were beguiled by her. A beauty in her time, Misia was painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, by Bonnard and Vuillard, and according to her memoirs, 7 or 8 times by Renoir.

She’s another in my series of red-headed muses and this gingersnap of a woman seemed to have her finger in all pies.

Misia Godebska, was born in 1872 in Russia. Her mother died in childbirth. Her father, the sculptor Cyprien Godebska, was engaged in the reconstruction of the Tsar’s palace. Remarried, he sent her off to live with family. She had a few idyllic years living with her grandmother in Belgium where she was found be a gifted pianist, only to be reunited with her distant father and step-mother in Paris. There Misia grew up in amongst the upper crust of French society, but she was shunted off to a succession of boarding schools and family members.

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

She married early, at the age of 16, to Thadée Natanson, a Polish ex-pat politician and journalist. Later he became the editor of the Paris arts magazine la Revue Blanche, focusing on the circle of the Paris avant-garde.

La Revue Blanche was published from 1891 to 1902. One had to know Misia before being published in the magazine and in turn, Misia only wanted to know those who were gifted. She knew almost everyone who mattered in Paris’s artistic circles. Her taste was original and discerning. Probably a true bohemian, she was unwilling to desert her money and her class.

The painters (Vuillard, Bonnard, Lautrec and Renoir) painted her and the composers debuted their masterpieces at her piano. Ravel and Debussy were frequent guests. Vuillard adored her. Stéphane Mallarmé wrote poetry for her.

Photo by Édouard Vuillard

Although I don’t find her particularly striking, the painters thought her looks miraculous, with a legendary pair of legs and a dreamy bosom. Colette revolved around this group too, sporting a waistline almost as small as Misia’s.


At a party of 300, thrown by Misia’s brother-in-law to celebrate the completion of nine large panels painted by Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec was the barman.

Misia ate up her husband Thadée’s money; as a patron she required plenty of material items. With the help of Thadée and his money she was able to entertain at their homes in the country as well. At one of these country parties, Misia caught the eye of the vulgar newspaper baron Alfred Edwards, editor of Le Matin.

Thadée Natanson was facing bankruptcy. Edwards bailed him out, on condition that he surrender his wife. Thadée and la Revue Blanche were saved and Misia was the price...

More to follow.

The Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac

I found this garden in the most recent German edition of Elle Decoration. The Gardens of Marqueyssac are situated on a cliff-like spur and overlook the Dordogne Valley in France. A French National Historical Monument, the gardens contain 150,000 century-old hand-pruned boxwoods edging 6 kilometers of shaded paths.

At first glance I found these topiaries whimsical yet somewhat repellent. I’ve never seen anything else like them. They look like hundreds of people hiding their heads - like grieving green ascetics. I’d love to see them in person and the website for the overhanging gardens of Marqueyssac is delightful.

http://www.marqueyssac.com/pages_gb/presentation_f.html

Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon.....in the summertime....

Stone Cold Soup - Yummm

My enfant terrible is out of town for a few days at his grandmother's (actually he's a great kid and I miss him very much) and while he's away I'm getting extra time with my husband.

On Wednesday night G-Pup and I met for a beer at The Rex after his workday. Despite living in Toronto since 1983, it was the first time I had set foot inside the old Jazz bar. I've yet to see any performances there.

After one there, we ambled far west along Toronto's bustling Queen Street. After deciding on something casual to eat but before we actually walked all the way home, we stopped at an old diner called The Swan. The Swan is really sparsely decorated - if you could even call it decorated - but what they do have are the original diner fittings that look like they date back to the '30s.

Most of the restaurant was reserved for a private party complete with oyster shucking on ice, so G and I sat at the bar.

I wanted to tell you about the soup I had there. I've been on an avocado kick since I first went to Julie's Cuban restaurant last winter. The Swan's soup of the day was Avocado Vichyssoise. It was absolutely delicious.

It was thicky, creamy, ice cold. Besides the avocado there was a hint of cumin and a hint of coriander. I loved it.

I've been searching for a recipe and I found this one in an old New York Times article, which is in turn from the book ''Paris in a Basket: Markets -- The Food and the People'' by Nicolle Aimee Meyer and Amanda Pilar Smith (Konemann, $19.95). I haven't tried it yet, but this recipe seems like it might be closest to the one I enjoyed at The Swan.

AVOCADO VICHYSSOISE

Time: 30 minutes, plus chilling

1 1/4 pounds medium boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt
2 Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
4 cups chilled, defatted chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cilantro leaves for garnish.


1. Place potatoes in a saucepan of salted water, and cook until tender. Drain.
2. Place half the potatoes and half the avocados in a blender with 1 cup chicken stock, cumin and lemon juice. Process to smooth puree, gradually adding another cup of stock, and transfer to a bowl. Puree the remaining potatoes and avocados with the remaining stock, and combine with the first batch. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
3. Serve garnished with a few cilantro leaves or chives.
Yield: 6 servings

recipe found athttp://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/31/dining/by-the-book-outdoor-markets-inside-the-kitchen.html
soup image www. marthastewart.com
top image: www.blogto.com

2nd image: dineto/swan

Van Gogh - Self-Portrait at the Easel

Jo Bonger-Van Gogh, Theo Van Gogh's widow and Vincent's sister-in-law, was quoted saying that the above painting was "of all of his self-portraits, the one with the most likeness."

Denvir, Bernard, Vincent, A Complete Portrait, Running Press, Philadelphia, 1994

No Van Go 2

While I was trying to find a photo of Van Gogh to accompany the post below I happened upon this photo, supposedly of Vincent Van Gogh. It came to light about 5 years ago and was on display at the Seton Gallery at the University of New Haven in an exhibition titled Discovering Vincent van Gogh: A Forensic Study in Identification.

The man in the photograph does bear a striking resemblance to Van Gogh. The information found on the 4 1/2" X 5 1/2", photograph circa 1886, identifies the photographer as Victor Morin, 42 RUE ST. FRANCOIS, ST HYACINTHE.

The photograph was discovered in the early 1990s by a customer flipping through an album of photographs, mostly of clergymen, dating back to the late 19th century at an antique dealer's in Massachusetts.

The man who found the picture saw the resemblance to Vincent Van Gogh and took the photograph to a photo historian who had previously worked on identifying images of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant. The expert was convinced it was Vincent, contesting the veracity of earlier known photos of Vincent, believing them to be his brother instead.

Tests were performed on the photograph by a forensic institute also in New Haven. Investigators matched the size of the forehead, the shape of the eyes and even individual hairs.

They too believed this to be Van Gogh stating, "Even the most minute detail matched up, even the smallest hairs on the beards matched up,"

The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has contested that the picture is the artist. And rightly so.

I’d like this to be a photo of Vincent Van Gogh – my stomach flipped when I saw it. But alas, it’s just wishful thinking. Despite Van Gogh’s hard life, the subject of the photo looks older than the 33 years Vincent would be in the photo. But the quickest Google verifies the photographer Morin as being located in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. There is no other St. Hyacinthe.

Considering Vincent van Gogh was hungry enough to eat paint and borrowed money constantly from his brother, I don’t think Vincent came to La Belle Province and had his photo taken.

Thanks to an article at Guardian.co.uk, The Guardian, Tuesday 24 February 2004, David Teather

No Van Go

Forvo.com is a great website that features native speakers pronouncing words or names from all over the world. Apparently Vincent Van Gogh's name, which most of us lazy English speakers pronounce Van Go or Van Goff, is really pronounced closer to Van Hoch. You have to get really guttural with the GH.

Here's how it sounds. Make sure you hit the arrow with Juansi at the bottom of the page or else you'll get a German version.

Here's another from the vggallery.com

and yet another from a website I've just discovered called ingolo.com

Gelukkig Verjaardag dear Rembrandt

It was 403 years ago today, that Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, the Dutch painter, was born. He depicted himself 40-50 times, which trumps even Vincent Van Gogh. Here is an early self-portrait of Rembrandt and his last, plus some pithy quotes.



"Practise what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know"

"Old age is a hindrance to creativity but cannot crush my youthful spirit. "

"Choose only one master - Nature."

"I envy the poet. He is encouraged towards drunkenness and wallows with nubile wenches while the painter must endure wretchedness and pain for his art."



Here, according to a Dutch speaker, is the pronunciation of Rembrandt van Rijn.

Vive la France! Vive la république!

Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L’étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes !

Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !


La Marseillaise, 1907, from youtube.

Bonne Fête Nationale!

Fête Nationale or Bastille Day is the national French holiday which commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 which in turn signaled the beginning of the French Revolution.

The Bastille was a medieval fortress-like prison that had come to be associated in the minds of the French citizens with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy. The capturing of the Bastille was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French nation; the people had signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute – the ancien régime was at an end.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way” Charles Dickens.

Claude Monet. Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878. 1878. Oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.

Although not Bastille Day, this painting by Monet gives an Impression of a joyous celebration.

Life is the Ultimate Work of Art - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I realized recently that I haven’t seen any Woody Allen movies for years. I stopped paying him any attention since Crimes & Misdemeanors and Alice came out in the late 80s.

That’s what happens when old men have affairs with their 20-something step-daughters – I tend to ignore them. But since Woody and Soon-Yi have been a couple for 17 years and married for 12 – I guess I can get over it.

This week I watched the DVD of Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona and I liked it very much.

Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamoured with the same seductive painter and he endeavours to get both of them in his bed.

Vicky and Cristina, although close, are as different as Snow White and Rose Red. One is sexually adventurous - the other, cautious and about to enter into a conventional marriage. Both are mesmerized by the celebrated Juan Antonio and are unaware that his passionate and tempestuous ex-wife, Maria Elena, is about to re-enter his life.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a real treat with eye candy for everyone, with Rebecca Hall as Vicky, Scarlett Johansson as Cristina, Javier Bardem((melt)), as the handsome lothario and Penelope Cruz as his ex-wife.

Like all Allen movies witty dialogue abounds. The scenery and architecture in Barcelona and the Catalan province of Spain is fantastic.

I give Vicky Cristina Barcelona an 8 out of 10.

Kiki de Montparnasse

The liberated Kiki was a French artists' model, and a sometime nightclub singer, actress and painter. Mainly, she was a party-girl who was found in the right place at the right time.

Kiki was born Alice Prin in 1901. Her chosen name was simply Kiki, but was also referred to as Kiki de Montparnasse.

Kiki helped shape the social scene of 1920s Paris. Known by everyone in the circle of artists and writers that flourished in Montparnasse in the '20s, she was the muse and lover of several artists including Man Ray and posed for dozens of other artists.

I have a couple of books about her including her memoirs, but notably Kiki, Artists and Lovers, 1900-1930 by Billy Kluver and Julie Martin. It's one of my Desert Island Books.

I've saved this picture (below) for a couple of years. It's from The Style Scout; a street fashion blog out of London. I thought the young subject did an admirable job of recreating Kiki's look, whether intentional or not. (I think she knew)

Château des Brouillards

I don't have my notebook with me that has Renoir's address and phone number so when I was looking up P.A.R's Montmartre's address on-line I came across this article from the Wall Street Journal, January 25th 2008.

"A longtime Parisian home of Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is on the market for €3.75 million (about $5.5 million), reduced from its listing last year of €4.5 million.

Known as the Château des Brouillards (mists), the 18th-century stone house was also the childhood home of famed filmmaker Jean Renoir, the painter's second son. The house is in Montmartre, the Bohemian enclave that lured Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and many other artists. The neighborhood figures in Renoir's 1876 masterpiece "Le Moulin de la Galette," as well as the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

The four-floor, 3,200-square-foot stone house has four bedrooms and a concierge's apartment. There's a front garden and a 1,200-square-foot interior garden. The current owner's family has held the property for about half a century and hasn't renovated the interior, says listing agent Xavier Attal, of Immobest International in association with Quintessentially Estates and Prestige Properties.

Jean Renoir, who directed "Grand Illusion," wrote extensively about the Château in a memoir of his father, who died in 1919 at 78, calling it an "odd conglomeration" of buildings "perched high above the Paris mist" whose hedge let its inhabitants live "in a world apart.""

www.luxist.com also has an article about the house and includes photos.

Two Sisters

Here's a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir that one of my mother's favourites.

The Toronto Reference Library has a 1912 directory for Paris. In it I was able to find the addresses and phone numbers for many important citizens, including Renoir!

Pancake Rescue - Help!

I'm a cook who likes to make most things from scratch. But I draw the line at some things like making my own pasta and making pancakes from ingredients in the baking cupboard.

Recently, I asked my son what he wanted for breakfast. He said "Pancakes". No Bisquick was available but after being away for 5 days I agreed that I would make him some pancakes from scratch if I could find the recipe.

I followed the Five Roses Flour recipe to a T. But the first few pancakes had the consistency of a roti or a Paratha (a type of Indian flatbread). Chewy, pale and oily. While I like Paratha, (my favourite is onion)it's not what a pancake should be.

Any ideas what I did wrong? Was the pan not hot enough?

Whazzup Sarah!

So, Sarah Palin is resigning. Will she be a footnote to American history or is she making a move that would rival a chess master?

It's been said that she might host her own talk show. Good, we need more of those. Personally I think she's pregnant again.

What do you think?

Canada Day

Canada's birthday falls on July 1. I celebrated Canada Day in Parry Sound; the town where I was born and the town where my mother lives.

Parry Sound certainly has changed since I was a child. Fireworks Shmireworks I thought, as I remembered the 10 or 12 rockets that used to be let off at the town beach when I was a kid.

At dusk my brother and I walked down to the Town Dock. Many of the pleasure boats and yachts found in the harbour had been bedecked with flood lights and strings of twinkle lights. Tooting and honking, they sailed past the dock which by this time was thronging with people. I described it to my husband as a "Float Past". He corrected me saying the appropiate term was probably a "Sail Past".

The well-orchestrated fireworks display was a hit. I was really impressed. The photo above from www.parrysound.com/press/gallery/ gives the idea of what it was like from one of the many boat slips.

My brother, thinking ahead, brought not only beer but sparklers too and passed them out to the nearby crowd.

It was a really great evening.

The Pond

Here are some pictures of the pond in my mother's garden. Nice, eh? She has a lovely garden and is rightly proud.

This is the pond in which my soon-to-be-10-year-old goldfish Ming was hatched.

Please click the photos to enlarge for greater detail.