An old… friend…

From our… London days…

Was meeting us… at her local internet café close to where she works… in the 13th arrondissement… on the edge of Paris.

We hurriedly jumped on the train… which took us straight to

Today… “1er mai”…

We… celebrated…

“La Fête du Travail”…

Which… is…

May 1st… “International Workers’ Day”…

A traditional summer holiday… in many pre-Christian pagan cultures..

“May… Day”…

Is also… a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary… where her head would

“Jocteur… Le Boulanger des Invalides”…

Two stations from…

“Les Invalides”… Napoleon’s monument…

With its magnificent golden dome gleaming in today’s sunshine… (after weeks of unrelenting thundering rain and dreary grey clouds)…

We stumble on an… “angle”… café/boulangerie…

It… is…

Adorable…

Artemisia…

A… woman…

Of power… passion… glory…

A… painter… in the… “Seicento“…

Known… for her colourful lifestyle…

Her… freedom…

Free spirited… she was admired in all the courts of Europe…

Picasso…

Pablo Picasso…

A painter…

A force of nature…

A typical Spaniard – young, good looking, thin, dark, moody, with hypnotic black eyes.

Charismatic… magnetic…

He enchants… fascinates…

His work is amazing…

Louis Vuitton…

Founder… of the House of…

Louis Vuitton… in 1854…

Marc Jacobs…

Vuitton’s… Artistic Director…

Since… 1997…

Centuries… apart…

Two… innovators…

Who catapulted… and advanced an entire industry…

Two creators… opposite continents…

A

Bread & Roses…

“Chaque quartier…

de Paris…

est magique”…

We were on our way to a business meeting in the “sixième arrondissement”… the Jardin de Luxembourg area of Saint-Germain-des-Prés…

Having concluded our meeting… we came “juste en face du”… “bakery

“Degas…

et le Nu“….

We… came to admire…

The exceptional show… “Degas and the Nude“…

The exhibition… organised by the Musée d’Orsay and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston…

Helmut Newton…

Since… my very first edition of…

Vogue…

I’ve been fascinated… by the extraordinary photographic skills… of the brilliant…

Helmut Newton…

Who featured and collaborated with the celebrated magazine…

Today…

At the…

“International Women’s Day”…

We were… delighted…

To receive… an invitation by…

Catherine Le Yaouanc… the highly professional and charming Chief Executive Officer of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI)… to attend