Bonjour and happy Saturday! 
How was your week? Are you starting to settle into Autumn and its cosy weekends (or Spring and its warmer days suited for picnics and drinks in the sunshine if you are on the other side of the world)?
Just when I started to fluff my warm jumpers this week, warmer days made an appearance. I guess this is what we call Indian Summer, those unexpected warm days when the weather has been much cooler for the past two weeks. It is certainly dark much earlier in the evening too but with just enough light left for us to observe a little bat fluttering between our building and the trees this week (it's my first time spotting one in Dublin city!).

​I have a few interesting things for you to read or listen to with your breakfast/brunch so here we are. Have a lovely weekend!

Bonjour, c'est le week-end! 
How has your Summer been? I have spent the last few weeks seeing lovely images and stories of people on their holidays, whether traveling abroad or discovering parts of their own country/city. I will soon get to do the same when we head to France for a family event and a few days of our own to explore and relax.
I haven't just been marvelling at other people's holidays of course, I also took the time to take note of some interesting things here and there so I could share them with you. Have a lovely weekend!
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- Something interesting: I have tried camembert ice cream many years ago and it was alright but I am not sure how I feel about cheese tea.

- Something delicious: I have already made this tomato salad with grilled cheese croutons (minus the basil) twice and it is really delicious.

- Something else delicious: speaking about salads, the pear and Serrano ham one I shared three years ago is perfect this season and already on my menu list for the weekend.

- Something to watch: the short film AMA by Julie Gautier shot in the deepest swimming pool in the world, stunning and mesmerising.

- Something else to watch: this cinematic proposal video, so beautifully shot.

- Something to read: I have really enjoyed reading the graphic novel The Arab of the Future 1 and 2 by Riad Sattouf over the past two years and I look forward to getting the third one on my next trip to France. The book talks about the author's childhood in the Middle East and it is very interesting both visually and for the life story itself.

Bonjour and happy Saturday! A lot has happened since I last posted my Saturday links. I went to Catalonia and enjoyed a long weekend in Barcelona and at the Vida festival (see my latest blog post). We celebrated our wedding anniversary and the same week, enjoyed some delicious French food on Bastille Day. The next day, France won the Football World Cup and as much as I am not a great enthusiast about this sport usually, I really appreciate how much happiness it brings to a lot of people seeing their country team winning.
I also collected a few links to share here so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find something you like: 

- Something interesting: I really enjoyed this article about the comfort we find in cookbooks that I read last month.

- Something delicious: I need to order special moulds just to make those wonderful and delicious looking popsicles.

- Something else delicious: I really want to make this blueberry pecan galette this Summer.

- Something to watch: this documentary on Netflix is absolutely fascinating and I urge you to watch it if you haven't already.

- Something to listen to: after having seen her incredible performance at the Vida Festival last month, I have been listening to St Vincent a lot. 

I don't about you but I felt like this week was never going to end. Every day, I could not stop shaking my head in despair as I was reading the news about the families being separated at the US borders and the little babies and children being kept in inhumane conditions in camps. It made me sad. No, it made me sad AND angry.  How can human beings do this to others?! This is not acceptable and so cruel.
Of course, things are being signed now so this does not happen again. But those families are still separated and there is a lot to do to help them being reunited.
​So,  I did not feel like sharing all my usual links this week, instead just a couple of things:

- Something important: this article on stopping family separation published on Cup of Jo this week. If you had questions or were wondering exactly about what has been going on in the US at the borders, this give some very clear answers and suggestions on how to help.

- Where you can donate to help: I asked my best friend in the USA what were the best charities where I should donate to help. RAICES and ACLU are the ones she suggested (they are also mentioned in the article above). 

Hello there, long time no see! I just realised my last blog post on here was more than a month ago. During that long break and among other work and life things, I visited my wonderful friends in Florida and had a very impromptu trip to France (where I had to skip eating any of the delicious bread goods and pastries on offer, yikes very much! - it will hopefully not be a forever thing, still a 'figuring it all out' work in progress though...).
I did take a break from the blog but did not forget about it and prepared a few posts as well as collected links for Saturdays so here is a selection for today. Have a wonderful weekend!

- Something interesting: this article about meditation on Cup of Jo has definitely been helpful to me lately as I searched ideas such as mindfulness to relieve stress. The app Headspace made it onto my phone and as I am starting to use it, I can already see how good it will be for me.

- Something to dream about: I love collecting ideas for future travels and the more I read about trips to the Dolomites such as this one, the more I push it higher on my list of places to visit.

- Something delicious: those toasts niçoise made me quite hungry and the ingredients are already on my list for the long weekend's meal ideas.

- Something else delicious: the ingredients for this delicious sounding one pot creamy parmesan chicken with mushroom rice will also make it on my shopping list this week.

- Something to watch: this classic movie from 1979 is on Netflix at the moment. I rewatched it with E., who had never seen it, and I was reminded what an incredible film this is.

- Something to listen to: I am putting this song on my playlist before listening to it live next month.

- Something else to listen to: my friend introduced me to podcast My Favorite Murder when I visited her in Florida and this is seriously addictive (I studied criminology in college and I find those stories fascinating - despite being scared by my own shadow, ha!).

How was your week? I feel like mine went quite fast between juggling work, the blog, every day things and preparing my next trip (we're talking getting a visa, travel insurance, foreign money etc.). I managed to find good breaks to go stretch at my Pilates class, preparing meals while listening to the French radio and diving into a very interesting book before bedtime. It's all about finding a good balance sometimes!
Here is a little selection of links I collected this week:

- Something interesting: this story about a young girl having her portrait taken is truly beautiful and moving.

- Something delicious: I am really craving spaghetti carbonara after reading this blog post and seeing the beautiful photos accompanying it.

- Something else delicious: this recipe for leek soup and whipped feta might be of good use this weekend if the weather doesn't warm up.

- Something to wear: a French blogger I follow released a line of sustainable clothing with the brand Close this week and I have to say it all looks quite pretty.

- A film: I went to see this magical Disney movie last weekend with family members and it was very enjoyable, I was reminded of the type of movies I really loved watching as a child.

- A song: I have been listening to Arcade Fire quite a bit recently but especially this song from my favourite album of theirs.