Monday 28 November 2011

Lovely gifts from abroad

It's been rather busy lately as my mum hasn't been too well, but it hasn't all been tough by any means. We were delighted to get some really great foreign presents in the last couple of days, so I thought I'd share them here.

The first was a Cat Bus album from Japan.    If you've watched the magical film "My Neighbour Totoro" you'll recognise the Cat Bus (above) a spirit bus which is shaped like a cat and takes you where you want to go.  I'm very fond of the Cat Bus and our Japanese friend Rie, who was over here in the summer, printed out some photos of us all and put them int the album which you can see below, which has the Cat Bus's head on it.  I'm so pleased.   



Our second gift was a package of amazing foodstuffs which K and F got us in Paris.  Paris is one of the cities which at times can really live up to the hype and cliches, and I often marvel at the glamour, elegance and refinement and .... well, Frenchness of it.  Yes, yes, yes, of course it is French, and also of course there is a whole lot of grunge and garbage in Paris, too, but, at its best. it actually lives up to its idealised image.

So here are some beautiful macaroons from Fauchon at 26 Place de la Madeleine,


including a gold one at the right of the box



Plus a large box of three different types of cheese, cut into elegant bite sized chunks



Plus also a loaf of the most gorgeous bread, now disappeared forever

The cheese is also no more, we shared it with guests last night.  We've eaten the gold macaroon and the violet coloured one, the rest are in the fridge.

So now I feel as if I have had a little private visit to both Paris and Japan.  



21 comments:

  1. Oh! Those macaroons and the cheese bits would not survive more than two days here with me :-) I have just been out during my lunch break and took some letters to the post office. The lady in front of me in the queue was from the most traditional bakery and confectionary of my town, and she was posting a big parcel wrapped in the bakery's pink and white paper - I caught a glimpse of the address and noticed it is going to Hamburg, the other end of Germany from here. Now, I wouldn't mind receiving such a parcel, and I hope someone in Hamburg will have a very pleasant surprise tomorrow or the day after!

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  2. Oh, I envy you those macarons! They look so magical! And I love Totoro, s sweet...

    xoxo
    -Sonia

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  3. There are really wonderful gifts.
    I love "Totoro"'s film, too.

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  4. Never heard of the Cat Bus, it looks a little fierce :-)

    Would happily receive a package of all things Paris.

    Darla

    PS - weird enough - my verification word this post is EXICAT

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  5. I have always been a Studio Ghibli fan. Every time I am in Japan my family always makes sure have time to visit the Ghibli Stores.
    Totoro is my all time favorite movie, and my studio is filled with Totoros.

    Love Macaroons plus the cheese looks wonderful.
    Lucky you !

    cheers, parsnip

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  6. What lovely gifts. I love the Cat bus album and I love the film too!

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  7. Hmmmm not sure opening presents this far ahead of Christmas is fair...... but then again maybe I'm just saying that because I'm jealous of the macaroons...

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  8. Thanks for the comments. @Librarian, whenever I see someone sending perishable things I hope that the item doesn't get held up in the mail. Imagine getting some delicious thing that is stale ...I really must cultivate a "glass half full" mentality! @See you There, I am often really amused by word verifications, jst after posting this I got "PARIS"! Macy, actually the macaroons were originally intended as a Christmas present, and the cheese was for now. Except that K. then realised they wouldn't actually keep till Christmas so they had to be an "I've been to Paris" present after all.... I'm not sorry!:)

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  9. Lovely gifts and the macaroons sound yummy. I hope your Mom is feeling better. thanks for the visit to my blog. I hope you have a great week!

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  10. Gold macaroons sound good to me!

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  11. Somehow Paris, like Berlin, will always have a caché that few other cities can achieve. One cannot really conceive of a golden macaroon in Scunthorpe for example. Mind you Harrogate might harbour a few.

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  12. Yes GB and your comment made me think. What other cities , if any, seem somehow cool in the way Paris and Berlin are? There are all number of fantastic cities but glamour, style, a place people have written about and where great things have happened... ....the only ones that spring to mind for me are Rome and New York. London is totally amazing but I am too involved in it to know if it has this indefinable quality in other people's eyes.

    There are so many aspects of this, could talk about it for a while....

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  13. Can I use my concessionary bus pass on that Cat Bus thingy? To be able to go wherever I wanted to for fee : now there's a thought.

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  14. I could really do with a cat bus right now...

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  15. Oh what fun! I remember when my now 22 yr old watched Totoro!

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  16. Oh, it is so much fun to get "care packages" from the mail! I even enjoy it when things I myself order online arrives! Your goodies look scrumptious.

    I have not yet seen Totoro, but love all the Miyazaki films I've ever seen. He has this amazing ability to combine magic, deep human emotion and social commentary, all in a delightfully animated bundle.

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  17. Your friends know you well anf have good TASTE.

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  18. Gifts from foreign lands are so much fun! You have so much willpower to still have macaroons left. Hope your mom gets well soon!

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  19. Hello Jenny,

    I suspect those wonderful gifts from abroad reflect the pleasure that comes from reading your blog. It is truly fascinating. I've just spent a little time at the toy museum post, but am buried under a sea of correcting (my last semester before retirement), so will just confine my comment to this most recent post. There is a German bakery across from the school where I work, and the macaroons, interestingly enough, look very similar. They melt in your mouth, and your photograph really brought that mouth-watering sensation to mind. As for the Cat Bus, I've never seen anything like it. It's wonderful! All the best to your mum!

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  20. This is the ultimate pre-Christmas post. I especially love the ginger cat with the mice, and also the cheese in the last photo.

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  21. I was almost going to miss this fascinating and delicious post. I do love “Neko Bus”, his smiling face and beams from his eyes are terrific. Oh, and macaroons make my mouth water! You’re so blessed with nice Friends, Jenny.

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