Karine Ardault

Arrived in Paris

I landed yesterday morning in Paris. I am ready for intensive shopping and ballades in Paris.

More later, I am off with family today!!

On Paris bridges

Almost counting the hourse now... leaving Friday night!

Public lighting system on one of the bridges upon the Seine, Paris.

 

Pont neuf, Paris

The Indian Restaurant at the Impala Hotel

Let’s go straight to the point: the decoration sucks. It is impersonal and without taste. BUT the Indian food is excellent here. The Impala Hotel also have an Italian and a Chinese restaurants. I have never tried the Chinese, but the food served by the Italian restaurant looks and tastes everything but Italian.

I happen to have a favorite dish here but lately I add another one so the following day I can have an Indian lunch pack (remember: I barely have any time to step out the office) as my left over from my favorite, Handi lazeez and jeera rice, is not enough for the following day. So lately I have been adding a dish of cheese or daal. I love the subtil use of spices in the Indian food. yummy!

Plain Papadam

Fried cheese

Jeera Rice

  Cheese Nans

Flare

Flare in the Garden by a beautiful sunny afternoon. Polaroid EE100 with Black & white Polaroid Film

Sunday at home

Yesterday was a good day.

After grocery shopping (special for Ben: which I do not fancy doing as grocery is NOT shopping - you will see what I am taking about when I am in France), I stopped for a Brunch in case the power would be cut again. I stopped at the Picasso Cafe. This new place opened in town a few month back and they are serving nice salads and sandwiches and are also serving breakfast. The steak sandwich is my favorite. The breakfast was nice.

When I arrived home, Surprise! there was power!! and as far as I know we did not have any power cut yesterday.

In the afternoon, Cuddle (my dog, not "our" dog as Ben insists it is not his) went for a walk in the coffee plantations. We had a great time: Cuddle sniffing all he could sniff and me enjoying the sounds, the view, the colors and just being able to walk in Arusha by myself without having someone who tries to sell me something every step I make. The dog was not sick in the car which was also a good thing.

A thirsty (had refused to drink when offered) but happy dog

Coffee plants

Then, back home with more reading and because I was a bit lazzy, I went AGAIN to the Impala for a fix of Indian food. I have some left-overs for today's lunch. :-)

I finished to read the latest LensWork yesterday. I felt in love with three of the portfolios included and I am very happy those three photographers have websites.

Susan S. Bank and a portfolio dedicated to Cuba, but not the Cuba you are used to see with touristic photos.

Wayne Firth's Silk in the Hills fortfolio is amazing. This portffolio portraits a silk factory that was closed in 1957 and never reopened. It stands today as it was in 1957, untouched. beautiful

Finally, Larry Blackwood's fortfolio entitles Bare Trees is very poetic.

LensWork is my favorite photography publication. I am very happy to receive it.

Speaking about photography, I bought actions from Totally rad Actions. it is been a long time since I have been lurking those actions and I finally bought them. Quite expensive but interesting to use.

I'd better go and work a bit!

lovely day

Polaroid EE100 with black & white film 

Under my veranda

Saturday

A new day.. Full of promises? well, if the TANESCO, the Tanzanian power company, does not cut the power all day last week-end.

I woke up early, Muffin was making noise in her little house. After debating if I had to get from under the duvet (it is chilly here are we are entering the full winter swing, even if July is the worse - ok compared to winter in europe it is nothing, but still...), I finally got out of bed.

Muffin was still making her little marathon and her nosecame very close to my feet but the good girl decided not to crunch one of my toes... Thank you Miss Muffin!

Armed with a glass of fresh pressed orange juice I am reading my blogs. I am so behind in my blog reading... More than 750 indicated google reader this morning. All those posts are full of inspiration. My goal for this morning is to stop when I am at 650.

Then I have to go to town to buy food for the dog when I am away, go for grocery, check if there is anything I might fancy buying. I am sure I will come back with some candles I we have regular powercuts at night during the week!!!

Then it is time to start taking out the suitcases for their hiding place. I usually fly empty on my way back to France. Just a few books to bring back.

This morning, the sky is still grey but I already see some blue sky pushing the clouds away. Sweet.

So Go! and Enjoy!

Power - No Power

No power... yes. I am tired, exhausted and feel like I am powerless. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. to go to work early, most of the time does not have any occasion to go out for lunch and barely go back home before 7:00 pm. Then I work again. Then I crash into my bed. Not very exciting.

Above is the Luku, a prepaid electricity meter.

As much as I love my job, I am not sure that being so drained is beneficial to my personal well-being and my working capacity. As I am headed to Paris for holidays in nine days, I think I can survive until then. I hope. I will surely make it physically. I am not so sure mentally or spiritually though.

I am tired but yet I feel ok for once on a Friday. I am planning to do many things this week-end (including lots of work), my last week-end in Arusha before I go home to Paris... though for 3 weeks and a half only :-(

Paris, Quai de seine, les bouquinistes

No power - like in no electricity. The ??@!%! TANESCO (the Tanzanian power company) cut the power the whole day on saturday and Sunday and yesterday night again. I do not know if I will be able to handle this any longer. The little freetime I have is reduced

Today we are having a very nice sun shining on us. Not so good for the rainy season but good for my spirit.

Ben is away to Uganda this week-end. At least the dog is happy about it as he can stay close to me (Ben is allergic to dogs so usually I cannot play for too long with the dog).

I am even planning to go out for a walk tomorrow afternoon with the dog. Other plans include work, work and work, photography, blogging, creating, reading, eating good food and shopping.

I'd better get going! Go!

 

Shutter Sisters - New

New… I could only think of this very young elephant. Less than one year old. Still clumsy and looking for mama’s milk and shade!

A week-end in Arusha during the rainy season

It is the week-end – Yeah!

Very strangely I am not tired – ok it took me a while to get out of bed this morning but I am feeling fine.

Actually no wonder why I did not want to get out of bed: it is raining and cold. It is the rainy season and it is raining, which is good for the country but at the same time it is cold and the house does not have any heating system. So this morning I am wearing big socks and a pull, which I rarely do – except during the rainy season! I live off the main road which means that I have to use dirt roads to get to the house. Well, lately, It is more mud roads than dirt roads I am using. I remember that last year I had to use the 4x4 settings on my car '(which I rarely use in town!) to reach the main road from home. The rain has stopped now and the sun is trying to find a place in the sky…

 

Yesterday, I got some books I ordered from Amazon. I love books. I like learning and discovering. Interior design has been interesting me more and more lately. No, I am not thinking of a career change in Interior design. One of the books is ' target=_blank>Becoming an interior Designer, by Christine M. Piotrowski. It is real interesting and is a must read for anyone thinking about becoming an Interior Designer. It is full of info about the studies, the career, the professional associations, the specialties, the design process, etc….

The house we are living in in Arusha is rented. It is far from being perfect but it is nice. The area is relatively quiet and safe, there is a big garden and it is a big house. The house setting it self is not that good. There is very few direct light coming in the house. unfortunately, it is not typical to this house. Indeed, it is very rare that you find luminous rooms in Arusha. Though I have been living in this house for about 4 years and I like it.

When I first moved in I really thought I would stay in Africa for a year or so. It has been for years and I may live there a little more. I am thinking about enhancing the look of some parts of the house without ruining me… but more on this soon!

 

 

I found a very nice blog recently, On the Dot Creations. The author, Julie, wrote a very nice e-book, Secrets of Savvy Etsy Sellers, that you can download for free on her blog. Julie’s blog contains some little gems like a monthly calendar for download. She also has an Etsy shop.

 

That is all for now. I want to go in town and have some fun with my camera. so… more later!