Another day of doing bits and bobs.......... I walked to Le Bon Marche, so that I could walk past Rue Monsieur, where Nancy Mitford lived in Paris - it is very close to here, I hadn't realised how close it was until I was reading one of the letters that said "I can hear the bells of St Francois Xavier...". Well, of course, St FX is only just down the road, so I had to go and look, but there is no plaque or anything. The house itself is hidden behind a very opaque wall and gate, but you can make out that it is a two or three story house, relatively old, I think, in a classical style, and has a courtyard and a garden with trees. Obviously flats, as there are several bells, with initials only, I always think VIPs must live there if they have initials only. Such a pity no plaque, she had the Legion d'Honneur and did a lot for French culture with her writing.

Once at Le Bon Marche, I managed to get the different drawing pencils I need for the Country Bumpkin class (I'm getting everything ready now, in case of work horror later on, although it is still eight weeks away). I also bought a pink microwave egg cooker and a pink foldable chopping board, too tempting. Then on to the new Zara Home, I am so glad we have this now, it was weird that there was one in Nicosia and not in Paris! I bought two bathmats and an ashtray aka thread tray. Then popped into a little cafe in Rue Vignon and had avocado and shrimp salad for lunch.

Now back home to continue with Mitfords, etc, etc. I did empty out half the wardrobe yesterday, so now have to remove all the surplus clothes from the floor where they repose and vacuum the inside of the wardrobe before I decide what goes where. I tried on all the new winter clothes yesterday for the first time, everything fits pretty well, and I am happy that the ones for work will give the right impression. I have had no new winter clothes for two years, owing to the Nicosia escapade, I didn't need them.

Last night I was chatting to David, he was online in Poland, he says the hotel is quite strange, like Fawlty Towers, and the manager speaks no English and roars at him in Polish (of which he doesn't know a word). However the food is not bad, he says fish and puddings are the best, nothing vegetarian or pasta or curry or anything remotely ethnic exists. They are are on the outskirts of town, but can catch an antique-looking tram to the centre, I wondered if Melbourne sold some old trams there, like to Lisbon. He has been to visit a couple of ancient Jewish areas, but says hopes of finding any long-lost relatives are slim, as there are very few Jews left in Poland today.