The Sweetness of Février

We've been in France four whole weeks now and the beginning of February has brought many good, sweet things. Most recently, we received a lovely homemade Valentine's Day card this morning from some friends back in New York. The string of red hearts is just what we need to warm us up on these cold days of winter (-2 Celsius!). Once Malanga Girl figures out where they'll take up permanent residence, we'll hang them and share the love with anyone who walks into our apartment.
February also brought the close of Malanga Mama's big, big, seemingly never-ending translation project, hence the silence of the last week. I'm so glad I'm now free to wander the streets in this turn-your-face-inside-out and make-your-knuckles-raw-even-under-your-gloves cold. No, really, I mean it! I'm excited about finally exploring all the places I still haven't seen. And about visiting old favorites, like the Guignol (Marionette Theater) in the Jardin de Luxembourg. Malanga Girl went to her first Guignol when we visited Paris a while back. She was 15 months old at the time and it was her first theater experience. This time, she was an old pro at knowing that exciting things happen when they dim the lights and she was sitting next to the first girl from her new school to invite us on a play date. We had a fun conversation after the Guignol in a mix of French, English, German and Spanish with this little girl and her mother at tea/coffee/pastry spot Bread and Roses and I felt like life was somehow very normal and very magical all at once.
The beginning of February also brought the first snowfall of the year to Paris (something none of us expected at all). It was a strange Sunday on which we walked through the nearly empty streets until the cold drove us into one of the only open bookstores in Paris that day of the week and then into the British pub across the street from it. Who knew I had been craving fish and chips loaded with malt vinegar?
Malanga Girl is also mastering the days of the week in French, exciting progress that made it very easy for her to talk me into buying her a French calendar for her room. C'est "cute," ne c'est pas?