Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet: Orangutans in Paris make for poor gondoliers

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The sunshine might be fading from our passion fruit punch but we're looking forward to what autumn will bring.

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Off (style) topic but just wondering quirky if you'd ruled out a urine infection for the uncharacteristic MIL episode? UTI's can cause confusion and paranoia, delusions even in the elderly - it can be more acute if they have dementia (my grandmother does) but even those without dementia or with simple memory impairment can be affected.

1frenchfoodie you are quite right it could have been a uti or complications with other health conditions she has, she behaved like this for 3+ months then it's as if it never happened. We just don't know as her gp was not very cooperative.

My mum had a couple of urinary infections in the year or so before she died and each time she was totally barking - delirium, didn't know any of us, hallucinations, personality change etc. Then afterwards back to normal, just as you describe quirky.

all round. I don't have any useful advice, my GF had Alzheimer's but I only ever knew him without his memories.

Must be really tough dealing with a GP like that quirky, you'd expect them to be a bit more on the ball when it's over a period of 3 months.

Peregrane, I don't think I own any blue stockings but I'll get some if necessary and tack the French baguette pin on love the title suggestion, the best I'd come up with was the very unorginal, "Ceci n'est pas un Salon"

I can definitely see those Naturalistas on an arty Parisienne with cropped wide legs.

I did make it to Mango to see the new conscious collection on Thursday but sort of crashed and went full on fever meltdown shortly thereafter, thought I was better today but was being overly optimistic. Will post pics in a bit, but it was a bit disappointing material wise, too thin and see through.

I'm too impatient of a reader for series so will only read any if they're complete. Is Alexander McCall Smith still alive and writing? My mother loved his books but we had very opposite book tastes but he seemed to write them quicker than you could read them which is a bit of a rarity in a series author.

Catherine, I was going to echo what Xing has said, Ile de Ré is the destination for the Invalides set, La Rochelle is just nearby. The different Parisian neighbourhoods tend to have different destinations for seaside France.

Catherine, Ile de Ré is charming out of season. It slows right down and has good restaurants, but in the summer it's a traffic jam all around the main villages. There was a good beach cafe (Aux Frères de la Cote, on a LH turning just before Ars-en-Ré, signed for tennis IIRC). No idea if it's still there. We used to rent a house from a friend's family, and went often for a few years before DS went to school. The market in Bois-Plages had a Limoges seconds stall. I bought most of my tableware there and am still using it.

I've found that with Mango so many times, it looks marvellous on the site but when you actually get the stuff, it's not so good. Have bought a couple of things from there though, one being a black dress for work which was all of £15. It worked beautifully as an event manager dress, looked smart and severe, and it didn't matter much if I ruined it.

We are taking a camper trip down the coast with the aim of heading to La Rochelle and hopefully Ile de Ré if we have time, then back to Brittany inland via Angers and possibly Le Mans to meet some friends.

(and hopefully next year I'll actually get to Paris...)

Where do the different neighbourhoods go? That's interesting that they have different spots.

Sporty BCBG/Boden types seem to favour southern Brittany, especially if they sail, between Quibèron and Vannes (both nice). Celebrities and big business moguls prefer the Cote d'Azur/Antibes. Really stealthy wealthy, private money likes certain spots from Arcachon to Biarritz. (I'm trying to remember the name).

Le Havre is popular with artsy and student types as it's an easy and cheap train journey.

The Camargue for more ordinary civil servant types.

The French Basque region is indeed very much under the radar (and fantastic food), not very touristy at all.

Sorry for everyone's troubles - I skipped over most of the posts earlier and didn't really take it all in. No experience with Alzheimer's but it must be so so difficult - massive sympathies to everyone involved.

Xing you and Val McDermid May be on to something. I’ve had a related theory about science fiction. It can be a useful framework for isolating and exploring various aspects of social organisation. The classics like Asimov or Clarke tend to function more like a thought experiment in that respect (but no less interesting for it), the unconventionals who sometimes reject the label like Atwood or Vonnegut sometimes read more topical (though eg the Handmaid’s Tale took a long while to be seen so by a larger audience), with authors like Le Guin or Bradbury perhaps in between. Just finished the Left Hand of Darkness as well (I don’t know how I left it so long to get around to) and, after a slow start, I loved it.

Quentin Jardin, you say? I may be set up with reading material for longer than I thought...

bo sorry to hear that the Mango expedition was a disappointment. I don’t think I’ve bought anything from there for well over a decade (but I’ve also not looked much).

Peregrane I think that's very true about Science Fiction (or Speculative Fiction as Margaret Atwood calls it, I went to a talk of hers a few years back, mind sharp as a razor, as you would expect). It's also why I like some Fantasy (for want of a better word), it throws up issues out of our normal social context, which makes us challenge them afresh.

Interesting about all the different areas of France, it's a long time since I've been (dd2 makes it hard to travel, but hopefully that will change soon). I used to know Le Havre well, as I did french exchanges there, also La Rochelle is quite near my parents, very pretty with lovely shops, as I recall.

I hope you're feeling better soon, bo. Shame about the Mango collection, our branch closed ages ago, though I think there's a small concession in HoF, if that stays open...

I'm not all that disappointed, Peregrane. I tend to 'shop' at Mango and Zara because they're the rare places where they stock my size or close enough to it and they shamelessly copy designer brands I like. I basically look there and anything that takes my liking I'll look for the higher quality version of it. I only rarely ever buy anything, but am able to fit loads of things without an endless back and forth of online orders. It was disappointing in a sense though, as conscious collections in the past were much better. I do tend to always forget that the Spanish brands just are never that great at winter collections.

Interesting about the crime stories and society thing. I've always found them interesting in that they expose corrupted systems rather than portraying a single villain where many represent different shades of grey and are motivated differently to keep a system going. It's something that's only very recently being explored in mainstream media, and usually only after its been exposed and lost its power. When I look at men like Weinstein and Kavanaugh I just see very very pathetic men, but what enrages me is the system that keeps them in power, enables it and turns a blind eye to keep the system in place.

Thanks for all the book recommendations. I have just bought half a dozen on my Kindle, although I was disappointed not to find An African in Greenland. Two of the Kate Atkinson novels (after checking that neither was written in first person present tense), Celeste NG and the HSP book. I hope it will be enough to while away the hours, but there will be wi-fi, so I can always buy more!

Xing how annoying. It definitely used to be available on Kindle for the UK market. I can’t imagine why they would discontinue something that costs nothing to stock. I have it only in the original French on my Kindle, but would be happy to lend it if you read some French (and if I can figure out lending, I have never tried!). I am by no means fluent but the language is readable and a (free) dictionary loaded onto the Kindle meant that I just had to hover over the words I didn’t understand for their translation.

bo I forgot to wish you a speedy recovery too! I like your system for using Mango and Zara (while totally lacking the wherewithal to execute something similar myself).

I am concerned that I missed Bo mentioning treatment. for a quick recovery.

Peregrane, I don't know how to do Kindle lending either, but would be very happy to know how. I do read French but only as well as rusty 1974 A level (not at a top grade).

It's just a fever, Xing, I'm better today. Well I hope, I thought that yesterday too but had to admit defeat and crawl back into bed around dinner time. Thanks for all the well wishes, but nothing to be too concerned about

Popping in to say hello. Sorry for everyone going through difficulties at the moment and I hope Bo gets better soon.
Brora stole now purchased and I love it. Very nice with eBay Sezane coat and also new crimson demellier bag. Bought the forest green suede Bobbies but they have been returned due to an uncomfortable side seam in favour of the Liberty Advent calendar -I know this is an utter waste of money but I really really wanted it!

peony those sound like lovely purchases! The Brora stoles are beautiful. I don't think I can justify more stoles or scarves, though I said that earlier and have bought 2 this autumn .

Hasty snap of stole + coat + bag

peony gorgeous, I love the colours and textures.

Colours, textures, shapes... all lovely and especially good lipstick colour too Peony. Is that your custom shade?

Here is my only October fashion-y buy. Arrived this morning!

Poppy very lovely, Xing.

Beautiful stole and a lovely poppy.

So when I said I wasn't playing to buy again before Christmas you knew I was only talking about new stuff, right? Cos I've just bagged a sage green Burberry for £40.

In theory I'm in full agreement with Hadley Freeman that a trenchcoat is one of the most useless items on Planet Fashion, plus beige makes me look ill. But I still have a soft spot for them and I've been looking out for a vintage, midi length one for ages. It's sage green which is probably why the price was so insanely reasonable, and has a very pleasing Columbo-esque vibe. I took it straight to the cleaners but will post a pic when it's back.

Great score Flo!