All my life, I’ve wanted to have a weather station at home. It’s a silly little thing, and now you can get one for a very decent price (and rechargeable!), so during the infamous heatwave I decided to invest in it.
This morning, I spent at least 15 minutes - altogether - in front of this peculiar object, studying the air pressure (my favourite feature, the one I talk about most: “the weather feels heavy, it must be low - or high - pressure.” I blame a surprising number of things on air pressure; in fact, quite a few people in my family do), the humidity in and out of the apartment (which I am still trying to fully understand on this machine), and the moon phases (which I also have on my phone).
It’s a full moon today. And if, tonight, at a certain planned hour, I look at the moon and you look at the moon, we are looking at the same thing! That, somehow, always makes me happy.
I came back from Novi Sad and found myself stuck with a series of minor yet debilitating health issues (a self-inflicted eye problem, and various skin issues that I believe are connected to the heatwave in May…). Then came the equally debilitating June heatwave, which brought everything to a halt.
I received quite a few messages from friends around the world checking in, trying to understand why a hot summer could be such a problem (not in a critical way - more out of curiosity, especially since summers in Serbia are very hot too). My explanation is fairly simple: the heatwave arrived too early, when the days stretch from 5:30 to 23:00; almost nobody, as you now know, in Paris has air conditioning; and, most importantly, the heat lingered through the night. There was none of the freshness I associate with summer evenings - none at all.
Today, for the first time in two weeks, I will turn on the oven to make a simple, refreshing ratatouille.
GET YOUR ILLUSTRATED FOOD MAP OF FRANCE
Despite everything, June was an eventful month. I’ve been incredibly busy - when I wasn’t lying on the couch recovering from heatstroke - and I have a lot to write about once the workload eases a little.
Before you dive into this month’s list of things that made me happy (I make one every month), a small update: I’ve renamed this monthly feature, and it is now called Paris Sketchbook. I would also love to invite you to an event happening this Saturday in Paris - the launch of our children’s book:
This was June:
While I was back in Novi Sad, I got a second-hand bike, as the weather was perfect for gliding around. It’s a very flat city, and the €50 investment paid off. Here is a little bike sign that I drew, which you can find on certain streets in my hometown. It felt special to ride in that bike lane.
I took my mum to the Serbian National Theatre and we laughed a lot watching the show. It was great.
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I finished a book about Michael Rockefeller (I mentioned it in the last newsletter) - touching on cannibalism and colonisation - and then got pulled into a whole wave of books about Papua New Guinea (where Michael disappeared). I’m currently at the end of this one: Secret Places: My Life in New York and New Guinea
I went to the Jeu de Paume on the opening day of two new exhibitions that I recommend. Jeu de Paume is a photography exhibition space at the end of the Tuileries garden, on Place de la Concorde. There is a fascinating collection from Elton John and David Furnish, as well as a photography exhibition by Madeleine de Sinéty: That day, the museum was emptier than usual, and I really had time to enjoy each piece.
I packed up my exhibition at 48 rue Greneta. There are still some original artworks available if you would like to purchase one. They are ink on paper - just reply to this email and we can arrange everything.
I found some young walnuts and made nocino. It needs to rest in alcohol until New Year’s, when we can taste it. If consumed earlier, it can be poisonous. The whole process is a bit wild - but it does taste very good (at least the one from previous years).
Around Paris, there are many fascinating places to visit, and one Sunday we went to see the Cyclop in the middle of the forest near Barbizon. We were excited to see the Cyclop, and the mosquitoes were excited to see us. Afterwards, we went to the charming village of Barbizon, where many famous painters like Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet settled after leaving Paris. And Leon Trotsky.
We tried Detroit-style pizza, which I can recommend at Red Sauce.
I drew my way of surviving the canicule (heatwave in French). I filmed the process, and here is also a detailed guide - let me know what you would add!
We went to see the Somme estuary to escape the heat one Sunday. We swam in the Atlantic, which was inappropriately warm.
I sketched a lot, including Giverny, where I also gave tours. The water lilies are in full bloom.
And that’s it. Tomorrow is July, and I cannot believe we still have almost three more months of summer ahead of us. I wish you a restful, worry-free month.
Merci, merci, merci for being here,
Sonja
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