At the Prefecture Again

I had my appointment at the Prefecture today and seeing as I didn't have my birth certificate they couldn't do anything for me. It should arrive from Australia next week and they made another appointment for me in two weeks. The good news is that she agreed to accept both my birth and marriage certificates in english so I won't need to get them translated. This will save me a lot of time as well as 100 euros.

I've heard a lot of stories about how difficult people are at the Prefecture and how it's difficult to get any help from them but I've found nothing but the opposite. They have been very helpful and friendly, the woman I saw today even tried to speak to me in english, although not very successfully. I was also surprised they were flexible on the translation problem. They were very nice and I hope to get my carte de sejour in two weeks time. Well, I'm sure they won't do it on the spot but I think it will arrive in the mail. Either way it won't be long now.

Latest Organic Products

I added quite a few organic products today to Buy Organic. It's quite difficult to find products which are 100% organic and some products only contain one or two organic ingredients. I'm still promoting those as well as products which don't contain natural ingredients but are natural products made without the use of preservatives and other chemicals.

Products added today include:

Organic Baby Skin Care
Natural Men's Skin Care
Eco Friendly Cleaning Products
Organic Vitamins and Supplements

Tomorrow I'm going to work on adding some organic cotton clothes. These suppliers are difficult to find, especially in Australia. The only companies I have found are in the US and no one tends to buy from these companies, preferring to buy locally. I'll give it a go anyway and see how it goes.

Is Paris Tap Water Safe to Drink?

I never drank the tap water in Paris simply because I was told it is not fit for drinking. I'm now starting to question if that is really the case as I know a number of people who do drink it. I have tried it and even though it doesn't taste that great there is nothing wrong with it. It won't make you sick.

Some French mineral water companies have suggested that bottled mineral water is better for your health but there is no scientific evidence to support this and the French government themselves say that tap water has the same benefits as bottled water.

The French are drinking less bottled water, especially the more expensive brands such as Perrier, Badoit, Evian, and Volvic. More people are drinking cheaper supermarket brands of water as well as tap water. Personally I buy the cheapest brand at my supermarket which is only 18 cents per 1.5 litre bottle and it's fine. I don't see the need to pay more than 50 cents a bottle for the other brands. You're really just paying for the brand name, they are not any better for you.

I think if you don't mind the taste of tap water then go ahead and drink it, otherwise go for the cheapest bottled water you can find.

Organic Personal Hygiene & The Mooncup

I didn't know if it would be worth promoting organic personal hygiene products or not but I've had a few requests for them so I thought I'd see how they go. The range includes organic deodorants from Avalon Organics and Miessence and a deodorant stick from the Aromatherapy Co which is especially for men. My husband uses this and he says it's as effective as any other deodorant.

I've also started promoting the Mooncup. The mooncup is a feminine hygiene product which is used in place of tampons. I haven't tried it but it sounds interesting. They have been around for decades and are more environmentally friendly than tampons as they are reusable and can last up to 10 years. Check out the Mooncup website for more information. They deliver internationally but payment is made in UK pounds.

Organic Lipstick and Lip Balms

I've added a new page to Buy Organic which is all about organic lipstick and organic lip balms.

One of the most popular products I have are Badger Balms. They are lip and body balms and there is also a sleep balm and a balm which helps you breath if you have a cold. You just rub it on your chest and it can help you to feel better. This is proving especially popular now during winter.

Wild Elixir also have a great range of products which I use myself. The exfoliating scrub and the lip balm are fantastic.

I also added some links to Avalon Organics which is a new range I'm promoting. They have organic body lotions and organic shampoos and conditioners. They sound great and are on my list of things to try.

Shopping at Le Bon Marche

Les Galleries Lafayettes and Le Printemps are two of the most famous department stores in Paris but I've always preferred Le Bon Marche. It's in a great shopping area surrounded by beautiful parks plus it's a little quieter than the other stores. It's really nice to spend the day in that part of Paris.

Ferbent's birthday was on Saturday so we went to the Bon Marche to buy him a present. Ferbent loves shopping and when we went there a month ago he saw lots of clothes he liked so I promised him we would go back for his birthday. Of course, this time he didn't see anything he liked. He tried on a few things but he was quite disappointed. We ended up checking out their homewares section and bought some fantastic Peugeot salt and pepper grinders. Ferbent wanted to buy them for my birthday earlier this year but he wasn't working at that time and seeing they are quite expensive (82 euros each) we didn't buy them. So this time he insisted on getting them and now I have two very beautiful electric grinders with an inbuilt light so you can see how much you are grinding. They're fantastic! I also bought a small bag which I can put over my shoulder so I won't have to carry my heavy handbag anymore. So much for shopping for Ferbent's birthday!

After walking around the Latin Quarter and getting very tired we finally found a nice little menswear shop where Ferbent bought a shirt and jumper which he loves. We also stopped off at Muji where I bought a dressing gown for him which he has wanted for ages and we bought some cute thongs each as well.

We hardly ever go shopping so it was really nice to go out today and buy whatever we wanted without thinking too much about price. I think it'll be back to watching the centimes for the next couple of months though, at least until we go on our summer holiday.

Organic Sales are Picking Up

Sales at my Buy Organic site are starting to pick up. I'm getting a lot more hits and from each of the major search engines. Some products are turning out to be quite popular. The organic cotton baby clothes are by far the most popular items. The site also got a mention on mothering.com in one of the forums. They were discussing bamboo socks and someone placed a link to my article on bamboo clothing. I was quite happy with the free advertising and it generated quite a few hits. I couldn't have placed the comment better myself. No, it wasn't me who posted it. They say that commercial posts aren't allowed but there seem to be a lot of links like that. Maybe I should develop more of a presence in forums like that. So things are picking but there is still a long way to go before I'll be happy with the visitor count and the income generated.

Alex is Ignoring Me

Alex is my brother and I'd like to put it in writing that he is annoying because he keeps ignoring me when I Skype him. Almost every other day I send a skype message and I never get any response. I know he's online and I know it works because I got him to test it once when I was on the phone with him. I don't know, is it really that hard to respond to a message? He doesn't have to bother with headphones, it doesn't cost him anything, it's not going to take up much of his precious time. I don't understand. He's a pain.

A Day at the Prefecture

After queuing for 2 hours at the Sous Prefecture in Boulogne I discovered that I don't need any visa or stamp in my passport to live in France. I can stay as long as I like and come and go as I please. I'm surprised that is the case but the lady there insisted it's true. She was saying how that has been the case for Europeans for the last couple of years, which I was already aware of, and it is the same for Australians. I asked her about 3 times to make sure I hadn't misunderstood and she said without a doubt that was the case. I'm still not sure I believe her.

Of course this doesn't mean Australians can work in France without a Carte de Sejour so I have to apply for one. I have an appointment on the 23rd June and I'm hoping they'll give it to me right there and then. I need all the usual documents plus official translations of both my marriage certificate and birth certificate. The translations cost 50 euros per document which is not too bad. I don't know why they need the birth certificate seeing they'll have my passport. I don't even know where it is, I'll have to get my father to get a copy for me. Hopefully I'll get it in time so I'll won't have to go back and then I'll be able to start looking for work in a few weeks.

Free Things to do in Paris

Paris is an expensive city but there are free things to do and these are often some of my favourite things to do.

Visit a Park
There are so many beautiful parks and gardens in Paris that it's difficult to pick a favourite. My top picks are the Jardin du Luxembourg, Place des Vosges, Parc Monceau, and Palais Royal. These are all very well known parks but some of the nicest are the small parks hidden away in the different quarters. Walk outside of the main tourist areas and you'll find a great park to sit in and watch the world go by.

Go to the Louvre
The Louvre museum is free on the first Sunday of every month so there is no excuse for not going. Except for the long queues I suppose.

Stroll Down the Champs-Elysees
It may be a bit of a cliche but the Champs-Elysees really is the most beautiful boulevard in the world. It may be touristy and full of overpriced cafes but you can't go to Paris without walking down it. Plus it's free.

Window Shopping
Everyone wants to go shopping in Paris but not all of us can afford the expensive designer stores. Of course there's no reason you can't go in and have a look around. Besides, half the fun is in looking.

Sale of Dreamweaver

I was very happy to see that I sold a copy of Dreamweaver through my Cheap Web Templates website today. I use Dreamweaver for all my web development work and I recommend the product on my site because I really think it is the best for web development work.

I am a little surprised someone would buy it though because unless you are going to be developing a few sites it is quite a large expense. Not that I'm complaining but I was always under the impression that people buying web templates from my site are just working on one project and so they need one template and that's it. Then again I've bought a number of templates myself and I am a web developer so who knows.

Anyway I was really excited to see the sale as I'll get a very nice commission from it. Hopefully I'll start making money from that site now. I think I've got my AdWords campaigns working profitably so it's looking good for the future.

Musee du Quai Branly Opening in Paris

A new museum will be opening in Paris this month, the Musee de Quai Branly. It is dedicated to art from Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Oceania region. It's not just dedicated to art in those regions but also to objects and artifacts and of the people and civilisations. I wouldn't normally be interested in this kind of museum but I will definitely go just to see the Oceania section which includes an area dedicated to Aboriginal art and civilisation.

The museum is in a great location right in the centre of Paris, on the Seine. It is in a new building next to the Eiffel Tower and not far from the Musee d'Orsey. The building itself is partially covered in Aboriginal art. The building is protected by a huge garden covering around 18,000 sqm and is planted with almost 200 trees and 30 plant varieties including rows of magnolias and cherry trees. The building and garden will probably turn out to be the most interesting part of the museum.

I look forward to the opening later this month.

Paris Weather A Problem for French Open

The weather has been pretty bad in Paris of late and the rain over the last few days has lead to delays in the French Open tennis tournament. A number of matches were delayed yesterday and will be played today. The only good thing about that is that there will be plenty of matches being played today by the top players.

Roger Federer, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, and Alicia Molik (have to support the Aussies of course, except Hewitt who I can't stand) will all be playing today. I don't know if they'll all be televised as Amelie Mauresmo and a couple of other French players are also playing today and they usually get priority on TV.

I haven't watched any tennis since the tournament began but I think I'll make time for a couple of matches today. I'd especially like to see Federer and Hingis, two of my favourite players. Thankfully the weather should be fine today so there shouldn't be any more delays.

Living in the Country

I had to laugh today when a lady was telling me that my neighbours don't live in Paris. They just use the apartment occasionally when they are in the city. I asked her if they live in the country and she said "oh, no, no they live in Vichy". Now, if Vichy isn't in the country then I don't know what is. Vichy is a small town in the middle of France with a population of less than 80,000. I suppose technically that might be considered a city but it's pretty small and not a real city in my books.

The French always seem to have the attitude that only 'peasants' live in the country and no one wants to be considered a peasant. Of course plenty of French have second homes in the country but this is obviously different. They're not peasants. I don't understand what the problem is but for me a city in France is like Paris, Lyon or Marseille. Anywhere like Vichy is just a town.

Plumber Here Again

I had the plumber at the apartment again as the neighbours below me are still having water go through their light when I have a shower. The plumber who was here the other day insisted there was no problem and the leak was probably from the apartment next door to me. As it turns out no one lives next door so there hasn't been any water on there for more than 2 months. So much for that theory.

There doesn't seem to be much doubt now that the leak is coming from my shower. I think it's because it is made of plastic/fibreglass rather than ceramic. It looks like the landlord is going to have to replace it. As usual, buy cheap buy twice.

Need an Afternoon Nap

My computer seems to need an afternoon nap. I start work at about 9am so the computer is on from then on. Usually around lunchtime it crashes. There doesn't seem to be any reason for this, the screen just goes blank and then it's off. If I try turning it on it crashes again. If I leave it for half an hour or so it will then turn on and it will work without any problems for the rest of the day.

I've recently started turning the computer off while I have lunch and find if I do this there won't be any crashes during the day. My only conclusion from this is that it needs a nap! It seems to get hot just before it crashes so maybe it feels it is overworked and has to have a break. It may not make sense but I'm going to continue to turn it off each lunchtime to let it rest, just to make sure I don't have any further problems.