Day Eight.
I woke a little after 8am, rested but surprised I’d managed to sleep in the centre of Paris without earplugs. I then resisted the temptation to head out and instead spent most of the morning catching up with my neglected email and drafting a newsletter from a diary entry.
It had been easy to adopt a state of mind where checking notifications slipped right off the bottom of the to-do list. Not so easy to play catch up.
As I was writing, I could hear the rain outside. Paris in the rain is still Paris. Quite a lovely experience, with the reflections and change in sound.
So around 11 am, I decided to grab a coffee and a croissant at Ladurée around the corner. I asked for a pour over and was treated to some coffee theatre.
The light rain eased off, so I went for a walk across the road in some of the 57 acres of the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was created in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV.
There was a nun under an umbrella strolling the wide tree lined promenade. Eager to take a photograph, I focused on her and failed to see a small metal railing at ankle height. It was probably there to stop people trampling the flower beds. But two seconds later I’d fallen into one. Saved only by my outstretched hand, now covered in mud.
Only about 12 people saw me and 50% of those enjoyed a giggle. An English couple asked if I was okay. We had a good laugh and I commented that the nun probably had some kind of divine protection against candid photography. I cleaned myself on the wet grass and tested the theory by grabbing another snap of her.
I seemed to get away with that one, but moments later I spotted an Italian couple cradling a small creature. They had lifted a limp duckling off the grass and sadly I knew this meant the parents would probably reject it.
Looking at how weak it was I couldn’t see how it could survive. The couple were walking around trying to find someone who might be able to look after it. Perhaps even nurture it back to health. They asked me but all I could suggest is they look for a security guard.
A Spanish mother and her son came over, also wanting to help. A cap of water was offered and despite the duck being unable to lift its neck, it took a drink.
The Spanish lady also brought some bread out of her bag and we all crowded round to see if it might take it.
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