La coccinelle mal lunée.

As many of you know, I have been running around to every blooming bookstore/department store/kids store in Paris to find a copy of Eric Carle's La Coccinelle Mal Lunée.  Aka, The Grouchy Ladybug.  

Turns out, I don't really think it exists.  Marie-Césare had lost this book a few weeks before we left for Belgium, and I couldn't find it anywhere.  Chloé asked me if I could take care of it before we left for Belgium and so I quickly obliged.  We were busy that week with packing, trips to the Jardin d'Acclimitation and just getting stuff together in general...so I put the library book off until Friday the day we were suppose to leave.  I went to the library while Marie-Césare was still in art class and of course they didn't open until 3pm for summer hours.  We were to leave at 4.  We went back at 3 pm on the dot and I told the lady I needed to pay for the book..yadiyadiyada..we lost it...sorry. You know, the usual.  I handed her my credit card and she sort of twisted up her librarian face at me.  "Oh no," she said, "you must buy the book and bring it in to replace it.  You cannot just pay for the book."  Well, fudder dudders.  We were leaving in an hour for a week, get back on a Sunday (nothing is open) then I leave Monday for the States for 3 weeks.  I calculated 15 cents per day for 4 weeks in my head, realized its no big deal and just left with the mindset that I will do it when I get back.  Not realizing that this book basically doesn't exist anymore in France.  

Once I returned I started my search....nothing.  There were 3 copies on Amazon.com but I didn't have anywhere to have it shipped!  Chloé and Franck's house isn't guaranteed because they are not there during the day to receive it, so things always get sent back to the sender.  I didn't want to send such a silly little book to Franck's work, and for him to have to deal with it.  So after a few days of asking around and pondering to myself Omphile came to the rescue!!! 

Long story short, I had it rush shipped and will be at her house on Wednesday.  Hopefully that will be my task for Thursday.  Library book.  Oh, and meeting some new girls for happy hour.  

Tomorrow I am taking myself on a trip to the Champagne region of France.  Its a tour group of course, and we are going to the Moet & Chandon cellars, the Mumm champagne 'house' as they call it and a visit to Reims with a guided tour of the Cathedral.  I'm super excited!  Its suppose to be beautiful, sunny, and 80 degrees tomorrow....great day for a walk amidst the vineyards.