City of.... lampshades

Wandering up a backstreet around the corner from our Paris hotel today we noticed these oversized lampshades floating above our heads. No idea why they were there - maybe trying to light the sky as well as heat it.

This was my second last day of a tour that seems to have lasted an eternity. Lunch with good friends, emails and phone calls in the afternoon, then my event at a bookstore in the 13th arrondissement. To my astonishment we arrived to a tumultuous welcome, with the owners rushing into the street to shake our hands and welcome us in. A large crowd was already gathered, and after more handshaking I sat down to sign - for one hour and fifty minutes, without once raising my head.

What an extraordinarily warm welcome from incredibly enthusiastic readers. Raises the spirits of this tired old writer.