Australia - England - France - Ireland - New Zealand - Scotland - South Africa - Wales - Argentina - Canada - Fiji - Georgia - Italy - Japan - Namibia - Romania - Samoa - Tonga - Uruguay - USA !

Et voilà!
20 teams of 30 players (including 15 substitutes)
Dat makes 600 players.
600 players showing 600 pairs of muscular legs. That means 1 200 muscular legs just for the pleasure of the eyes.
600 players showing 600 firm bums for a month.

We complain that such sexist thingie as Miss World exists, but see what we goils get! And not for one evening... for a whole month!
RoaaaaaRRRRRRRR!

D Day -11


Psssssssst... talking of the rugby world cup here :P
Repsssssssssst... Penny!!! Come here and listen carefully (hehe): the frawnch rugger team arrives in Brissie on the 1st at 7.40 am! Just in case you're around, repeat after me "Salut beau gosse, et si on commençait par une troisième mi-temps!" (sowwwwy, not translating here! Mwahahaha)

After lots of talks and tests, I've decided I won't involve in the project with the psychologist.

I hesitated a lot because I could not stand the idea to simply give in. Dat's not me!
But Martin told me "not giving in" isn't enough a good reason to involve in such a project. A project that won't bring much pleasure et no money.

The story I had to illustrate is really good. But very realistic, made of dialogues.
I'm not a "realism" illustrator, not at all. And I don't want to make comics (which was the appropriate style here). 50 paintings would have been required. For 5 paintings, I would have made huge efforts to create something.

But here, it's simply too much for my inspiration and for the precious time I get.

I hope I've taken the right decision :-)

It's been a busyyyyy weekend!
A proof: I've had almost no time to surf! (eeeeeeck)

It's just that I've been working hard (but rilly :P).
I've added a new section in my Gallery: *Illustrations*!

Since I might not be quickly a millionaire just selling my paintings, I hope to get real work one day as an illustrator.
But nobody will ask for me if they don't *know* what kind of illustrations I can do.
It's the problem with the lack of professionnal experience, you've to find ways to convince. And as I am a new born baby in the field of illustration, i gotta find tricks ;-)

For many reasons, illustrating is a very exciting work for me.

The 2 first illustrations you can find below concern 2 classic fairy tales.
Most of my illustrations (but not all) will deal with the worlds of children. Illustrations of fairy tales and books. But there will also be illustrations of myths and legends.

So much to do, so little time!!!!!

Bluebeard

Sleeping Beauty

(drums on)

Tadaaaaaaaaaa....

Lola has just told me her first *MAMAN* !!!
(dancing around)
(grabbing the rainbow there and jumping around the earth with it)

**~~*^* * *^^* *~~*^* * *

Mom came earlier, bringing a few presents to Lola and a book for me.
Mom never offers me books, that was kinda unusual... As much unusual as the book she offered me.
It's was Madonna's English Roses.



lol !
Yup mom, 53 years old, offering a children's book to her 29 years-old daughter!
I feel like a woman, a mama, a partner, a hard worker, a lazy goil, etc.... thank gawd, mom is here to remind me I'm all that + a child somehow, somewhere :P

Well I was happy because I wouldn't have bought it. Yet, I was interested in it because ok, I'm an ooooold fan of the Goil since aaaaaages (yup yup)... and I'm now a kind of children's books writer...! Professional curiosity, see!

Hmm, I've not read it yet, but the topic does not interest me at all (about a lil goil too pretty to get friends... -rolling eyes-).
The drawings are nice, but more like *fashion drawings* than anything else.

Anyway, mom went on telling me "You've noticed, Madonna is not provocative at all anymore with her children's books"!
Argggg, my mom talking of one of my teenage years' idol.
It's like... there are words you don't like to hear from your parents' mouff. Like sex stuff, or statements about *your* idols (madonna's being replaced by some metallica or s.o.a.d, I think I'm safe now).

I could not help reacting quickly to keep Madonna in *my world* (does that make sense? lol).
"But mom, she's STILL very provocative, she's given 2 big fench kisses to other goils lately!!!"
"Grrrrrrrmmmmmmmmphhhhh"
"See! She's not like a granny yet!!!"

Phewwwww

Yup, I had just reacted as I would have 15 years ago.
hehe
That feels funny to be a *child*!

PS: mom seriously advised me to contact Madonna for the illustration of her next book .... LMAO!!! Moms are unique!

So there hasn't been any big warm hug between W.Bush and Chirac (not that this interests many people, but...lol.. bloggies are made for that too :P)!
Phewwwwww
I truly thought the government would have given up its anti-war position months ago.

Anyway the situation of the UN seems still much fragilized by w.Bush's decision to launch this "unilateral invasion", acting without respecting the UN position.
It cannot work this way. The rules of the game gotta be respected I guess if we want to improve this barbarian world...

But enough of blahblah...: it's really terrible to hear about the daily American and Iraqi deaths overthere. I really hope for them all this gonna stop soon**~~*^*

Somehow, almost a case of sexual harassment because I think the cat has no choice ;-) ... The rat is far too big to be eaten!

I'm going to add another definition to the meaning of nightmare.
Well, I knowwwww we've all heard about this. But this ermm... *problem* touches me particularly.

2 millions of little girls in 27 seven African countries are victims of excision and infubilation every year. 130 millions of women live with the terrible experience of female genital mutilation.
I'm sorry to use the words, but to know what we are talking about...

Excision means : removal of the clitoris with partial or total ablation of the labia minora.
Infibulation: excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening.

The goils are usually cut when they're 5 years-old. 5 years-old!!!!

Why? Is it because it's a particular tradition? can we accept that because it's a different culture?
Of course not!
Women are deprived from their right to get sexual pleasures. And worse than having no sexual pleasure, all these tortures lead to a life of sexual pain. And I don't even talk of the disease brought by such sick acts of surgery.

Infibulation is supposed to give more pleasure to the man for it's more narrow.

Gawd, how is this possible.

Usually these acts or surgery butchery are done by women who've been mutilated too in their time.
How can they stand reproducing the nightmare they experienced to other women? ... not even women... no, to children!

I think we should all be behind these African women who're starting to fight against these physical and psychological mutilations. I find such an "accepted" violence particularly unberable.

Not that I'm obsessed with the topic at all, but... I really wonder (without feminist thought here) why the worst criminals or other serial killers are always men (with a few exception... I guess). Why is it so?

A question of strength?
I really find it hard to explain this anyway

Laaaaalalalaaaaaaaaaaaa



(kissing my ticket wildly! mwaaaaaa mwaaaaa mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!)

Ok, now I've more than 2 months to improve my look: from a mama, I have to turn into mamametal!
Because we have dem fookin kewl tickets to go and see METALLICA on december!
Weeehoooooooooooooooooooo

I've spent hours today creating a new quizz in quizilla.com... Gawd, it's been so long, but I did it!
It's easy to do (once you get your questions/answers in mind). But the Quizilla's server was down quite often today, dat's why it took me so much time.

Anyway, if you wanna try it, be patient, really patient, while the pages are loading :-)

On Saturday night, I got an email from a Swiss psychologist who's really interested in my paintings.

She kinda fell in love with my Moon Talk, and then thought she could contact me to talk of a project she has in mind.
She's just started writing a book dealing with a particuliar topic linked to her work with children. And she asked me if I could illustrate her book!!!!

(falling from chair)

After visiting her website and re-reading her email, I've just answered I was really interested to be part of this project! :-))))

Concretly, what does that mean?

We're going to check if my illustrations and her text go really together, then we'll make a plan to see what has to be illustrated, how many illustrations will be required, etc.
That does not mean I can hope to get any euros (except if the book get published one day), but I need such projects to get some good experience.

I'm so happy I get a (real) first opportunity!
Woooohoooooooooooooooo**~~*^* * * ^^* *

Here's what's giving me nightmares!
We have this Crime Stories ("infamous criminals" category) stuff on tv since a few weeks.

Each time I watch one, I run all around the flat screaming it's too awful and horrible.
Martin can't understand I watch this if I can hardly stand 5 minutes of it.
hehe

It's just like each time I hope to find explanations (no excuses!) for the behaviour of such or such criminal. I refuse to think that some human beings are bad by nature.
Yeah I'm following a kind of philosophical quest in here :P

But, the facts prove me I'm totally wrong. I got really shocked by how far a criminal could go.
The Hannibal Lecter from the fiction is actually a real lamb in comparison with the real criminals. And just the idea, that reality is much more terrible than the fiction, really shocks me.

I still think we're all born *good* by nature and that the society and inapropriate relationships make someone bad.
But I still get doubts when I see these guys. They rilly look like born with evil in dem.

Anyway, I really prefer to stick to my much more pleasant fictions and I wanna think the only super heroes we need are such ones:


(PS: Martin, it's my favourite Miss Marple, no way I put the one you prefer!!!! hehe)

So they say (again) that the Yeti is not an horrible monster, but just a bear.



...Does that rilly look like "just a bear"?

Tssssss.... and soon they're going to add faeries are birds and gnomes are big fat mushrooms (sowwwy ya gnomes, I did not mean it with the comparison!!!!)

I cannot stand those who rationally try to get rid of *our* reality!
RoaaaaRRRRR

I've got my first -negative- answer from a publisher (I've sent my book to 13 of them).
I cannot say I'm glad to have a negative answer but this one really made happy enough.
It was a personnalized answer and they said they enjoyed a lot the text, found it really "attractive" but the illustration was not in their "ligne d'édition".... not the style of their books.

And I find that very ok!
hehe

Even if the house isn't ours yet, we've already met 3 craftsmen (a carpenter, a roofmaker, a mason)... and it took them 9 weeks to send their (much expected) offers (I hope they work more quickly than they do their offers).
Well actually we have the offers from the carpenter and roofmaker only.

I expected something really expensive, though I have no idea about the costs of the works on a house.
It's expensive when you have nothing to pay (that's why we'll take some time to make the works on the house :P)... but it sounds realistic:

The carpenter asks for 5.500 euros (6.500$, 4.000£, 9.700 AUD) to make the new windows and doors (in wood) + a mezzanine + cutting beams for us to makes stairs (we build what we can by ourselves... well, dat's real new adventure to me :P).

The roof maker asks for 8.000 euros (13.500 AUD, 8.900$, 5.500£) to make a totally new roof with original slates + 2 velux + new gutter.

I don't know how we'll make it, but we'll find a way. Now the most expensive should be the mason (he has to bore very thick walls... 60 to 90 cm thick... for openings for windows and doors + other works I can't remember now).

(running to play lottery)

I'm working right now on an illustration of Perrault's Bluebeard.
I find it kinda hard to create illustration for kids because I found the topic of the wives in the wardrobe with their cut thoat kinda original! lol... I mean I could see there something different to paint. Pretty gloomy, I reckon.

Anyway, I had to get rid of my first idea to focus on a more pleasant presentation. It's a very interesting process.

By the way, BlueBeard is really really scary for kids me thinks!

So far, I think I might be the luckiest mama.
Not because Lola is a fantabizoobistic shrimpette -well not only because of that- ;-) ... but also because I can take care of her while *working* on something I rilly luuuuuve.

When I hear mamas around, some (very few) are happy to be at home taking care of their children, others are forced to work again, others cannot stand being at home anymore and rilly wanna work.

Well I can enjoy work + my baby, isn't it the best cocktail!

Now if my *work* could bring me some euros, that would be kinda kewl..... ;-)

Anyway, as long as I can do it, I luuuve my days spent with Lola, my evenings with my work, and my nights with my other-half!
LOL, when I tell ya I get busy days!!!!

I took Lola to the Green House yesterday :-)))
We both luuuved it!

We're welcome to go there whenever we want.
Each day there's a new team of 4 people (psychiatrists for kids, nurses, etc) who welcome the parents and their children.
I have to *test* each team, but the Tuesday's team was rilly kewl :-)))

The place is organized with one big room with tons (rilly TONS) of toys and a playground outside.
I find it very kewl that parents and kids can enjoy such a special place (the only one in Paris, at 10 min from here!).

It's free but when you leave, they say you can let a few euros if you want to support the Green House. Which I find rilly fair :)))

Done! We've signed today the bank's financial plan for the house!!!
Signing = we have the money!!!!!

(faint faint faint)

Weeeehoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, I will really make Paris PURRRPLE once we get the keys of the house (next step now: calling our notary before the end of the week so that he can fix a rendez-vous with the owners of the house)

I've just finished a new painting which will be the first one of the "illustrations of tales" category.
This category will be more dedicated to children's universe.
I really have to do it if I want to work as an illustrator for kids' books. I have to show what I can do! So I'll go on with it while working on other more intimate paintings :)

Talking of *intimate* (G).... I've had a "professional" offer today. This man, owner from the erotic cinema, said he would love if I could illustrate the libertine poetry he's written.
Well actually, I wouldn't be opposed so much to try more erotic painting. But my hands are not inspired at the moment. And this would require some extra work.

And I've so many projects I'm working on, I've to make choices.
So I refused.

I also refused because.... the *poet* added in his email that he found my "selfportrait" (I had to think twice before understanding he talked of my bio's pic) was rilly lovely.

LOL
Suddenly my artist' ego felt kinda down! hehe

Anyway, however strange is this first contact, I'm glad I got an *offer*. I'm waiting for the hundreds of others :P

I've missed another auction... I arrived 15 minutes late!!!!
BUT
We went to a secondhand trade... and there I met 5 kids selling stuff, including 2 Sarah Kay's books!!!!

I asked the girl how much she asked for dem (I was ready to give 10 euros for each!). She concentrated a minute before telling me I could take both of them for 1 euro!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! This goil made my day :-)))

I'm able to spend hours playing with this guuuud ol' pacman!
And it's your lucky day, just have a break with it! :P


Created by Paul Neave

I've visited some bloggies lately made by people from middle-east countries.
Quite often finally, at a point or the other, some of those who were writing these blogs added that they were muslims... and non-terrorist!!!

(well, it was often said with some sense of humour :-)

But I find it really sad that we've created such a situation. We're (and the media!) are totally responsible for putting so much pressure.
And when I think some people "logically" associate Islam and terrorism. It is so absurd and discriminatory.

And well, religions... it's not the matter at all (I don't see it that way, at least). The problem is a "human" probbie. As soon as you get a fanatic who's completly disturbed, this guy can believe in any kind of religion, his attitude, his behaviour will be the same!

Next week, Lola and I will try another "social structure" called *les maisons vertes* (the green houses).
It's a place where parents who keep their baby at home can go and meet other parents, talk whith "chidlhood professionals" and let their angels play around together.

It's not a place where you can leave your child for a few hours, you've to be there to take care of him or her.
It's for children between 0 and 3 years-old; it's also presented as a place which slowly makes a transition between life at home and life with others kids at school.
Another good point is that they're open between 2.00 to 7.00 pm, which gives Lola enough time for her nap :P
You can stay there 10 minutes or 5 hours, just as you want.
Oh, and it's free (s)

Anyway, you see... autumn then winter are coming. Days gonna be short and bloody cold. No more hours of walk or play on the grass.
I worried a bit thiking sometimes we'd be forced to stay at home all day!
This maison verte sounds like a great way to add some spices to Lola's weeks :-))))**~~*^* *

Nooooooooo, I've messed up everything with the last auctions about sarah kay's books!!!

I was there in time, ok, and waited patiently with a devil smile for the very last minute before raising!

My stooopid smile quickly faded away when I saw the price going up and up and up.
I mean, who cares about "sarah kay's books" except me, huh? !!!!! :P
rilly....
(shaking head)

Anyway, at 1 minute 17 seconds, I decide myself and hurry to put my price. But then what do I read? "if you want to register, click here"!
Arggggg, maybe 60 seconds left, I gotta hurrrrrrrrrrrry!
I type all the data and *grrrmmmphhhle* (new verb, I warn ya :P) when I see they also need my birthdate etc.
Finally I click on the register button.
And what do I read?
"you've already registered, have you forgotten your password?"

Arrrrrrrrrggggggggg
Fooooook, yes I remember now I had registered already!

(where was my head, i'm still looking for it btw)

And what about my auction now????
Kaput
Away
Over
Finished
Hasta la vista, baby

SIGH!!!!!

And I've got the confirmation her books were not published at all anymore.
(so yusss Penny one, pulease, keep your eyes open for me :P)

Martin thinks I'm even more interested in her books now that i know they're rare and demanded (G)
Weeeeeeeell, nene it's not the reason!!!!
Mwaaaaahahaha

my 2 cuddling creatures (happy sigh) **~~*^* **^^* *

I've already confessed in here that i'm an oooold fan of Sarah Kay's books (and no, I've not changed my mind, Martin :P).

I've learnt that Sarah Kay was from Oz (weeeeee!) and that she had started to draw to entertain her child who was badly ill.
I can feel now even more clearly the healing spirit behind her drawings **~~*^* *

Well, the fact is that I wannnnnnnnna a collection of Sarah's books for Lola (and I :P).
But strangely, I cannot find any of them in shops here, no more chance with amazon or priceminister, etc.

Hmm.

And today I've discovered that her books had not been published in France since 1981!!!!
I could smell her books were going to be collectors!!!!!
So I'm looking for Sarah's books. If anyone finds one (waving madly), please don't forget me!

The only way I could find 3 Sarah Kay's was on the French ebay. I'm waiting very impatiently now for the last minute to put my price for the auctions! :P

(nose stuck against the window) It's full moon tonight and I can't see anything with dem bloody clouds!

Preggie goils are asking themselves if this night will be ZE night, weirdos are looking for the werewolf hiding in dem, goilish goils think its Ze appropriate moment to have an haircut (nodding here) and others wonder how much the moon is going to influence their libido :-))))
I luuuuuve this moon, bringing its myths and realities every time we mention it.

Oh, still about the moon... I've learnt that in German the moon had the masculine gender .... LE lune, quoi ... !!!!!!!
How weird! In spanish and in French it's the feminine gender... which seem kinda natural because of all the references between the moon and women...

**~~*^* ** *

we've just caught -in time- a virus which was using my own email adress as a sender!!!
Enough to get rilly paranoid :P

I wonder why our education system does not work.
Never enough teachers, never enough money.
Is it the same abroad?

I wonder if I worry more about that now that I'm a mama.. hehe... probably.
But I can't understand why we keep spending money for the military stuff instead of helping education, health and research.

That kills me. I've a friend who's a teacher and who gets 35 pupils who are 6 years-old!!! How can you hope to teach dem reading properly when they are so numerous!

And the time kids spend at school... 8.30 am to 5.00 pm in average. From I don't know, 2 years-old to 18!!!! That's very practical for all the parents but it is way too long!
I really prefer the German system where kids finish school at 1.30 pm. Then they have time to play, to practice sport and ok, do their homework :P

Lola's 11 months-old today!
And to celebrate that, she could not resist awaking 4 times last night! (huuuuuuu....)

Soooo, Lola manages now to put one foot in front of the other one to walk when we hold her arms :-)))

She doesn't say any other words really than paaapaaaaa muuum, but she *talks* a loooooooot!

When she takes the hairbrush, she tries to put it on her hair (real goil hey), when she takes sunglasses, she tries to put them on her nose (with no success) :)

She starts to try anything in food (as she does not eat much at all, I'm ready to try anything :P), and she turns to enjoy a LOT cheese.

She has started again to go to her monday "group" with other babies and now it's really funny because she is old enough to go on her all four wherever she want, to take the toys of her lil friends (and vice versa) and to charm the mamas who're there :P
(there was one papa there yesterday, trying to follow us -experienced mamas- with our lil butterflies dances! hehe... that was funny, and courageous from him!)

And finally, Lola plays a lot -and sometimes just by herself!-, she manages to turn the pages of magazines, and she still cuddles Joe more than anyone else! hehe
Oh I gotta add she is now on a real "exploration mode", curious about everything! I luuuuuuuuve that, even if that means I gotta run behind her all da time!

This weekend I've put some of my original paintings FOR SALE (yeahhhhhhhh!) in 2 FREE galleries!

The French gallery Tableaux en ligne
and the English version of it Paintings Gallery :-)

I think it will be hard to sell the originals, but it's great to start showing them here and there (...with their price on it!)
Now I want to find other similar galleries and others in which I can sell prints.

I've not won many battles, but maybe the *war*!

Lola has just slept the WHOLE night!!!!!!
That had not happen since 2 months and a week!

It feels so good to not wake up for once :-)))

It's been a puuurfect busy weekend during which I even found the time to finish this new painting:


click me

Good piece of news today!
The teacher of Eva (my niece, who's 5 years-old) has asked if she could use my Dragons' story as a basis for her lil pupils to understand how you "create" a story :-)))
30 lil ones asking themselves why dragons REALLY do breathe fire!
hehehe

I luuuuve the idea.
I'm not about to be rich with my writings, but happyyyyyy, yes certainly! **~~*^* * *** *

The ol' narcissistic badger (yeah, nobody's perfect!) is starting happily her weekend!

I might have found a good way to sell paintings online (till I do it on my website.... one day.... sooner or LATER!). Much better than ebay, it's a website who gathers artists and freely offer to expose their paintings to be sold!
I've just subscribed and I hope they won't consider my style too, too "out of the classic line" (which is a-l-w-a-y-s the case for us, "fantasy artists"... not enough realistic, not enough abstract or too much of this and that.... ). All the last galleries I've contacted lately considered my paintings could not be put in any of their categories, sooooooooo.... I could not show dem!

But this time it might work :-)

Tomorrow we go for a family lunch that will celebrate autumn and shellfish, doesn't that sound really appropriate?!!!

When I think a month ago it was above 40°C here and that now we're already wearing woolen pullovers and thick socks...!
Are we going to get extreme type of weather then? very cold and very hot?
We'll see and we'll adapt :)

32.
32 bloody (but so cute!) teef to come till I find peaceful nights again!
Lola's stopped sleeping without waking up since 2 months now.
Last night she woke up crying with pain (you recognize such cries, I can tell ya) 5 times between midnight and 3.00.
Usually it's more about 3 times, and that's already really too much...

She's having 4 teef about to come out at the moment, that will make a total of 10 little teef!

That means another 12 are about to threaten our nights!!!!
Arggggggg

I still luuuuuve Madonna's provocations!
You can say it's only a coup, a biz manipulation, publicity, etc, but shes does what I'd do if I was famous: shaking the puritan minds :P

All these shocked words because of a kiss, people are really narrow-minded. And the same people aren't shocked by a war in Irak, huh. Dat's weird!

tada! With the help of Gulli and some inspiration, the main gallery of my paintings page has just been transformed into 8 galleries!!!

Magic Magic**~~*^* * *^^* *

I've received a message from some Tony.
He sent words about my paintings and I gotta thank the *Universe* that people take the time to encourage others with the most beauDiful words!
**~~*^* **^* * * *^^* *~~* *

I often hear religion leads to bloody wars, etc etc.
And I understand that point of view. Though it's the men who use the religious excuse who lead the bloody wars!

I also hear sometimes that the believers are very often intolerant.
//oOAnd it happens that the most intolerant ones I've met lately were atheists! They (these ones at least) build a wall around themselves and on this wall it's written "don't even try talking about your fookin *faith* because I DON'T BELIEVE" or "look at dem stoopid BLIND believers, they always *need* to invent a religion!" or (and this is the best! :P) "gimme the PROOF that Gawd exists!"

Well I'm not asking them either proves that Gawd do not exist! LOL
Why is it hard for some of dem to respect people who believe in something? Do they ever ask themselves if there might not be a different reality? No, I think not. And I think it's way more easy to not believe than the other way (in my case at least :-).

Grrrmmmphhhhhhh :-)

The Baptism went absobloodilutely well!!!!
(happy sigh)**~~*^* * *
The ceremony was simply BeauDiful, and the priest very open and answering with much sweetness and humour to any of Lola's reactions (scream, laugh, smile, blablas, huge open eyes, etc).
And Lola kept very hmm concentrated (yes!) during the ceremony. It was as if she knew what was happening.

Then we (family and friends) all had a great time, enjoying an "autumn buffet", outside where the sun was shining hard!

I did not expect this day to be that good. But all was perfect.
And I'm very happy that Lola is baptized now, having 2 new official guardian angels :-))**~~*^* * *^^* * * *