Rugger on a friday morning! How weird... Rugger while having cawffees... how unusual!
Poor Martin at work who gotta follow the results on his puter screen. Life's not fair (well though it is wiff me :P)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

I hope you will all celebrate it, even if it's just a little. Halloween is one of the most inspiring time to make the city/country purple, don't you think?
So let's ALL booogie-woooogie!

My Halloween will start deliciously with a rugger match between the Bloooooes and the Eeeeeeagles (waving to Ariel, we play your country today! :-))) good luck to both teams!)

I've also just finished a painting, which is a quite appropriate one today ;-)

The Shrimpette and I cough now as if we were "human Harley's engines"... ya see what I mean?
At least I can take strong medicine, but Lola is too young for dem.
But ill or not, she's in a quite good mood, a mood that leads her to do all what is forbidden... as sucking my watercolour pencils for instance!!!





She's making so many faces (I wonder where she's learnt that?!! :P), that I can't help adding more photos of the clownette :-)))

taaadaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... We sign for our Hobbit's house next week on Friday!!!!!!
I'm overwhelmed with pleasure and stress at the same time. Very weird mixture, but not such a bad one ;-)

I expect difficult times financially speaking. We're now decided to abandon our little comfort to catch the train for our *Everest* **~~*^* *
I think that's a very important thingie in life, accepting to leave habits and easy routine to face new realities and reach other dreams.

I hope it will be fine :-)

And here's my weekly contribution for a more harmonious and balanced world! Amen!!!
hehehe



Not easy to find -how can I say- *inspiring* pictures! I thought this one of Brad with his hairdryer was just purrfect!
RoaaaaRRRR!
hehehe

Watta night! When the shrimpette manages to sleep, it's our *tiger of siberia* who's in party time mood!
Everybody who gets a cat *nooooooooe* this specific belly noise which means your walls are about to be paint again!

When Joe is bothered with all the hairs he swallows, naturally he manages to vomit them. Why does that happen always in the middle of the night? I don't know.
Great I always wake up very quickly because Joe had come to sleep under our blanket last night. And it's there that his belly chaos started.
I just had time to catch him and throw him out of the bed (poor boy!).

Anyway, maybe we can expect a real complete night tonight... who knows!

Despite much attention so that Lola is covered enough when we're out into ParisAntartica... She's just caught a baaaaad baaaaaaaad cold. And so have I. I thought it would get better but I'm wearing 3 thick woolen pullovers and I'm rilly freezin and coughing like an old smoker right now!

And I think Martin starts with it now. I wanted to make him a toddy (as Doc' Jack adviced me earlier), but Martin's been quicker!!!
We've not had our dinner yet and he's already having his 2nd toddy! I did not know he knew toddies! He explained me he discovered that when he was making a bike tour of Ireland. One day he got rilly ill with bad fever and all. He arrived with his bike to the only pub of the area, a pub full of Irish farmers who ordered him directly a toddy! hehe

Anyway, I'll have my toddy a lil later. I already feel drunk with the only lil glass of wine I've just had! hic!

I really cannot stand when the night falls at 6.00!!!
At 6, Lola and I really start our afternoon (after her nap and my work). But it's dark outside and the world seems about to fall asleep.
SIGH!

Fookin winter time. For one little hour saved on a lazy sunday, we gonna suffer early nights for months (or is it how *Nature* works? ;-)! Grrmmmphhhhhhh
Thank Gawd, a third pumpkin pie (made by Martin, the house' chef!) will soon be available to remind us this season also gets its very pleasant charms ;-)

Et voilà!
While I'm enjoying a very *comfortable* weekend with my lil family, others are out to defend their ideas and freedom :-)))



I wonder sometimes how much I would get involved to "save the world", as these people do (that's what I think at least).
Isn't it too selfish to think about our own happiness and pleasure before anything else?
Of course it is.
Then should I spent my weekends *saving the world* (involving in associations, etc)?

I've often think about it and I believe the best is doing a lil something at least to participate. Like writting a bloggie? well, maybe after all. But that is a minimum :P

I also think you cannot make the world better if you do not take care of your own family but rather involve in whatever humanitarian associations.

I wanna make my lil family the happiest, do that make me an active defensor of our lil planet?
hehe

....
I think: YES!

I wonder how many $$$ Colin Powell expected from countries like France and Germany... and I RILLY wonder why he's so surprised that these 2 countries don't give him without counting...
I'm not good at politics but sometimes the most obvious seem to be very complicated for politicians :P

Anyway, Iraq's reconstruction is naturally necessary, even more when you see what's left of it now. But I find Frogland and Krautland get a point when they say they will more tend to give money to Iraqi to rebuild their country rather than to Americans. It sounds kinda logical.

(that was Candydator, in direct from rotten PoLticaLand ;-)

I'm a very regular reader of FHM mag'. I simply luuuve it. I find it very funny and very male-ish (even macho). It's kewl.

But I regret there are only nekkid goils in it (well I noooooooooooe... it's a mag' for men!).
Anyway, I wanted my lil bloggie to participate to a more fair balance. Dat's why I thought I could add from time to time *inspiring pics*! Cheers, goils!!!

I've just finished another illustration for the lil book I'm workin on :-))))
And I've started with a Xmas card for... my mama! hehe... well she will pay for it! It's a professional request ya see! So Far i've started with a Santa Claus playing guitar and Mama Claus dancing on his music ;-)

I gotta finish the card before Sunday (we've rendez-vous at my mama's for a Roastbeef-Samoa rugger game, followed by a seafood lunch!)...
So I don't know if I will have time to start with a "Candy Froggie" painting... Gawd, I need TIME!!! **~~*^* *

Well.... it's been a long time since I did a fookin stoopid test! hehe... As usual, I'm not happy with the result :P

My inner child is six years old!

Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Mommy and my
three best friends with me, of course.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

The thing is... I answered I luuuved sex in the test... that makes me 6 years old?!!!!!
okok... why not after all! hehehe

I'm 6 years old today and I'm having a glass of delicious white *milk* (I'm in advance for my age :P)
(putting my downloaded Beyonce's crazy for luuuve and jumping around!)
I need some ice-cream, quick!!!

Zorro's back with "Dude, where's my country?"!!!
Weeeeeeeeee!



As soon as I find it on ebay or priceminister at a fine price, I'll read it (which will take me about 4 months! LOL... reading's being ZE challenge with the shrimpette around)
I wanna see if what he says here sounds fine and not exagerated (I'm like saint thomas... I don't believe what I've not seen :P)

There isn't any beDer time get into pumpkin *muuuud* than right now, sure thing :-)
Halloween... the purrrfect moment for happy colours, devilish laughs and yummy pumpkin pies!

My grand mama was trying to explain me yesterday her catholic point of view towards this celebration. She seriously find it a celebration of Evil! hehehe... I love her for that too :-)))**~~^**^* *

Actually motivated by a pumpkin inspiration, I gave life to my *pumpklin fairies*. But still and again, I'm frustrated by the small size of the painting online. The visitor cannot *see* the difference... but the details, the colours, the resolution... I'd say 50% of it has disappeared once in the gallery (grrrmmmpppphhhh!)

Have you ever seen a movie by the Cohen brothers? .... Raising Arizona... The Big Lebowski... Fargo...

O Brother, Where Art Thou!


On my quest to watch all the movies I've missed lately, I've just found this one. And it was excellent despite many negative critics.
Cohen's movies are definately special, you never feel they try to convince or please the spectator, they just offer you to share for a while their weird vision of life.
I enjoyed a loooot Raising Arizona and Fargo, and O' Brother's been a great surprise. I found that george Clooney played like a bull in a roses field in Solaris, but here, he's simply fantastic!

That would never happen this way with a "man" and a "woman"... it would be the opposite, don't you think?
hehe
Yet, my explanation for the pic here is that the boy must get dust in the eyes. Have you ever seen a male-ish creature refusing to watch?
lol, nope!

I will *neeeeeeeed* another massage tonight!
(Poor Martin, I ask him one almost everyday! ... LOL!!! Lucky Martin!!!!).
My back and neck are completly tensed and that's only because of the last 4 days spent working almost night and day on several paintings.
I promised to myself not to start really my weekend before I finished at least one painting. Well, it's half past midnight and I can confirm my weekend has just started!!!!!
Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!***~~* ^* *

I wonder if I had "paid" commissions how I would organize at home. Because I already work a lot for unpaid commissions.
Money's motivating, of course. I guess it's one of the risks when you work at home... letting yourself get overwhelmed with work.

But I won't let that happen!
RoaaaaRRRRRR!!!!

Getting pierced ears.
Yeah why not? My ears have been pierced 8 times anyway, so, yeah, dat's kewl, I like it. And well, I like piercing in general.

*but*
Having your baby's ears pierced is something different!
And when I said to this group of mamas I would never ever do that to my shrimpette, they looked at me with big eyes, as if I had just told them I go to church every sunday!
(I never go to church!)

Rilly, I'm kinda shocked these mamas did not think one second that maybe their baby do not want to get pierced ears.... and that even if there's only little pain... there IS pain! And it takes more than 3 days to heal!

I respect their choice but I really wonder about the motivations. Because a baby with pierced ears is cute? maybe, ok.
But just the idea of a baby suffering this lil pain for the pleasure of their parents make me shiver.

Lola will have to ask it and insist a lot before we accept... and not before 12 years-old!!!! (as she won't get any boyfriend before 18 years-old!!!! Mwahahaha)

(joking)
(about the boyfriend!)

Space. Have you heard about this Chinese who's just been sent into space?
It's great but I always find it amazing how little results we get regarding the Space exploration.

Well, little results are not the exact words, but the human imagination has been way further into this space exploration than the reality has allowed us.
Finally, we've been on the moon and we've sent robots further to explore one or two planets, whereas our imagination has already discovered thousands of paralel galaxies with hundreds of extremly intelligent (and often nasty :P) creatures.
What a gap!

And honestly, maybe reality should inspire itself from our imagination because I dunno but a rocket looks much less comfortable than all these space ships we've seen in movies or comics!!!!

And there in Normandie, my mama found a pic of meself 27 years ago in front of THE house.
I could have done the same pic with Lola yesterday.
That feels very strange :-)))



(and you see that pheasant in my arms! eeeeeck! I can tell now that my bird phobia started after 2 years-old!!!)

Yesterday we went to the family house in Normandie to help my grand-mama to move her stuff out of the house.
More or less forced, she gives the house to one of my uncles.
Which is not so so so bad at the end, since my grand-mama could not take care of the house properly anymore.
She will now live in a flat, just near Paris.

While everybody was busy, I went with Lola in her special backpack and with Lassie (lol, yeah I know... the one who gave the name to this beauDiful dawg was 2 years old at the time!) for a walk around the house then inside, revisiting every corner of it.
I took lots of pics because I fear I can forget one day all the fantabozooby adventures I spent there in the house.
Holidays, Xmas, all these so early mornings when we woke up with my grand-parents to go with them to work in the farm.

I hate it when you've to realize that time has passed, relatives have died, and that this family house who was full and noisy years ago... is now so empty and so quiet.
boooooooo :((((

(I'm glad we start another *family* house in Bretagne soon!!!!!)

Here are some pictures I took of the house:







The few from the house:



Lassie, the one who will stay there with my uncle's family



The kind of memorable touch to remind me my grand-mama is a marquise (LOL!!!)

Another full moon night! :-))))



(lightening candles around)

Would you be surprised to see a vampire waving from behind your window?
I mean we've seen that so often on tv that maybe we wouldn't be that shocked. I wonder.
(sticking my nose against the window)

Lola's been spoiled for her birthday, nothing surprising here ;-)
Among other thingies, we've created for her a *treasures' box*. A beauDiful lil box that we'll keep till she leaves home or something like that. In it, we'll gather little treasures year after year. Treasures from her past she will have forgotten. Like her first idendity card, etc, etc.
I've just written her a letter for her first birthday which is now hidden in the box for another 15 years at least. hehe.
I hope she'll appreciate the *magic* of this box **~~*^* * *^^* *

Can you remember the movies that made ya cry (and don't tell me you nebber cry!)?
Did you enjoy these movies?

I usually do not enjoy sad movies. And I cry easily in front of them (women, huh ;-)
It's just that I watch a movie for pleasure, I'm not masochist!

There are some movies though which made me cry but that I luuuuved:
E.T. (well I was 8 years-old :P)
A.I. (such a beauDiful and unique movie!)
The Bridges of Madison County (ouch! big big tears here!)
Braveheart (I mean, the ending with the torture of this muscled body.... booo oooooooooooooo!)
The Old Gun (with Romy Schneider and Philippe Noiret... terrible)
Edward Scissorhands (makes ya wanna save and cuddle johnny Depp here)
Dancers in the Dark (makes ya wanna save and cuddle Björk here ;-)
Virgin Suicides (the title speaks for itself... excellentissimo movie)

I'm sure I forget lots of dem.

But then, there are some sad movies which are just TOOOOO TOOOOOOO sad, using the emotional tools simply to make cry the guuud ol' goil who's typing this bloggie ;-). Such like:
Love Story
Bambi (nods nods hehe)
Titanic
etc...

... including: Grave of the fireflies



I watched it yesterday. I did not expect it to be so so so sad! I ended crying like a baby in Martin's arms!
No, it's too sad. About 2 children during WW2 in Japan. A movie against war, a movie who shows you what war does to innocent creatures.
The topic is ok, but I tell ya it was too much.
I found it weird to cry in front of a cartoon. But cartoons tend to be more and more real movies. It was brilliantly done. But... too sad ya see!

**~~* *Joyeux premier anniversaire à toi, ma petite chérie!**~~* *



I've spent a fantabizooby year with the shrimpette and her papa. I'm so happy to have lost my job last year you know! Yes, because otherwise I would have never believed how wonderful it could be to take care of your child all da time.
Friends often tell me they admire me for staying at home with Lola. LOL. If they only *knewwwwwww* :-)))))

I can tell now that Lola and I have found a good balance. I take her to these associations where children gather to play with the parents around, I dedicate her as much time as I can to play and show her the world around, and I work on my illustrations and paintings projects.
...A purrrfect balance to me

A year ago, I was to spend 10 hours in the birth room followed by a night spent in a tiny room with 4 other people who had just been operated in emergency, a first night separated from my shrimpette.
Well, I'm happy that this is past ! :P
It's just that now that I've had time to think and re-think about the birth, I believe the euphoria brought by the arrival of the shrimpette made me forget for a time the hard moment I had in the clinic. This first night without my baby, without being able to feel her and to feed her, then the lack of room for 2 days..!!!!

But yes, I nooooooe, those are only details in comparison with the happiness we've been living with our treasure since a year and 9 months now
:-))))**~~*^* * *^^* *

For all who hesitate to have a baby.... I can say there is never an appropriate time to get a baby. You can always say you've not enough money, not enough time, you have career plans, etc. But these reasons will never disappear. So, as soon as you *feel* it, just go blindy and confidently for it!!!!

RoaaaaaaaaaRRRrrrrRRRRR

I feel a bit exhausted physically, I guess the 8 months breast-feeding did not help to recover quickly. But it might be possible that as soon as my body gives its agreement (I hope before the end of next year, but who knows)... we'll consider the question of a second shrimp or shrimpette!**~~*^* **^* ** *^^* *

Just the idea of Schwarzie jumping into the *governator* costume makes me immediatly think about the red hot chili peppers' *Californication* song ;-)



Well, do you see what I see above?! Schwarzie wears STRIPES... and everybody nooooooes that stripes makes anything look bigger (G).
I'd worry if he did politics as he choses his swimsuits!

Ha well, honestly, I don't care that much. He'd be on the opposite side, I'd even might say "why not".
I mean there are worse politicians who succeed in the highest positions...
And after all, it's the people who decide. If there's anyone to blame ...oh, or congratulate!!! (s).... it's the voters! :P

The goilettes' party was really kewl, we spent the whole afternoon there drinking excellent wines and champ' (hic!) while the goilettes were enjoying their time :-))) **~~*^* * *^^* *


Lola, Maia and Gaia


Lola and Gaia


Gaia and Lola


Gaia and Lola

It's amazing how the 3 goilettes are different. It was great to observe!
And I can tell the 3 mamas feel much better now, a year later, than at the time of the birth or last days of pregnancy ;-)
(happy sigh)**~~*^* * *^^* *

I've got really disappointed by the movie Solaris!



There was some idea in it, but (and it's my opinion) just enough for a short movie.
It was boring with some pseudo-metaphysical questions (yawn).

Clooney was much better as Doug Ross (for those who *knowwww* :P hehe) than here!!!
On the opposite, the goil Natasha McElhone played wonderfully. The only beauDiful and pleasant touch in that movie!

Yeepeee! My last project for the illustration of a children's book works!
The author luuuves my illustrations as much as I luuuve her story :-))))

I've done a first painting so far, and 10 others are to come for it.
I'll show dem online when it's done. The only thing I can tell is that I'm very inspired, it's a fantastic feeling**~~*^* * *^^* *

I've just added a new painting to the gallery... which I'm not so fond of. I even hesitated to put it online. Too classic, too romantic. But then, I just couldn't show nekkid buderfly-ish bums all da time ;-)


The Lovers' Polka

Polka is one of the funniest dance I know by the way! You dance 3 of dem and you're dead on the floor begging for a fresh pint!
hehe
I luuuve dancing it!

We're finishing packing the gifts for the Big Birthday we gonna celebrate tomorrow!!!
Well, it's not Lola's birthday yet but we had to find a day to celebrate it with her goil friends!

Maïa was born on the 24th of september 2002, Gaïa on the 13th of october 2002 (13th of october..dat reminds me something, somewhere :P), so we just took about the middle of it and decided to organize a lil party for the 3 devilish goilettes!
I have to make a cake tomorrow morning. I'm a MAMA now, see.... I get mama's responsibilities!
hehe

(on my way to convince Martin he is a beDer cook than I... which is troooooe btw!)

I had forgotten autumn and winter did not only mean.... thick blanket+2 full glasses of bordeaux+fire sparkling+dead can dance' albums on+body heat!

nenene, it also means that Lola and I are cruelly deprived of all the little pleasures we had in the parc!
First they now close at 7.00 instead of 9.30 pm. 7.00!!! Just when we're starting our afternoon walk!
Then the fountain has stopped working. And won't start again before spring. (ask Lola, the fountain one of the most important member of the parc!)
And, worst of all, today all the flowers have been taken off!!!!!!!!!

As a final torture, in a week we won't be allowed to play on the grass anymore.

oh Gawd, I can't wait for the day when we can enjoy free flowers and grass and trees!



PS: we're still waiting for that rendez-vous to sign for the house!!!

We've just watched the dvd Catch me if you can, which is about an amazing swindler who manages to change identy as easily as a chameleon.
It's been a good surprise, it was very entertaining!

(dancing around)
**~~*^* *

I've just received a new project from a Belgian woman! She has written a great little story and would love that I illustrate it before sending it to publishers!
I'm about to jump into this project and hope it will work :-)))