Our weekend in Bretagne was short (not even 48 hours there) but it was really kewl.

We spent much time in the house, talking to the mason about the first works (which will start in April!).


entrance to our "upper" garden"

And for the first time I started to see myself living there. Maybe because I've started to drive again a bit (lol, if you see a reddish head driving at some ridiculously low speed with a huge proud smile, it's me! hehe). The fact I had stopped driving for years (more than 10 years) bothered me a lot. You can't live in the countryside without driving!
Anyway, at the end of summer I'll be a better driver than Villeneuve!

While Martin helped to work in the family house in Plouer, I also spent much time outside with the shrimpette. We has such a fine weather! One day, we'll be able to enjoy that weather all the time, with no limit. No return to the big polluted city! Woooooooooooooooo



And unlike what was expected, we managed to watch the 6 nations' rugger final on Saturday evening! What a game! Guiness for some, wine for others, a huge fireplace to keep us warm... that was a fine evening! hic!

We were back in Paris early enough for me to go to vote.
SIGH
The only reason why I voted for this second round (regional elections here) was to vote "against" the extreme right party. If we had a sincere left wing party, I'd happily vote for it. But it's another hypocritical gang who plays with us as much as any other party.
SIGH

If the greens were independent (not stuck to the left party), then I'd vote for dem.
SIGH

Why is there 2 rounds anyway? I voted for the most human list (according to me) on the first round (it got only hmm 2.5% of the total votes! lol)
and that was my choice. Going for a second round is forcing people to vote for the *less worst*...
SIGH

anyway, I'll stop sighing now my political post is done!
;-)

Fortunatelly we managed to get this mini tv work in Bretagne.... otherwise we would have missed THAT.... !!!!



(dancing around!!!)

Et voilà: on the road again!
It seems a sunny Bretagne is about to welcome us for the weekend! Weeeeee**~~*^* * *^^* *
It will be really short but for a glass of good chouchen (another form of mead -and yes, I rilly like it!-) in front of the fireplace tonight, I'd do anything, even ready to sell my soul (but that I do already everyday! LOL!)

(grabbing my 30 CDs box, jumping in the car.... woooooooooosh!!!)

Been ages I've posted a *tv-quote-of-the-week* !
And today it's the delicious miss Marple who gonna help me doing it.
Between noisy 2 pubs in Hamburg, we've enjoyed a few times the pleasure of soft music and hot jasmin tea with honey. Wasn't Miss Marple crasy 'bout tea?



Ackenthorpe: "There is one thing I cannot tolerate, and that is impertinence."
Miss Marple: "Well, we should get on admirably. Neither can I!"

Here are a few pics from our trip to Hamburg. The only photos we made was when the shrimpette was around, of course :)


my German family at its best :-) **~~**^* *!


the place near the elbe where we luuuve having a pino griccio or a beer... and a wurst!


Lola with her Opa und Papa discovering the "Dom"


I should be on the pic, but "my" (I was alone) four seats thingie rolling on itself was too quick!


Lola training hard her mama... and vice-versa!

Why is it always me who brings virus into Gulli?
I'm very careful though, I get rid of all this fookin email stuff with their pifzipzapzoooop files attached, but this morning I had the pleasure to get a trojan horse (via nasty GATOR) just when I opened the page of a friend!
Very annoying!

We got rid of the virus but I don't like starting my days infected that way :P

One bad piece of news, then an excellent one. There is definatly a kind of strange balance in this world!

I'm gonna be a AUNTIE for the second time in my life!!!!!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeehoooooooooooooo
(dancing almost quietly around poor ol' Joe)

Gwenola is pregnant and due term is for next november!!!!
Ha ha, she'll know the joys of being all ROUND in full summer ;-)

I'm very happy for her, for the papa, Luc, and for my favourite niece Eva **~~*^* ***~~*^*

(message to Gweno: send me a pic of ewww three, I don't have any!!! -taping foot-)

Watta shock when I discovered my lil tiger of siberia after his operation!!!!!
Gawd, I expected a 5 cm scar hidden in his hairs....
(I hope nobody faints when discovering the pic...)



The operation went ok, but Joe seems to feel so bad now :(((
We have just put a plastic thingie around his neck so that he does not bite his huge scar. He does not know how to walk properly with that, he just goes into everything when he starts walking (booooooooo)...
And I wonder how he'll eat or drink with this boring thingie around! He must keep it for 2 weeks...

We'll know in 10 days if the tumour might come back or not. SIGH :((((

17 months-old and already so independant! Even more today... yup, for the very first time, the shrimpette has used her potty! And she did it 4 times with much concentration, watta goil! (very proud mama here who wondered how Lola will ever *learn* to use it...tssss! :-)

Here are the tattoos we've just made:



We haven't made close shots but I'll do that later, when they'll get totally healed.

It's been years we wanted to get tattoos. Martin knew what he wanted, a typical tattoo of the 1940s, 1950s in the Hamburg's harbour style. So here he gos! And he wanted my name in it... hehe. I luuuuve it!

Our *Tattoo maker* (a grand father looking like santa claus, but with more sex-appeal! lol) was happy to make a traditionnal tattoo.
He said most of the time now people comes to get "cybermachine type" tattoos... mix of fantasy and science fiction... which takes a lot of time (many details) and money :P
He also said that people chose more now to get tattoos with the name of their children rather than partner (too many divorces! lol). And favorite place for a tattooed name = on the neck (eeeeeeeeeeeck!)

As for me, I had no idea about what kind of tattoo I wanted (not a buderfly or flower! Of that I was sure! hehe)... just something linked to Martin. That's why I chose a dragon (he used to get "da wyrrm" handle on the web).

The *tattoo shop* was called "Painless tattoos and piercings"... just near was another shop called *endless pain*! The second name was more realistic!!!
Everybody gets a tatoo and no one complains... but I!!! I must be over sensitive, I found that very very painful!!!
Much more painful than a piercing!

It felt just as if a knife with big non-sharp *teeth* was used SLOWLY to open the skin. Eeeeeeck!
And our tattoo guy explained that women who had given birth were less sensitive than most of the guys...because they *know* "real" pain... LOL
Liar, liar :P

Anyway, I still do not sleep very well with it, but I luuuuve feeling it. I'd re-do it any day!

We've received the authorization to start the renovation of our hobbit house! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee (I'm happy but that means MONEY will be required... SIGH!)
We've just taken rendez-vous with the mason for Saturday morning. We'll fix the date to start the works.
That means on Friday evening woooooosh we'll be on our way to Bretagne!

Good I'm on a *maximum energy* cycle, but when the next cycle comes... I gotta be ready to hibernate I think :P

I've heard the other day that they'll make a musical from the Lord of the Ring...!
The concept of it sounds so stoooooopid! What next...? Mickey in a Greek tragedy? Winny le poooo in a porn?
(sigh)

Yesterday I've had some serious talk with the editor about our book. While I was away, it had been decided we'll wait for the second book to be written (because we work on a series), before publishing the first one.
And it was something neither Pascale (the writter) nor I could accept. Really that felt like our book would never be published, or published one day once they would have taken all they could from us!

But we discussed, and they agreed to publish the first book as we had decided before.
I would have never ever thought things would go well this time.
But it worked!
I'm fookin happy for that!

Phewwwwwwwww

Of course Life is never always pinkish and I always expect some greyish colours at the corner of the street.
I'm kinda prepare to that, but nebber enough!

While in Hamburg, we noticed (2 days ago actually) that Joe had suddenly like a lil bone coming out near one of his back legs... We thought he had broken something... but he did not feel any pain at all. Weird.

Yesterday morning, as soon as the pets' doc opened, I took Joe there. And the verdict was clear in less than 2 minutes, he has a tumour spreading in the muscle of his leg.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Tomorrow morning he gonna be opetared, they'll remove that tumour.
My poor lil hairy baby!!!!
As Martin says, he has to be "repaired", so if it's the only way then it will be fine.

I wish I could be there with him, holding his lil paw during the operation, but the shrimpette has other plans for me :)
Anyway, Joe is almost 12 years-old, I knew such thingies had to come sooner or later.
(sigh)

Hamburg... just the name of it rings like Heaven for me!
hehe

We've been so well welcome by Martin's parents who are sweet and available and always interested in everything! (happy sigh, I'm fookin lucky to have such a family there).
After 1 day, we got the habit to let Lola with her Oma and Opa for a good part of the day and again in the late evenings!

Having time for ourselves tasted rilly rilly good. I've almost got used to it!
We've managed to see a few friends there, including Thorsten, Oli and Tanja, etc, and some part of the family. It feels so good when you're welcome that way... you never wanna leave after that!

(happy sigh)

What I can say is that we haven't lost one single minute while in Hamburg, we did so much...:
...been for good ol' shopping (well, ok, I'm not such a material goil -cough cough- but...shopping is something I never do in Paris!), I'm back with my expensive but very comfortable Birkenstock now :P
...been on a curry wursts tour ;-)
...been in pubs trying bitter beers and later some pino griccio to recover!
...been in some soft and comfortable places to enjoy the most delicious teas
...been to enjoy the Hamburg's brunch on Sunday
...been to some parcs with adorable animals coming to eat in our hands
...been celebrating St Patrick's day
...been to train again to drive a bit (I did that for 3 days, even after our 3 hours' night!)
...been to the Hamburg fair, the "Dom"
...been walking along the Elbe when the sun was shining hard
...been having fun quite many times in St Pauli
...been tattoed by a specialist of traditionnal Hamburg's tattoos (much more painful than what I thought! lol!)
...been to dance a few times in the Grünspan (heavy/new metal club)
...been to spend really warm times with our Hamburg's friends

(re-happy-sigh)

I could get addicted to all that!

I'm back!!!!!!! (I know Gulliver missed me :-)
It took us 11 hours to come back (just in time to go to vote! phewww! ;-), Gawd I'm exhausted.
Exausted but happy, this week was simply fantastic!
Martin's parents took care of Lola often enough so that Martin and I could share much time together, often partying hard (yesterday we slept 3 hours only, can ya believe it?! hehe.. huuuuuuuu!)

Okies, I'll tell more later (gotta take care of my tatooooooo, it's still painful!)
Life is beauDiful!!!!
....(except when you're just back from hols, neee? ;-)

Et voilà, the car is almost full.. and when I say full, you would not believe it!
We leave for 10 days, but it would be for 3 months it would not make any difference.
(poor Martin, he realizes what it means to travel with a goil and a goilette!) hehe

We'll leave tomorrow morning to spend about 11 hours to go to Hamburg, it gonna be long for Lola and our tiger of siberia, we'll have to stop often.

Will I improve my German, I wonder? (lol it can only be improved anyway :P)

At least what I know is that as soon as our feet touch Hamburg's pavement, we'll switch into our party time mode! ... just the idea of it is already very exciting !!!:))))

Such a welcoming family and friends there, it will be just purrrfect (roooaaaRRRR) **~~*^* ***^**

Talking of Hamburg... we've naturally planned to meet as many *guuuud* friends there as we can. Meeting them once, twice a year make our relationship somehow more intense I think.
Oliver (who made the most brilliant photos for our wedding) is one of dem, it's been 2 years we've seen each other... Lola wasn't born yet! We've plan to see Oli and Tanja on Monday evening in some pub I think.

Oliver's passion is photography, you can get an idea of what he does here...To me, he's the photographer of the party spirit in Hamburg :P

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

And I who thought we were getting out of winter, I wake up this morning, it's bloody cold and snow's falling again (well microscopic type of snow, ya see)!
It seems they have 10cm of snow in Hamburg and a bit more in in some parts of southern Germany... brrrrrrr!!!
(I know I know it's not like Antartica yet :P)

I've just finished a new painting about Harpies
, these nasty birds :)
I just had to start with my lil illustrated Fantasy encyclopedia's project, and there you go. I must say the original version (not the scanned one!) looks really good, so much better than on my screen (frustated grmmmpppphhhh here!)

I have to create a new gallery for this encyclopedia on the site, but that will come later!

Lola's 17 months-old today! hehe... that won't mean much to many, but to us it means... 1 month left before the terrrrrible "18th months"!!!!
Yup, there are times when the inner clock of our babes seems to ring in some noisy Harmony ;-) ... the 8th month, the 18th month, the 2 years, etc.
When does it stop? ... I don't want to know rilly ;-)

Lola has taken some new habits like... totally refusing to sleep in the dark (wish us good luck when we sleep in the same room as Lola in Hamburg!), refusing sometimes to make a lil nap during the day (which you can see on her tired lil face below), giving me some big kisses on the mouff (which is fine except when she's eating her yuckkkky baby stuff), and starting to enjoy being a typical lil goil (specially when I do something with her hair, she just luuuuves it :P) **~~*^* *

I did not really think there would be another book to be published after our first one ... but the publishing house already puts some pressure about a second book. They wanna make a collection, with 4, 5 books.
It's kewl, though... It's not of much use to put pressure on me!!!! We've not signed anywhere that we'd make a second book (meaning: not about to earn any money for it), we just talked of it.
They will have to motivate me a bit and at least be patient.

It's just that I'm running after time (and money!) and this other project will make me busy for another month. Besides, I guess this second book won't make me a millionaire,
So I just wanna TIME for the moment...
A reasonnable request me thinks :)

It's not the worst of the black adder, hm?
nooooooo!


Blackadder.
You are as cunning as a fox that's just been
appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford
University. You've always got a mischevous idea
and a witty retort ready at hand.


Which enduring Blackadder character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Martin's been laffing for 5 min when I gave him this quizz result! grmmmpphhhh (shrugging!!)


Lord Percy Percy


What smashing Blackadder character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

It's been a rugger weekend full of suprises!
I'm glad we made it against the Welsh (with their 2 tries which have not been validated, I'd be maaaaaaaad -if I was Welsh, that is :P)
Good for Italy too... sad for the Scots.
Great for Ireland... and logical for the Roastbeefs (the wheel's turning, dat's all! mwaaahaha ;-)

Who could resist another lil Flash game? Not I, sure thing :P
So here's one coming from the creative *Naive* to start the week in the laziest way ;-)

Haaaa, I've just found some lil stooopid *entertainer*!
Sometimes I don't need much to have fun.. scary! heh

Weeeeeee!!! I'm not going to miss this new full moon! :)))
For once, I thought I could add a bit of classic Fantasy style here (I'm just frustrated I don't get the painter's name!), it suits the lil event :)

Happy full moon ;-) **~~*^***^* *

It's not even 8.00 am and I'm about to start working on my new painting while Martin already gets his hands in 2 computers (lol, dunno what's he doing, but in a min, Gulli will also gets its surgery cession... eeeeck!)

What Jack told me a couple of years ago is rilly trooooe: with a baby around, you forget what is sleeping late in the morning!!!!

But we survive :P

I do not realize really how lucky I am to not suffer from any form of violence. Specially the violence which is inflicted to women because they are women.
It's only when I read the papers, hear about terrible experiences, that I can *feel* my luck.
And that's when I heard about Amnesty International's new action, that I thought it would not be that bad to keep an eye open on what's happening around to other goils.

Tadaaaaaaaa!!!! It's official, our book gonna be published in May!
Weeeeeehooooooooooo!!!!**~~*^* *^^* *

And for my *tv-quote-of-the-week*, I've chosen the Coupling show!
There have been rillllllllllly memorable scenes in it! hehe **~~*^* *



Sally: "You’ve never understood about bottoms, Jane. Having a bottom is like living with the enemy. Not only do they spend their lives slowly inflating, they flirt with men while we’re looking the other way".

from "Her Best Friend’s Bottom" episode

If you had to chose between financial success or bits of *fame*, what would it be?
Fame is pleasant and all (I imagine! lol), but I'd definatly chose financial success!!!

In a few weeks, maybe beginning of spring, I'm invited in the school of my niece Eva to talk of my job as a tale writer (I've written 2 only! lol) and illustrator.
hehe...
I'll have to prepare a bit my speech... an audience of 5, 6 years-old children deserve some attention me thinks! :-))
Eva will be definatly proud to have her *witchauntie* at school (each time she sees me she asks me to teach her everything about magic. I usually tell her it does not *work* on weekends :P)...

...and I'll feel like a real *professional* ;-)

I've finally put online the book cover on which I've been working on December. Unfotunatelly my customer hasn't found yet the money to pay for it. So I wait, without much hope.
I've learnt one thing at least, it's that next time with works on commission, I'll proceed differently. Once a sketch is accepted, I'll ask 25 or 50% of the price. To be sure to not lose all the money.

Anyway, that was a very interesting experience at least :))


The day of the Red Sun

Among the several quests that makes my life rilly exciting, there is this one in which I'm looking for the *purrrfect Bloooooe*. I'm not specially fond of the blue colour, but when it comes to twilight.... I could sell my soul to *physically* feel and *breathe* this unique bloooooe... I think it gets its special light from the sun which has just disappeared.
I can't find this bloooe anywhere else than there, above, at this special time of the day.

Here one pic that give you a lil idea of my idea of the *puuuuurefct bloooooe* ....
(happy sigh)**~~*^* ^^* ** *


This is a photo by Paul Anderson, a photo of the Leven River in Ulverstone Tasmania just after the sun had set

Besides the green house, I also take Lola once a week to another place called P.M.I. So far, we went there on monday morning, it was the day for babies.

But Lola isn't a baby anymore, hm? :)
So now we'll go there on wednesday afternoon (just at the time of her nap.... eeeeck), the day for older children (as soon as they know walking, they're called "older children"... lol).
We'll try that today. Instead of 1 hour, we'll spend 2 hours there. Which is long for both Lola... and I! lol

I hope, and I cross my bits very hard, that once back here after the PMI... Lola will make a real nap!!! I miss dem! (and so does she! She's in terrible mood since a few days, because of her lack of sleep...).

I don't remember when Gulliver's birthday is (= when we bought it), but we've just offered him a lil something that should please his techie bits :P
... To its 20 gigs hard drive, we'll add a 60 gigs one (yeah, Esox, can you hear that? hehe... I can see ya drooling already :P)

And here's an happy boy! Cheers, Gulli! **~~*^* *^^* *


Gulliver

It's Tuesday, I've bloody cold feet and feel kinda less rich than tomorrow but happier than yesterday! (lol, does that mean anything?)

(hic!)


We've just bought... 12 bottles of champ'!
(first time in our life we buy so much of the bubbled blessed beverage!)

We had the opportunity to buy directly to the producer actually... and the price for a really fine quality was so interesting that we just could not let this opportunity go.
We pay for one bottle 10.95 Euros (£7.15, $13.62, Oz$17.29) ....

not bad, hey?!!!

On this grey and rilly cold Sunday, we had our own lil sun shining enough to make our day! **~~*^* *^^* ^*

I gotta mention here that just before starting writting this specific bloggie, I've just spilled my first cawffee all over the flour behind Gulli...
(which has nebber happened... I just don't spill!!!).

Well, yesterday evening, I thought I would COOK, I mean really cook. I don't enjoy it, but I'm not against it from time to time.
My plan was an orange cake.
Great, hm?
hehe
I was motivated.
Well, in the 5 first minutes, I dunno how, but I spilled the box of flour all over the floor in the kitchen. That happened in a millisecond but that was enought to have me grmmmphing for the next 10 minutes.

Martin shouted from the other side of the flat: "I will do the cooking, just let everything as it is!!!!"

tssss. No!!!! I would do it, no matter what!

... I took the vacuum-cleaner and get rid of the flour. I put the vaccuum-cleaner in the next room, thinking I had to go on with the cake first.

There had enough flour left to finish my cake... phewww.
So there I go, playing the kitchen scientist.
Butter...sugar... eggs... flour.

But I'm not comfortable enough, I have to pour the flour very slowly while turning the preparation.
I have an idea: why not going on the sofa, put the dish firmly between my legs so that it does not move? Then I have a free hand to pour the flour.

Cooking is complicated.

Anyway, on my way there, to the living-room... my feet met the forgotten vaccuum-cleaner and woooosh, I spilled my preparation all around!!!!
And the worst is not on the pic (how practical to get a digit cam!)... When I started cleaning, I spread the buttered preparation... a nightmare for my parquet ... and my jeans.

My cake is done, I haven't abandoned. But I'm not about to go back in the kitchen for a few days.
These are *signs*. I gotta listen at dem :P

I've caught the proof Lola participated actively to the weight excess of our tiger of siberia (I find you thin Joe, no but really! ...but the fookin vet' tells the opposite... I see a *liver mission* here ;-)

Lola has cried from 3.30 to 4.30 last night....
And it's a cry that meant "come and take me wiff you! I'll cry harder till you do it!"
(tired sigh)

Martin went to calm her down a couple of times...

...and I finally took her for 5 minutes with us. She started smiling, calling us, kissing us, putting her arms around our neck, etc. It was Heaven for Lola! (happy sigh **~~*^* *)

Then we re-started the ceremonial to put her in bed... and let her with a lil light on and a bottle of water, she cried again for 10 minutes and finally fell asleep.

Phewwwwww
I think next time we'll let her cry for 10 minutes, but we won't wait for a full hour! I don't want to answer her whims, but I think it is good at a certain point to "break" the rythm (of the cries). With a cuddle, a lil walk around the flat or whatever :)

We've order a night light btw. One in the shape of a big yellow rabbit. I'm going to turn this rabbit into Lola's protector, and will tell her so till she understands :)
I hope it will work.
The only probbie when you start with such habits... is that whenever you forget the lil helper... you get a tragedy ;-)

And here's my CUTE pic of the week! (G)
If you replace this CUTE hairy lil creature by my fat lazy (no I'm jocking, Joe!) tiger of siberia, that's about what I get each time Lola try to feed him!

And there you go, extremist Catholics, also the extreme right party here ask (loudly) that Mel's movie be distributed.
I'm fed up with extremists, they're going again to "intellectually" steal another cultural event (a movie in that case). They're going to spoil it.

Then it will be an attack from the anti-religious extremists, attacking Religion and Faith in general.

What could be just another movie, maybe and probably interesting, is going to be used by extremists as a weapon. That makes me really mad.

I knew I needed to grmmmpppphhhhhhhhhhh a bit this week!!!! ;-)
But I hope I'm not grmmphhhhing for nothing... I hope I'm defending a right cause (cultural freedom?) with this movie. Something I won't be able to confirm before I can watch it!!!

grrrmmmppphhhhhh!
hehe

Why blogging? I often hear that question at the moment...
And my point hasn't changed really about it.

Some finds it very self-centered, talking about oneself all the time.

I use my blawg in a very personnal way, and you can tell self-centered way, yes absobloodilutely.

When I'm blogging, I sit down and relax and take some distance with all what's happening around me. I find this time I spend blogging really precioussssssssss.
I run almost all the time, except when I'm blogging. Phewwww

Then, beside this zen effect it has on me, it's a good way to share with close friends what's happening.
I clearly remember why I started blogging. It was to replace the tons of emails we (friends) shared. It turned complicate to answer this or that, etc etc. And suddenly the blog solution appeared like THE tool we needed.

And finally, even if I don't fancy (at all) getting more and more visitors (new ones are always welcome with a good pint though!), I luuuuve talking about hot topics or very *light* ones, ones that will provoke reactions and discussions.

Zenittude....sharing....communication
Isn't blawglife beauDiful? ;-) **~~*^* *^^* *^^* *

And just for pleasure... let's all sing it!

Let joy fill every Briton's heart,
For now the country's going to make it.
At last a King who looks the part,
At last a Queen who looks good naked.

Blackadder,
Blackadder,
A monarch with panache,
Blackadder,
Blackadder
He's got a nice moustache

Everything he wants he'll get,
The world is now Blackadder's oyster,
Most Prime Ministers are wet,
But Baldrick he is even moister.

Blackadder,
Blackadder,
A dog who's got his bone,
Blackadder,
Blackadder,
A bastard on the throne

Blackadder,
Blackadder,
His beard is neatly curled,
Blackadder,
Blackadder,
He's going to rule the world

I've just found my tv-quote-of-the-week and it's been a hard work chosing one among thousands from... BLACK ADDER!



We've discovered Black Adder a few years ago thanks to a good couple of Anglo-German friends.... it's been a real *discovery*, I'm sure the French would love it (and it would be a good change instead of my beloved Benny Hill ;-).

Percy: Only this morning in the courtyard I saw a horse with two heads and two bodies.
Blackadder: Two horses standing next to each other?

from Witchsmeller Pursuviant episode

hehe, I luuuve it!

I should FINALLY know in the next days when our book gonna be published! (weeeeeeeee!!!)
For the moment I'm checking the cover they've made from the one I had already done. And I find it good enough, but with a few visual details that are not purrrfect.

SIGH

That means I gotta work the whole evening now!

grmmmpphhhhhhhh

I've just finished the illustration of another classic fairy tale: Donkey Skin, (by Charles Perrault).

I don't find Perrault's tales really classic, not in the classic way we get the pattern "the evil-the innocent princess-the heroic prince".
And here, Donkey Skin talks clearly of incest, though I also see it as a representation of forced marriage, "forced love", which happened at the time of Perrault. That habit led to tragic situations as it is more than suggested in this tale.

Anyway, I like a lot this tale, this young princess wearing the bloody (that's how I'd paint it in an adult version) and ugly skin of her dad's beloved donkey. The kind of tale that does not let you with a stoopid sighing smile all along (=the way I smile most of the time! ;-)

It's said that *mardi-gras* is the last day to enjoy party time and good food before starting the catholic Lent. A special day celebrated since the Middle Ages.

What I know is I've always celebrated it with excitement, funny costumes and lots of pancakes!

I don't know really where mardi-gras is celebrated... I know they do it in Germany and Italy too.
Talking of Italy, I've always been fascinated by the masks they wear during the Venice carnival. I find them beautiful, a bit mysterious, devilish and frightening too (with usually dark eyes).
It seems that they get a direct effect on people wearing dem: they all behave so graciously. I like that a lot!

I would love trying playing with them once, I wonder how I would feel. I'm sure they'd transform me for a while ;-)


Sunset Queen

It's official: Lola can tell 5 words! Not bad, hm?
These 5 first words are in French and all being on an affective level (there's no "cake", "yes", "no", "sleep", etc in her language yet).
I find that interesting.
Her words are:
1.maman :P
2.papa
3.mamie (granny)
4.papi (grandpa)
5.doudou (her stuffed animal fetish, an elephant)

She starts to repeat a lot certain words we say, but she does not use them yet just like that.

I'm fascinated by all what the shrimpette can already do and understand. Yesterday I heard some storm in the kitchen and she was standing there in the middle of Joe's food, trying to feed him. hehe :-) **~~*^* *

I'm pretty curious about the last movie of ol' Mel "the Passion of the Christ... not so curious about the topic itself, but I wonder what is so shocking in it. I won't talk of the polemic about the Jews representation it, I think there is no polemic here to talk about.
Now, is showing the main hero (G) carrying painfully his cross for 20 minutes the shocking key?

I would find that very hypocritical from media to focus on that. I find the title of the movie quite explicit, no? They're not going to watch a movie about a Jesus picking up flowers in a prairie, right?
Anyway, I find it hard to believe Mel Gibson will do something really shocking. I don't expect a great movie, but who knows!

If I'm interested in that particular topic, it's because I rilly LUUUUVED Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ, which was rilly criticized at the time.

Such a beautiful movie, showing a very Human Jesus (Willem Dafoe as Jesus could have turned any sceptical goil into a devoted nun... :P).
I wonder how come I don't have this movie on my so precious shelf, btw!
It was a very clever and sensitive interpretation of the Bible me thinks.

Anyway, I like it when movies provoke lil storms. Vive le cinema libre et different!

It's been a strange weekend! Kewl but strange!
On our way to Bretagne, we've been talking so much that we've forgotten the rest and taken the wrong direction for ... 200km! No kiddin!
Then once there, we were about to say hello to our hobbit house and to show it to other relatives when we realized we had forgotten the keys (in Paris!)....

Thank Gawd, we had nothing important to make in the house but it was very very frustrating!
I thought I'd take the opportunity to make at least great photos of Martin's birthday and the family house full of happy creatures. But as soon as I turned the cam on, it said the batteries were empty (and of course the charger was in Paris).

LOL!

After all that, we've run to play lottery, we thought it could be A special day for us ;-)
(dunno yet if we've won ot not :P)

I've started reading Mickael Moore's books... but however interesting it is, it's just a bit too political for me.

So I'm having a break and I've just finished this short novel (or rather short story?... 97 pages..?): "Oscar et la dame rose" (Oscar and the rose lady), by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
The book is composed of 12 letters written during the 12 last days of Oscar's life.
Oscar is 10 years-old and condemned. He writes these letters to Gawd.

I've read the book in a couple of hours and I've spent a fantabizoobidy time. It's funny, kinda metaphysical too (just enough for me to not get lost), poetic and realistic.

I've got really inspired and now I feel in the mood to eat voraciously dozens of books! When will I be able to do it? I dunno, but I'll take the time.

(on my way to make a (home made!) pizza while finishing "l'encycopledie du savoir relatif et absolu" by Bernard Werber! 2 different kinds of food for twice more pleasure!)

Just a quick rendez-vous at the *doc-of-goils'-bits* early in the morning (gawd, damn too cold to expose bits that early btw!)... and we go directly to Bretagne!

Martin has taken his Friday off so that we can enjoy our corner of countryside (happy sigh**~~*^* *)

There, part of the family will have already arrived, others will join late in the evening, and again others on Sat'... all that to spend some time altogether (well, originally, there were to be only the 3 of us! LOL), and to celebrate... Martin's birthday!

Hmmm, I can read in my hmmm glass of wine (hehe) that the weekend might not be very peaceful, but really sparkling in many ways **~~*^* *

And here's my tv quote of the week!
I chose it because it was the only quote I remembered from X-Files! Have you ever seen the movie Carrie or read the original Stephen King's book?
I've been very impressed by both. And Scully's words here made me laugh, which I thought impossible to do with Carrie! :P


"Psycho-kenisis? You mean how Carrie got even at the prom?"
by Scully, X-Files

That won't mean anything to anyone around, but I'm really grmmmppppphing today because I've learnt most of the shows of the comic guy Dieudonne are slowly cancelled!

Still and again because of this joke he made about Jews...
...it's a pity it has turned this way, it's not good for anyone.

... scary society!
I don't take at all position for or against any religion, but we're letting censorship rulling again!

I now wait for Blondes to call for censorship against blonde jokes, same with Belgians, fat people, thin people, people having a moustache, cats, dawgs, old people, etc etc.

Not a good time to be a *JOKE-r* !

grmmmphhhhhhhhhhhh

And here's a lil pic of the special "birthday cakes" we had prepared so that Lola can participate before going to bed.
And the shrimpette loves much more candles than cakes! :) **~~*^* *

And here's a lil drawing that could purrrrfeclty illustrate the last bloggie written by Penny!
hehe
Yup, sometimes we're inspired by the most hmmm weird topics!

10 more days. Dat's the xtra time my Aussie *customer* gets to pay for his book cover.
I know he hasn't much money and all... and that's preciselly the boring part with commissioned work. You never know (when you start in the biz at least) when/if you'll get paid.

The book cover is finished since end December, I spent about the whole month working on the project. And I really have no time (nor money!) to waste... Dat makes me in a grmmmmppphhhhhy mood!

35 years ago, it was about time to organize Woodstock festivities and a month before we'd talk of the first moon Landing... 35 years ago already!

...and 35 years ago from today, a lil blondish chubby baby was about to discover the world!!!!

A very very speschul day indeed for my *other-half*, or maybe more for me just because I'm the happpppppiest he is *here* **~~*^* * *^^* *

There's one word almost everybody (including me) usually does not like much... and this word is:

CUTE

Wellllll, I have found a lil something rilly CUTE and entertaining! If you've time to waste, have a look at this!!!!
hehehe

PS: I spent more than 1 hour today with that! Scary, isn't it?!!!!

Don't we all think that Ventine's day is just a commercial event, that it's stoopid someone offers once a year flowers to his cherie, etc etc. hmmm?
hehe

I like this day!
I'd like to celebrate something everyday, using all these lil events as pretexts to have fantabizooboidy times!

I think what I prefer today is the presence of the red colour everywhere. Flowers, cheecks, lips, underwears, etc etc.
I like it when such a passionate colour is around!

I have already shown this Fragonard painting here, but I thought I would put it again for this speschul (Penny, can I borrow your creation? I Luuuuve it!) day.


Le Verrou - the Lock

I find it inspiring, and talking of passion, I think these two are about to share some of it **~~*^* *

And the 6 nations rugger tournament is about to start in a few hours!
Wooohooooooooooooo!!!!
I will have to record the end of our match against Ireland though because we have our "mini valentines" party this afternoon (party with Lola and her goilfriends!!!).

So today we have France/Ireland, which should be really interesting, I think both teams can win.
Then we get Wales/Scotland. I'll cross my bits very hard for Scotland!

And tomorrow we have Italy/England... I'll pray for Italy (the minimum we can do for them no? I mean England is not just like any team!)

Oh, it's Friday and we're on a 13th!!!!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

Have you ever watched the series Friday the 13th? or the Freddies? Texas chainsaw massacre? or any movie of such kind?
My sister and I were completly fond of dem when we were teens.
I remember the first one I saw was The Night of the Living Dead... I was 12 and got scared with these guys eating nice people's brains! lol

Then my sister and I got addicted, we used to rent anything that was really bloody or horrible or disgusting (like Bad Taste... made by the now famous Peter Jackson!!!).
And I remember we were having much fun!!!!!!

But since my hormones have opened new doors and I've turned into a mama... I feel kinda sea-sick anytime I watch such movie (except Freddy which is really funny). I find this really weird! I wish I could watch dem again, eating pizzas and having good laughs!

Here is what happens now whenever I do not pay attention to Lola for a minute!!!! LOL



The photo "speaks for itself", doesn't it?! And she looks so happy of the result here!!!
I grabbed my cam because I thought it was too late to avoid anything anyway!
hehehe

Gawd, I think Lola is starting her funny days... where she will consciously do anything that is forbidden!
That means hard work for me, and sometimes good laughs I reckon!

Oh and with the pic, our intimacy is now exposed! "tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are"! lol
With 3 bottles of wine, ketchup, tea box, choucroute, milk, pepsi and endives... what does that tell then, I wonder... Except that we're ol' drunks! :P

We're going to have dinner before midnight today !!!!!
That won't happen twice in the year, but we gonna enjoy it!

weeeeeeeeeeeeeewooosh!***~~*^* *

I'm surprised I cannot find any structured organization here (in Frawgland) acting against censorship. Because we also suffer from censorship, on tv in general, and culturally speaking. Like what's happening with our comic guy Dieudonné who's accused of antisemitism because of a joke he did about the Jews.
It's clear that now it seems whenever you give an opinion which is not politically correct, you are instantly judged and all the concerned organisations (tell a joke about cats, you'll get Brigitte Bardot after you) will attack you.

If the society forces us to be moderate, isn't it again a form of censorship!

The other day I've signed some petition against censorship of the web. The only way I found to "participate". You can have a look (and improve your French :P) at this site if you've a minnie!

Now I'm fixed... Miss Jackson has simply worked for the opposite side: the censorship gang!!!!
The horrifiterribliawfull event of THE breast will have the only result of creating a violent wave of new censorship within the media.
I wonder how much she got paid for that! At least la Cicciolina does it for free!

:P

Yesterday we were talking again of the way people download music online. And I'd be a musician I'd worry a lot naturally!
Closing sites that allow downloads would simply not change anything! People will always be able to share their files, individually. You'd just need whatever forum where people would say "yup I've just bought this new album". (which would literary mean, "i have it, you can download it!").
What can you do against that? nothing, people would exchange their files individually.

The only way would be to make real un-recordable Cds.

Anyway, dat's not my probbie -at all- :P
Gawd, I'm happppppppppppppppy to be a painter!

Pubs, currywursts, reeperbahn discos, friends, etc... yup we plan another trip to Hamburg next month!!!!
Weeeeeeeeeeeee!
These holidays were planned since long, but we doubted we could make it, because of time and €€€.
But we might not be able to go back there before the end of the year (minimum), because of the first 2 reasons above and because the big works in the house will start in April.
Every single day we'll get then will have to be spent in Bretagne, same for every single euro!

So we do it while we can still make it, see?! ... The carpe diem thingie really inspires our plans. We prefer not to think how it gonna be in a few months, we'll see by then and do what is necessary :)**~~*^* *

I *nooooe* now how my body works! (it was about time I understand it!)
I can be very speed for about 10 days, multitaskin all the time without any probbie, then for 3 days I'm completly exhausted. Empty, physically very tired.
(I'm such a lil nature, huh!!!)

And I'm in the middle of the "low speed" cycle. Another day and the machine will be running again! wooooooooooooo!! :)))
So don't tell anyone, but today I've decided to forget all what is linked to work (illustrations, etc). I just need to create an harmony between the mind and the body, ya see :P

My last painting's online. Phewwwwww, it was a big one requiring much more work than I imagined! Oh, if you look carefully, you'll find a *Betty Page* in it :P


Fairyland

(jumping around), our hobbit house has a website of its own!!!
Martin has decided to show through it how we'll make of this lil fisherman house a house where Parigos will be able to live :P
hehe
Ok, there gonna be scary pics of the house before the works, so make your imagination work hard, just like we do!

Is there any book from your childhood that you will nebber ebber forget?
There are a few for me. And "Where the wild things are" is one of dem.
All was fascinating in it, the lil boy, a kind of anti-hero, this world made of monsters, the story, the drawings too. I luuuuuve the drawings in it, so unique..! They are printed in my memory now. I wish I had this talent!

The French title (Max et les Maximonstres) was much better by the way (to me!). Funny, no?