4 hours, 16 minutes!
That's how long Martin and I needed to write a new children's tale.

We've already had the main topic in head since days.
But we had no idea about the where, who, how, etc.

For 2 hours, we've shared our ideas, the construction of the story, the characters, the message we wanted to give, etc. Then for 2 other hours I've written the story with all the elements we had found.

We're well organized, aren't we?
hehe
I don't like writting, I find it very difficult. That's why I like doing that with Martin (and vice-versa :P). It's very motivating and we often manage to develop each other's ideas.

It's not so obvious, but our tale will be "environment"-orientated. But no lesson in it, no "don't do this, don't do that, protect the nature around". Just a message.

Tonight, around a lil glass of wine, we will re-work it. Now the most boring part is done!
(dancing around)

And then, I will start with the illustration. That will be a very new adventure!

After zillions of hours thinking hard and shaking our neurones... we finally decided that the first big tree we'll plant will be a ... palm tree!
Yup, a palm tree.
I know they love the climate there in Bretagne.
I luuuuve the shade brought by a palm tree when the sun is shining hard. And I just dream about having a nap under my palm tree (who will have his own name like every tree we'll get)
...happy sigh***~~*^*

But I've also learnt it gets only 10 centimeters more every year... and I've heard that even a small palm tree (like 1 meter high) is really expensive...like 350 euros.

First shock for me as a new and inexperienced garden lover: plants and trees are incredibly expensive!

I'll need patience... to save for my palm tree... then to see him growing up :)

There is one thing (among zillions :P) that is trooooolly wonderful with your own children.
It's the first times.

First time your baby call you mama, first time your baby walks, first time your baby give you a kiss, first time your baby tries painting, etc.

And today gonna be another "first time" for Lola.
First we take her to the swimming pool.
We join my sister, niece, half bro there. Lola should love it.

I still have to buy the special nappies that can be used in water. I hope there won't be ermmm *nappy's troubles* once there!... lol

Martin and I are big fans of cartoons (that's from a cartoon I took my handle after all :P).
For me the top of the top is cartoon + rock opera... cartoon parts in The Walls, Yellow submarine, etc.

It is funny how much we try to transmit (unconsciouslly I think) our catoon *culture* to Lola.
Among lots of them, there is one cartoon Lola luuuuves. The Barbapapas, with a clear prefence for Barbabelle...hehe

Anyway, yesterday Lola and Martin were re-re-re-re-watching Barbapapa, when I heard Martin laughing while telling: "OMG, come and see that, there's something weird here!"

I came and saw a well, barbazoo transformed in a milk bottle! But nenene, Martin saw something completly different... like a Barbadick! LOL
It lasts less than a second, I captured it.
And I let you judge!

(men's mind's perv!!!)

Joe's back from his second session of chemo... and he looks bad, rilly. Much worse than before, and much worse than after the first session.
He can't walk, his legs just move as if there was no bone inside!
He does not purr. He's all wet. His eyes look like he's smoked something baaad.

Booo oooooooo....:(((

We've first installed him in Lola's bed (usually forbidden place for him) for a while... so that he isn't disturbed.

After a few hours, nothing has changed. He does not move at all. His moustache does not "vibrate" when I tickle him. His ears do not make lil electric waves when I talk to him.

SIGH
I think he just need to rest and he gonna feel better tomorrow.
I told Martin anyway that if ever he feels bad that way for more than a few days, I won't take him back to any chemo session.

I bought last week this Breton coke, but had no time to taste it!

Everything's good to make biz, specially when it's to replace some rican products (rolling eyes). The funny thing is that coke is to Bretagne what snails are to Texas, no?
hehe



(message on the bottle is a pun, Phare reminding the English "Far" for "Far West"... phare meaning "lighthouse" in French. We gets zillions of them in Bretagne)

One of my relatives (my dad's future wife...his girlfriend? I dunno how to call her! ... Madeleine! lol) has decided (and started!) to involve in the political field.
For an ecologist independent "mouvement". I'm very happy and impressed she does it.
She will even speak in front of the lil crowds during the next meetings... Right now, she's sweating hard preparing the speeches I can tell you!

:))

I hope one day I'll kick my ass hard enough to involve that way too.

I can live weeks without reading books.
When you are running after time, you think you should deal with priorities only.

But since when reading is not a MAJOR priority?!!!!
hehe

I feel the books' fever back in me. I wanna dive into new worlds, new imaginations, I wanna run along with heroes!!!!

I've looked for books today. After much time lost (not lost! tssss @meself) trying to determine what I wanted to read... and I have found!

(planting Candy Froggie's flag on my new books'island! I won't leave before visiting it from north to south, east to west)


Les Pirates (Gilles Lapouge)


The Briar King from Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series (Greg Keyes)


I thought my father was God (Paul Auster)


La Hache et la Croix (Cavanna)

And I realized I've not said a word about my birthday!
Ohhh me baaaadie!
I will remember it, and not because of what I talk about below. Rather because I'm 30 and I'm the happiest woman, wife and mama. Yes, that's really what matters.
I would never go 10 years back in the past. Very promising for the next 10 years to come **~~*^*

Now (watch out!) the material goil in me grabs the mike... I gotta say I've been really RILLY spoiled for my birthday.
... I wanna be 30 everyday now !

hehe...

Lemme think one second... I've got a bike, an adorable lil 1970s jewl, inspiring underwears, the promise of a tree for our garden (isn't that a great idea?!), Fantasy books, ohhhh... and customized guuudies from Martin... what a surprise! I've got mugs, cards and t-shirts for Lola and I with my own logo on them!!! Weeeeeeeeeee!!!! I really did not expect that (happy sigh) **~~*^* *^^**~~*^* *

**~~*^* *Yesterday, we've had a wonderful piece of news about the health of an excellent friend. That does not mean there's nothing to worry about anymore, unfortunatelly. It's still extremly serious. But there's good hope now. **~~**~~*^* * Thanking the Universe around**~~*^* *

Driving cession... I'm very proud 'cause I've driven the whole weekend!

I feel still ermmm ... unsecure behind my wheel though. Dat must sound so stooopid for most of ewwws.
But it's like that for me.
But I've improved, I can tell you! Now I know where to put my foot to raise my speed! LOL

Driving again was the lil challenge I had ordered for my 30 years. And I'm on the way to success! ;-)
You cannot imagine what "not driving" meant to me. It felt like being totally dependent at many levels.

Martin is a great coach, he's reassuring, never stressed. And he never laughs at me when I drive (or rather about what I say when I'm driving)!

Now I don't mind if I have 50 cars behind me, I won't go faster than I wanna.

But, I'm still unable to drive alone (I forget which road I have to take, I'm so concentrated on my driving! LOL!!!).

I think after the summer, I will feel much more comfortable with it. I just need more practice.

Now you can laugh if you want!
hehe ;-)



(psssst... did I mention that I'm starting to LUUUUUVE driving?!!!)

We naturally went to check for the works on our hobbit-house while in Bretagne.
I wouldn't have imagined that holes could move me that much (no comment!).
We have now 2 beauDiful holes in our future living-room and kitchen. They will be windows.
Another huge hole between the kitchen and this living-room. To have a connection between the 2.



The walls are about 60 cm thick. I was very impressed. Old stones, huge stones. I could have hugg dem!

The roof is now also partly done. Actually the old one has almost gone.

I worry a bit about the invoices we'll get. But the works are brilliant! Just as we wanted!


I've also discovered 2 huge snakes in our garden. NO KIDDING!
Well, before Martin laughs at me again, these snakes (and no, Martin, they are not just like legless lizards! :P) are "slow-worms". Huge from a ant perspective, and from mine.



I suspect we get vipers in the garden near the river. Hm. I don't want to spend my life with rubber boots.
I'll get used to lizards, as long as they stay far from me, but not to snakes. Or rats. Or mice. Thank gawd we have lil falcons and huge buzzards (we saw 2 small but so agressive falcons attacking a huge buzzard just above us!).

But well, I'm not very fond of these feathered creatures either.

Jeeez, I've nothing of a country goil!
LOL

The weekend in Bretagne was (again?) fantabizoooooby!



Above anything else, the sun came with us there and it felt so much like summer!

So much that we went to swim (for ermm, maybe 10 seconds... the water was kinda cold!), while Lola was discovering the pleasures of the beach... the sand, running wildly on it, falling down without feeling pain, feeling the waves on her lil feet, touching weird algae, etc etc.
THAT was fantastic.

We also took Lola on the boat for a couple of hours (a bit too long, she got bored, I think). There was much wind, much sun again, till we went along the river, inside the "lands" where it was much more peaceful and purrfect for a little drink!

I've just seen one of our book's distributors (that sounds so posh! lol!) has completed its web presentation with the book cover.
I don't think I've shown the cover here yet. So here it is :P

Leaving for 4 days or 4 weeks feel about the same once you're back.
It feels weird to realize how easily you forget the routine and daily habits!

My mind is still having a lazy nap under the sun of Bretagne. Once it will wake up, I'll be back :P

I leave Paris tonight, immature, innocent (that above anything else! lol), optimistic, utopist, idealistic, and YOUNG.

I'll be back at the end of the week... still immature, innocent, optimistic, utopist, idealistic, but OLD.

Meanwhile, I'll have celebrated my 30th birthday (on Friday)... :P
If I ever complain about my age, younger ones will reckon 30 is not that young, older ones will laff at me for excellent reasons ;-)

So, I'm fine about it... and fook, I'm only 29 so far!

Oh noooooooo!

My TV has gone! It happened in a millisecond... wooooosh!
Now a terrible smell has invaded the flat. She's burnt from within it seems. My little Jeanne d'Arc. My sacrified plastic witch.


Tele vision by Annabella Claudia

(grabbing my kleenex)

I think I've not treated her well enough :( ... She's suffured way too many soaps, too many reality shows and too many Z movies.

Now what am I going to do without her?
We're going to open her belly to check if anything can be done though... affording for a new TV is not at all one of our priorities!

We could live without one, yes yes, sure.
But I kinda need it with Lola. It's so helpful sometimes, when she's tired but refuses a nap, when I have a real important work to finish or a serious call (yes THAT happens sometimes :P) to give... a cartoon and I don't stress about what Lola's doing.
Bad habit, huh?

(dancing around)
And tonight, guess who comes for diner, hm?
King Esox! (who will have his own blog, some day.. I'm sure of that)

We have *royal* relationship, so we stick to the royal etiquette ya see :P

But before that sparkling diner, it's time to use Penny's advice.
(writing down all I gotta do...
-Taking Lola to the parc 2 times for at least 2 hours
-working on the final touches for my illustrations
-cleaning the flat (I just have to! grmmpphhh)
-starting to make the luggage for tomorrow
-finding the dinner, and making the dessert ;-)
-working on my painting site, for referencing)

Okies, now I have to make 2 lists with that.
Hmm hmmm
errr
hmmmmm
(boiling mind)

Lola's showing us the most entertaining way to eat raspberries!
Long life to the *red fingers* technics! hehe**~~*^* *

It was high time I add a new painting in my gallery!
So here's the last one, still wet, but finished :P


Spirits of the Woods

It took me much time to make it. I'm way too slow, I gotta improve that... too! ;-)