Painting

I used to paint on canvas, until pretty much when Jason was born.

I painted a little after that, but the fumes of oil painting were pretty intense for having a child in the house, and of course then, I ran out of time.

I painted my walls after that …and picked up a brush here and there, for presents to couple of my friends.

Well, after seeing the movie Renoir this week, I got re-inspired to at least dust the easel.

I have a bit more time and space now, so I decided to see if I could found a place for it and to see if I still even know how to paint.

I dusted the easel, took all my paints out of bags, and actually did wondered if the paint was still good after so many years…

It was very intimidating to see that white canvas on the easel…and then it all came back. The first stoke is always the hard one…

Everything inside me got poured into that not so white canvas anymore.

Painting used to soothe me, to calm me…It still does. It is a good and therapeutic feeling!

 

Documentary: Going through separation after 16 years…

I have been working on this documentary for couple of months now. How was I going to do this, how will I execute it? How can it be successful?

It has been a difficult project to work on it, and it is difficult to share it.

However it has help me to grieve , it is a loss of such a big chapter, a loss of a big part of my life.

This is very difficult to share as I do not want people to think this is use as a display of my life.

This is my art, and a project I did for many reasons. The most important is that this is for me and it has been very therapeutic, and it is a good way for me to wrap this up and turn the page.

This is the first part of the documentary. The second will the house that it will be after I re-arrange, and move things around.

Time is my language, my culture.

Of course reflection has been a big part of my life the past months. But today, I really had a reflective day.

I realized that I put so much emphasis on time and trust . Time with kids, time with friends is essential to me to build any kind of relationship. And trust…well without trust you can’t last in a friendship or in a relationship.

In France, we put so much more of ourselves at a table around friends, eating together, drinking together, sharing our lives together, walking to the market together, being honest with our opinions, sharing our political views, debating with each other.

We take the time when it comes. It is better to take 10 minutes that you have available and meet someone just for that “Bonjour” than not taking it at all because you had “only” 10 minutes. We take time, during busy week to recharge, even if it is late. I saw friends stopping  by my parents house at 9h30pm for dessert and digestif during the week. It makes us live our week, not survive our week.

I work hard, then I play hard. Time with others make me more productive!

The older I get, the more I miss that. The more I see people around me to focus so much on work, that they are missing on life, on what is real, on opportunities.

When is the last time you drove to the beach, just to listen, just to see, just to smell the ocean and then came back home?

When is the last time you called someone instead of texting? Texting can not support a relationship, your voice can though. It is faster though, I admit, it takes no time, you fit it in your day. Calling someone, or even writing a letter to someone is such a lost art. What a pity!

I love working, it has always been a priority. But I do not let it consume me.

My work, lately I make it pleasant by working outside on the porch, having nice music playing in the background. I am lucky and grateful I can do that

Why can’t people work next to each other that way? Sometimes, having another face that is smiling to you while you take the 1 minute to lift your head from your computer, can give you so much reward!

I enjoyed my mother’s day yesterday because my kids and I spend time having fun in the yard. It was not “working” in the yard for me. It was enjoying the glorious weather with the people I love and enriching the place where we live.

Here is my coffee cup this morning…Ying and  Yang …

My son, my pride, my first born…

He was born on July 1st in 1997. He was by far the cutest baby I ever saw. 10 lbs 1 oz and I was barely couple of hours in labor, and  he was 3 days early.

He has over the years, grown to a man who I am so proud of.

Tonight, he gave me the best gift I could of been getting for mother’s day. I felt like I was in an American dream.

He is a sophomore in high school, and attended prom tonight with his girlfriend, Millie, a junior.

From the tradition to get the corsage, to taking the photos at the Duke Gardens…

His date was like a  beautiful American princess, and as distinguished and elegant than him.

They  showed me the tradition of this country for prom.

I loved it and of course enjoyed taking photos of them!

Maya First Birthday

It was a beautiful party to celebrate Maya first Birthday… Cupcakes from La Maison Sucree were succulent and Champagne was our drink! That is my kind of party!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Niece!!

Diner table

As I was dressing the table for a diner for my friends, I wanted to take photos. My house was going to be changing a lot, as the move was going to take place.

What is a nice diner to me? It is a nice table dressed, nice wine glasses, wine, great food, and people at the table. People that will talk and eat, and laugh. It is home.

Here are the photos of the last dinner at the table the way the house was before.

I played a little bit with putting grape in the glass to represent the wine…

Pullen Park In Raleigh

I went to Pullen Park with my kids and my friend Iryna. I loved it. What a great place to have a picnic, to spend the afternoon, to relax.

It is so big. There are so many playground, there is an old fashion carousel, you can rent a pedal boat.

If you have not been there, grab a blanket,  and a book and go check it out!

May 1st, the tradition of the “Brin de Muguet”

The flower of Muguet is also called “the Lys of the Valley” or “Lilies of the Valley” .

 

It is a plant that comes from Japon and was presented into Europe in the period of the Moyen-Age.

The flower represent couple of different things in France. It represent the beginning of the spring of course. The Celtes were the ones that said it is a good luck charm to receive the flower.

Charles IX on May 1st 1956, received the flower as a good luck charm and decided to give some to each lady that was in the “Cour Royale” each year on that date.

The Tradition then started that men on May 1st would give a “Brin de Muguet” to their love ones. It is sold every where in France in May.

I remember in France, the boy scouts knocking at everybody’s door, and sell muguet.

The smell is very distinctive, and soft and it is so beautiful.

In France on that day it is also Labor day, so love ones spend it together.

Funny every year spent here in the US, I miss this tradition on that day.

Maurice Careme, a Belgium poet wrote this beautiful poem about Muguet:

“Cloches naïves du muguet,
Carillonnez ! car voici Mai !

Sous une averse de lumière,
Les arbres chantent au verger,
Et les graines du potager
Sortent en riant de la terre.

Carillonnez ! car voici Mai !
Cloches naïves du muguet !

Les yeux brillants, l’âme légère,
Les fillettes s’en vont au bois
Rejoindre les fées qui, déjà,
Dansent en rond sur la bruyère.

Carillonnez ! car voici Mai !
Cloches naïves du muguet ! “

 

The Little Prince is 70 years old this week.

Le Petit Prince is one of my favorite book. It is a book on life, nature, love. It is a book on humans and how they forget to live life to the fullest, to enjoy , to be kids.

As grown-ups, we forget to take risks, we forget that life is short, we  tend to focus on what is important to us , and we forget the essential part of life.

I have been re-reading the book and I want to focus on what should be important.

I want to discover and rediscover what is life about…

I had done this painting illustrating the little prince on the planet. I thought it was a propos to post a photo of it today.

I look forward to go back to my first love of oil painting, writing in my language…I am rediscovering myself!

 

Happy anniversary  !

Best night in a long time…

I do not think we really know what we miss the most by leaving in a different country.

Tonight I had one of the best night in a long time, and it was very needed.

I miss the fact that people will stop by to see you, and sit with you to have an aperitif that turns into an aperitif dinatoire and that tuns in 4 hours of talking outside sitting on my porch with a Ty’punch and food. My gosh I missed that!

What else could I be grateful for? Maybe for the flowers in my room and in my living room and  my heart has been replenish with happiness. Love those sunflowers, they are wild, yet beautiful!