Picture a memory.

"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser" ~ John W. Gardner 1912 - 2002 American Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.Although I think that I am more of a painter I am now enjoying making a few rough sketches. I was recently bought some wonderful artists pencils, and I am now enjoying sketching and drawing all sorts of things, and now just for fun I have a couple of journals where I draw really quickly an image of that day, they will help me remember where I have been!

Blu's Memorydoodles

On the subject of pencils!!!
Nicholas Jacques Conte (1755-1805), French mechanical genius, chemist and painter, born on the 4th of August 1755, from a family of poor farm labourers. At the age of fourteen he displayed artistic talent painting a series of religious panels, he then took up portrait painting. He was also passionate about scientific studies. With the supply of plumbago (a native English graphite) cut off by the war between England and France, Conté devised a mixture of clay and graphite used to this day in pencils, and took out a patent in 1795 for the form of pencil which still bears his name.

At the weekend I made a mixed media collage, inspired by a talk we had at our French class about India, in French Inde.

Aromatic Lands

Etymology for the word pencil.

The French word for pencil case/box is a plumier.
The French word for eraser or rubber is gomme.

Off for a few days...

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

Au revoir France hello Angleterre

offline for a few days...how will I cope? LOL

A few get togethers réunions

Instead of using the phone...face a face.

Difficult start

Quote ~ I was born to a woman I never knew and raised by another who took in orphans. I do not know my background, my lineage, my biological or cultural heritage. But when I meet someone new, I treat them with respect.... For after all, they could be my people.

James Michener, Author

Edith Piaf

She was named Édith after the British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity. Piaf colloquialism for sparrow was a nickname she would receive 20 years later.

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard was of French-Italian descent on her father's side and of Moroccan origin on her mother's. She worked as a café singer under the name Line Marsa.

Louis-Alphonse Gassion Édith's father was a street acrobat with a past in the theatre. Édith's parents soon abandoned her, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother. Edith’s father took her to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy. And there the prostitutes helped look after Piaf. From the age of three untill seven she was blind.

How lucky I am, look at my beautiful morning.

Most of us are lucky to have had a fairly normal childhood. These last few day the news reports are full of the frightening scenes in Haiti, some of those children who have survived this disaster will never have a real childhood again.

The word effrayant means terrifying, scarey.

The word sinistre means a big catastrophe

A perfect day?

If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. ~Lucy Larcom

More snow and cool winds, some of this wind seems to find a way indoors, and chills me around my knees. I was all set to meet my friend in a coffee bar, (a weekly enjoyable ritual) before we all attempt to sing, but then large fluffy white flakes started to drop from the sky.

So time is spent on the internet, mainly on Flickr, I have been admiring some of my contacts photographic and artistic skills. I am also watching the glow inside the wood burning stove.

So not the perfect day, but, not bad ~ pas mal.

My idea of a perfect day in winter is sunshine and snow, but not too much, so that we can visit the forest.

Perfect Day.

So what is your perfect day?

You could use the word frais for chilly
You could use the word essayer to try.

Indoors

" I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense." Harold Kushner

The snow has fallen and I discover that France, or at least this part of it is unable to cope with a heavy fall of neige. School buses are cancelled, roads closed, lorries have been removed from major routes. Driving to my French class was not an option, so I telephoned prof and she was staying at home too.

Recently some of my time indoors has been used to have fun with photographs on Flickr, and playing with my paints, trying out various ideas. I got some great art books from the library on Monday, so I am learning techniques and French all at the same time!

Relaxed

Hope you are warm at home but if you are at work I hope you are relaxed or at least not too stressed!

The French word for cancelled is annulé

Unable to ~ ~ dans l'incapacité de

Driving Lesson

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. ~Author Unknown

I spotted this Citroen DS 19 Dinky toy on the back of our TV magazine and so decided to paint a picture of it ~ original nose with single headlights ~ also known as Déesse, or Goddess.

A small piece of French History

President Charles de Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart on 22 August 1962 planned by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry — the shots had blown two of the tyres, but the car could still escape at full speed.

Green Goddess

This event was accurately recreated for The Day of the Jackal.

When I was young I thought that these cars were really ugly!....now I love them...

The French word repérer can be used to spot or locate.
The French word recréer can be used to recreate.

Etymology for the word Paint.

Seasons Greetings

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Yes I am a bit of a bah humbug!...Christmas is a time for children, hopefully with happy memories that they will keep forever. Wishing you a wonderful day wherever you are, eat drink and be merry.

"He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast" ~ Proverb quotes

Wishing you all a trouble free day, may your spuds be roasted to perfection!

The French word for worry is soucis.