Back home

Back home: Not really sure its “back home” but it's a sort of home and yeee I’m back. So, I suppose you can say I’m back home… I’m back in Montmorency after a weekend in Cannes. Not too Bad weekend. Not too bad at all...

It’s good to be back home, I’m not exhausted but a bit tired after a long day. I'm living in Montmorency in Val-d'Oise (Paris), France. Its lovely and beautiful and the house is in a quiet area like back home…

There is a note on my fridge saying “Le Val-d'Oise est un département français, appartenant à la région Île-de-France…” But all French people here call it “RP” the Région Parisienne. They are like dogs… when the master is out of control you can do what ever you like… and when the master is back you can always bark… and many Frenchmen is barking on the streets nowadays, not too happy with «Sarko» (Nicolas Sarkozy). Not too happy at all...

It’s time to say goodnight… Tomorrow will be an exciting day in many prospective. Oh yeee, I have a brand new car outside waiting for me tomorrow morning…AND its only 21 days left before the big happening, it’s only 3 weeks before the big anniversary. – What do you want for your birthday present, after 40 years of waiting ?

Oh yeee, it’s good to be "back home"....
Bon voyage !

Palme d'Or - The official 61st Fesival de Cannes

Okay, I can admit that the OpenAir Cinema at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney is greater… but the glamour and atmosphere in Cannes makes the Open-Air Cinéma de la Plage an fascinating and for us Europeans a greater experience. Please join us next year!

The night was dark and Sean Penn and Robert de Niro were taking care of evening prize winners during the closing ceremony of Fesival de Cannes (at the Grand Théâtre Lumière). - We ware maybe not so excited by the award “the Palme d’or” to the best film among the 22 in Competition. Because here on the beach was the competition "bloody hard" between the 100.000 mosquitoes and the film lovers.

Agnès Cadart, hope to See you next year (together with more mosquito repellent) ! ! !

Ingvar Kamprad, fondateur du groupe IKEA

Ingvar Kamprad, fondateur du groupe IKEA

Ingvar Kamprad a fondé IKEA en 1943 à l'âge de 17 ans. Les meubles en kit ont été lancés à la fin des années 1950.

Fortune : 34 milliards de dollars en 2007
Age : 82 ans (1926-03-30)
Nationalité : Suédois

Après avoir vendu des allumettes, des décorations de Noël et des graines de semence pendant son adolescence, Invar Kamprad crée son entreprise en 1943, à l'âge de 17 ans : baptisé à partir de ses initiales et de la 1ère lettre du nom de la ferme et du village où il a grandi (Elmtaryd er Agunnary), IKEA vend d'abord des stylos, de la petite maroquinerie, des cadres, des nappes, des bijoux et des bas en nylon. La vente de meubles débute seulement en 1947. Le concept des meubles "en kit" prendra son envol à la fin des années 1950. Grâce à ces innovations bon marché, IKEA conquiert le marché mondial. Le groupe possède 231 magasins et emploie 90 000 salariés dans 44 pays. IKEA n'est pourtant pas coté en bourse. Avec une fortune estimée à 28 milliards de dollars, son fondateur revendique une vie simple, évite de porter des costumes et voyage en classe économique !

Paris - Manifestation du 22 mai

Paris - Manifestation 15, 21, 22 may; my University friends were out on the street, once again, demonstrating the happiness with «Sarko»….
– Do you think Nicolas Sarkozy is the happiest man in Paris today ?. (Probably not, but who knows what’s in his mind?).

We were looking for you and we were hoping to see you Mme Agnès Cadart taking part in the Manifestation today, but you didn’t show up. – So you will likely not enter my front door in Montmorency today ?

Anyhow, it will probably rain tomorrow…Time to pack my sack, time to leave Paris over the weekend. – Will I see you in Festival de Cannes?

See you soon, à bientôt, salut, au revoir, bonne journée.... Hi!
/Tally-Two

Mariza "Chuva"

Lisboa and Fado Music of Portugal...
...was for me a new experience. Please, listen to Mariza !!!
The song "Chuva" from the fado Portuguese singer Mariz is so lovely.

Mariza is the best fado/popular singer since Amalia Rodrigues, the great classic fado singer. Her voice is outstanding. Such a hard style of music to sing and she does it so effortlessly. Yes, she is what you can call "A REAL ARTIST and MASTER OF HIS ART".

MARIZA - FADO EM MIM
This is the best cd of fado of all time?!

Mariza Nunes

Mariza Nunes "Chuva" live

The JobCentre muse

Sue Tilley, Freud's JobCentre muse

Today, the woman in the picture, 51-year-old Sue Tilley, who works in a West End JobCentre, told how it was almost never painted. The first time the artist met her, in a Soho nightclub 20 years ago, he criticized her lipstick. "He said it had too many blue tones. The next time we met was over lunch at the River Café and I wore a different lipstick," she said.

She knew she was effectively being interviewed for the role of artist's muse and was briefed on how to behave by their mutual friend, performance artist Leigh Bowery. "But I just did as I wanted as usual," said Ms Tilley.

"Soon after, Leigh called me up and said, 'Lucian wants you to start work next week' and he made me practice stripping off on my settee at home before I went to Lucian's house in Holland Park. I like a bit of excitement but I was still mortified when I got there and he told me to take my clothes off. For the first picture I had to lie on the floorboards in a most uncomfortable position with Leigh and Nicola, the woman he married, and a dog.

"I was in agony and I thought about giving up. But we work hard in my family so I stuck it for the whole nine months. Leigh got rubbed out because he went to Scotland and Lucian needs you to be devoted. He won't work on the painting when you're not there." Ms Tilley, who has worked at the JobCentre in Denmark Street for 30 years and previously worked in nightclubs, modelled for Freud on her days off. "For the picture on the sofa I only had three days off in two years. Every weekend he expected me to be there and I couldn't go on holiday because I couldn't get a tan," she said.

"It was wonderful to spend time with such a fantastic person and see him working. Lucian has an opinion on everything and he was interested in my run-of-the-mill life."
Three years ago she sold an etching of herself she was given by Freud, whom she has lost touch with, for £26,000.
But she was astonished by the estimate Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, 1995, has attracted.
"I'm beside myself. Wait till I tell my mum," she said. "If I had the money I'd buy it myself because it's my favourite."

"I might go to the exhibition...
... I'm sure no one would recognize me." :-))

The Million dollar Lady

Lucian Freud - Benefit supervisor sleeping, 1995

Lucian Freud nude sets world record at auction...

A painting of a naked JobCentre manager by by British artist Lucian Freud by British artist Lucian FreudLucian Freud is the most expensive picture by a living artist ever sold. The 85-year-old British artist's huge canvas is predicted to make millions for its owner, a European collector, at a Christie's sale on 13 May. The auction house is putting the 1 x 2 m picture on show at its King Street offices, the first time it has been seen in public in Britain.

When it goes under the hammer at Christie's in New York will it be for... (aprox.) $33.640.000

Wag the Dog

Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog.

.... still the bird bobs its tail....
.... without any lullaby Who rock you to sleep tonight ?
- Who's that character?

- Do you know?
- Do you really know....... ?

Agnès Cadart - Una misteriosa persona!

¿Puede ser Agnès Cadart o es un amigo de Agnès Cadart?
Una misteriosa persona!

Can it be "Agn%60s%20Cadart" or a friend of Agnès Cadart?
A mysterious person !

– Where to find this mystifying person ?

Paris love and Champ-de-Mars

Champ-de-Mars is a lovely green area and public park between the Eiffel Tower and the Military Academy (École militaire) suitable for love & kisses and picnic... and a French pique-nique in Paris includes many kisses !

All French party contains much wine, (often) little music, a lot of talk and some new smiling faces. Today, I bought olives, bread and many good cheeses plus fresh papayas & honey melons. Sally was carrying blankets and a backpack with many bottles of win. A good start to a real party!
We were hoping to see Mme Agnès Cadart, but she didn’t show up today. – You are invited to my picnic next Monday, two week from now, as all my friends.
Bienvenue, Welcome, Herzlich Willkommen,
Accueillons Chaleureusement!

Happy couple, bride and groom... ?

Gasto Flosse & Chirac

Paris in springtime is Lovely !

SOIS JEUNE ET TAIS TOI ....... Be young and shut up......
Yes, Paris in springtime is Lovely, Okay, it’s maybe too many dogs and maybe too many unhappy people walking around, but it is a lovely town for me to live in for awhile. We have been talking about 1968 and “the revolution”, I’m too young to remember, but here it’s in the mind of many people.

Paris 1968 - Paris 2008 The student’s riots of Paris 1968 continue to divide the French 40 years on. We share memories and two bottles Côte du Rhône for 3.50€, not too bad.

Do "Not Too Bad" mean good? – Not necessarily (or always) but it implies something marginally better than 'bad'; something that is 'reasonable', but not much more than that - just about OK, or very slightly better.

It’s too bad… 1st of May, Philip said the Louvre was closed…. and Xavier said, They stole a holiday from us! Ascension is a holiday but it's today. This year Toussaint falls on a Saturday, and all agree that “Sarko” is bad! This is a bad year ! ! !

Note: Nicolas Sarkozy, de son nom complet; Nicolas, Paul, Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa, souvent appelé «Sarko» …. but that's not too bad for a given name...!?

Okay, it’s maybe too many dogs and maybe too many unhappy people walking around here, but it is a lovely area for me to live in for awhile.

– So life is Not Too Bad after all, Happy me, just waiting for Agnès Cadart, entering my front door in Montmorency, saying; Salut, Comment ça va, Bonjour or Hello... ! ! !

See you soon, à bientôt, salut, au revoir, bonne journée.... Hi!
/Tally-Two

Paris in love, happy people walking around...

Paris in love, happy people walking around...