Rose rose and entrance

The door is open, will anyone enter to visit?

Not very often and when it comes sometime when gone it hurts. It is usefull to hurt sometimes. Useful not to think one is too important and to be put on its own place.

Useful to open the door and also to hide behind it sometimes.

The picture here was focused on the small future bud: that is the most important, the futur generations the thing that will come, what is finishing fades away soon.

Almost a week ago

but I feel a bit as I am there still,

sunday home in my garden and cleaning house, so much to do before going away,

I found a journal entry, just published in Retroblog, written five years ago, same flowers in my garden and a sentiment I was living here from eternity and will remain forever.

I did in all seven years.

I'll come back, perhaps. It is never the same when one returns, one never returns to the really same place. But I'll come back soon probably, at least for a short time.

Lille yesterday, Paris today, London SOON

Allegoric at least, because I came home from Lille two days ago, I will have no time to return to Paris soon even if I live so near it, but yes, I do believe, in a week I'll arrive to London.

At least, if the surrounding of Greenwich can be called London.

"We need you!" how can one resist to those magic words. I am going, not because they worry about me when I am far, which is true also, or that as good children they do not want me to live far away, but because, at least for the next two weeks they need me.

So even if I thought to have lots of time, the time is run away and in less then a week I'll be on the road of my life again, going, going. And yes, very soon, Julie70 (or in real 74 now very soon) will arrive to London indeed.

Ice cream in Lille

I did not resist to the icecream: so many people walking around with it in their hands! For 2 euros, a big one!

Finally, I went and asked for a srawbery sorbet and unless most people, sit down near that place, and eat it before walking farther.

That evening it was warm but not so much so I think it was mostly a habit to have one - perhaps before going home?

After it, I continued my photo stroll of center city, met nice people for a few seconds each, I really loved the center of Lille!

Plus, it was the last quiet time for me. Now, I have to begin to think seriously of going, of packing, of moving.

Lille center

A busy life in the evening on the streets only for passerby, but just a bit farther, a church and in face a place where one offers evening meel to those needing it.

One can make as if we do not see, but we still see it.

Every one passing by, react differently. I could not stay a lot, as my collegue felt we should not even look, let alone take a picture there. But I took this one while people passed and reacted, each different from the other to what they have seen.

On the main street, lots of outside restaurants, one sits down with a book or with each other.



First 50 pictures of Lille already on Flickr in this Album.

I am going

Even in not in an old merry-go-round, as the picture here, but in TGV, fast train to Lille, were I was invited to a conference about intergenerational links and Internet.

They are asking a lot of questions, that is good.

I have some experience and some answers too. But I have never felt the famous "generations gap", as I was friend with the mother of my grand mother as I was with younger then me. So?

The issue is important, anyway, how to make more elderly use Internet and communicate through it, feel less alone because of it.

This morning I received a mail, answering mine, a young woman (discovered from the flickr image site) at Lille is willing to meet me and show me some of her city's old parts or go to an expo with me, chat at a coffee. Gap? Isolation?

I have never felt more connected!

1300 photos

Colin, the Rumanian choreographer send me a DVD with "La Fiesta in Paris", the visit of their troupe I invited in October while I was there, and that the Agora association in Argenteuil together with the Twin Towns of Argenteuil Association received here for a few days.

From Friday noon to Wednesday, they walked (and danced) without resting almost. The DVD has 20 videos and 1300 pictures.

Yesterday, I looked at all of them.

It was fascinating to observe Paris through his eyes! A slide show with so many images takes time to look at but it was worth it.

Here they are, this is my picture, at la Défense with all the troupe.

Oh, the places I'll go!

Dr Seus one of my favorites with this book in which I so easy project myself.

So, what places I'll go?

In imagination I go in so many. Some I did really go, like Tunis, Maroc or ireland, the others still waiting for me. The discovery of Colorado, Utah, Montana I dreamed for years and years already and is still waiting for me.

And London, my last dream.

How much of it will I really be able to discover?

Dilo day, theme of the day: GREEN

Not only this will be the first day of summer, and music festival all over France, but also on flickr Dilo day: day of the year, the special day when people from all over the world will be showing their day to others.

From New Zeeland and Australia begining, to Japan and India then coming to Europe, and going to America, the days opens and the seasons change.

It will be an interesting day and I already taken more then hundred photos: all have some green in them!

Moulin Rouge at Place Blanche with La Fiesta girls

La Fiesta au Moulin Rouge
envoyé par julie70

Violonist near Sacre Coeur

He played for me specially Brahms 5th Hungarian dances, and so well!

I took some on video, and would add it here.

There is always something new and interesting going on Butte Montmartre, as in other parts of Paris of course too, but my prefered place remains still Montmartre.

Violon devant Sacre Coeur
envoyé par julie70

I wonder what will be my prefered place in London where I'll return again and again: soon.

Foot!

Of course it is not enough to want it, to gain.

But it was really funny to see some of the supporters enjoying themselves before the game.

I have assisted to arriving of people from Romania; Italy; France and of course lots of others. To an interview and video for the local TV and feeding of a real live cock.

Here I'll show it, it was one of the funniest of the time!

Nature's splendors

Nature can offer us so many pleasures: even the most modest flowers near the road: such a symetrie too!

Computers, can decide suddenly "no more" - and it was more then a week that I could not use mine. Now, my daughter in law did reinstall the old system that came with the computer but all the programs I put on it one after the other in the last two years I'll have to put them one after the other.

I did buy them when they were not free, but I'll have to find them!

Eh, the good part of it is: I did not loose my pictures!

Looking up

Experimenting with distance, very far and very near and also movement - that wa taken in 2004 april.

I still feel like am there, fascinated, discovering how we see and how the camera renders it!

Going around with a camera everywhere I went that spring four years ago was a fascinating discovery too.

This was one of my prefered pictures then and it remains still now. I can hardly wait to go around in London with my camera! Soon now!

Soon.

Picnic at Tuilleries

It was and in most places there still is forbiden in Paris to go one the grass but there is this part of Tuillerie near Louvre where there is open express for it.

Just like in almost all parks I have seen in Londo.

It seems we did learn something from London in Paris!

Vice-versa, more and more outside tables near the coffe houses in London it seems to me, is it true?

In Tunisia spring 2003

Spring in Tunisia is like summer here.

When I went away from Paris it was still cold and raining and found instant summer already in Djerba island. Nearer the dessert is was even warmer.

I went there just before my first photo class, yet looking at the pictures I have taken there with my Olympus havint not survived the sand in the trip, everything that is in my photography now I found it there.

Portraits, people working, life slices, flowers, I did not change so much in a few years and after 30 000 photos! The same themes passionate me now as then.

Before the cherries

Those were the choices before the cherries become ripe in our yard, now my grand-son goes up the tree and down arrives with a bag full of cherries.

As soon as I have again access to my own computer or a good usb transfer device, the cherries will appear here too.

They are good and crispy, plus so many souvenirs linked to them!

Already at 3 I had to choose how to recognize my things and I choose Cherry. On my drawer, my short everywhere: I was the cherry!

There was a huge cherry tree in my grand parents garden and we went up to eat directly from it.

Until a day someone proposed to go from there on the roof top of the villa, when our grand father ordered the branches cut so we could no more go up.

We were so sad that I still remember it after seventy years!

Even on my honeymoon I went up one, waiting, in vain for him to come and find me and asks forgiveness (I do not remember for what), waited and waited. He fall asleep and never came.

Those are now red and darker, they do ripen so fast this summer.

But nowdays, as the cherry tree is in my yard, even if four families share it, I have new memories coming from the bare winter tree, to the cherry blossom and slow forming, emerging fruits to the fall leaves of all color, and different albums in flickr for showing them.

Caroussel, between Louvre et Tuillerie

Soon.

Soon my familly goes away and then my time will come too.

I am sure that I will love London and all it can offer, but sometimes I'll miss different aspects of Paris.

The sidewalk coffees of course and markets, its everyday love so different from one place to the other as there were in different towns, but also some of the sights, this one of them.

I am ready to discover new things in London even if I fear a bit the moving and incertitude for the moment.

Valse as I dreamed once

Danse Classique Valse - les grandes
envoyé par julie70

I wanted so much to learn to dance, to dance like these young girls learning and doing an end of year festival in our town Sunday! My grand daughter does, but modern dance and she also was in the same spectacle.

One after other, Modern, Classic, Jazz classes, from tiny 4 year old to grown ups showed what they have learned during the year.

I dance now more in my dreams, but they did not change so much!

Carnaval 2008 Argenteuil

It was not big, but it was fun.

As much for the very young or very old, costumed or spectators.

She walked the streets very high, and here turned for me to be able to take the photo of her.

We had also orchestras, from Tunisian orgin people as Portugese, and those born in France too. Danses, pirates and those from "venise carnaval masques". The weather was not sunny but finally it did not rain, only small drops come towards the end of my stay at least.

I was greeted with a knowing smile from so many! I did not know in a few years I made so many acquaintances!

And now, I'll have to go again.

How long until one recognise me in a festival in the London's quarter I go?

Back to Place de Tertre

Of course, it is also that I lived there for 23 years, the longer I lived in one place in my life, but it is also one of the most visited tourist places in Paris.

Every time I go back, I find something new, something interesting. To look, to listen to, to shoot.

This time, beside new painters and tourists, there was a great mime but also a good violonist playing before the Sacré Coeur Cathedral. And the light to look at Paris was just wanderfull with spots of sun and shadows but difficult to take a picture of the view - one must go there and see.

More easy is take a corner, like this from place de Tertre.

Mime at Sacre Coeur

There is always something happening on the stairs, under and upper them, before the Sacré Coeur cathedral on top of the Butte Montmartre.

This time, there was a great mime and also a good violoniste a bit farther away, the first kissed the girl's and women's hands, and the second played at my request something with hungarian accents.

Around the square Tertre, we found new painters and the waiters posed nicely for me.

After that, we went down with the Funiculaire and to the Moulin Rouge, where the girls posed for souvenir. They adore to danse, pose, but of course they are still children in their heart liking to play. Dont' we all?

Groupe des moyens Agora

After the great sunday spectacle, there remains hundreds of pictures to process and some great videos that I put yesterday on my Dailymotion web site.

Yesterday, I took the girls from Hunedoara to Butte Montmartre. Each time I go, there are other surpises waiting for us there1

Nice pictures, people, peinters - and this time also a really good mime.

Not only the romanian girls were invited to diner, but taught portugese popular dances: what an energy until 1 in the morning!

Dancing "in the rain" short video

Agora International danse Singing in the Rain
envoyé par julie70

Of course, if you want you may see it also in bigger size.

Dancing in the rain

There were so cute, all of them dancing with (or without) umbrellas and so much energy doing it, and preparing the different choreographies.

How much work goes behind it, to make a few minutes of dance on scene!

All those girls (and some boys) and different numbers we had sunday!

Now, it will be my work to bring all the images and show them to all wanting to remember or to look at them from far away.

But I was not alone. Each time more and more people takes pictures and videos of the spectacle!

Agora international festival

Sunday, young girls (and some boys) from different European countries danced one after other.

Here the young girls from our town.

Lots of pictures taken but also some short videosm that I'll try to send to Dailymotion tomorrow.

We are twin town with Cleybourgh in Scottland, these girls arrived from there directly (here with Agora's sponsor)

Agora international festival

Sunday, young girls (and some boys) from different European countries danced one after other.

Here the young girls from our town.

Lots of pictures taken but also some short videosm that I'll try to send to Dailymotion tomorrow.

We are twin town with Cleybourgh in Scottland, these girls arrived from there directly (here with Agora's sponsor)

Agora international festival

Sunday, young girls (and some boys) from different European countries danced one after other.

Here the young girls from our town.

Lots of pictures taken but also some short videosm that I'll try to send to Dailymotion tomorrow.

We are twin town with Cleybourgh in Scottland, these girls arrived from there directly (here with Agora's sponsor)