Greetings from Bures-France!

I have been very quiet since the end of last year… sorry!

Before going to Toronto in mid-january, we had a January 1st brunch in a restaurant near the Chambord Castel: delicious lunch! We took the oportunity to have a walk around the castel (closed for January 1st).

We spent two weeks in Toronto with our family: it was very cold and we got a lot of snow! It was difficult to walk in the streets!

Back home, I started my “artistic” work, clay modeling and stained glass…

To celebrate my wife’s birthday, we went to Britany. We had a wonderful weather with a lot of sun and spring like temperatures! We visited the Mont St Michel, Cancale, la pointe du grouin, Saint Malo…

In my garden, Spring is coming…

Soon, we will go to the Alps to meet our canadian family, who came to France for skiing!

Beside a sciatica which gave me a lot of pain when I was in Toronto, I am doing OK. However, I should make a blood analysis as I am always “anxious”: my last analysis was 6 months ago.

Every day, I am thinking of the great team of doctors from Saint Antoine Hospital, and in particular my fantastic graft doctor, of my anonymous donor: theey saaved my life! I don’t forget my family and my friends!

With love

Greetings from Bures-France. Today, december 22nd 2025, we are almost at the end of the year. It is time to summarize what I achieved as “an artist” :-)!

I finished a few projects related to stained glass, both lead and Tiffany. Here are photos:

I have been pretty slow, so I did not do much….

I have been more successful with modeling, mainly because I can work in my usual class, but also now in a workshop in my former lab! Here are some photos:

This year again we travelled to several places in France, but also in Italy and, guess what, in Toronto-Canada !

For me, the year is finishing up with a “ophthalmic shingles”, which showed up a week ago! My fantastic graft doctor came to my rescue : She prescribed me first a high dose of antivirus followed by a long terme treatment, year long! Next december I will get a shingle vaccine injection…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all !

With Love

Another week-end spent to explore France: this time the Loire Valley and around. This part of France is famous for the numerous and beautiful castles, but also the churches and the abbeys.

We started our tour by a visit to the Castle “du Lude”, somehow less famous that other castles around. Weather was very cold but sunny, so we had the chance to take a walk in the gardens!

After a short stop to a winery making sparkling wins, we spent the night in a “cave house” hotel near Louresse-Rochemenier. This area is famous for its cave houses. Some of them are now hotels or restaurants: great experience!

On sunday, we went to Saumur. It was raining hard so we did not have the chance to visit the city, just the castle…

Before going home we stopped by the Fontevraud Abbey: a must see place, where we spent a night a few years ago. So beautiful, even with the inclement weather!

I hope you will enjoy the photos?

With love, to the people at Saint Antoine Hospital,and in particular my stem cells doctor, my donor, and my family and friends.

A new modeling project: “The Ladies”!

Several steps are needed to finish the project.

First step: modeling the ladies using clay.

Second step: firing the clay to make it strong, like a rock.

Third step: “painting” using a special enamel, a white enamel making “cracks” when fired.

last step: using black India (China) ink to reveal the cracks, a kind of “Raku” effect!

Enjoy!

To “celebrate” my birthday, we went to Normandy for a week-end. Of course, November is not the best time of the year to expect good weather, and Normandy is not the sunniest part of France ;-)! But we were lucky enough to have a nice weather on saturday…

We went to Veules les roses, a small and charming village located on the “côte d’albâtre” in Normandy. We went also to Sotteville sur mer, famous for its cliff staircase, and Varengeville sur mer, known for Saint Valery churchand its modern stained glass windows. Of course, I could not stop myself looking for Saint Antoine statues in various churches :-)!

On the way back home, and under heavy rain, we stopped by Rouen and visited the cathedrale, not worth it…

I will be “soon” three quarters of a century old, but only ten years old if I count my stem cells “birthday” graft as a second life :-)!

Thank you people from the Hematology Department at Saint Antoine hospital, and in particular my fantastic graft doctor, my anonymous donor, and my family and friends for giving me the chance to live this second life( I always hope that one day my anonymous donor will recognize herself and will contact me…).

With love!

After we came back from Toronto, in early October, it was time for me to start again a new season of “artistic work”! I had to finish the stained glass project I started before the summer break, and also some modeling projects, old and new. I have now two places where I can do modeling, in my group in Orsay but now in my former lab in Curie, where a new modeling workshop has been opened. I am very lucky!

Of course, I worked also on my other favorite activity: pastry!

One day, we decided to go for a week-end to Reims, which is famous for its cathedrale, its wine, …

We explored the city and around, visiting the cathedrale, the Pommery winery, the vineyards with their vivid colors, the forest with its twisted beech.

Our next trip could be in Normandy, near Veules les Roses…

If I am still around after being nine years after graft, it is because I had the tremendous chance of being treated by the fantastic team at the Saint Antoine hospital, and in particular my wonderfull graft doctor. My family and my friends were there also and I will never thank them enough. Of course, I don’t forget my anonymous donnor: without her I would be gone by now…

With love

After my annual visit to my fantastic graft doctor, who told me that everything was “perfect” regarding my blood analysis, it was time to head back to Toronto to spend some time there with my family. We had a “bumpy” start, as we had to postpone our trip by two weeks because of a strike affecting Air Canada…

It was great to be part of the family life. Each day we went to the daycare with our younger grandson: he is such a funny young boy! He is singing and talking both in French and English… With our older grandson, we spoke mainly of “jetfighters” :-)! F15, F16, Mig have no secret for us! He discovered that there is a french jet, the rafale, which is very powerful, and asked us to buy a toy “rafale”!

We had also the chance to visit several places around Toronto, Saint Lawrence market, the Distillery, Eataly, and also Toronto Botanical Garden…

Back home, I started again several projects related to “modeling”. Here is my last one. Last step is “coloring”… I called it “lovers”!

Sending love to all of you!

Yesterday, we took the oportunity of “a good weather” to go back to Chartres to visit one of my favorites places, the Chartres Cathedral…

As usual, I was captivated! Most of the cathedral has now been cleaned and repainted with the original colors…

Of course I lighted a candle for my good friend Saint Antoine ;-)!

We also visited a special exhibit devoted to “Ateliers vitrail Loire” (https://ateliers-loire.fr/fr/index.php): beautiful!

A few days ago, I did a blood analysis in preparation for my yearly visit to my fantastic stem cells graft doctor: almost perfect results :-)! Thank you doctors and nurses from Saint Antoine Hospital,without forgetting my stem cells donor and my family and friends: nine years already within my second life! Love you all!

Last sunday we went to the Fondation Louis Vuitton for the expo David Hockney. We had a great time there! Fantastic colors! New tools used by Hockney such as iPad, giving the oportunity to have “dynamic paintings”. https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/fr/evenements/david-hockney-25

Here are some photos taken during the visit:

It is not our first visit to the Fondation. We have been there several times. I have 3 photos taken at various stages of my recovery after my stem cells graft:

Fall of 2016… very short hair :-)!

Fall of 2021, Covid time!

Summer 2025: grey hair 🙂

To the doctors and nurses of Saint Antoine Hospital (in particular my stem cells graft doctor ;-)), to my stem cells donor, to my family and friends: with love

At the end of June, we visited Auvergne, a small part of it around Mont-Dore. I have been there a long time ago, maybe 60 years…

We stayed in an hotel at the foot of Puy de Sancy: we had a direct vue on the mountain,well when the weather was clement ;-)! After reaching the top of Puy de Sancy by gondola ans stairs, we went down by foot following the ski slopes.

We visited Saint Nectaire, which is famous for its cheese, but also for its petrified springs. I did not forget to pay a tribute to Saint Antoine in the beautiful church…

We walked around Lac Pavin, which is known for its blue water, well when there is sun…

We visited La Bourboule, which is well known for its thermal springs

We visited a few churches and I looked for Saint Antoine statues. I dont forget people at Saint Antoine hospital hematology department and in particular my fantastic graft doctor : they saved my life…

Love them all !