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 !

During Easter weekend, we visited Cinque Terre and Pisa. The weather was so-so but we were able to walk most of the trails staying “dry”! Then, we visited Pisa… At this time of the year, tourists were already there, including us :-)! Here are some photos taken at various places,La Spezia, Porto Venere, Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia, Monterosso el Mare…

A few days after coming back home, we travelled to Toronto to visit our family there! It was the “begining of the spring” there, with cold weather and typical flowers like tulips… It was great to be with the family again!

Next month, it will be the ninth anniversary of my stem cells graft! If I can travel and enjoy life it is because I had the chance to be saved by an extraordinary group of doctors and nurses at Saint Antoine, and in particular my fantastic graft doctor, my anonymous stem cells donor (too bad I will never know her and meet her… or maybe one day she will come over this blog and will recognize herself), my wonderful family and friends: I love them all!

This spring is the ninth spring since I had the chance to have an hematopoietic stem cells transplant which saved my life. Time is flying! I had the chance to meet extraordinary people at Saint Antoine Hospital in Paris, and in particular my wonderful graft doctor. Without them, my anonymous stem cells donor, and my fantastic family I would not be around! I am thinking of them every day…

Here are some photos taken in my garden of the first flowers… Enjoy!

More flowers later in the Spring:

With love!

This February, like we did last year, we spent a week in Nice and around. We were expecting a better weather than last year, which was very rainy! Indeed, this time the weather was better, without rain, but with little sun: no need to use sunscreen!

We first spent a few days in Cassis to visit the Cassis rocky inlets (calanques de Cassis). The weather was not too bad, so we walked there but also made a visit by boat!

We then headed for Nice and the villages around. We visited Matisse museum, a few churches (Saint Antoine statues ;-)) …

We also visited Eze exotic garden…

We attended the Nice carnaval on our last evening before going back home…

Back home, I noticed that Spring was arriiving in our garden :-)!

Today, February 28th, is my last day as an emeritus researcher with the CNRS. Tomorrow, I will be “a volunteer” in the lab called Physics of the Cells and Cancer at the Curie Institute (the same lab I have been for years!).

Before finishing, I would like to thank my great graft doctor and the team at Saint Antoine Hospital: If I can still enjoy life, it is because they did a fantastic job, with the help of my stem cells donor, without forgetting my wonderful family: I love you all !

Greetings from Bures-France! This year again, I have had the chance to be involved in several “artistic activities”, such as stained glass, fusing glass, and modeling, without forgetting pastries!

As this year is arriving to an end, I would like to take the oportunity to thank all the people who saved my life eight years ago: doctors and nurses from the Department of Hematology at Saint Antoine Hospital, and in particular my fantastic graft doctor, my anonymous stem cells donor, my wonderful family, and my friends! I am thinking of them everyday! I love them all…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Last weekend, for my birthday, we spent a night in a luxury hotel near Chambord Castel. Chambord is one of my favorite place. I have been there several times, but each time we are subjugated by the beauty of the castel, inside and outside. One bonus when spending the night near by is that it is possible to tour the park at dark…

Here are some photos taken last weekend:

I hope you will like!

Last weekend, we visited the Chartres cathedrale, another of my favorite place! Our goal was to have a look at the Saint Piat Chapel ( the cathedrale “trésor” is there). Four new “stained glass windows” made by a Korean artist are exposed there, with otherstatues and religious artifacts. Wonderful and moving!

Of course, I visited too my great friend Saint Antoine, offering him a candle to thank him for taking good care of me and all my loved ones!

I always remember how lucky I am to be around and to enjoy my new life! Thank you to the people from Saint Antoine Hospital Hematology Department and in particular my fantastic graft doctor! I don’t forget my family, my friends and my stem cells donor.

With love!