A few people have been emailing me, asking to purchase one or more of my photos as posters or prints.
Therefore I have put up a redbubble account, and if you would like to purchase one of my photos, please email me and tell me which of the photos you are interested in, I will make it available for you on RedBubble for you!
Right now you can check the ones already available on my redbubble account emiliewood.
Whenever I feel down
I just need to look up
And the sky swallows me whole
Lifts me up
Where I belong.
I am 28 today
I am in my new place
Alone but not lonely
Cause I have my own company.
I have been in a similar place before
But I didn’t know as much as I do today.
I don’t need to please anybody
I don’t need to be what other people want from me
I can be just who I am
And be content.
Who I am is not what it seems anyways
Who I am is not what I do
Who I am only I know
And I like what I know.
Petit crime
Il m’a dit comme ça
Qu’il ne m’aimait pas
Et après il était surpris
Que je l’ai mal pris…
Il avait toutes ces affaires chez moi
Sans que je l’invite à s’installer, ma foi…
J’avais pas trop su lui dire
J’voulais pas le refroidir
Il brûlait bien trop d’étapes
Mais je pensais que ces gaps
En les sautant nous allions, sourds,
Plus rapidement vers l’amour…
Mais moi j’étais envahie
Et lui il se sentait chez lui
Et il trouvait ça normal
Que je l’aime, l’aide et lui r’monte le moral
Alors moi j’ai pris mon revolver
Et j’lui ai envoyé un coup dans son cœur de pierre
Il s’est effrité comme ça
Au milieu de mes draps
J’avais plus qu’à nettoyer
Les restants de ces deux mois passés…
Je crois que je n’le reverrai plus jamais
Et tant mieux car ce que je veux c’est la paix
Yesterday was my birthday… It was a perfect day! I loved every minute of it. I was in Skagway, I went on a tour in the morning to see a glacier, then in the afternoon I met up with some friends for a drink, I got spoiled by all of them, then went to work for a bit, and in the evening, more partying and we sang songs along with a guitar… It was beautiful! I cannot believe I am 27 now… And even a year ago I couldn’t have imagined I’d be here now, at age 27, high up north in Alaska, seeing the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen… Here is a poem I wrote after my tour:
On a canoe floating slowing down a perfectly still river,
On the day of my 27th birthday,
I closed my eyes to better fill my soul
With the amazing beauty surrounding me.
The birds chirping all around,
The feel of a chilly Alaskan summer breeze on my face,
The power of the glacier that I had touched with my own hands in my mind,
The happiness of a perfect day of exploration in my heart,
I realized that this was a perfect, magical moment,
One of these moments that makes life worth living
A moment where time stops, nothing matters any more
Except the air that you breathe in and out,
Except the fact that you are alive,
Except for the feelings that you have in your heart.
When I opened my eyes again,
Everything around me was even more beautiful than before,
There was peace and there was silence,
There was strength in my heart.
After getting all the authorizations ready for them, we managed to allow all the orphans in our ship, the Sun, for a fun day visiting, watching the show, and having lunch with us on the ship. If not much, it is nice to have been able to do something for them, something they will remember and maybe who will open up their eyes to a world of possibilities.
The bus bringing them to the ship
Boy at the bus window
Eliza at the window
Kelly walking little baby Carlos through the ship’s photo gallery
Boy sitting in the luxurious stardust loundge, waiting for the show to start
The stage and the musicians
The show starts… Steve and Scott on stage
Harriet on stage… Needless to say, the orphans loved the show, it was funny to turn around once in a while and to see them all open mouthed and fascinated… they had never seen and heard such a thing in their lives before!
After the show, lunch time on the open deck. Tad here, who organized most of this event, is sitting with 3 of the orphans.
Tad and one of the boys.
On March 28th, a small group of staff from the NCL Sun decided to go and visit a local orphanage in Guatemala (in Puerto Barrios, just a bit further than Santo Tomas) in order to help out in any way they could. Among us, a few photographers, some youth counsellors, and cast members.
“La Esperanza” is an orphanage with 35 children, from 9 months to age 20 (the one 20 year old girl there, Eliza, has a mental problem that makes her still dependent on the mission). They are not funded by the government at all and rely entirely on donations.
Here are a couple of the boys, asleep in a hot afternoon.
Here is Carlos, the youngest orphan, 9 months old, in the arms of Kelly, one of our youth counsellor….
Eliza in the arms of Marianna, the woman running the orphanage.
One of the girl…
This little one wasn’t talking much but kept running into my arms… very energetic and friendly little thing!
Group shot of most of the orphanage girls.
A photo of inside one of Cozumel’s bar… pretty wall decorations with lots of suns and moons, as well as the coconut made light shades… so pretty…
Just a short message to tell everyone, a very happy new year 2007 and may your wishes come true. Of course, for one’s wishes to come true one must work at it. But I also, we must really, I think, stop for a minute and wonder what it is that we truly should wish for.
Indeed, how easy to say I want this or that, an object, a toy, a house, or even someone. How more difficult it is to really wish for a type of life we want to live, the kind of values we want to carry, the type of person that we wish to be. Maybe just learning to really know ourselves is a good start to knowing what we want and how we would like to change. Life is in constant motion, we always shift in ways that are sometimes so surprising.
My life at this moment is still so full of uncertainties I feel like I am standing on top of an enormous mountain, about to jump into the open. I am not sure if I have an elastic attached to my belt. I am not sure if I will be able to fly if I open my arms. Or maybe there will be so many comfortable cushions just below my sight that I will not get hurt at all. But of course it could be I am just being so optimistic and I am going to crash to my death in only a moment. Who can tell? But I so wish there would be someone, anyone, to tell me what is the perfect option for me, to tell me what to do in order for things to be ok, or just to tell me I will be ok. Is it the right thing to wish for? Maybe I should wish instead to be able to judge what to do for myself. (If this does not make any sense, please forgive me and note that it is 4 am right now, I am unable to sleep and I am pretty sure tomorrow I will look back upon this post just as puzzled as you are now - but right now it feels just such a helpful description.)
I think this year I would like to wish for less confusion, more simplicity, more truth. Even if the truth can sometimes hurt so much. Even if simple does not always mean better. I want to be more truthful, and be surrounded by more truthful people. I want to stop getting my feelings so mixed up, give up my anger and my other unhealthy negative feelings, and just focus on the simple joys of life. A nice meal. A nice rest. A nice person to talk to. And I wish that I will have the wisdom not to expect more from life than just those simple things.
All the best to you all, and lots of love…
Last week, a few minutes after I arrived in the photo gallery for work, I saw across the window the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen. We were high at sea between Prince Rupert and Seattle. The weather had been stormy and the seas were rough, the boat was rocking a lot and things were sometimes falling from the desks. But there came a ray of light and all seven colors of the rainbow could be seen, moving alongside with us… and just as I was looking at this scene and telling my colleagues to look at how beautiful this was, I saw a whale…. It was swimming so close from the surface, and I could see the body, then the tail, the body then the tail… above it was a crowd of white birds, and around them the magnificent light that was still there even though the rainbow had gone. And then I realized it was not one whale I was seeing, but two… no three… no, four whales all swimming together in the light.
I have been in whale country for the past 6 weeks, but this was my first time seeing them, and that was a beautiful and fascinating sight. I understand that some people could spend a life time studying them…
No picture was taken, but the image will forever stay in my mind and in my heart.
Hello everyone,
I had to change the way comments are posted because I got invaded by spam in a way I could no longer handle it. I have such limited time now to take care of this web site… So from now on, if you want to post a comment, always email me and I will post it for you as quickly as I can.
Thanks!
Here is the more serious fire fighting equipment…
Gas Masks
The guys getting ready to go into the serious fire…
A really serious, if controlled, fire to put out…
After putting out the fire… a very exhausted new fire fighter!
Today, I got up really early in order to go and train to be a fire fighter. This is a training session that everybody working on a ship needs to go through. This was really a fun day, where we actually had to put out several fires in various situations and using different equipement… Up you can see a picture of two of my instructors, really nice guys who train figher fighters in their free time…
Fire fighting boots…
Jennifer with light fire fighting equipment
Demonstration of how to use a simple dry powder fire hydrant.
My all-girl fire team today 
we were great!
A dummy to be rescued from the fire in the smoke…
It’s already been 3 weeks that I left France, and almost 3 weeks that I have been living the life of a ship photographer…
I am loving the learning experience, I am taking hundreds of pictures everyday and becoming a much, much better photographer with everyday that passes, thanks to the help I am getting from the great photo team I am lucky enough to have encountered on my ship. However, I have to say that living this life is far from being easy!
For one thing, there is no day off. I work longer hours that I have ever worked, a lot in the evenings all the way to 11 pm - 11:30 pm. We are always rushing to do one thing or the other. Everything needs to be done by us, from taking the initial photographs (on embarkation, in the restaurants, on the decks, on the gangways, on the train ride, in the studios…), correcting them, putting them up on the walls, selling them and other retail items (film, memory cards, etc. ), making frames, keychaings, photo albums opening boxes and boxes of printing paper once a week (believe me that’s really physical!) , moving piles of photographs from one place to the other in order to make space for new ones, piles of photograph from the lab on deck one mid-ship to the photogallery on deck 6 aft of the ship, and then there is setting up studios 3 times a week and loads of other details to take care of.
That’s a lot of work, a lot to learn. And then, there is the fact that lunch and dinner hours are always rushed, that ship food everyday gets very boring (what I would do to be able to cook something myself. and also for real cheeze), that we have to change hours twice a week because we are crossing a time zone, that you need to live in a tiny space with very little.
I am in Alaska and starting to be able to walk around the towns we go to, but I have not yet been able to join a tour and actually see all the sights. So when passengers look at us and think we are living the great life on the ship… what can you say? I will be lucky if I manage to do one or two tours before leaving Alaska. I hope I’ll be able to, so that I see the places at least… I so wish I could take a week and explore, but I never have more than half a day…
But half a day is looking good when I do get it. You need to pick and choose carefully what to do with your free time! For instance, today I am using my few hours of freedom to have a real meal outside the ship (I had onion soup and chocolate cake - mmm - I feel this is real food compared to what we get in the crew mess!) and write a bit… sometimes, going out and looking at the shops, bying a few things you need is all you can do. Sometimes you really need to sleep so you just don’t go out…
Yeah, it’s not “La croisiere s’amuse” like most of my friends were telling me back in France! I am almost never allowed in passenger space. I am only allowed there in uniform when I am working, or if I get a permission slip from my manager (which I have never done yet.) So in theory it is possible to go eat in the ship’s restaurants or go see one of the shows they have, but in practice you don’t ever have time. And if you do, at one point, maybe you won’t get your permission slip on time, unless you are really organized…
So, so far I am happy being here, and learning loads, that’s why I’m here… But I felt I needed to tell all the people jealous of my position… it’s not all that easy you know!!!
Seattle as seen from my boat’s departure point…
This is not my cruise ship yet… mine will arrive tomorrow morning and I will be embarking then. However, this ship is about the same size as my cruise ship - the Norwegian Sun - will be.
I cannot begin to explain how impressive it is to look at this huge thing. None of my photographs came close to show how absolutely gigantic this boat is. It is a building on water. When I was any closer than this, there was no way any of my photographs would have made sense as the image field could not physically comprise even a significant part of it…
I am officially scared!
Seattle is very well known for its huge outdoor and indoor markets… I have to say the size of it is as impressive as the amount of stuff there is to sell in there! Not to mention the food looks delicious and there are so many things I had never seen before..
There is no way I can show you everything but here is a little selection:
Some jewelry sold in the outside market…
Fresh from Alaska…
Beautiful fruits!
Appart from being moving billboards, I find it’s really funny how those buses are attached to a line above the street… I wonder why?
That’s it - I have arrived in Seattle, after a very long journey - including about 16 hours in a plane… there were some delays…
It’s fun to be back in the US after 4 years… Lots of things are exactly the same as I remember. It’s the American feel in the air. Funny how difficult it is to describe what is so specific about a country! But I guess a lot of it is in the architecture, the streets, the cars, the parking lots, the street signs, and the way people talk to each other (so very friendly!)
And then there is Seattle itself, where I had never been, and that I started to discover today by walking a bit randomly. It’s really a fantastic city! I was especially impressed with the outdoor market and the Pine Street area, so many shops - so many original things… so many good things to eat!!! It requires complete self control in order not to buy everything there is to sell…
My hotel - probably the least atractive thing I have seen in Seattle…
Tomorrow is the big day for me where I am taking the plane away from my home and all the people I love… It’s at the same time frightening and exciting, definitely not easy for me, I feel a big ache in my stomac (since this morning) and I am trying not to panick too much over small details. Everything is pretty much set. The big adventure is in front of me, a big empty canvas that I am going to fill out with the paint I find along the way.
I am looking at some 12 hours of flying tomorrow and I am not sure what I am going to find in terms of internet connection when I get to Seattle (I am sure there is going to be a way for me to write up but still!) but be sure I’ll try to keep you all updated very soon!
All the best my faithful readers - see you on the other side of the Atlantic!
I have moved out of my flat, boxed most of my things, now I just have a few last details to settle before I take the plane in a week’s time. I haven’t been posting much as I have been very busy and without a regular internet connection, but I’m going to hope that this connection holds a bit longer and post some photos I’ve taken over the last few days.
Tomorrow I will be packing all of my things and leaving my flat in Paris. In just 15 days I will be leaving my country and taking a plane to Seattle… where I will work for the next 8 months as a cruise photographer on the ship “The Sun” of the Norwegian Star Cruises! On there web site you will be able to see where the ship will be taking me in the next few months… or you can simply wait to see where I take you by checking this site from time to time!
I am very excited about all the new places I am going to discover, the people I am going to meet and most importantly the pictures I am going to be taking throughout this journey. “My little corner of the sky” is getting bigger and bigger!
This site will become more of a “travel logs” kind of blog. I will be writing more regularily, describing my journey which I am sure is going to be quite extraordinary. I will keep putting photos of course…
I hope that all the people who have loved my web site won’t mind if I talk a bit more from now on and that you will keep loving my site and follow me around the globe!!!
Talk to you all again soon!
Emilie
Another long week-end that I cannot spend doing what I love (taking photographs)… however I am spending this time in order to organize my life so that in the future I will be able to do much more of it than now.
I am changing the way things are in my life. So many things are possible. So many options are open. It is scary but it is also so good.
I am making a big plan for myself, like only myself can.
Wish me luck!
Two days ago I almost lost my camera… I forgot it at the doctor’s office (I had already taken everything with me and then I had to unload everything in order to find my checkbook - and then I forgot to take all my stuff back!)
The thing is, I really thought I still had it when leaving the office so when I realised my camera was no longer with me later in the evening, I thought someone had stolen it from me at some place or other - I was in a panic, going everywhere trying to find it and I felt terrible the whole evening and night until yesterday morning when I was able to call the doctor and she said she had the camera!
During the 14 hours or so during which I thought my camera was gone, I made a few promises to myself: get a better insurance on it, spend more time learning all its functions, and no longer spend over a week without downloading the photos I have taken and putting some of them on my site! Because even though the loss of the camera would have been bad - at least there’s always the possibility of buying a new one. But the photos on it which had not been downloaded would have been lost forever…
So here is to my new resolutions! Nothing like a big scare in order to put things right.
It’s been exactly one year that I put up my first post on this web site. Wow… I’m really happy I did this, I can’t believe what a good idea this has been.
In one year I have given you 264 posts, and 261 photographs. I hope you have enjoyed looking at them as much as I have enjoyed taking them and sharing them with you!
And now… a new year is to start. I’m not going to say I want to beat my records and put more photos - I want to say I want to share as many beautiful images and thoughts with you this year round!
I just wanted to make a little comment on the new link I have added on my site: Dessein.
This is a site started by my cousin, Karine Bernadou, who - I am very proud to announce - has just won the drawing competition on the Festival of Angouleme (the biggest graphics novel festival in France and possibly in Europe) for her piece of work called “Gachis” - which can be translated as “Waste” and talks about alcoholism.
She most definitely deserved her price and I cannot wait to see her full graphic novel, “La femme nue,” be edited which should be happening soon!
Congratulations Karine!
That’s it! I’ve moved in my own little place in Paris, near Republique in the 3rd district of the city. I am really happy about it! Right now there is not much to it and I am in the middle of bags and realising every 5 minutes that I am missing something crutial (such as plates, or a table, or cisors to open this box full of other things that I need!) but I’m managing, and even getting to work on time in the morning.
Right now it’s a bit of a luck that allows me to post this: a bit of free wifi in my appartment! It wasn’t there yesterday and might not be there tomorrow. Well I will get a phone line installed soon so that I can post my photographs regularly and not just when luck strikes.
I really like the area where I am now living and soon you’ll understand why! (translation: you’re getting many photos of this place soon…)
To all my faithful friends checking my blog once in a while
Even thought it hasn’t been very active lately
I want to say thank you! And many good wishes in this season of holidays and celebrations.
And I promise that I will try and put some more nice pictures for all of you soon!
Love
Emilie
I’ve been quoted in an article in the free Brighton magazine “The Insight” about bloggers in Brighton.
One year minus 3 days after moving to Brighton, I took the plane away from the place that I have loved so much, for an unknown period of time.
How strange - I had come to Brighton with the idea of settling down for once, spending my whole life there, raising a family one day… Instead, I haven’t even spent a full year - yes but what a year it has been. It could as well have been a lifetime so full it was with emotions, life changing experiences, discoveries, some good and some bad.
Maybe I’ll come back one day, maybe I won’t. I don’t know yet and don’t want to decide.
But whatever happens I’ll always have a special place in my heart for this town, all the people I’ve met, all the great things I’ve discovered there.
And if I do come back, I will not mind if things are a little less eventful, a bit more peaceful, so that I can cope with staying for many more years.
My little corner of the sky might have changed location but it is not going away. Soon more photos will come.
Thanks for keeping in touch!
Tomorrow I am off to Paris for a week. Let’s see if I can capture October in Paris - something a bit like the Francis Cabrel’s song, “Octobre” (one of my favourites) “Le vent fera craquer les branches… La brume viendra dans sa robe blanche…”
This is a clothing store’s sign at night. I’ve always loved how original it looks! It is called Fruity and has very nice things that I usually cannot afford
Hello all!
Sorry for not having put any photos up lately - my days have been filled with a very heavy work load during the day, acting classes every night (will talk more about this soon), and the rest of the time just struggling not to forget about grocery shopping and the like. I have been taking pictures everyday but not getting around to putting them up on the site… but here it is now, for you, all at once!
September is here already… and it feels more like summer than August. In fact I just had lunch in my patio. How nice
But no more waiting here come the photos!
It is quite depressing to be stuck indoors with mountains of (very boring) work to do when the weather is so perfect and the whole city seems to be calling out to me to get out and take some photos! I am sure that the moment I will be able to take a break it’s going to start raining. But such is life
I am now back in Brighton after an amazing two weeks! It is good to be home, even though Malaysia and Singapore were amazing. Unfortunately the return journey was especially bad (several hours of delays, lost baggage, etc.) and I am not feeling 100%. So I need a little bit of time sorting out through all my things and then I will start posting photos again… hopefully very soon.
Hello All,
Today I will be flighing for 12 hours towards beautiful Malaysia… It will be my first time in Asia and I am really looking forward to it. In the next two weeks, expect some great photos on this site! In addition Aral will be back to the places of his childhood, which he hasn’t seen for 15 years. It will probably be a very emotional experience.
See you tomorrow - when I will be landing at 2:15pm local time in Kuala Lumpur.
This morning I bought The Argus (the local newspaper), excited at the idea of seeing one of my photographs published. When I turned to the right page, my smile was very short lived: they had forgotten to credit the photographer – in other words, myself.
They had not mentioned my name, in spite of my making it very clear that I was releasing my photographs under a creative commons attribution license, even explaining in very plain English in my e-mail what it meant: that my name must be mentioned every time one of my photographs is used, and that I am keeping all copyright of my images.
I had also called the reporter a couple of times, who confirmed both on the phone and in writing to me that I would be credited.
Needless to say I am very upset. My photos are my work, my art, my time, and to have them used without even a mention, I am the one who feels used. I thought having my photograph published in the local paper wouldn’t be bad for me. That is, of course, it wouldn’t have been bad if they had had the courtesy of mentioning who the photographer was!
This is the article I am talking about, published in today’s Argus, on page 26.
This was the original photograph I sent them, taken on Tuesday evening after a dress rehearsal at 10pm.
Here is another one of the photos I took on this evening. I love the costumes I must say!
Hello all,
I’ve been back from France since the 12th but I must admit being so overwhelmed by work upon my return that I haven’t had the chance to put some more photos up! Today I will be making up for two days of silence with more than just one photo!
Now I wish it could have been a very sunny summer image but unfortunately we will have to deal with the current situation, that is, grey and foggy weather!
This being said, it’s good to be back home… though only for a few days as I will be making a big trip in a week’s time. Stay tuned
This little cafe opened a couple of weeks ago next door to where I live. It is a 100% organic and vegetarian cafe which I highly recommend! They have freshly squeezed juices, delicious salads for lunch - which they sparkle with seeds and nuts, and the prices are very reasonable (I had a special with a spring roll + a platefull of various types of salads for £3.95 and I was very full afterwards). I have to try out their breakfast at one point…
On Monday evening, I discovered this place by chance, just walking by it (and absolutely not in the mood for grocery shopping) when I was stopped in my tracks by the amazing sight of watermelons, peaches, papayas, mangos and other amazingly fresh looking fruits at the entrance of the shop. I went a little closer and suddenly was completely overwhelmed by the smell of fresh herbs a bit further into the shop. Needless to say I didn’t come back empty handed that evening!
Today I decided to return there, this time with intent, and this time I explored every aisle of this amazing place - a real paradise in Brighton. There is everything one could dream of and more! Indian, Chinese, Turkish, French, Greek specialties, spices, fresh herbs… This is my new place for food.
A few examples of what I got today: a bunch of fresh sage, a box of Pakistani mangos, cherries (almost as good as the ones from my grandfather’s garden), gulabjams (the Indian desert), fresh cheese bread, wild salmon pate, ranbutan (the fruits), Turkish cheese, stuffed wine leaves, and much more….
I saw the film SOLARIS yesterday, an excellent, moving, thought-provoking film (also quite scary at times!) One of the things that I think will stay with me from this movie is this phrase:
“There are no answers. Only choices.”
I think this is such an important thing to keep in mind when living your life. So many times I have let things happen to me, without realizing that I had choices, without realizing that I could take control of my life. Of course sometimes things happen that cannot be helped, and you need to survive through them. But I think you can also either bury your head through the difficulties, or study them, analyse them, learn from them, and become a better person because of them. That also is a choice.
Maybe it is so hard to make decisions because sometimes you think you need to find the right path – as if there was one! You feel that if you take one of the roads, you will be happy, while if you take the other one, you will be unhappy, and you don’t know which one it is. But nothing is further from the truth: though your life could potentially be dramatically different if you take one of the roads as opposed to the other, each road will offer good and bad things – happiness and unhappiness might be on both ends. Furthermore, there will be more choices to be made alongside each road. The one decision you are taking, though important, will not determine your whole life forever.
In addition, when you are faced with a big dilemma, if you simply say – ok, now there it is, I decide – you will feel so much better, so much more at peace afterwards, no matter how hard it was, no matter how painful. It is so much better than waiting for fate to somehow decide for you.
My little cousin, Charlotte, has her own blog! She’s posting drawings and I am amazed at how talented she is! Keep at it Charlotte, you’re going to go far!
Her latest drawing:
Today I am turning 25!
Sorry I cannot add a photo to this statement, but I am travelling and I have failed to make this computer function properly; but I promise you a few images of Paris when I am coming back, on Thursday! (yes this is a very short trip and I appologize if I don’t have time to see all of my parisian friends!)
As you might already know I love reading. I love being able to lose myself into a novel so breathtaking it transports me in another world, and I can feel what the characters feel. As a child, as soon as I was able to read you could see me hidden away behind a book (before that I would be pestering everybody for stories!) – and after finishing my books, I would usually find someone to tell the story to. My grandparents, during the holidays, would expect me creeping into their bed very early in the morning, and I would tell them all those wonderful legends that I had read in great details, sometimes even recalling the exact words of the book.
But I was wondering recently, how much of all this reading is left in me? How many books can I actually remember today, how many of them I would I absolutely insist must be read?
The first one that comes to mind would be “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupery. This is a book that you could read at age 7 or 87 and you would find something in it for you quite different every time. This is one of those rare books that talk about life, its meaning, and its beauty. A rose, a planet, a child, all those simple things that represent so much more than what they describe…
I also love old legends and tales, so in addition to the classics (the real “Peter Pan” by James Barrie, and the real “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen – not the Disney versions – are beautiful) I really liked reading about the legends of Merlin and the chevaliers of the round table – I especially liked Marion Zimmer-Bradley’s books (“The Mist of Avalons”) and also Rene Barjavel’s “L’Enchanteur” about Merlin.
My brother and I were also into Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”, and we were creating our own little worlds with role playing games in the same universe. I was always playing a forest elf. Hours of fun!
I also loved science fiction, and for me Rene Barjavel was the best. I must have read “La nuit des temps” about five times! It is an amazing story. I also recommend “Ravage” – one of these books you read and think – this could happen!
In the “real world” category, I was a huge fan of all of Marie-Aude Muraille’s books. She wrote a whole series of book following the teenage years of a boy named Emilien, in the Parisian “banlieue,” going through things such as baby sitting to earn some pocket money, finding out about who is father was, having to deal with a suicidal friend, falling in love, and of course, throughout, learning about the stuff that life is made off. I was lucky enough to met Marie-Aude Muraille when I was 13 – I felt so honored to shake her hand I remember!
Today I never miss the new Amelie Nothomb – “Les Catilinaires” is probably my favourite, unfortunately it has not yet been translated for the UK (it has been translated in the US as “The Stranger Next Door” I believe) and then there is also “Metaphysique des tubes” “Le Sabotage Amoureux” “Stupeur et tremblement” ("Fear and Trembling” in English - also a amazing film by Alain Corneau) “Antechrista” and “Attentat” not to be missed. Amelie Nothomb’s books are dark, deep and extremely clever – some of them are very autobiographical, others are more on the murder story type; but they are always breathtaking, going deep into your mind and dazzling you at the end. And I was lucky enough to also met Amelie Nothomb last year! I have a dedicated book to prove it!
It will come to no surprise to anyone that I am also a huge fan of Harry Potter. I was caught at the bookstore at midnight when the last book was released and I will most certainly do the same for “The Half-Blood Prince” when it comes out. I really like the fact that J.K. Rowlings is not afraid of exploring the dark side of this story. I simply cannot wait to see how it will evolve.
Then there is the very inspiring “His Dark Materials” from Philip Pullman, another book classified for children/teenagers but which are, I think, much more than that. I think this trilogy deserves even more attention than Harry Potter…
Of course I am leaving behind a whole lot of books that I love but I think I have written quite enough for today as it is! If you have any recommendations for me, I would love to hear them - thanks in advance!
Yesterday I went to see “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” at the cinema. It was a really funny film! Of course it would have been impossible to cramp in all the book into the movie, but I think the spirit of Douglas Adams was very well captured in it. If you go see it, make sure to suspend your disbelief and to be in a “ready for the absurd” kind of a mood. The only complaint I have about the film was that the characters were very much lacking in depth; also I am not sure if the film would be appreciated as much by people who have not already read the book. But it’s a must-see if you need a good laugh!
I found this play while browsing randomly at the library, started to read it, and could not possibly put it down. This is an extraordinary play, based on deep, complex characters whose past resurfaces and unfolds until the end. The relationships between the three characters is what makes the play so intense; but it also raises social issues, and highlights how sometimes a simple choice can dramatically transform our lives.
I would absolutely love to tell you what the play is about – in fact, I had just done so but decided to erase the paragraph, refusing to spoil the story for you! Most of the pleasure of this play is to slowly uncover the story – therefore I will not say a word, and simply urge you to go and read it yourself!
There are so many ways in which this play could come to life on stage, as it is based on such strong characters. I hope I will get to see an adaptation of it one day!
I am very sad to announce that photos from Canada will have to wait until my return to the UK. Although I have brought my camera and am snapping away at each possible occasion, I have forgotten the USB cable that links my digital camera to the computer - and therefore I cannot download my photos yet! Grrr… Very frustrating.
However, I am having a great time, the weather is beautiful - though a bit colder than the UK - and on Tuesday I promise to post some images!
Tomorrow will be the first day of representation of my play, and tonight we have the general rehearsal. It goes without saying that my stomac feels all funny just by thinking about it! I am sure it will be a lot of fun, but in the meanwhile I am a bit stressed out. Cross your fingers for me!
Today it is the first month anniversary of this blog! I have written 33 posts (not counting this one) and posted 31 photographs so far.
It has been a lot of fun for me, and I am always happy to hear feedback from you! Remember that you can always e-mail me if you want to leave a comment on the site but are having trouble doing so.
Theatre update: My short play, “The Interview,” which is part of the “Hot Shorts” show at the New Venture Theatre, will take place on the Friday 18th and Saturday 19th of March - in less than two weeks now. I hope that some of you can come along! Tickets are only £3, and the show starts at 7:30 pm.
The Air Born Kites shop in Gardner Street: where you can get those pretty flying kites - it’s not just for children apparently! They are also offering lessons… something that might be interesting - there certainly is a lot of wind here, especially on the sea side.
Apologies for posting yesterday’s photo only today. It was one of those days where I had just enough of my computer for work related matters, did not want to see it any longer than absolutely necessary!
A very nice little African furniture and artefact store. It’s kind of funny to see those wooden African sculputures with the snow!
Today you’re getting two pictures! Two shops offering very different things but with equally beautiful shop fronts - from music to opticians, do it in style! Even in the snow
The Drum Cavern: Everything for music lovers! (North Road)
Bromptons Opticians: Why be a regular optician when you be a stylish one? (Gardner Street)
No, this is not a vegetarian restaurant in which they serve shoes! This is a shop in which you can get shoes made from non-animal products (no leather, no suede) and produced in an ethical manner (not in “sweatshops".) I actually bought myself a pair recently and the material is just as confortable and nice looking as leather, and it’s an extra pleasure for me - since I’m a vegetarian - to know that no animal had to die so that I could have these shoes. Read more about “Vegetarian Shoes.”
This week, everyday I am going to put up a picture of some of the most unusual shops from my area. The North Laine is alive because of its wide variety of unusual, independent shops. I hope this week’s series will give you a better idea of what it is like!
This store is for piercing and tattoo lovers: you find all kinds of weirdly shaped jewely in there. There is a section with a little note that says “if you don’t know where these go, don’t ask!”
Now I am not a piercing fan myself - I had my ears pierced when I was 15, but had to give up on wearing earrings after a couple of years because of irritations - so I am not about to pierce any other parts of my body! But I must admit that it is a fascinating sub-culture: just a look at the way “Wildcat” is written on that sign - it’s a beautiful design! It is just one of those things that I admire on other people, but no thanks for me
I happened upon an article today, about new research showing that having smoking and non-smoking areas in restaurants and other public places is not enough to have a smoke-free environment. Here is a statistic that made me shudder:
“Dancing in a nightclub for four hours also exposes a person to the same amount of second-hand smoke as living with a smoker for a month, the researchers discovered.” You can read the full article in the Guardian.
Personnally I love dancing and it is true that I would probably go more often if there were 100% smoke free areas. Unfortunately I am forcefully banned from a whole bunch of places (comedy theatre, most pubs and many restaurants) because the smoking is just unbearable to me. I can’t wait for a law to prevent smoking in all public places!
Today Aral has finally come back from Australia! It was quite a shock for him, going from summer to snow (yes, indeed, it is snowing in Brighton… But not a whole lot so I don’t have a good picture of it - sorry!) Not to mention having to recover from the jetlag and the long, long trip.
Very very happy day for me!
I would like to officially announce that I will be part of a theatre show next month called “Hot Shorts", at the New Venture Theatre in Brighton.
“Hot Shorts” will feature a series of short plays, mostly written by students of the New Venture Theatre writting class. The actors and directors on these plays are also mostly amateurs, some of whom - like me! - have not been on stage for years. However we are all aiming for professional quality in this show.
The play I will be acting in is called “The Interview,” written by Julia Ziewe, and lasts about 15 minutes. It is a beautifully written play, and I am looking forward to working more on it in the next few weeks.
There will be 3 representations, on the 17th, 18th and 19th of March. The show starts at 7:45 pm.
I hope to see many of you there!
Here is one of the pubs in my area (the North Laine.) I just love the name! Can you imagine the phone conversation:
“Where are you honey?
- At the office.
- Yeah, right, I can hear people around you, don’t lie to me!
- But honey, I’m not lying! I am at the office!”
I am happy to announce that I have finally managed to figure out how to change the template on WordPress! (I know it’s very basic - but I’m a complete beginner, so please let me be proud of myself!) I hope you like the new look, a lot more plain so as to allow viewers to focus more on the photos. Thanks to Gary Rogers who wrote the template. I am applying only minor modifications to it at the moment.
I’m planning to make a few more changes in the upcoming days, so don’t worry if you happen to check the site at a time when I have completely messed it up.
After a full day of work, I popped out to get some more tea and other goodies. This is my local grocery shop, and not just any store: it is full of amazingly wonderful organic, natural, fair trade products, each of which tastes better than the next. In fact, the first few times I went shopping there, I was smiling all the way from the moment I entered to the moment I left (and kept smiling until all that wonderful food was eaten!) Not exactly the kind of experience I would get when going to the supermarket in London. Of course the supermarkets do have some organic and fair trade products but they are usually very limited; here you have much more choice, and so many more of the products are sourced locally.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who are responsible for the running of this shop, as well as the production of all the amazing products that are sold here. Not only they taste a hundred times better than the big brands, but in addition they contribute to a better environment (especially the organic products) and to fighting poverty and inequality in the world (for fair trade products). What more could you ask?
Welcome to EmilieWood.com!
This web site will, hopefully soon, look much better than it does right now. Just bear with me while I figure out how the whole thing works
I will, regularly (daily when possible,) post photos of my daily existence in Brighton, UK. Brighton is a town I have moved into only a few months ago, and that I love. I have found my true home there, after having move around the world all my life.
Why photos?
Photography is this wonderful medium that makes us stop and think about the beauty of things. At least, that’s what it is to me, and I am hoping to share the poetry that everyday can bring with all of my friends and family members, wherever they may be.
Thanks for taking the time to check my web site out!
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