la lune en papier

L'un des noms communs de Lomelosia stellata est "la lune en papier" et je pense que c'est magnifique // One of the common names of Lomelosia stellata is "paper moon" and I think it's beautiful

That´s it. I can't find equally interesting common name in French, just Scabieuse Etoilée, which means Star Scabious - nice, but not very inventive. 
 

Qui est un chat heureux?

Qui est un chat heureux? // Who is a happy cat?

Today I am skipping the prompt. Today, at the long last, we were officially let out of our houses to stretch our legs — for the first time in a month and a half. Of course, you stretch your legs when you go to supermarket, but it’s hardly the same thing. Every age group got its own timeband. Some lucky people get to walk a few times — with kids, with elderly relatives, with dogs (btw, those guys were out and about all the time), but the point is, now everybody can finally get their turn in fresh air. Yay.

Parks and beaches are also opened for sports and walks (not for leisure bathing or suntanning though). I was playing with a thought of trying to get to Las Canteras in my timeband for a quick swim, but decided against it. I was right — already saw some videos of complete and utter madness there, everybody in water, surfers mixed with swimmers, and mind you, in general people here are surprisingly bad at swimming. They go to play with the waves and sunbathe, and stay within five meters from the edge, and swimmers (yours truly included) are normally very few. I hope nobody got hurt in this first mad rush.

The cat went out for a walk into an exceptionally pretty park of Pueblo Canario. The flowers are jacaranda, angels’ trumpets and blue daisy flowers appropriately named Felicia (here is a happy name if I ever saw one). He is one happy cat.

L’enfance a ses odeurs

L’enfance a ses odeurs // Childhood has its smells

Today’s prompt is childhood, enfance.

The original quote is by Jean Cocteau and he quite likely meant something horrible, but since the quote stops where it does, I prefer to interpret it my way.

The cat also prefers to concentrate on all things nice. Here he is, smelling cornflowers, bleuets, in the field of his childhood. Let him be, he looks happy.

Aimez-vous les fleurs bleues autant que moi?

Aimez-vous les fleurs bleues autant que moi? // Do you like blue flowers as much as i do?

Today, Kirill bought me yet another Koi penbrush. It is summer-sky-bue. So I decided to make a picture with something blue in it.

So here is the cat admiring his new hydrangea plant. This one must have been growing in acidic soil to be as blue as this.

"Autant" is a  new word for me. It means "(as) much" and looks suspiciously similar to Spanish "tanto". People native in Romance languages are so lucky.

By the way, I used to be quite annoyed by the lack of distinction between "голубой" and "синий" in English. Using "ultramarine" for "синий" seems very artificial - it is too long a word for something so simple, while "azure" is too poetic for something as basic as "голубой". And another btw - I don't get what something as sombre as "indigo" is doing in the rainbow at all. It might well be imprinting, but Russian rainbow seems more logical to me.

Les fleurs de cerisier, cherry blossoms

J'ai envie de voyager au Japon pendant la Semain d'Or. Je veux voir les fleurs de sakura //
I want to travel to Japan during the Golden Week. I want to see the flowers of sakura

Today, an expression “avoir envie de” — “to want to do something, to feel like doing something” was introduced. We were asked to make a sentence with it, and I had an opportunity to voice my long-standing wish, in French this time: I want to go to Japan in spring, around the Golden Week time, to see the cherry blossoms. More specifically, in April, before the madness of the holiday week starts.

I wish to do hanami.

The cat has been there already, here is his selfie as a proof.

Some observations:

Since “envie” on its own is “desire”, first suggestions you get from google AI when you start your research are, predictably, to do with sex.

I originally assumed that the expression “avoir envie” meant “I envy”, which was completely logical yet incorrect. That being said, “envie” and “envy” are etymologically related. To me, it is easier to see the connection via the semantic element of “coveting”* which is present in both words.

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* As in “Thou shalt not covet”

Pictures of hanami at Adobe stock