LOVE is what we are born with.

The love I feel for Hugo, my 17 day old newborn son, did not come to me in the rush one learns to so famously expect. Of course, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and pure joy when my healthy boy was placed in my arms for the first time but the love, that all engulfing feeling, came over and into me slower, more progressively, as though each cell of my body filled with electricity or water, one at a time, starting from the centre and moving outwards.

The love I feel for him, I believe I caught from him, transferred from his small warm body into mine, through our chests and our skin. When his floppy sleeping body melts into mine, the rhythm of our breaths perfectly in tune; when, with his mouth gaping slightly open, I can smell his sweet milky breath; when his tiny hands uncurl slowly from tight fists and absentmindedly rest on my chest as he suckles energetically; when his arched body instantly relaxes at the touch of my large cupped hands.

Love is what we are born with and we share it through our bodies.

Don't miss out!

Long winter nights....slow internet connexion....nothing good on your bookshelves.... do not worry, we bring you :

Chlauretheexplorer, the Book! Be sure to get your own copy for posterity...

Chlauretheexplorer by Laure de Vaugelas-van Lint | Make Your Own Book

My other blog : Aloud.

Please take a moment to check out my latest blog project. The first feature is a conversation with my friend Heleana, a photographer and Architect in Sydney, Australia.

Have a look, tell us what you think, come back, pass it on, make yourself heard, Aloud.

The blog Aloud. was created to shine a light on women who have taken action to live the life they want, with some risks, maybe a bit of fear but no excuses and great rewards.

Through individual features, we will promote the work and life of strong, determined, intelligent and inspiring women who have the courage to dream Aloud. We hope that with time, luck and hard work, Aloud. will become a wide network showcasing the talent of individuals in the fields of Art, Architecture, Fashion, Design, Photography, Gastronomy and many others.

Being a woman is a starting point. Being creative and motivated is our common ground. Promoting originality, ideas and vision is our common goal. On Aloud.we encourage discussion, interaction and especially suggestions for new features which will help us reach higher and wider.

One can go through life without ever really hearing the sound of their own voice. With Aloud. we hope that if each person contributes a whisper, eventually, the sound of our collective voices will slowly but surely become a steady roar that can not be ignored.

Hoping to hear from you often,

Aloud.

Moving on to greener pastures...

As the days of being constantly on the move are well and truly behind us, and with generally less to talk about (not that life isn't fun but it's not quite the Gobi desert), I have been forced to move onto other things.

While you might think that I have moved on from the blogosphere, you, in fact, couldn't be more wrong and while you were lamenting the deathly silence of Chlauretheexplorer, I was actually busy creating not 1 but 2, yes 2, new blogs for your pleasure (I hope) and mine.

The first one, which is actually more recent is called "the soup chef". Food was constantly present in this blog, more so than architecture as you may have noticed, and with quite a bit of free time on my hands and limited funds, cooking has been a fun and interesting past-time which I feel like writing about. This blog has no "food blog" aspirations and is really just for fun.

The other blog, which I have been working on for a while now, is actually a bit more serious and I have some hopes that it could turn into something pretty interesting. I am not quite ready to share more than that yet but should be before the end of the month so stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy the beginnings of the "Soup Chef" and I'll keep you posted,

Love,

Chlaure