Let's be prepared for the "chance"

2008 April. On the route with my car taking my grand daughter to photographie birds on Seine.

Suddenly, tulips on the middle of the road.

"Mamie, stop! I would like to take photos of those!"

I just offered a camera for her 9th birthday. Stop, in the middle of the road, with four even if small and relatively quiet streets around? Where?

"OK, I'll stop, I'll stop, as soon as I find where to leave the car."

A small field, offered a place for the car, and we went careful, hand by hand to the flower arrangement in the middle of the roads. Each of us with our camera. I was first more fascinated with my grand daughter taking careful one flower ofter other and making macro photos of each.

Then, I move a bit and see this quiet street. Click.

Just a second later a car passed. Click.

This photo was taken at the "decisive moment", and become one the most favourited on flickr.

Of course, I had to stop in the middle of the road, I had to get there, I had to be ready for it. Ready for the unexpected, for the non prepared, ready and flexible.

In photography, preparing the next speech or story, or meeting the "one" that will count in our life, it is important to be ready and open for what will arrive.

Back on the saddle

The 7 November, gigging again.

Yes, I broke my leg and feet in 5 places almost seven month ago and I had to make a pause. The pause was only in delivery not in creating jokes.

Frustrations, bad situations, mishaps offer the best occasion to jokes, so I do have now a lot of new material in my repertoire.

Of course, I have to try them out, not only on one or two, which I did, all along, but the audience of comedy clubs.

In seven month, the only place I gigged was BBC1 The One Show, where I proved I can make laugh and I can remember my lines and take out from the bag of jokes one or another as requested. More, to link it to something I just heard a minute before my tour come. Now, in New Cross, I am on again, and looking forward to it.

Well, my comeback will be in December, not November - my broken leg and strained knee did not want yet to take me up the stairs yet.

Wonderful division contest, great audience! very strong competitors

Division K Governor of Toastmasters UK South District, closing the division Contest.

16 speakers competitors in two categories, 8 humorous speech and 8 spontaneous speech
120 audience full room very warm appreciative too
2 1e winners : Malachi and Samir, and also great 2e and 3d winners.

Julie Kertesz, Division Governor closing the meeting here.

One leave, many variations

One leave, many variations! the same can be done with a "fact" or story


use right arrow to look what a fallen leave can still be used!

How we put them together

Pointing to this image, you can go and see others around it, before it.

How we put them together counts a lot! Still experimenting. Probably I should leave the musician at the end.

It does count with images, and I am still learning it.
It does count with a story and facts too.
It does count within a joke, to put what is funnier at the end!

"I begun to learn of comedy at 77.
Everyone was stunned I could make laugh.
Me too."

It works better then :
I discovered I had funny bones, I never believed I had. All those around me where stunned too.

So many stories to tell!

So many more stories to tell!

The year hiding from nazis in Hungary, after leaving all in just an hour.

Adolescent in the communist Romania.


How a life can crumble in 3 minutes and become 'enemy of people' and loose all created worked for many years again.

Leaving at 27 stubbornly with a future kid and being finally reunited with loved husband. Then first kid born.


And migrations, betrayals, jumping up again and again.

Old things, new things. Not all comedy, even if I can now add comic relief to them for the audience.

This was at 70, self.


Never too late!

And now, after ten more rich years, still lot to learn and experience.

Beginning on The One Show, BBC1

BBC "The One" live: Julie' minute, makes even presenters laugh

Not easy to see alas because the text, but till Wednesday still available on:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04httj8/the-one-show-01102014
my short part, beside the beginning, is from minute 33 on

But I am proud not that I have been invited, not that I was "in the moment" and relaxed, but that I found a new comic line that made them laugh all, and that I can now incorporate in my material.

I do not regret, that I am not a "celebrity" easy to put in one hole, to express in a short phrase or interview. And as soon as some could think "Aha, she become a" I am already on to something different. Without leaving all past behind, enriched by all my experiences and full life.

I have done it! Comedy live on television BBC1's One Show

Nothing happens or happened as I believed, but one or two went even better.

I proved to myself that I am not at all intimidated by Television or Cameras and of the million of viewers about which I could not imagine, but we had a few live also around me. I am even more happy to tell whichever part they asked me then another or another. Why not? I felt in the moment and no anxiety at all - live on television.

Most important, I did link at minute 33 my routine to what was said just before me! I am mostly proud of that, having be able to change on the spot and thus what I said made more sense and seemed more "improvised".

And perhaps as good for me, I was able to stand up, with mic in the hand and tell my bit like before, without crutches!