I live in a pretty little village nestled in the countryside of Brittany, just a few minutes from the sea.  This area is very dear to my heart because, as a child, I used to spend my holidays here when we used to live in Paris. My father was military, so we later went to live in the south of France at Toulon. I worked as a medical secretary there for three years.

My love of cats comes from an aunt whose house we used to spend many weekends in Normandy, she used to  pick up stray cats, release them from traps, etc.  My father love animals and he was also a great admirer of the feline gente..  I think he passed on this love of cats through his genes because I wouldn’t know how to live without cats !

Having married a man from Brittany, who I met in the South of France, we chose to live in the region of his birth and we have 3 children  who now left to do their life. I decided not to work to consecrate my time to the cats family !

It was in 1992 that the cattery of the Jardin des Hespérides came into existence. It was after the sad loss of Lucie, my favourite tabby cat, who disappeared without a trace one morning. I decided toget a cat from a long haired race and to keep it at house to ensure its safety and a long life.

Quite by chance, although I'm not quite sure about that because I do believe in fate, I came across an ad for a Birman, I had no idea what they were like, I went to check out … and then... I immediately fell in love with a marvellous pair of cats  with sapphire blue eyes and sumptuous fur coats.  That is how I ended up coming home with a beautiful Birman queen, seven month old “Hawaï du Timiou”. She followed me everywhere, like a dog !
 

Hawaï du Timiou, blue point female, 3 years, my first birman
Breeder : Gaelle Brélivet
 

Two years later, when I went to get my second queen, Jade du Relais du Bois, a magnificent seal point, Hawaï got very jealous and there were fights between them for three months, it was horrible...  The first time they took a nap together in the same basket, it was in front of the Christmas tree. Gradually a bond formed between them, then when they had babies at the same time, they took turns feeding them. I was so impressed by the intelligence of these cats and their friendliness to the children. They are exceptional cats, and my attachment to this breed  goes beyond aesthetic considerations, although, in my book, they are among the most beautiful cats...

Jade du Relais du Bois, seal point female, 2 years
Breeder : Yollande Pommier
 

Mr and Mrs Raymond Burger have been so kind as to confide me Lucky Luke du Val d’Iton in 1995, son of the splendid Ebony du Relais Napoléon, blue point male, European Champion, born at Annick Rathuille’s. Being love  with lilac color birmans, it was still thanks to Lucie Poulain’s kindness that I was able to acquire my first lilac point female in 1996, Mandy du Val des Saphirs, from Mr André, she was the daughter of the very nice australian male Sarika Blu Raider, European Champion, imported by Mrs Poulain ( "Oseraie's cattery "). It was besides her who introduced the lilac color with the very famous Najim Chardon Bleu, into France from Great Britain, then Mrs Lefrançois, Chatterley's cattery, has worked this color then, including the descendants of his beautiful Chatterley Rapsodie.  It is now of Birmans beautiful lilac point to the four corners of the globe.

Lucky Luke du Val d’Iton, 24 months, blue point : my first stud,
Breeders :  Trudy and Raymond Burger

I have wished to take part in my first shows, it was so at this time, in the years 1995-1996, I could to marvel at the superbs "Reds" owner to Hélène Guillaume and Francine and Karen Collette, while very prestigiousTica shows like Champerret at Paris, the Felithon at Versailles. I recognize that I was lost in wonder faced with their work !.....and that it has given me feeling like doing the birman's work, me too....
For my great happiness, Josette Savary has confided me the nice Tijuana de Saya San, adorable lilac tabby point female, behind her, a marvellous work, an exceptional character, thanks Josette, the lilac and the chocolate are so difficult to work's colors !...and you have so much succeeded to show to advantage them !....

Tijuana de Saya San, lilac tabby point female, 18 months
Breeder :  Josette Savary

So, I owe a lot to two famous breeders who confided  splendid cats to me :
First of all, my friend Michel Koutchouk, with Le Chat Botte Cristal, a charming blue point female, came from Brasil in 2001, who wonderfully shares her qualities...and also, my Australian friend, Wendy Hamilton, who has sent to me in 2003 the magnificent Zarlee Choc Dundee, an adorable chocolate point male, I am lucky enough that he has passed on his qualities, to his descendants. But above all dont think that this is a coincidence...there is a great work behind these cats...

Le Chat Botte Cristal, blue point, 12 months,
Breeder : Michel Koutchouk

Zarlee Choc Dundee, chocolate point male, 30 months
Breeder : Wendy Hamilton

Then, thanks to Laurence Lajoinie,  I was able to acquire the nice United Kingdom Mastors,  carrying an magnificent genetic potential, that is behind him the marvellous work of Hélène Guillaume ( Hameau Kertweed's cattery ) and of Nicole Godier ( La Perle d'Or's cattery )...it is from these prestigious lineages, married with Chat Botté's, that is born my little Vélicia !....with these top catteries, I am happy to pay tribute to french Breeders, for their work's quality !
Thanks also to my belgium friend, Rita Loos ( Perros-Guirec 's cattery ) for the nice Velours de Perros Guirec, beautiful seal point male, and for the sweet Jade de Perros Guirec, both of them with an adorable character and perfect gantles....
Thanks to my german friend Claudia Dick ( Navayana's cattery ) for the magnificent Navayana's Edition One, seal point male, the very nice Navayana's Wildberry who pass down so well their qualities, in the image of Cristal and  Dundee ! And we now have the pleasure of having the splendid Gandalf de la Perle d'or, the labor union selection of Nicole Godier, cattery La Perle d'or, and Brigitte Pomié, cattery de l'Ormaryne ! Recently I had the happiness of welcoming a very beautiful male chocolate, Idol de la Clairiere O Fee,  at my friend Ingrid Raquillet, cattery La Clairiere O Fee,  I like very much her work !! And quite recently, a magnificent male blue point, Saharienne Karoo,  at Elisabeth Ortega, cattery Saharienne Birmans, in the Gran Canaria, as well as a marvellous  blue tabby point girl with fabulous eyes,  Myrtille du Jardin d'Iroise, at Dominique Le Tarnec, ( Le Jardin d'iroise's cattery ), still Panos da Makaja, a big and nice lilac male with Marjan ( Makaja's cattery ) !  A big thank for your trust !

It is so a great happiness to see Breeders of the whole of the world to unite their efforts, that is this way friendships were born, from one end to the other of the world, that lineages were around the world, for our great delight !...so we can to admire the fantastic work of top Breeders, in distants lands as Australia, South Africa, Brasil or United States, and a lot of others still.....but also nearer, at Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Suede, etc....the Birman has conquered the whole world !...

Navayana's Edition One, seal point male, 2,5 years
Breeder : Claudia Dick
 

My passion for this particular breed is such that I couldn’t raise any other breeds, because I am as exclusive as they are, and I do not want to have too many cats at home.  And I believe that in one life, you only have one passion!  And mine is the Sacred Cats of Burma. But so because this is a very difficult race with a very high standard, it is perhaps the more difficult race in breeding...personally until this day I have never had the luck to breed the perfect birman and I dont  still know if it is possible ?...And I console me, thinking that their faults are often their small plus,  their  difference , and that it can to be touching !...but so that it is not a reason to collect them !...the character, the type and the morphology are the more important qualities for me.

 

Belem du Jardin des Hespérides,
seal point female, 12 months old
photo Christophe Hermeline

 

I named my cattery-passion Le Jardin des Hesperides because my cats are my nymphs, my treasures!  The golden apples are the love they spread about them : what could be more marvellous than to see that all the love you give them, they pay it back a hundredfold?  I respect them and admire them, for me these are beings that are superior to us.  There is a great part of mystery in them.  The cat is an extraordinary and fascinating creature.