Wednesday 16 July 2014

 One of my favourite things to do around here, apart from looking for interesting things at the sales is exploring the landscape and looking for old properties. It was a similar story when I lived in Herefordshire or Wales. There are still many empty properties around here. It has one of the lowest populations of Europe. One day it will be, I'm sure like the Cotswold's with all the honey Coloured Limestone full of people and probably a bit expensive to artists and people like me!
We have had a lot of rain so the moment the sun came out I went to a small brocante and then the same day I went to a small village nearby and took these pictures to inspire more painting. I sometimes fancy living in a slightly larger village with a café. The Café in these images in owned by a Dutch couple. They open from 5pm and are also artists, Wim paints and Angelique makes ceramics. They also have cats and donkeys and I believe they have a gite. The café is rather beautiful with very old crumbled paving slabs on the floor and a big stone space with old french furniture inside. It's the old Boulangerie. I like the old Epicerie.
It was July 14th Bastille day, I saw a German man sat in the churchyard and that was it, very quiet.