Sunday 30 October 2011

They want pictures?

Here I am, back from a week's contemplation of all the finer things in life and full of things I need to get off my chest by posting here, and what do I find? Comments asking for pictures! I used to want pictures with my stories when I was a small child but now I'm grown up and I am quite happy to read books with no pictures in them. Of course, when I was growing up the old wireless was our general form of entertainment and, just as with books sans illustrations, our imaginations came into play. We formed our own pictures back then in the days before television. And don't you find that when a book you have read is adapted for television, the screen version is nothing like what you had pictured?

I suppose I really ought to confess... no, not confess: that indicates I have done something wrong. Well, I will tell you that all those posts about our French retreat are re-posts. The originals are all on my original blog about Les Lavandes - as are pictures. However, to save you trawling through myriads of holiday snaps taken in other parts of France on our travels through that lovely country. I will, just from time to time, post an occasional picture here.


This was 'Les Lavandes' as we first saw it on a grey morning in October.


The two-storey part on the right was the original house, built in 1840, while the single-storey part on the left would have been cattle sheds or similar, with a hay barn over. The gas tank can be seen at the right-hand edge of the picture. On the left, the shutters are to the kitchen window. Then there is a door into the living room and the living room window. The main front door into the hall is in the two-storey part and the windows in this part are to the bedrooms.


How we were expected to get a car through that door into the 'garage' is still a mystery.



This picture shows the sheds which run down one side of the courtyard between the kitchen wall and the well. Just look at that ugly breeze block wall!


The shutters at the front door were held closed by a breeze block and the drain pipe discharged just in front of the door. The cover of the septic tank is pretty close as well.

7 comments:

stephen Hayes said...

Sorry to have pestered you for photos, but as a retired illustrator I tend to think of things it terms of images--maybe this is why I have trouble now identifying myself as a writer. Anyway, I think these photos are great. They have a quality that reminds me of the painter Utrillo.

(not necessarily your) Uncle Skip said...

Brian - it seems the younger generation is always looking for shortcuts.

Speaking of which, do you remember when I posted the duck story?

#1Nana said...

Great pictures...I'm going over to your other blog for more!

Brighton Pensioner said...

Blimey, Skip! I can't remember what I ate for breakfast so how do you expect me to remember when you posted the duck story?

(not necessarily your) Uncle Skip said...

Well, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Brighton Pensioner said...

Skip - I'm still looking for it!

(not necessarily your) Uncle Skip said...

Brian - I found it over on RM&P. Now I have to remember why I was looking for it.