What a contrast! From mountains and turquoise lakes, red and yellow and golds, grass already burnt from the sun, 40 degrees and hotter, hiding from the sun to this idyllic weather 30 degrees maximum during the day, cool evenings and nights with cool breezes, no mosquito’s, rolling green fields so much so it makes me think I am in England but without the weather. This place has a charm of it’s own, a feeling of gentle security and calm, it is truly a great place to paint.

Yesterday we went to Chateau Rochefoucauld in the morning. I went in to ask if we could paint in the grounds, the young man selling tickets said ‘oh hold on I shall ask the owner. The owner? Oh yes he said, and a lovely bearded young man came out of the office and said he would be delighted if we painted there, he also told us his family had owned the Chateau for over a thousand years. Pretty good going I say!

The Chateau is magical inside as well, a monumental staircase of 108 steps made out of the same stone takes us up three floors to beautiful rooms and a chapel, a library, the old kitchen, courtyards, mosaic stone floors and so few tourists, it really was a pleasurable morning.

We came back a bit late past acres and acres of sunflowers, we are going to paint them this morning, to a sumptious lunch made for us by Jan. We then painted for the after noon in the shady side of Lime Tree House