I think my favourite village in this area has to be Murs. It’s secretive Chateau (no visiting) hidden behind great gates and green gardens and park land  makes it enticing. More than that, it is stunningly beautiful. It dates back to the 1004 when it was built as a fort, although the main construction started in the 1100’s and the castle was finished in 16th century. Painting outside the Chateau gates looking out over the roof tops of Murs and listening to the hens clucking we met Mme. Vayson de Pradenne collecting eggs from her hens. I wanted to know more about the chateau, but she was reluctant to talk to me. Her family has owned the chateau for several hundred years. The chateau has a lot of history but has only been owned by a handful of people since the first stone was laid.

Contenting ourselves with the Place d’Eglise. Dominique chose the church to paint, Meiling a pretty view of the walls and flowers and I chose the roof tops. Another reason this village is one of my favourites is because all there is, is the village dating back to the 11th century, there are no modern houses built up around the village, only rolling hills, green fields and woods with idyllic views.

It was pretty chilly up there. So I pottered down to the Cafe Grillon dating back to the 1300’s and also where one of the owners of the Chateau was born. Entering the cafe is a delight, the decor is fun and well chosen. Isabelle the current owner, very lovingly made us 3 cappuciono’s for me to to take back to our chilly painting spot.

We packed up at lunch time and had a delightful lunch at the Grillon and then stopped here and there to take photo’s. Below are some of the shots we took. I am not sure this morning who took what!

Soon after our last photo stop, the heavens opened and torrential rainfall poured down on us. Glad to be home and out of the wet, Dominique started to re draw her sketch of the morning ready to paint and Meiling wisely rested for a while. The morning’s excercise was to draw the scene on sketch paper then to work out the colour chart for the paintings we would do at home whilst it rained. Good beginings have been made.

The roses we picked from the garden beckoned me to paint them.

I will post Dominique’s and Meiling’s finished paintings later.

After a nice dinner we settle ourselves into our favourite chairs and send one another our photo’s by air drop which causes great hilarity and is also why I can’t remember whose is whose.

Today we are off to paint in Lacoste formely owned by the very disturbed and quite evil Marquis de Stade. Ooh la la