South Of France Festival

The one who masters the grey everyday is a hero

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881)

... there's the real danger of overlooking a very important day... today.  For this is the place and the time for living.  Let us live each day abundantly and beautifully while it is here.

Esther Baldwin York

Do We

Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky?  Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it?  No, we just enjoy it.  Each second, each minute of our lives can be like this.  Wherever  we are, any time, we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other. We don’t need to go abroad to enjoy the blue sky.  We don’t have to travel to enjoy the sunshine.  We can be in touch with these things  right now.

Author Unknown

Chateau de la Ferte Saint-Aubin Part 4.  The Dining Room.  In the 17th century, this was an antechamber.  The chequered floor dates back to this period, and curiously the white tiles in Burgundy stone have been worn off over 4 centuries while the black marble tiles have not been damaged at all.  The panelling dates back to Louis XVI.  There is an 18th century chandelier out of Bohemia crystal. The Kitchen.  It was entirely restored in 1995 from an archives document from the 18th century.  Everything is there, and in working order too: 18th century roasting spit, stone stove to boil vegetables and fruits using coal from the chimney, fish tank where fish was kept alive, the bracket for game animals and cutting table. On the long work surface is a collection of copperware and copper utensils.

Chateau du Clos Luce

Chateau du Clos Luce - the home of Leonardo da Vinci. Invited to come and live in France by King Francois I, Leonardo da Vinci settled at Le Clos Luce in 1516.  Leonardo da Vinci happily lived in this residence for the last three years of his life, painting and working on his passions.  Leonardo da Vinci creations and his main inventions are displayed in a garden setting - Parc Leonardo da Vinci.  I was amazed and taken away by what I saw.  One word to describe the place "Wow!".

Chateau de La Ferte Saint-Aubin.  Part 2.

The Sitting Room.  The paneling, floor and chimney date back to Louis XVI (late 18th century).  The room includes an 18th century Persian carpet, a pair of gilded wooden consoles and furniture covered in Aubusson tapestries dating back to Louis XVI.  The large mirror on the left has a medallion portrait of Marshal de la Ferte Senectere painted in 1670, with a portrait of Duchess de la Ferte Senectere, his second wife, painted by Mignard in the 17th century, facing it on the mirror above the chimney.The Billiard Room.  This room was entirely redecorated by the O'Gormans around 1911.  It had originally been a bedroom with 18th century paneling.  The room has a beautiful set of neo-gothic furniture brought back from Britain by the O'Gormans, each piece featuring their arms and motto.  The billiard table comes from the Chevillottess in Orleans.

Time To Breathe

In the bustle of life.  In the pressure of decisions, peace has become a luxury.  Take it when it comes, and cherish it.  It gives you the time to breathe.  It gives you rest and hope and life.

Pam Brown, B. 1928

Always we hope someone else has the answer.  Some other place will be better, some other time it will all turn out well.  This is it.  No one else has the answer.  No other place will be better, and it has already turned out.  At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want

Lao Tzu, From  “Tao Te Ching”

There is no calm like a quiet sea a space of stillness under the width of sky. A gently shifting flow of shadow. A silvering. A breathing silence that restores the heart.

Pam Brown 1928

Pomperols Festival, South Of France. Festivals is about the eclectic range of weird and wonderful activities.