Within a few paces of the garden gate lies a peaceful refuge in the true chauvinist spirit of France. In the baker’s dozen of years that I have passed in this hamlet I have yet to see a female in this “cave”. This is a fact that needs no apology as there is no exclusion, just a distinct lack of interest or desire on the part of the distaff side of this tiny community. It would be similar to excluding me from a football ground as the only way that I would consider entering such a place would include dragging and wild horses.
On hot days, or indeed cool and rainy days, a conversation started with my neighbour could very well end in the cool of his “cave”. In the cluttered peace of this comfortable shambles we will not talk of sport, tits or politics. We might discuss the level of alcohol in the “épine” that is macerating in a large black plastic dustbin in the corner into which he’ll plunge a small glass and draw up a slightly cloudy pale pink draught for me to taste. We’ll talk of today, yesterday and tomorrow. The racks are full of bottles of nothing particularly special…samples of his friends’ distillations and wines for the most part. Boxes of wine, of the supermarket variety, fill the spaces between trays of apples in the old fridge and are piled up on shelves behind the newly constructed bar. Aside from this simple selection of wine, we have chairs, a table and a lead square on the floor for playing “palets” which leaves very little wanting save for Omar’s loaf of bread and thee.
Food, Photography & France 
To judge by your words & beautiful photos, seems like the ultimate spot to leave the world outside…
It certainly works for me:)
I think I need to build a little bar at the end of the garden and make my own calvados 😉
I guessed that you might have a take on it:)
I’m very jealous 😉
🙂
I’ll be there shortly… Shall I bring more wine??
Oh yes….more wine is always welcome:)
Even though we had no similar bolt hole in Laroque (as if I’d know, being a mere female), this is one of the few things that has made me nostalgic for la France. Those unregulated little spots for the community to gather and share, especially where food and alcohol are concerned, seem to be something the French do rather well…
It certainly precludes the problem of getting behind a steering wheel:)
This sounds like a perfect place to wax nostalgic as you sip box wine which is not a bd choice in France. Though a man cave, I’ll be standing outside the door hoping to be invited in.
As you most certainly would be….it’s just that, to my knowledge, no woman has stood at the door…Oh, no, I remember that Fernands’ wife Jeanette stood at the door and when invited in looked at us as though we were insane:)
Perfect man cave – so much more civilised than the average Englishman’s garden shed!
This is my first experience of the man cave/shed and I’m quite liking it:)
Yes, since you wrote of this last i have had pleasant thoughts about this drinking hole. Most including you stumbling merrily home, well not stumbling exactly but placing each foot carefully one after the other, familiar, free, possibly whistling or humming not too loudly, down the path and home after a visit to La cave. yes I love that you love this little room in your friends house.. c
Nicely remembered, C. That brings back good memories:)
This sounds like the ideal place to just sit back and escape for a little while. Much fancier than most ‘man caves’ I’ve seen!
It’s got fancier since the “new bar” and sink were installed. The roof had to be raised by 30cms to allow for Fernand’s dramatic gestures with his arms:)
All men need a Man Cave, Roger. MTM still misses his. (I also miss it, given that he now transforms our kitchen/dining area into his bike puttering haven.)
You’re doing the “puttering” again….that’s a Southern accent saying “pottering” and writing it phonetically….just think of “potting shed”..if it was “putting shed” Tiger Woods would be in there “putting away” or whatever Tiger likes doing best 🙂
Decrepit little places like that look so much better in France! 🙂
I think it’s the old stone walls ….or something:)
I think it’s the ‘….or something.!’
Actually it is the the ‘je ne sais quoi!’ 🙂
Too right, Christian….that’s the magical difference:)
🙂
Hmmm . . . after decades of being in and working with the male of the species almost exclusively and oft being very much the only ”female’ in a mancave . . . when I come to visit . . . .may I sneak in too . . . very quietly 🙂 ? [And now I’ll get a ‘no’ A in the public arena’!!!!]
You’d be very welcome, Eha:)
A gentleman and a scholar as always, Roger 🙂 ! Sorry if my wretched tongue gets away at times!!!!!
I especially like the door to this mysterious cave, it already announces that just special people will be invited to be let on to the bar. Some of the wives would love to be a “hidden mouse” to listen to those conversations. I love the shot of the bottle, it sets the mood for the visit in this cave. It gives me more of an Absinth taste, rather than a real good French wine to salivate.
That’s true about the bottle shot…it does have a suggestion of Absinthe. What is strange is that it is still illegal to sell Absinthe in France. They make it here and export it all over the world…Germany and England are quite big customers.
how interesting!
🙂
Plenty of places like this in Spain – like a shed with a bar, and smoking allowed!
Ideal home:)
In many ways domestic life, decor and space is a woman’s domain even still. But one needs a place of one’s own, In Australia a man’s shed, or the updated version – man-cave, is sacrosanct… and your words and pictures have captured a kindred essence. The G.O. has the requisite bottle of scotch tucked away in shed, for the cold, or just because…
Excellent:)
The good life indeed!
It’s a far cry from Chelsea:)
Wonderful escape. And the light filtering through that green bottle is not bad either!
Cheers…glad you liked it:)
That cave looks incredibly inviting, Roger.
I keep inviting myself, Kate:)
Hi Roger. Another great post. A cave is so French compared to an Australian’s shed. Photographic advice please – love the bottle shot. I have been experimenting with trying to take bottle photos, any tips and do you use a light tent?
Shooting bottles for accuracy of colour and content is a very technical area. Anything that you put around the bottle, such as a light tent, will be neatly reflected. A good side light, like a soft box, and big reflectors. One of the main things with bottles is having retouching skills in Photoshop.It might be worth googling some tutorials..:)
This is lovely 🙂 I wish I was there…
That’s great to hear…thanks for passing by and have a very happy New Year:)