Curtain twitching……

Rideau

The advent of 2019 demands greater optimism than any previous year in my lifetime yet optimistic I am. The winter sun is shining through the rideaux, those thin cotton curtains that bring a genteel privacy to each dwelling in la France profonde. The fact that there is little chance of anyone passing the window, let alone looking in through it, is irrelevant. They serve as a tiny barrier between the two worlds of inside and outside; as though the  house was garbed in a domestic burqua. Those on the inside can clearly see out whilst remaining unseen themselves. The soft focus vision of a farmer standing calmly having a piss directly in front of one’s window is not unusual; the opaque face of the burqua clad windows offer no suggestion of an offended face looking outwards and, if there is a face looking outwards, that face will only be offended if it’s attached to someone who has not lived here long. All of nature’s private functions are on show here, from the creation of life to the bitter end of it and all stations in between. This is a place where I am happy to face 2019 and from where I wish you all a happy and peaceful new year.

The picture “Rideau” will be available, 02 January 2019, as a signed giclée print on Hahnemuhle paper, from the French Print House – https://the-french-print-house.myshopify.com