Category Archives: lifestyle
getting wood..
The yellow flowers screamed spring to my frozen, soft focus consciousness. So much so that I set out clad in only a thick fisherman’s sweater, a heavy waterproof working jacket and gloves approved for arctic conditions yet, as the first … Continue reading
several hours before the mast ……
As an archivist I would make an excellent document shredder. I have been a professional photographer for 50 years yet, from the paucity of hard evidence confirming that boast, it would be easier to believe that there is intelligent life … Continue reading
If Heineken made a year….it wouldn’t be this one
The cold but radiantly sunny morning found me filled with a sense of purpose as I motored along peaceful winding lanes towards an isolated house in the countryside on a mission of mercy. Once inside that house, through some simple manipulations, I … Continue reading
reflecting on a Sunday lunch in La Rochelle…..
The skies are blue with soft white clouds and the sun is shining. It’s business as usual in La Rochelle. Ancient stone walls reflect the warm sun into the darkest corners of the streets. Pavements are cluttered with the tables and … Continue reading
bored of the flies…..
The sun has finally, if temporarily, ceased its curmudgeonly behaviour and has had the good seasonal grace to put on its hat and come out to play.Summer’s forte lies in promises rather than foreplay and as these promises are so … Continue reading
…it’s a photography holiday..but not as we know it, Jim…
Camerahols are dead, long live Vendée Holidays. Just when I thought the time had come for me to perfect the art of selfishly lazing around a pool, a vibrant young couple, Matt and Emily Clark, have recruited me to work … Continue reading
grumpy santa’s golden balls….
Being that we are, if not renowned, at least known for our minimalist Christmas decorations which, were it not for our grandchildren could easily descend to many degrees below minimal, you can imagine my surprise when I was, this very … Continue reading
the best legs in Lyon….
The streets of Vieux Lyon take on even more charm when seen through the legs of an unusually good Côte Rôtie. Its goodness is guaranteed as it has been selected and poured by Georges dos Santos, a man who is regarded … Continue reading
Still waters…eaux de vie..
This man is disappearing. When I came to France, some 14 years ago, he and his brethren were part of the fabric of country life. He is a “bouilleur ambulant” or a peripatetic distiller; a bringer of joy and a creator … Continue reading
I’m glad the rain does not raineth every day..
…but I stifled a cry of pleasure as I awoke to the welcome drumbeat of heavy rain which sounded like a heavenly annunciation that I would not be spending my day, as a latter day Sisyphus, endlessly filling and emptying a wheelbarrow with … Continue reading
