Driving Lesson

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. ~Author Unknown

I spotted this Citroen DS 19 Dinky toy on the back of our TV magazine and so decided to paint a picture of it ~ original nose with single headlights ~ also known as Déesse, or Goddess.

A small piece of French History

President Charles de Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart on 22 August 1962 planned by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry — the shots had blown two of the tyres, but the car could still escape at full speed.

Green Goddess

This event was accurately recreated for The Day of the Jackal.

When I was young I thought that these cars were really ugly!....now I love them...

The French word repérer can be used to spot or locate.
The French word recréer can be used to recreate.

Etymology for the word Paint.

Seasons Greetings

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Yes I am a bit of a bah humbug!...Christmas is a time for children, hopefully with happy memories that they will keep forever. Wishing you a wonderful day wherever you are, eat drink and be merry.

"He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast" ~ Proverb quotes

Wishing you all a trouble free day, may your spuds be roasted to perfection!

The French word for worry is soucis.

Lumiere

If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.~ Napoleon Bonaparte

Did you know that the theory behind neon sign technology dates back to 1675 before the age of electricity, when French astronomer Jean Picard noticed a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube. When the tube was shaken a glow called barometric light occurred. The cause of barometric light was not understood, but it was investigated. Later, when the principles of electricity were discovered, scientists were able to move forward towards the invention of many forms of lighting.

Lumiere in the Forest

Candle Abre

Let us make a toast and celebrate the lighter nights.

The word in French to lighten up a room is éclairant

The French word for mercury is mercure

Granit Town

"Buildings, too are the children of Earth and Sun" ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

On Sunday we are meeting up with a few friends at our nearest town, locally it is known as Granit town. We will be treated to a special Christmas Sunday market (30 stalls) that's big for Louvigne du Desert, and the entertainment will be some Breton dancers.

On the subject of Granite and stone, Brittany is well known for its old houses built of stone, with dark slate roofs. I am a bit of an anorak when it comes to looking at buildings, so I am glad that there is plenty to admire on my doorstep so to speak.

I love the details above the windows here, in Fougeres.
Heads

Love this house, perfect proportions.
Dolls House

Huge granit blocks around the doorways.
Blu's Door

PS. I do like modern too.

PPS. What is your favorite building?

The French word for slate is ardoise.

The French word for window or door frame is embrasure

No school today

In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years. ~Jacques Barzun

No French class this morning, the snow did fall, so I stayed at home, we had already met on Monday morning with the French class who are learning English so I didn't feel guilty for not bothering. How is my progress, my French may be passable in twenty years!

The street where my teacher lives is rather special, I have taken many photographs there, here are a few images. People mainly live in apartments above the shops but at the far end there are a few houses.

The Jardin Public has a view to behold

Gorgeous and Grand ~ The Theatre Victor Hugo

Tiny and tidy

Pretty pink petals.

Wood and leather

Leaflets or a beer?

Staircase at dusk ~ Crepiscule

Tower and the flowers, The Befroi

• La rue Nationale
Originally named “le bourg neuf” it was the commercial pinion of the town. The porch fronted-houses disappeared during the 18th century fires. Rebuilt by Parisian architects it exhibits the classic lines and height which can be found in Rennes. That was the Rue Nationale, what a splendid place to live!

To rebuild ~rebâtir.
To feel guilty ~ coupable.

A drop of the pink stuff

I adore that pink! It's the navy blue of India ~ Diana Vreeland

Saignée

I do love a drop of Rosé especially from Provence. The Romans called the area nostra provincia ("Our province") which gave the region its name it was the first Roman province outside Italy. Wine has been made there for at least 2600 years when the Greeks founded the city of Marseille in 600 BC.

Rosé wine is usually produced as a by-product of red wine fermentation using a technique known as Saignée, or bleeding the vats. To produce more color to a red wine, some of the pink juice from the wine must, is removed at an early stage. The red wine remaining in the vats is intensified as a result of the bleeding, because the volume of juice in the must is reduced. The pink juice that is removed can be fermented separately to produce rosé.

Blu's abstract art, based on a fuchia.

Pink fuchia planet

The word for remaining or remainder in French is restant.

The word for a drop of liquid in French is goutte.

That old black magic.

The devil is an optimist if he thinks he can make people worse than they are.
Author Karl Kraus

I sat down the other night trying to paint a picture of the forest, but something was wrong and after about two hours, I gave up sloshed some white over it and turned the paper upside down. I looked in astonishment because I could see shapes and colours which looked very like a picture in my library book.A painting by Cezanne, The Chateau Noir!

Link to an image of the Chateau Noir by Cezanne HERE

So I set work again, and finished with a picture that had the same feeling to the image in the book, I later found brighter images on the internet than the colours in my library book.

Une Grande confusion coloree. Cezanne produced many paintings of the château which was built in the 18th century by an industrialist from Marseilles, who manufactured lampblack paint. Apparantly the interior walls and furniture of the château were painted black. As a result, the house was associated with black magic among the local people, who believed that the château was also home to the devil.

The house of the devil!

The unkept grounds were full of pine trees and the house was empty for most the year.

Link to Wikipedia about Cezanne HERE.

You could use the French word négligé for unkept or uncared for.

The word for devil is Diable!