Memento Mori
Posted on December 20, 2019
In the village of Rancon there is to be found one of comparatively few remaining ‘Lanternes des Morts’. These were memorials to the dead, quite common in medieval times. In this sense such a Lanterne could be described as a memento mori – thereby meeting the theme of ‘two Ms’ for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge this week.

The old range
Posted on December 18, 2019
This big old open range was in the kitchen of a house in France that we looked at as a possible purchase, before settling on what was to become Brokedown Palace.

Tuesday Photo Challenge: Common
Posted on December 17, 2019
Monday Window – Aubusson
Posted on December 16, 2019
I spotted this charming little window, with its photogenic freshly-painted shutters, in the town of Aubusson.

#MondayWindow 16 December 2019
52 Week Smartphone Challenge: 1 – Self-portrait
Posted on December 14, 2019
Khurt Williams at islandinthenet.com is starting a new 52 Week Smartphone Photography, and with the best of intentions I’ve decided to give it a go.
The topic for the first week is the intriguing one of taking a self-portrait “that tells us who you are, without actually showing your face.’
This photo was taken with my iPhone 7 (as I expect most future ones will be) and I think pretty much defines me.
Certainly it reveals where I spend a probably disproportionate part of my time: at my (distressingly untidy) desk. All the key elements are here:
- the iPad from which I have to be surgically removed
- my Mac desktop – open at my WordPress photo library, of course
- various Grateful Dead paraphernalia
- a pair of Bluetooth earphones
- and a poster of the greatest football team in the history of all known universes.

52 Week Smartphone Challenge 1
Thursday Doors: Chabanais (the gift that keeps on giving)
Posted on December 12, 2019
And still they keep coming….
This church in the centre of town has an imposing doorway, even though the building itself is not – like most churches – free standing

You don’t see that many doors set into a corner, but here’s one:

A couple of doors with their accompanying shutters; the second looks particularly tired:


Another uncared for example

But to end on a more positive – i.e. better preserved – note:

Thursday Doors 12 December 2019
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Mist
Posted on December 11, 2019
Frank’s theme for this week is ‘Mist’. This shot of my fields, as dawn breaks, could be seen as the companion to this one, taken a minute or so earlier
Colourful
Posted on December 11, 2019
This week’s theme for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is ‘Vibrant’. Well how about this windcatcher, seen at the Blond airshow a couple of years ago?

Monday Window – Chauvigny
Posted on December 9, 2019
This ‘secular’ stained glass window clearly isn’t contemporary with the medieval church in Chauvigny where it can be found – but that doesn’t make it a bad thing.

#MondayWindow 9 December 2019
Thursday Doors: (still) Chabanais
Posted on December 7, 2019
We’re not quite done with the doors of Chabanais just yet.
To begin with, an empty shop premises that unaccountably got overlooked for the specfic post that featured those all too common doors. This must have been the local equivalent of Blockbuster:

Also featuring two doors this week, although with contrasting fortunes:

A couple of examples of doors with their surrounding shutters, the first in rather better nick than the second:


This door too might have once graced a shop, to judge from the window:

And it looks like all this door wants to do is sit in the corner and be left alone:

Thursday Doors 5 December 2019






