theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Thursday Doors: Confolens – After The Fall (2)
Posted on December 8, 2017
Another group of images from my PTSD (post-traumatic seeking doors) visit to the town of Confolens.
We finished last week with a half closed-up door, so here’s what it might look like when the process is complete:
There is a whole street of medieval houses down in the town centre that the local authorities are anxious to preserve…
…although some individuals do their bit for the doors in their possession:
Some with more enthusiasm than others:
Thursday Doors 7 December 2017
Thursday Doors: Confolens – After The Fall (1)
Posted on November 30, 2017
Those dear readers with long memories and the merest flicker of interest might recall that in February this year I took the concept of suffering for my art rather too seriously and had quite a bad fall in the nearby town of Confolens while on the lookout for new (old) doors to offer for your weekly delectation.
Naturally the injuries I suffered on that occasion brought a rapid halt to my photographic activities – apart from a couple of R-rated selfies. However, while we may have been daunted we were not defeated, so we returned to the scene a few weeks later to finish what we’d started.
Hopefully, you’ll be glad I did, because I think there were some pretty good doors on my second pass.
As a special opening offer, how about three doors for the price of one?
Or a couple of twin sets – one rather better cared-for than the other:
All of today’s doors are to be found on the steep, winding road that leads up to the medieval citadel of the old town:
And finally, for this week, an old door that’s been re-purposed:
Thursday Doors 30 November 2017
Thursday Doors: A Final Few From Mezieres
Posted on November 23, 2017
Some more doors from my latest local doorscursion.
This one is opposite the door with the shadows on it that I featured last week. Back in the day, there would have been a pig behind the lower door and some chickens above. We’ve got one of these outbuildings, although it’s been renovated (and contains garden furniture rather than livestock).
Next to the church is this rather grand edifice, possibly the priest’s house once upon a time:
Although the church steeple can be seen here, it’s actually the back door of the bar/restaurant:
And a couple of doors from just along the road:
And finally, appropriately enough, this door is on the way out of town. Far more interesting than its modern neighbour, I think:
Thursday Doors 23 November 2017
Thursday Doors: More From Mezieres
Posted on November 16, 2017
About a year ago, I put up a couple of posts featuring doors to be found in our local village of Mézières-sur-Issoire. Those photographs were taken on the day of the annual ‘Expo’ of hobbies and ‘Passions’ (steady on) organised by a local cultural society. Madame was wowing everyone with her quilts in the salle de polyvalente so I went walkabout for a doorscursion.
The 2017 edition of the Expo was held last month. Madame did her wowing again and although I did exhibit some of my photographs they didn’t attract so much interest as to keep me detained
– so I took off for some further door-based exploration, with the results that will appear here over the next few weeks.
Even its most ardent advocates would not argue that Mézières is an ancient or particularly scenic place, so while its doors may lack the antique charm of some that have been posted here, they’re modest and unassuming and nothing if not honest.
I’ve often wondered what lay along the road called Chemin des Vignes that runs off from the square in front of the church. Well now we know:
Take another road less-travelled that runs from the opposite corner of the same square and there’s this:
Back in what you could call the town centre, there’s another example of a closed down commercial premises, to go with the ones I featured in the post ‘A Vendre’. This one was trying to flog electric heating – an uphill task when wood-burning systems are still the norm:
Finally for this week, a well-worn set of garden/garage doors:
Thursday Doors 16 November 2017
Thursday Doors: Chabanais
Posted on November 9, 2017
The town of Chabanais stands on the Vienne river in the neighbouring département of Charente.
It’s about a 45-minute drive from Tranquility Base and we used to go there quite regularly for pub quizzes – until the pub in question closed down abruptly and without explanation (the inevitable rumours suggested that this may have had something to do with tax payments, or absence thereof).
So I hadn’t really seen the town in the daytime until recently, when we visited on a Saturday morning. While Madame did her thing with the quilting group, I slouched off with my camera in search of more doors for your delectation.
Although there’s not much left of the old parts of the place, it can still boast a few interesting doors, so my quest wasn’t entirely fruitless.
As it turns out, most of these images form natural pairs, such as these green doors:
And then there were these:
Two adjacent doors:
And even this single door is a double door, if you see what I mean:
Thursday Doors 9 November 2017
Saint Cirq Lapopie (2)
Posted on November 2, 2017
This week, more doors from the lovely medieval village of Saint Cirq Lapopie, in the Lot region of southern France.
If it’s a village, it must have a church:
Another two-door image:
Arches are a common architectural theme…
…although not universal:
Finally, I had to include this one, for obvious reasons:
Thursday Doors 2 November 2017
Saint Cirq Lapopie (1)
Posted on October 26, 2017
After the sometimes frenetic chug around Cahors that’s featured in the previous two weeks, there was time for a more considered look round the nearby village of Saint Cirq Lapopie. Classified as one of ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ – which seems fair enough – this place is not for the faint hearted, as it’s built on the side of a hill and most of the streets are narrow and steep.
This first image gives some indication of the slopes you are likely to encounter:
One problem with narrow streets, of course, is that you can’t always get enough distance to frame a shot as you might like:
Most of the houses are still occupied, whether by private residents or – equally likely – bijou souvenir or craft shops:
Finally, for this week, the pristine but sympathetic door of an exhibition space:
Thursday Doors 26 October 2017
Thursday Doors: Cahors (2)
Posted on October 19, 2017
More doors from Cahors, he said rhymingly.
After the helter-skelter mini-train journey that featured last week, a more leisurely approach, with a cruise on the River Lot that runs through the town and beneath the striking three-towered, medieval Pont Valentré, which is worth seeing in all its glory:
Although to maintain the door theme, here’s a close-up of the middle tower:
Here’s another door halfway up a wall, taken from the mini-train:
Finally, a few more down-to-earth examples:
Thursday Doors 19 October 2017
Thursday Doors: Cahors (1)
Posted on October 12, 2017
A recent coach trip down south to the Lot region of France included visits to two door-worthy locations and plenty of material to fill posts for the next few weeks.
To begin with, we look at the town of Cahors. Most of this was seen from a little tourist train, driven by a man who seemed to be in a tearing hurry. This means that some of these images are not up to normal standards of composition and sharpness, but these doors are nonetheless worth seeing.
I don’t know what’s behind this door – and I can only conclude that somebody definitely doesn’t want me to:
The quick passing glimpse of this door was enough to see that its carving was particularly ornate…but then it was gone:
As was this – less elaborate, but obviously with a story to tell:
Fortunately the train did slow down occasionally, which allowed me to grab a couple of more stable shots:
Finally, a left turn into traffic allowed me to get a reasonable shot of this set of gates:
Thursday Doors 12 October 2017
Thursday Doors: Aubusson (2)
Posted on October 5, 2017
This week, a final selection of doors from the old part of the town of Aubusson, beginning with what seems to be a particularly ancient specimen:
Blue appears to have been a consistently popular colour over time:
But natural brown will always be the predominant colour for old doors – even if the shutters are blue:
Thursday Doors 5 October 2017
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