Stained Glass Window

When I was in Champagne we went to Vilmart & Cie Champgane House, not only was the Champagne devine the father of the current winemaker also makes stained glass windows that are displayed in the tasting rooms.  I loved these and as they were backlit, I was able to take some great pictures of them.  Of course it was the details that fascinated me and I love this picture that shows just a part of the window.  It makes it about the pateern and shapes rather than the image.  Althoug it is a recent work it is done in a classical style and could have come from the medieval period.  (of course I am no stained glass window expert)

Here is a picture of the full window.

Karen

Tortoiseshell Poulet

This is one of the fabulous chickens that were at the B&B we stayed at in Champagne.  Isn’t she great, I looked her up and I think she is a tortoiseshell Silky.  I am a bit of a chock lover especially the rare breeds.  This was an enormous bird, they clearly had a very fine life.

I am going to be jumping around a bit time wise, as I am trying to catch up on some of the days I have missed doing a drawing on.  I am only four drawing down so I may catch up.  The weather is still dull and wet, but tomorrow it all changes for the better and I have a couple of days of 26.  Yeh, I will be so glad to break out the summer clothes, getting a bit tired of jeans and jumpers.

Karen

 

Budburst in Champagne

Here is a quick sketch I did of the champagne vines, they are just starting to put out their leaves and you could still clearly see the old twisted trunks.  The contract between the bright green of the new leaves and the grey, old trunks was lovely.

The vines here are much shorter than Australia, they would not have been more than 3-4 feet tall while ours are around 5 feet.  I think that these grapes when they grow up will become Moet-Chandon Champagne, such a fine future they have in front of them.  Years of resting and cosseting in the caves and then being sent off all around the world for people to drink in celebration of their life special moments.  I bought a bottle of vintage champagne from the Champagne house where we stayed to drink later in the year for my special moment, my 50th birthday.

I also managed to buy a couple of pens at my favourite Paris art shop, and one of them was a Japanese ink pen.  It has a brush on either end, one black and the other grey.  It is very lovely to draw with and I was happy with the lines it made.  I wish I could tell you the name of it, but it is all in Japanese.

Karen

 

Azure Chambre

How good is my French now!  Thank heavens the friend I am traveling with can speak some french and after her two-week course in Sancerre, she will be speaking like a local.  I on the other hand will have made close acquaintance with all the local food and wine.  Thankfully after years in hospitality my french is good as long as we stick to menus.

Having done a picture of my Paris room I thought I should give you one of my Champagne accommodation.  It is a lovely Champagne House, as in this is the main house of a Champagne company Ployez-Jacquemart.  A great 1900 building which has been turned into a B & B.  it is in Ludes and if you are ever fortunate enough to travel to Champagne I can highly recommend it.  Their Champagne is also very good.

Abientot

Karen