Autumn ladder...

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
as I have seen in one autumnal face
~{John Donne}~

Art?

To wait 2½ hours for a train can become boring...

So while waiting for the train in Bergerac, France,

our arty middle daughter, Vici (8) decided that
she won't let boredom take over.

With her little helper, WildChild (4), in tow,
she collected material for her art-work.

And voilà!

Her Art-work.

Puppets...

We went to an International puppet festival a couple of week-ends ago. The girls were amazed by the puppets and even ICE and I enjoyed seeing it.

Acts ranged from traditional Punch and Judy to
Titan, a 7ft tall singing robot;

Two "colonials" on a camel;

and the Yangzhou puppets from China.

The ones we thought were the best were, Saurus, the Poles Apart Insect Band and the Creatures.The Creatures, wonderful, 3 metres tall, walk-about Gothic animals that needed a keeper to ensure that they don’t misbehave.

Saurus were these enormous dinosaurs that puffed smoke, reminding you of those creatures that wandered the planet at the dawn of time.We really enjoyed the music of the amazing insect band.

A great day out.

Visages de pierre...

Stone faces in the gardens of Marqueyssac in Perigord, France.
The sculptures of the stone faces was sculpted by Gérard Chabert.

Gardens of Marqueyssac (1)

Gardens of Marqueyssac.


Built in the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet, Counsel to the King. The original garden featured gardens, terraces, and a kitchen garden surrounding the chateau.

A grand promenade one hundred meters long was added at the end of the 18th century. Beginning in 1866, the new owner, Julien de Cerval, who was inspired by Italian gardens, built rustic structures, redesigned the parterres, laid out five kilometers of walks, and planted pines and cypress trees.

The park of the Château de Marqueyssac is one of the finest achievements in the history of French gardens.
Designed for walks, the park overlooks the valley of the Dordogne from its high limestone cliffs. It offers the most splendid panorama in the Périgord. With its southern exposition, protected from the prevailing winds and warmed by every little ray of sunshine on the rock, the Walk along the Cliffs at the Marqueyssac Gardens can be enjoyed until the end of the winter.A listed site, the romantic and picturesque gardens of Marqueyssac offer more than 6 kilometers of shaded walking paths, bordered by 150 000 hundred-year-old hand-pruned box trees, and dotted with belvederes, rocks, a trail along the water and shrines of greenery. The Belvedere of the Dordogne, 130 meters above the river, unveils an exceptional view on the entire valley, its châteaux and its villages listed as France's most beautiful.

http://www.marqueyssac.com/index1.html

Papillon

The philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realised it was just a dream, he thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"

In some old cultures, butterflies also symbolize rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time.

Some people say that when a butterfly lands on you it means good luck.

However, in Devonshire, England, people would traditionally rush around to kill the first butterfly of the year that they see, or else face a year of bad luck.

Sunflowers

We saw many Sunflower-fields in France during August.

I took these photos close to LaBorie, Perigueux, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France.

I just love the way their faces turn with the sun.

Go and look at the sunflower seeds ripening on Nathalie's site - Avignon in Photos: Turning to seed .

Sarlat,

During our holiday in France (August 2008), we went to Sarlat the capital of Black Perigord (Dordogne, France). Sarlat is one of the most fascinating and beautifully restored towns in France, giving the atmosphere and appearance of another age, with narrow steep alleys flanked by medieval and Renaissance houses in honey-coloured stone.

It has more historic, listed buildings than any other place of its size in France. Sarlat is pronounced sar LAH, with the final T silent.

It consists of a central old city and a surrounding modern town. Not knowing what to expect or where to go, we got a map of the town.Look through the wall... Behind it awaits Sarlat, memory of the ages, standing in defiance of time itself. The honey-coloured stones of the thousand-year-old buildings of Sarlat drink in the daylight, to return it at twilight. Sarlat has withstood the rigours of a long history. Restored these last few decades, the paved streets and squares were among the first to have gas-lighting, so there are no overhead wires to detract from the pleasure of the age-old architecture, or to get in the way of the photographer's lens!The twice-weekly market, is classified as one of the most beautiful in France.
As for the music at the market... Tres Magnifique ! There were loads of food stalls at the market to enjoy the gastronomic delights on offer in the region.
And we tried everything, even the different kinds of sausages.

Although Sarlat was nice, it had loads of tourists, which is understandable seeing that it was Summer holiday.

Will we return?

Yeah....

In years to come, to show it to friends and family.