Monday morning in the studio

I have been struggling this morning - with the blog and with my painting. The blog photos won’t post, but that might be just as well considering how tricky I have found my work!  Tried to escape outside to go and do some drawing, but Steve made me come back and paint some pansies.  Then he made me start again - without drawing them first. Disaster. Need to go and draw a tumbledown farm building this afternoon.

Birding before breakfast on Monday

Standing in the early morning French sunshine... listening to the incredible beauty of a Golden Oriole singing in the valley below... then spotting it as it flies between the trees with the sunlight catching its brilliant yellow plumage. What better start to the day could there be?

Early Morning Monday

 It’s 7am and time for some birding!

Sunday morning birding

There was a hoopoe calling from across the valley this morning, together with a couple of cuckoos.  Spent the morning struggling with tractor tyres.
Lunch was beetroot and goats cheese followed by rhubarb fool.
Spent the afternoon struggling with the rest of the tractor.
The en plein air work was interrupted by a black kite doing several fly past displays, and some very amenable black redstarts and a cirl bunting.

This evening we had mushrooms in cream followed by salmon with coconut, more cheese and then baked peaches.

Food on Saturday

The new dining room on the patio has been finished and looks fabulous. Steve has done most of it himself, which is an amazing achievement.  Sally now organises breakfast and lunch but hands over to Sabrina for the evening meal.  It is all done to Sally’s recipes and standards, but she does not have the hard work of preparing it.  This evening we had quails’ eggs and then chicken/quorn casserole, cheese and pineapple and chocolate. Don has been put in charge of the aperitifs. I will be sticking to a straight g and t tomorrow!

Around St Severin

Having arranged my paints in the studio, I went for a wander around St Severin. I took my sketch book... and a pen... but I spent more time looking for that damned elusive hoopoe.  The weather has been strange in this part of France and I think perhaps they have been delayed.  I saw a very smart wheatear, heard the noisy frogs and spotted a whitethroat.  There are some beautiful poppies near the church.

Travelling

The roads weren’t very busy this morning.  It was early and everyone else was heading to Windsor and London.  I had the quickest check in ever and was through security in no time at all.  The flight was early and Bergerac Airport surpassed itself by having three people checking passports, so I was out of arrivals before Ainsley had parked the van.

There were 3 other people on my flight who are on the course - Diana, Jenny and Claire.  Don, whom I know from a previous trip,  arrived yesterday and Jan arrived later.

A very faint view of Jersey:

It’s always a relief when the pilot remembers to put down the wheels:

Aerial view of St Severin

Key wildlife locations!  It is just about 1 Km from my room at L'Atelier des Arts to the hoopoe tree.  120m from my room to the nightingale's perch.  350m to the frogs.

Where is St Severin D'Estissac?

St Severin is in Aquitaine in south west France.  10 years ago, it had about 70 inhabitants.  I think it has far fewer now.  It's about 40 minutes by car from Bergerac.  It has a church, which is not used very frequently, and a mairie, which is used for parties and is really out of place in such a small hamlet.  There is no shop and no school.  No cafes or restaurants.  Nothing.  It's wonderful!  It is situated on the top of a hill, so there are wonderful views over forests in the distance.  It can be quite spectacular when there are thunderstorms.

Getting ready

Haven't started yet!  Got to sort out the new camera and check my paintbrushes.