Living & Writing in France

I miss the peace and quiet the most – how you could plan a day, even several, with no fear of interruptions or distractions. Shopping was usually confined to Friday mornings in our local town of Gorron, and once things had been set in motion, life trundled along fairly happily and mainly uneventfully.
It suited my sudden urge to sit down and create in a small and very elementary way – either with pen, pencil or paintbrush – skills that had grown rather rusty over the years – since school in fact. Also, I found the time and got into a routine of playing the piano for at least an hour a day – tackling some new pieces and styles as well as resurrecting some old favourites. I think it was the calm and tranquil surroundings that inspired me – looking at the view out of our windows onto gentle farmland sloping down towards the River Colmont. Not a building or car in sight, no noise either – we lived at the top of a little lane with only one house beyond, and usually only the small yellow La Poste passing by.
The first two years or so of our 6 year life in France were especially busy with DIY in the house and many tasks in the garden to reclaim, tame and structure it into some sort of order and design. It was the garden that gave the greatest pleasure – whether tending it, painting it, reading in it or just sitting in it absorbing the atmosphere. Many photographs were taken too! I used to sit at the table in the dining area where I could look out and gaze upon the scene in between writing several books, poems – some with illustrations, as well as compiling little alphabet, song and picture books for my little granddaughter. Quite a collection now resides on my shelves, but only the one book to reach the printing stage at the moment. I feel that they contain bits of a past – quickly receding – and may help to shed a little light on a life lived during the last 70 years. So my 'urge' to convey thoughts to paper really comes from two sources – a sense of history and an attempt at creativity.
I'll attach a few photos of my inspiration – the view from our house in 2 guises, and one showing some of the sweep and extent of our French garden.

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