Rouge

There are so many shades of red. Here are a few photos of red in its many variations.




There is of course tomato red.


One might call this Doux Chevaux "fire engine red".


There is the bright red of the umbrellas in the market.


The more subtle red of an old door with a beautiful old knocker.



The velvety red of my rose blooming in July.


The flat red of this little gate & shutters set off by all the surrounding green.



The shinny red of the brightly colored pottery sold in the market.


Raspberry red.




Here is a little still life of many shades of red on my mantel.


The deep dark red of this vintage auto. It is a Simca, which has been preserved in immaculate condition.


The red of chillies & spices, ingredients for a spicy pepper dish.

I hope that the color red is adding a little spice to your life on what is a rather dreary overcast day here in southwest France.

Bleu Lundi

I don't think you can actually say Bleu Lundi in French ( it probably needs to be Lundi Bleu ). But I couldn't resist, this being Monday & all. Here are my blue photos on this last Monday in August. The summer is coming to an end. Friends are leaving & returning home. It is in a way a bit of a blue Monday.





Bright cobalt blue of a church ceiling.


Rooftop ornament silhouetted against a blue sky.


A blue Deux Chevaux....


A lovely pale blue door....




A little blue still life .....


Blue shutters


Our turquoise blue bridge leading into our little village.


An oil drum painted blue & cut down for a planter.


Handmade hardware on an old blue door.



This strange auto passed us on the highway. I can't tell you anything about it other than it was certainly unique & blue.


The beautiful blue of plums in the market...


More blue....


Morning glory blue


You certainly do find a lot of blue here in southwest France. Here's hoping your Monday is filled with happy blues.

Jaune

I take a lot of photos & there often isn't much rhyme or reason to what I find interesting. Recently I have had fun grouping some of these odd shots into little collections of colors. Here is yellow or jaune.



A handsome yellow Deux Chevaux.



A field of small sunflowers. Can you see the tiny morning glories that climb up their stems? This scene reminded me of a Klimt painting.



Yellow door


Little still life with peach.


Yellow house.



Wild yellow plums for sale at the market.



Tiny little post delivery car good for maneuvering the narrow streets of steep hilltop villages.


A corner of my yellow kitchen.


Yellow storefront.


Sunflowers at the market.

I hope you all have a happy Monday filled with bright yellow sunshine!

Crêpes

On Thursday mornings at the market in Villefranche under the arch of the old cathedral the Nuns make crêpes on a sort of "crêpe hot plate". The Sisters serve these crêpes with a choice of their homemade confiture or with Nutella, the traditional chocolate spread,.



They have plenty of batter at the ready & pour it on the hot griddle, then smooth it out thin with a little wooden pusher.


Just a small amount of batter goes a long way & is quickly spread to the edges of the pan.


Turning the crêpes takes real skill at which these ladies are quite adept. It is certainly fun to watch the whole process. From start to finish it takes only minuets.


But oops this is where my photos end. I had to step up to choose my confiture & to pay my 2€.


I chose apricot jam & it was delicious. I wish you all could have joined me for one of these delectable sweet French treats.

Early Morning at the Café

A friend needed a ride into work this morning early. Because all of my friends & neighbors are always so kind to me when I am without a car, now that I have the use of one, I was more than happy to oblige.




It was a nice opportunity to get up early & go into St. Antonin before most of the town was awake. The early morning light was beautiful.


There were at least a few people already at the cafe having their petit déjeuné.


What a treat to start the day with a coffee & a croissant. I am afraid I enjoyed mine thoroughly before I thought to take a photo.


But I did get a shot of this French couple enjoying theirs.


Dogs are always welcome in the cafe & there were a few this morning too.


Several people walked by with their bread fresh from the boulangerie. Not only baguettes, these dense crusty round loaves are wonderful as well.


How pretty & quiet St. Antonin is in the early morning hours. So peaceful!


Soon all of these empty chairs will be filled & another busy summer day will be in full swing.


Have a great weekend everyone!

Vineyards of Gaillac

My small village is surrounded mostly by fields of wheat & sunflowers. However, just a short drive to the south are the vineyards of Gaillac, the local wine of this region.



Here are a few photos taken on just such a drive, looking at the beautiful rolling hills with row after row of grape vines.



I also spotted some lovely pigeonniers as well. The one below is a particularly handsome example of these traditional pigeon houses which are typical to this area.



The weather this summer has been good for the grapes, rainy in the beginning & hot & dry now, which means this could prove to be a very good year for the wine makers.


I rather liked this round pigeonnier in its simple unadorned style sitting atop of a hill surrounded by vineyards.



Gaillac wines are predominantly red but there is a nice Rosée as well as a good dry white Perlé.


The combination of the beautiful vineyards with their maturing grapes & the pretty pigeonniers doting the landscape makes for a very lovely outing.



All along the way you will see signs for different wine producers, where one can go to taste & purchase the wine.


The long shaded lane leading to Chateau Lastours with its vineyards on either side is very picturesque....




.....and a very nice way to end a little road trip through the vineyards of the Gaillac region.