Friday, 12 February 2010 - Features in my village

The weather continues to be cold and snowy here and the ground is lethally slippery with ice.  I have been looking through photographs I've taken of my village during the short time I've lived here and realised just how many interesting architectural and decorative features there are here.  I am particularly drawn to faded paintwork, beautiful stone and rusting ironwork.

The geraniums are an intrinsic part of the French summer - I believe they are thought to discourage flies coming in through the windows and doors with the added bonus of the colourful flowers.  I have a yellow freemontededron one side of my door and a campsis on the other to lift the bare stone walls.  I see that one of my neighbours has a rose here.

I really like the details like the little triangle of lace curtain in this window, and just look at those gorgeous maroon hollyhocks.  I collected some of the seed from them, and if I can find the safe place I put it in, I may be able to sow it this year.

This dated stone is a lintel above a door in my longere.  It must have originally come from another building somewhere because it doesn't quite fit the rest of the doorway.

This is a gate bell with a cockerel on top which I particularly like.  And the rusty door furniture on the faded paint door.  Everywhere I look there is something interesting which I hadn't noticed before.  I think that walking around with a camera makes you concentrate on really looking.