Street Gallery

of the Guided Visit at the Folies Bastringues Festival...

The artists - Dominque, Celine and Corinne were very imaginative and creative.

Resting after Entertaining

The photos were taken with my camera by an unknown person but I forgot to show her how to use  zoom.  Digital cropping reveals a flavour of the Vagabond.  It was dusk on a clear night. The first stop after the Chevalier where there was no music was at Le Lecteur.  A prostrate figurine reading a book. I must try to read like that again!  Thomas with his Stroh-violin.

 ...here they come towards me...

...where I play "Coeur Vagabond" to the Green Man.  In France called le Bon Homme...this one with his head in the clouds or wind...

The group moved to the wall of faces.. look closely for, I think, 127 in total.

At 'le facteur', a wire bicycle is mounted on a circular roofed postbox. Thomas read and posted a postcard.

 He played again at 'L'Abri' -

I'd moved on to 'Les Arches' to play "Gypsy Mood" - a concerto type piece with slow, fast, majestic and light sections.

Being in the back street with little light, surrounded by dark stones of the church wall, opposite the Tree with White Leaves Reflected in a Mirror (my title),  I wasn't happy with my rendition of "Autumn Leaves".  I was  cold and tired. Thomas was supportive, encouraging with his accompaniment, or maybe I was accompanying him.  It was strange to play with the Bass Stroh.  He is an excellent professional musician and theatrical artiste.  I am hoping he will give me another opportunity to play but in warmer conditions where I can sit down!  Earlier, I had chosen to stand where I could have sat down...I had not realised how arduous it is doing street theatre!

 Moving on... 'A la Derive'... being adrift...the scarf was nice but a nuisance!

At the last artistic creation, returning to the place where we'd started, we did an unscheduled replaying of  'La Derive'.
Normally, I do not like to publish photos of me but at the age of 66,  recognising that I have played the accordion on and off since I was aged 7, I realise that this accordion has been 56 years in my ownership and is definitely a few years older than that!
I am publishing because this is the second time this year I have been invited to perform in public. The accordion is heavy. It takes a toll on my back and since the bicycle accident and biceps tendonitis my wrists. These wrists were beginning to give out last night but I managed to pull the beast of bellows in and out, pushing buttons, fingering keys.
I am publishing because I am celebrating my talent which has given immense enjoyment to me and to others.  Poor things who do not like to hear it, including the cat who needs to escape the room!
I am grateful to my mother for sacrificing her time and earnings to give me lessons with the renowned accordionist Martin Lukins in the late 1950s / early 1960s.... that was before I stopped to learn the piano with Mary Ash, my school music teacher.
Last night, someone asked if I had french 'prix' for my playing.  No, I have no qualifications!

WITH THANKS TO THOMAS and the Folies Bastringue Festival....Many people work hard to bring artistic experiences to the villages of France.  It has been a pleasure for me!

This is one of the places...

...within Coussay les Bois on Saturday 17 October between 19h and 20h where I shall be playing my piano accordion as a Vagabond with Thomàs and his Stroh instruments.

 

On Saturday music will draw people along the route... 

pointers for people to observe 'les petit choses ephémèrales' as dusk moves to darkness.

I shall be assisting a guided tour - a Promenade to view sculptural forms created by three artists and inspired by peoples and their surroundings, history and geography, language and poetry, music and art.
On Wednesday evening I went as a guest to the first of the eight guided walks.  It helped to know the route!  Afterwards there was mulled wine and an opportunity to purchase the CATALOGUE  for 5 euros which shows wonderful photos, poems and explanations of the sculptures. Also acquire a free programme for the events in the village between 9 and 14 November 2015.
I'll show my photos of the works after I have played on Saturday but the Catalogue is excellent. WELL... here are three tasters.  One piece I shall play is called 'Gypsy Mood' and another 'Coeur Vagabond'.  With Thomas we shall play 'Autumn Leaves' and 'À La Dérive'. I hope for DRY weather and not too cold on the keys for my little fingers...but my accordion prefers warm and sunny weather! And so do I!   It will be different to NOT play Musette style music but to perform a more dramatic, theatrical style... I hope!!!!

A beautiful rose

window at Le Petit Pressigny:

Art at the heart of rural France

Le Petit Pressigny held their wonderful art event this year.  Last year, either it rained or it was cancelled!  This year artists and their works were more interesting and attainable to understand and to purchase than in 2013!  Usually, I try to see everything but this year I was more relaxed. I couldn't find any apples or walnut oil on sale.  I intended to return to buy a butternut squash or pumpkin for 2 euros but forgot as I was keen to move on and see my friend if she was at home. However, walnut bread was found, but I declined to buy apples baked in pastry. They were something we used to make in my domestic science lessons at school.  Naughty but nice, I purchased several slices of English cakes as my oven is caput and I don't wish to make cakes in a mirco-combi oven.
I wrote a postscript here.
Shortly after my arrival, unbeknown to me, I'd dropped my camera after sitting with friends.  It was at least an hour or more later when I wished to take a photo ( I am careful to not be too intrusive to the creativity of the artist  even though cameras are clicking often)  that I discovered it was not in my bag!!!!!!        "eeeekkkk" ... said "The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark" by Jill Tomlinson.
Two artists said I had not left it on their stall, so I went to the ACCEUIL to ask 'si un photo-appareil est avec les objets trouvés'  et VOILA!!!  I expressed great gratitude to the person who found it and the madame said she would pass that on!
The table for 'les aperos' after the speeches was one of the prettiest I have seen since living in France.

Empty glasses...those little home made sponge fingers -Savoiardi or Boudoir Ladyfingers -were melt-in-the-mouth.

The Autumn flower and fruit decorations were art in themselves.

This man made a captivating speech about his? study of the survival of rural villages in France.

Recycled Glass Bottles. Everyone now seems to be making flowers like my pottery teacher used to do.

I just love the colours of Cosmos.

There were amazing models... this one of the threshing machine process

Balmoral Gingerbread at the English Tea Marquee as I had had no lunch!

The sculptures were many. I hope the artists made sales! This last one, metal and glass, would be ideal in my garden. I did not look at the price tag!

Water Boiler Saga

Just to update this and as a point of reference for the future ....
and to the past my blog post.... 
I am not seeking attention but am explaining what can happen in France if an artisan appears not to have installed something properly according to a manufacturer's requirements.

I have PROTECTION JURIDIQUE insurance alongside my French mortgage with my French bank... whose name shall currently remain nameless.  I was wise to take it out. I was afraid of neighbourly disputes at the time!!!!!! I didn't have any but Miss Cautious Cancerian Clara inside me thought I should protect myself just in case!!!!!!
I contacted Protection Juridique two weeks ago. Whilst I was on one telephone line the nice lady spoke on a different telephone line to the installer (PERSON CC) of my expensive chauffeau thermodynamique.  He said he had not forgotten about me.  Hahaha ... how can someone ignore my calls, letters to his house, emails for a year? Doesn't that even indicate just a tad that he might feel guilty!???

He was asked to organise a meeting at my house with himself and the fabricant / manufacturer for a diagnosis of the problem.  I know what the two problems are because a different company diagnosed this in August!  Person CC was given until 9 October to contact me and has NOT done so!!!!!!!!

Today Madame (PERSON PJ), says she will email an independent technician (a representative in French) (PERSON IT) for the two of them to be here!!!!!!! I am supposed to wait three weeks for this LEGALLY.  I asked for special dispensation because I have already waited two weeks and this is URGENT for me as have had no hot water since mid August and I have guests arriving in two weeks time at least.  I don't think my daughter and grand daughter will come at all in the next two weeks when it will be half term holiday. Maybe just as well!
Whether or not PERSON S and PERSON B have to be here or will be here or not I don't know. They are from central heating / electrician / plumber companies who came here in July 30th and in mid August and one of whom I saw two weeks ago because PERSON B was supposed to have written estimates for me at the start of September and it took me to visit HIM for HIM to do it. I shall refrain from further judgement or comment except that he was told NOT to laugh at me when he sniggered on the telephone!!!!!!!!!
 I am unable to get any electrician here to give me an estimate for a completely new system. SO HAVE TO WAIT.
I think it is unacceptable, but I cannot do anything about the system that is designed to mediate in legal disputes.
I think Madame PERSON PJ is doing her best!
Any suggestions?

A fishy plaque

This large fishy one is about 30cm in length made with white clay, influenced by a design in  museum in Bretagne, heavily modified! I realise now I had been mark making in clay. I think I would like to return to those regular fortnightly two hour meditational sessions where I could choose to model what I wished.
I gave this to my son and his wife. It was about two years late in the giving because of family currents being all at sea!
I rather like it.  I hope they will attach it to driftwood and hang inside their liveaboard tug!

13 October 2015: Postcript to comment received below: 
This fishy dishy was approximately six hours labour plus the intervention and support of my pottery tutor .. she is French. Lessons were approximately I think ten euros per hour.. (my memory is poor!) supposedly a group session but sometimes it was only me!  PLUS there was the time for first firing then the second firing in the kiln. I know nothing about kilns!  I didn't have to pay for clay or glaze.
Having all of those would be too expensive for me.
After going to LPP for L'Art et Lard I felt a surge of desire to return either to her or a different potter. There is an English guy nearby but it's nice to do these things in French! I live in France so should be speaking in French!!! Can't help who I am though! An English National!
There's a guy going to do printing lessons too! I asked him to let me know when he has set it up! He is also English!
At the art exhibition, I almost succumbed to purchasing a beautiful FUSCHIA photo in a shiny format... I do love that colour!   I also nearly succumbed to purchasing a blue pottery vase and a beautiful pottery bowl a painting of a nasturtium and a glass bottle windchime or even the one that just swung with the wind.. as life does!!!!!!