A Golden Day

Awoke to hard frost and blue sky, very good weather forecast for the day.

Packed the rucksack with art materials and various bottles of water and set off to the beauty spot I discovered earlier in the week. Drove for 12 kms round hairpin bends, my first experience of driving in this part of France, plenty of deep breaths.

Arrived in hamlet and walked for five minutes before entering a wooded track...clambered under a fence into the glade. The local church bell ringing...sat on a bank amidst the wood anemones next to a fast flowing stream in full sunshine, birds singing. I couldn't wait to remove my socks and start mixing the paint, enjoying the subtle violet pinks of the petals.

I managed to forget my hat so made a makeshift one out of two sheets of kitchen roll! The odd butterfly flew past my nose, Brimstone and Orange tip, exquisite.

I painted undisturbed for a blissful five hours feeling incredibly fortunate and joyful.