A LIFE IN A DAY

A life in a day was an article that used to appear on the back page of a Sunday paper colour supplement, for years, it featured a celebrity, personality, politician, captain of industry, scientist, whatever and documented their day. It started out as an interesting article, but over the years I got the impression these people were portraying an idealised day to illustrate; how wonderful their life was, how good they were (usually full of healthy eating and exercise regimes), how busy/therefore successful they were. So it all became a little hard to believe.
The title came to mind as I decided to sit down and reward myself with a martini - on a week day! and it's not summer! This was a near perfect day, bar the fact I couldn't squeeze in or persuade the OH to go for a walk in the mountains after lunch. Because time is pressing - more later.

The day started with a trip over to Mons to meet up with Anna for a sketching session - at the market she had said, but it was market no more, the summer visitors had gone and so had the stalls bar the oyster man. First sketch -

 

The photo above is a happier looking Anna (she is Catalonian and therefore with current events not very content) and our waiter. She's showing off my sketch of the tourist office/railway building, but thanks to the lovely sunlight it got completely washed out.

 

Now you can see it.

The final sketch of the morning developed as a crowd of ados (teenagers) appeared to try out their film making skills in the street, under the direction of Peggy (is there anyone in Mons/Olargues that Anna doesn't know?)

I then bid Anna adieu, she was off walking, lucky her, but I have a schedule to stick to, so it was home to more painting.
Of the interior deco kind, I have worked out the number of decorating days until Christmas, and this room has to be finished by then, for our first ever Christmas in St.Pons, after 13 years of ownership we will finally have a salon.(lounge) to put a large Christmas tree up in.

 

I'll share the befores when there are completed afters.

 

  

 

Meanwhile outside the salon door, the sky looked like this, daily allotted chores done it was time for a seat in the garden and the martini and my #inktober sketch of the day - see above - a little corner of the view from the garden. The garden where the only surviving bit of colour after a long dry summer is this salvia, good for it!

 

 

At the same time the town/village is preparing for the Fete du Chataigne at the weekend and as I sat chilling, the sound of feverish activity in the street could just be heard as we all get cordoned off, no parking in our street! This is the neighbours across the road from our dinning room window.

 

 

They've just got a bit of tape, we have crowd control barriers on our side! Last year they taped across our entrance to the house, firmly knotted on the door handle, it was a bit like living in a crime scene.

So a lovely day, reaching about 24 degrees after a slow start, and yet with the excitement of the fete it feels a bit like Christmas eve. Hope the weather keeps up and it's a good one.