Friday 4 January 2013

Walks and Ruins.



I take the dogs out at first light; at the moment that means about 8.15am (7.15am UK). As is usual at this time of year, there is a beautiful sunrise accompanied by crisp clean air.



The sun lights up the East facing walls of houses, giving the honey coloured stone that extra boost of pink.



There are still a few ruins about, showing signs of a much more populated past. Where this one sits, is amongst the 'settlement' (lieu dit) where I bought my first house in the village. At the moment the 'settlement' has a permanent population of 2 (plus one itinerant in a caravan); I am assured that between the wars there were over 60.



This small abandoned building is a bakehouse (fournil), the tiny apse to the right is the actual oven (four). It is the same, but younger, as the one in picture 2. Our first house also had it's own bread oven, meaning that there were at least 3 within a few hundred metres of each other. I understand that once a week each farm took it in turn to fire-up their oven; a process that often took all night.  Everyone would then bring along their dough, and the 'settlement's' week's worth of bread would then be all baked together. How very sensible! I'll try to photograph one sometime, to show how big they are.

And so back home, where I was pleased to see that the fire I'd lit was still going strong, and the sitting room was already warm. The mornings are cool; we need a fire.


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24 comments:

  1. beautiful, just beautiful. nice to have the dogs to get you up for the magnificent sunrise.

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  2. Love the close up photo of the ruin.

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  3. beautiful sunrise, to go with the sunsets we see here

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  4. I am missing my crisp early morning catch the sun rising days in France, so this has made me smile today. It will be late April/ May before I am able to be back in Caunes......and I cant wait. J.

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  5. I do enjoy reading about the different lives of my blog friends.

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  6. I can't walk because I am a ruin!

    I'd love to see photos of the oven. I want to build something similar here for the restaurant.

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    1. Have you seen the one that Jamie Oliver has in his garden? I'm sure the plans are available somewhere!

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  7. What a wonderful walk. I love old stone buildings.

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  8. Beautiful pictures! I love those early morning walks. Today we were out as it was just dawning.

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  9. I dreamt I bought an appartment in Nice with a glass brick ceiling and I was happy . . . How bizarre! love the photos x

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    1. I've dreamed of buying an apartment in Nice all my life!

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  10. Love the description of the farm ovens...what a lovely community day! I can just imagine the hot fresh loaves coming out of the oven and a bottle of wine being shared with a broken loaf...anyone have any cheese?

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  11. BEAUTIFUL pictures... thanks for taking us along on your walk.

    I've gotta ask you. A blogging pal of mine is planning a trip to Paris with her husband this year for their 25th anniversary, and she came across a menu from a restaurant there. It listed a "chat" surrounded by "rats". PLEASE tell me that's an idiom, kinda like "pigs in a blanket", and isn't REALLY cats and rats...

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    1. I've never heard of this, Susan. It must be an 'amusing recipe name', a bit like my 'Compost Soup'. Unless of course it was a Chinese restaurant (am I allowed to say that?).

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    2. Sure you can say it, It's YOUR blog!

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  12. Beautiful photos of your surroundings, I just love it when you share your countryside. I do not have the words to tell you how beautiful they are and sharing the history, and the meanings, it brings my blogging friend's lives to light and knowledge for my own self.
    Have a peaceful weekend, to you and the lovely Lady M.

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  13. Crow,
    Thanks for the walk you live in a peaceful interesting world.

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  14. Gorgeous! We had clouds mixed with our sunrise today, and the cloud cover is winning out. Chance of a few snow flurries to add to the 20 inches/25 cm already on the ground.

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  15. What a wonderful start to the day.....what did you do with the rest of it?

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  16. Wonderful sunrise and great countryside. Off to walk Sophie shortly but it is 8.15a.m. and the sun has been up for hours.

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  17. There is NO WAY the sun rises in your area at 8:15. In Ireland this week it did not rise until 8:45 and then only after I went outside and screamed at the sun to get to work. Damn lazy Irish! Great to get home to the US and see a decent sunrise at 0600...But still wonderful pics from you

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  18. You have the most interesting buildings and history where you are. I love seeing the old photos and hearing about their history. Thanks for your time doing this.

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