I've lived in S W France for 37 years. And I think I've finally discovered the elixir of life.What could be more life-enhancing, or maybe life-enriching, than to sit in the shade of an old pollarded plane tree, outside a small village bistrot, sipping pastis or red wine, watching pretty girls go by, and finding easy solutions to all the world's problems.
Of course my tubes of colour remain temporarily sealed, the pages of my sketch books remain virgin white, and my studio seems permanently abandoned.
Cro can be found drinking red wine outside his favourite bistrot, and the world can go jump. When I'm at play, I play. When I'm at work, I work. Painting, they say, is 90% contemplation, and 10% application. I take my 'contemplation' very seriously, and there's nothing more serious than mixing the ingredients for that great elixir.
Lovely picture, lovely thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSerge, It's the only way to live! I detest the northern ethic of 'hard work makes you into a proper person'; Bull. It's taking time to relax and think that's the important part of life.
ReplyDelete'What's the difference between an optimist and a pessimist? The optimist enjoys himself whilst waiting for the inevitable! I think we should all live by that.
In Vino Veritas... have you heard about the Pinot Noir scandal?
ReplyDeletehttp://tomstephenson.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-vino-veritas.html
ReplyDeleteis this adorable bistro in your village?
ReplyDeleteSadly not Maiden. There is NOTHING in my village; just houses, the mayor's parlour, and a church.
ReplyDeleteI love the comment about what makes an optimist...I shall post that in my kitchen...it has put my motto for living into words.
ReplyDeleteHi again Potty. Yes I did notice you'd taken note. I've left another comment.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you wouldn't mind if I posted your comment about the definition of an optimist on my blog, with a pointer to your blog?
ReplyDeleteThis is my all-time favorite quote, in the same spirit, uttered by the late Brendan Gill:
Rules One and Two
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the argument that life is serious, though it is often hard and even terrible. Since everything ends badly for us, in the inescapable catastrophe of death, it seems obvious that the first rule of life is to have a good time, and that the second rule of life is to hurt as few people as possible in the course of doing so. There is no third rule."