Friday 27 January 2012

Time for tea?

When you're in Anduze, the village only seven kilometres from Le Mas Blanc, you'll want to drop in for a cup of tea or coffee (excellent coffee!) at TEAPOTES, a tea shop where you can relax, chat with other English-speaking (and French-speaking) local people, and explore the used bookshop upstairs from the tea room. As you'll see on this site, the shop offers a wide range of activities..... Not to be missed!
http://www.tea-potes.com/

it's coming along nicely

End of January

Just a few more finishing touches and I’ll soon be ready to rent my new bedsittingroom -studio, and I’ll have the link to the website here.  Until then, I’ll post one or two more photos of what the room looks like, to give you an idea of the space. It is situated on the second floor of the old barn, up a set of wooden stairs, which means it is not accessible to anyone with hip or knee problems.  Beside the studio at the top of the stairs is a pleasant little blue& white bathroom with a shower, with shelves and a rack on which to hang clothes.
 At this point, I’m hoping that the news of LE MAS BLANC WRITER’S RETREAT will pass among friends and acquaintances by the trusty and trustworth old system of “word of mouth” (in French, the phrase involves the ear as well, “bouche à oreille”).  My hope is to give other writers and artists a truly quiet and nurturing place in which to think and write. I know I’ve benefitted in the past from such situations, when I’ve been able to leave ordinary responsibilities behind for a few days and simply concentrate on my work.  Although the space can accommodate two people – the fold-down couch makes a double bed --  I’m expecting solitary individuals to come, as the idea is to “get away”, even from the most beloved partners or families, in order to put every ounce of energy into the work at hand: writing, composing, painting, whatever.
For me, running the Retreat  will provide a good solid reason for staying in France, which has been my home now for so long I can’t imagine living elsewhere. I'll post more specific news of how to book your space at Le Mas Blanc Writer's Retreat later in February. For now, I'll leave you with these photos so you can imagine the place.

listen to the waterfall as you work... the river is just below Mas Blanc


this old stone barn, across from the main house Mas Blanc, 
 will be your "home" while you are creating your masterpiece

Tuesday 17 January 2012

the room is nearly finished!

Here we are in the middle of January, and the weather is lovely, cold in the mornings but warm in the afternoons, perfect for walking in the hills. The new studio-bedsitting room in the barn is nearly finished, so I can take some time off to go for little strolls...and then come back home to admire the new room... There are still some details to fix, before it'll be ready for the writers and artists I hope will come to use this friendly space.