06 February 2015

Rustic houses in rural France.

I frequently pass through this hamlet, how it's changed from the way it looked 25 yrs ago.
Most of the houses were ruins, the roofs had fallen in and very few people still lived here.
Then we began to see scaffolding being erected and the sound of cement mixers whirring.
some years later it was alive again. We met an English couple who had bought a ruin and 
 renovated it for their holiday home, but they helped to bring life back into the hamlet.


25 years ago, I have memories of a little old man sitting on a stool 
outside the front door of this little cottage making baskets.




Mr France was driving and I had remembered to put my camera in the car
so I was able to capture the roof tops with my pocket Panasonic DMC TZ 4

How different the roofs looked today, as if they had been painted white.


The houses are surrounded by forest of mainly Pine, Chestnut. and Oak.
Here the famous Bolets de Cèpes - Champignons grow
These mushrooms grow in abundance in this region. 
However I still find it hard to find them.


 The hamlet now has street lighting.which is still rare in most rural places. 




This is France of bygone years brought back to life.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the rural region of France where I live.
 I can show you lots more.
Let me know.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

19 comments:

  1. HI Barbara, Visiting from the GYB party. I love your rural France. My rural France is always the Alsace. I spent a lot of time in Geneva, lived there with my children for a long time, spent most of my time in Chamonix, Cluses, Yvoire, Thonon, Evion...I just love that part of France. People often shake their head and say, "what about Paris" and I say, "Paris is fine, and while I'm a bit of a city mouse, I just love the country." I live in the city here in Vancouver, and also in the country in Oxfordshire, UK for most of the year, But love getting back to mainland Europe, and especially my home town Prague, Czech Republic. I'm off now to read some more of your posts. X

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    1. Thank you Veronica, for joining my blog. I too am a country mouse, prefering the country any day to the cities. I only go to Paris to catch a flight. Oxfordshire is also a lovely area to visit , with beautiful stone houses often with a village green set around a pond. Lovely to meet you.

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  2. Always nice to see decaying homes brought back to life!

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    1. I totally agree, where we live would not be habitable if we hadn't bought it.
      Maybe that could be a post in the near future.

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  3. Your pocket cam takes GREAT pics Barbara..
    I think we all dream of a house in France.
    You're living the dream..I think The Cotswolds look beauteous too:)

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  4. Oh my . . . I loved these pictures. I wish I had been riding with you!
    Loved that the hamlet is being restored to life . . .

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  5. I love seeing your rural France and so happy to see that the hamlet has been restored. Beautiful photos.

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  6. Great pictures for you to paint from!
    What lovely views!
    Perhaps someday I will get to see it all in person...
    Nancy

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  7. Barbara, these cottages in your rural area of France are so charming. They look small, yet so sturdy and nice. I loved the story of the little old man sitting outside his cottage making baskets. I think his cottage was my favorite. Thanks for sharing these rustic houses with us. I live in the suburbs, but my new house is small, like a cottage. :~)

    love, ~Sheri

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  8. Bonjour Barbara..it's me again..in mentioning snow and art..
    I think you will enjoy this site..an artist from here..
    I think it's right up your alley..

    http://shariblaukopf.com/

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  9. Bonjour Barbara,

    I enjoyed seeing your charming hamlet in France and thanks for sharing a little from your place.
    Love the charming cottages and seeing the rooftops.
    Hope you are having a lovely weekend
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  10. Thanks for sharing these photos Barbara, France is so special for all the lovely old villages and those streetlamps are so elegant, the authorities seem to take care that they fit in. I love travelling around the country and seeing the architecture change as we move from region to region. Up here all our roofs are grey slate with steeper angles and as well as lots of old stone many houses are white, in fact there is a bylaw in Perros that says every new house built must have one of it's walls made of our local pink granite.

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  11. Beautiful cottages and wonderful country side.
    Thanks for sharing...

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  12. I love seeing your hamlet, your charming area! Please do show more! What I also see is your happiness at having found your special spot in the world...

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  13. Lovely! How fun to see an unknown part of France!

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  14. Such a beautiful place! It's wonderful to see a place that had fallen into ruin brought back to life. I would love to see more of where you live!

    Blessings,

    Victoria

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  15. Isn't it lovely that life is coming back to these old villages.
    The covering of snow on the roof tiles looks so lovely - picture postcard!
    Inspiration for a painting maybe?!
    It brought back memories of my winter sojourns in France - I remember how that cold got right into my bones!!!
    Have you been in France 25 years now?

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  16. I never get tired of seeing these lovely photos of rural France. The tiled roofs with snow, and the cross hatch pattern of roofs slanting this way and that when looking down on them. Beautiful and quiet scenes. Those blue shutters are such a wonderful colour.

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  17. Yes I very much loved watching your photos of rural France. You took beautiful photos! Part of my family and roots are in France and I'm always happy to see more of this beautiful country. Especially rural France. It's a beautiful area where you live. Thank you for visiting my blog also. I have to say that I forgot to take photos inside of the little castle / manor. We spent our days there mostly outside in the woods and fields. Wishing you a wonderful day filled with beauty.

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