Visuals
Hey! Lookie lookie! Here's a pictorial account of our month in Nyons.
(I apologize in advance for not putting this all behind an lj cut. I've gotten stupid over the last couple of years and have no clue how to even do that anymore! If it's tiresome to anyone (and I'm hoping it's not too bad - I'm hoping the pics aren't too giant or cumbersome!), please please let me know how to hide it behind a cut and I'll hop to it!)
This is the medieval tower which guards the upper part of the chateau garden. The chateau? Oh, just an old place owned by a couple of friends of ours. In the interest of complete honesty, I have to confess to occasional pangs of deep envy that we don't live in a chateau with a medieval tower. But then I remind myself that we've got friends who do. So, really, who can complain? Here's the tower just as the sun's going down.
Here's the mouton actually in the tower (well, technically not in, I guess, but in the doorway.) with two buddies who were visiting varying sets of grandparents. He had a good summer. It shows, doesn't it?
And again with the chateau! I think this picture show is more about the chateau than about Nyons itself, but, well, it's an enchanting place and the garden is really sublime during the summer. Here's the mouton descending from the various terraces of the garden. The tower is several terraces up from these stairs. The whole thing is magnificent, but our camera isn't up to the task of capturing all of it in one.
I love this picture of the mouton and his papa ... again at the chateau. Sheesh. I'm slightly embarrassed at how many pictures I have of it. Still. It's pretty, no? The sheep (technically not a sheep, but a ram, or belier, en français) is a fabulous and giant ceramic sculpture made by a fantastic local artist. I love him and had to work hard to control myself with the camera around him. He's called Charlie.
This is not at the chateau! Doves on a neighboring balcony. Don't call them pigeons! They're not! They're lovely, aren't they? Look how sweet they are, all snuggled together.
Again with Charlie at the chateau. This time, tho', check out the fabulous trompe l'oeil wisteria (and, if you look closely, you'll see a couple of little birds - they're fauvettes which is what our friend, the chatelaine, calls the small house whose side wall you're seeing here. The fauvette is one of several "guest houses" where students stay when they come for cooking classes (oh! The chatelaine runs a cooking school! Did I mention that? When Mr Brico and I honeymooned in Nyons lo these couple of years ago, we did a week long class with her. That was our introduction to La Vie Nyonsaise. Agreeable in the extreme!
Here's Mr Brico, the mouton, and the gang of grandkids at the little bijou of a swimming pool in the chateau garden. Way way way up above the pool is that medieval tower we saw in the earlier picture(s). Mostly I just call this place paradise. 'Cause it is.
And this? This is back in Bordeaux. The mouton's garden after a month of doing nothing (well, friends came and watered, but nothing was cut or harvested or trimmed or what have you.). He's mighty proud of this giant squash. And guess what! I just made squash soup! 'Cause, really, what else are you gonna do with a squash that size? Good grief!
(I apologize in advance for not putting this all behind an lj cut. I've gotten stupid over the last couple of years and have no clue how to even do that anymore! If it's tiresome to anyone (and I'm hoping it's not too bad - I'm hoping the pics aren't too giant or cumbersome!), please please let me know how to hide it behind a cut and I'll hop to it!)
This is the medieval tower which guards the upper part of the chateau garden. The chateau? Oh, just an old place owned by a couple of friends of ours. In the interest of complete honesty, I have to confess to occasional pangs of deep envy that we don't live in a chateau with a medieval tower. But then I remind myself that we've got friends who do. So, really, who can complain? Here's the tower just as the sun's going down.
Here's the mouton actually in the tower (well, technically not in, I guess, but in the doorway.) with two buddies who were visiting varying sets of grandparents. He had a good summer. It shows, doesn't it?
And again with the chateau! I think this picture show is more about the chateau than about Nyons itself, but, well, it's an enchanting place and the garden is really sublime during the summer. Here's the mouton descending from the various terraces of the garden. The tower is several terraces up from these stairs. The whole thing is magnificent, but our camera isn't up to the task of capturing all of it in one.
I love this picture of the mouton and his papa ... again at the chateau. Sheesh. I'm slightly embarrassed at how many pictures I have of it. Still. It's pretty, no? The sheep (technically not a sheep, but a ram, or belier, en français) is a fabulous and giant ceramic sculpture made by a fantastic local artist. I love him and had to work hard to control myself with the camera around him. He's called Charlie.
This is not at the chateau! Doves on a neighboring balcony. Don't call them pigeons! They're not! They're lovely, aren't they? Look how sweet they are, all snuggled together.
Again with Charlie at the chateau. This time, tho', check out the fabulous trompe l'oeil wisteria (and, if you look closely, you'll see a couple of little birds - they're fauvettes which is what our friend, the chatelaine, calls the small house whose side wall you're seeing here. The fauvette is one of several "guest houses" where students stay when they come for cooking classes (oh! The chatelaine runs a cooking school! Did I mention that? When Mr Brico and I honeymooned in Nyons lo these couple of years ago, we did a week long class with her. That was our introduction to La Vie Nyonsaise. Agreeable in the extreme!
Here's Mr Brico, the mouton, and the gang of grandkids at the little bijou of a swimming pool in the chateau garden. Way way way up above the pool is that medieval tower we saw in the earlier picture(s). Mostly I just call this place paradise. 'Cause it is.
And this? This is back in Bordeaux. The mouton's garden after a month of doing nothing (well, friends came and watered, but nothing was cut or harvested or trimmed or what have you.). He's mighty proud of this giant squash. And guess what! I just made squash soup! 'Cause, really, what else are you gonna do with a squash that size? Good grief!