The Lot

Following a short stay in the Loire Valley and the Limousin, and once I actually found the lovely village of Frayssinet-le-Gelat, I settled in for a 3 month stint over the French winter and concentrated on living a relatively quiet life, frequently interrupted by trips to the nearby bar and for meals at Mme Murat’s restaurant – all solely of course, to help me stay warm! I did also do lots of exploring on frosty roads, marching around the plan d’eau to keep warm, loading up with firewood and painting.

Arrival in France

Honfleur - my very first port of call in France, famously recalled by my friends as the place where I found my way into a Frenchman’s bedroom (complete with startled looking Frenchman in PJs) late at night, whilst trying to find my B&B.


Honfleur is a beautiful old town with tall leaning buildings squashed alongside and overlooking the port. It was an area frequented by the Impressionists and consists of a mass of tiny lanes with galleries and art shops. Just my kind of place!