spring 2008
We have decided to cancel all our courses this year to enable us to have some time off and to improve the facilities at Lahon.
Our old oil boiler is on it's last legs so we are replacing it with some sort of geothermal/solar power system. Did you know that at about 1 metre below ground there is a temperature of 30-50 degrees C? and that 7kw of heat hits each square foot of the planet every minute? Who says we are short of energy!
We are also installing solar panels on the roof of the gite.
neil's exhibition
I have managed to find some time to start painting again earlier in the year which resulted in a new style and 14 canvasses. I had my first exhibition at Le Petit Chien in Navvarenx, a bastide town about half way to Biarritz, during August which was quite successful. I am currently exhibiting in Pau which has resulted in a commssion for two paintings.
I have also produced several new classic car portraits for the Grand Prix in Pau at the end of May.
And armed with the new digital camera and large format printer I have also prints of local landmarks. More work can be seen at www.ignitionart.co.uk
exploring
One of the experience of moving to a new country is discovering the wonderful countryside including an areas villages and towns. Within an hours drive there are the three small towns of Salies de Bearn, Sauveterre de Bearn and Navarrenx. We spent a lovely day wandering around their alleyways and squares being tourists for once, in the early spring sunshine. Around every corner is a scene worth photographing, drawing or painting.
gite
The gite has had many visitors this year including a Formula 3 racing team taking part in the Pau Grand Prix at the beginning of June. Also a GT4 Nissan team racing at Nogorro. Several wedding parties of mainly French people have booked the barn and on one occasion Sandy went to Chateau Beost to guide in a lost pair after a wedding at 3am in the morning. On the way, in the middle of the road, she encountered her first wild boar - she wasn’t too pleased herself either!
If you would like to book the gite for yourself full details are at:
www.breakaway-to-bearn.com