Tag Archives: Ariege

Unexpected Things on Rue Gambetta

Still loading photos online for the (fingers crossed!) upcoming launch of the photo website to link to all of our travels for the last 5-ish years.

Unexpected things that have made me smile immensely tonight as I worked…

Went to Google Maps and pulled up our old address in St. Girons and did a quick swish around the neighbourhood and astonishingly, the Google Maps car had come by on a day and time when Mark’s van was parked in our parking lot across the street!

Then I was editing photos in Lightroom and when I was cropping this photo of Rue Gambetta, I noticed a VERY familiar white van (with some rural mud from job sites splashed on the bottom) parked at the end of this section of buildings — and there it was again — Mark’s van. He must have gone into the bank because that’s the building with the curved arches over the covered veranda.

Feeling homesick for France right now because it is too hot to sleep tonight in Ballarat and Christmas feels so very wrong when it isn’t cold!

Ah well…

Photo Of The Day: St. Girons at Dusk in Black and White

Thought I’d share the background image of the new business cards that I ordered this week. We were crossing the bridge last Saturday evening after walking through a few streets looking at houses that were for sale.

The light was wrong for colour — but it was perfect for this black and white interpretation. This looks exactly like photos of St. Girons that we have seen from the mid-to-late 1800s into the early 1900s. This, like many other towns in France, really is a timeless place — and we love that.

Enjoy!

The beautiful Midi-Pyrenees town of St. Girons in the South of France at dusk from the footbridge over the river.

Photo Of The Day: Bright In Blue

Today’s photo of the day is a charming little building in the Midi-Pyrenees town of Seix in the South of France. The blue shuttered and blue painted building houses a hairdresser below and apartments above. This building certainly stood out amongst the other plain stone structures in the small town.

Look at the shop window and you will see a woman sitting and talking on the phone. And to the left of her? A Betty Boop sculpture. Looks like a fun place to get your hair cut. And by the way, ‘Coiffure Mixte’ means Unisex Hair, so they do both women and men’s hair!

Two vivid shades of blue make this hairdresser’s shop stand out in Seix, Midi-Pyrenees, France.

Bye-bye Pyrenees — But Only For Awhile!

Two little balls of energy sat at the kitchen table, dressed in matching red and white striped shirts, gulping mouthfuls of food so that they could go back into the lounge and watch a cartoon on television. Everyday life in France was just like family life in Australia, England, the USA or any other place that we have lived.

We ended our two week stay in the village of Argein on Wednesday and began driving north to Normandy. But we were going to miss this lovely family and I thought I’d share some photos from our time with them.

Matt and Becky are transplanted Brits raising the previously mentioned boys, Ed and Henri. Matt is a builder and Becky is a real estate agent who also manages the business side of the building company, Ariege Artisan. My husband Mark did stone work around their house and then did construction work with Matt for two days as well. So now Mark has dipped his toes into French construction methods.

This charming couple are currently expanding their company a bit, so I have spent the last few weeks doing public relations work for them — taking photos and editing/improving old ones, helping to fine tune the gallery on the new website, setting up a Facebook business page for them, and creating business cards and new brochures for them.

Business card for Ariege Artisan ©Deborah Harmes

And did you know that if you do business in France and you advertise, all of the advertising that might be in the English language is required to be translated into French as well! That made for some interesting layout challenges.

Ariege Artisan brochure -- outside cover ©Deborah Harmes

Their village setting in the Ariege region of the Pyrenees is absolutely stunning and their lovingly restored house is wonderful. Below are shots of the house, the deck, what you see if you are lying in the pool, and the view from the deck.

The front of our friends Matt and Becky's house in the Midi-Pyrenees

Side view of house, deck, and countryside

View from pool over countryside

View from deck over Pyrenees countryside

The photos below are of Matt reading bedtime stories to Henri, Becky relaxing with Dusty at her feet, and Henri and Ed playing in the living room.

Matt reading bedtime stories to Henri

Becky relaxing with Dusty at her feet

Give us a couple of months to explore a few other places in France — but we’re pretty darned sure that we’ll be going back for a return visit!

Photo of the Day – Intensely Green Lake Bethmale in the South of France

High in the mountains at over 1,000 metres in altitude, we discovered a gem-like lake of emerald green water that reflected the sky, trees, and overhanging mountains like a mirror. The waters of Le Lac De Bethmale in the Ariege region of the Midi-Pyrenees were some of the cleanest and clearest I had ever seen. And today’s afternoon walk around this stunning lake was very peaceful.

Legend says that the blue-green waters get their hue from the long dark skirts of the wicked witch who was chased into the lake after vexing the villagers in times long past.

The emerald green waters of Le Lac De Bethmale in the Ariege, Midi-Pyrenees, France

This green-on-green photo is a perfect example of just one view from one tiny corner of the lake.

Enjoy!

Photo Of The Day: Bridge in St. Girons in the South of France

Today’s photo shows the bridge across the River Salat in the town of St. Girons. This part of the Pyrenees is called the Ariege and is a mere one hour of driving time from the border with Spain.

Bridge across the River Salat in St. Girons, Ariege, Midi-Pyrenees, France

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