Captain's
Log
I had decided to post only when I had some good news. However another month has passed by and the question still remains - What is happening with the building permit? The short answer is 'not much.' The architect from the Historic Monuments has our dossier and still it is a waiting game.
Naturally this is disappointing. The chateau continues to deteriorate as well as our Aussie dollar!!!
i have just arrived in France today. Will keep you posted....
Two days ago I received this photo of the orchard at the Chateau. It has only been seven weeks since I was at the property strolling through 'le parc', imagining the colours of the trees in spring and the promise of one day picking apples. And in such a short time a change has taken place, the beauty of nature exploding in a mass of colour - it's like a dream! In a strange way the photo reminds me of the movie with Robin Williams, What Dreams May Come. Not the sadness but the colours - soft, radiant, angelic.
I then went back through my photo album and found a few more to share, le quatre saisons. Starting with spring just seemed the natural choice.
A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here
A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
Emily Dickinson
In July apple blossom breaks through and the orchard is a mass of white and pink. It's about two months too early for apple picking and perhaps the prospect of bottling some cider. As I wandered about I soon discovered pears! Can I just say it was the first time I had ever seen a pear on a pear tree. Incroyable!
By December winter is everywhere. Just light snow but enough to orchestrate the landscape with a different perspective of nature's beauty. I can't think of a prettier hue of colour opposites. Fluffy white snow, grey knobby bark, gentle pink golden sunlight blended at dawn on a cold morning. Nature's own colour wheel. And the finale to the cycle of seasons.
I think of what is ahead and consider Shelley's last line of Ode to the West Wind, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"
First stop - the boulangerie.
I recommend the macaroons (quite different than macarons) - sensational just like my mum use to make in the 1970's hot out the oven, coconut, crisp and slightly brown on the outside but a soft flavoursome centre.
Go with the 6 for 2 euros.
There are several small supermarkets selling all sorts of produce from local cheese to good quality ski gloves. And just incase, there is even a heart defibrillator in the main street right next to the library!
Top 10 for Les Cabannes
Le Boulangerie.......
Dinner at A La Montanha ( recommend booking).
Wander to the cemetery for a history lesson.
Have a go at trout fishing at the organic trout farm or the Aston River.
Buy a bottle of local wine and stock up on local cheese, ham and condiments from La Ferme Du Quie Les Cabannes.
Try a beer in the local pub but avoid the taxidermied animals especially the wolf on the bar counter!
Stroll through the Sunday Market.
In summer its the place to kayak, hike, horse-ride.
In winter hire some ski gear from either of the hire places in the village,
And head up the top of Plateau de Beille - unbelievable snow, skiing, dog sleighing and igloo building........
In the early years of the 1700's Louis Gaspard de Sales, Marquis de Gudanes, Baron of Chateau Verdun and Aston, and King of the Pyrenees embarked on a 10 year project to build his castle. Prominent French architect, Ange-Jacque Gabriels was engaged to design Gaspard de Sales' dream home!. Louis Gaspard de Sales was a regular visitor at the French Court and understood the works of Gabriels - a master of neoclassical symmetrical architecture. Born to a Parisian family of architects Gabriel was made a member of the Academy of Royal Architecture in 1728. He was the principal assistant to his father as Premier Architecte at Versailles from 1735 and succeeded him in the position in 1742, essentially making him the premier architect of France, a role he retained for most of the reign of Louis VX.
His Petit Trianon at Versailles is one of the highlights of French Classicism. As one wanders through the 'rues' of Paris, more evidence of his architecture is obvious, including Hotel de Crillon, Place de la Concorde and l'Ecole Militaire.
In the 1750's, Chateau de Gudanes was constructed. It is written that it was the place to be wined and dined. Aristocrats, nobleman, artists and writers including Voltaire and Diderot made the journey to enjoy l'ambiance.
Located in Ariege nestled in a valley in the Midi Pyrenees between Les Cabannes and Chateau Verdun, it now slouches defeated by old age and the asperity of ownership.
