A real donkey in Pyjamas

In June I wrote about Donkeys wearing Pyjamas on Ré Island. well here is the real thing!. In the background you can see windmills - they’ve all gone now.

Some new postcards

We’re very excited about some new postcards that we bought this week. They are mainly of La Rochelle and are in excellent condition. Recently a shop in town which dealt with postcards, stamps and coins closed down and I can’t help wondering if they come from there originally. For a little while I’ll be sharing a few views of the town. This first postcard is of a street in the quarter where I used to live. Nothing much has changed at all, except that the shop has gone. I’m fascinated by the goods on display, especially the little horse…

Hyperrealism

Here is a modern postcard for a change. I love the colours; pinks and greys with just a touch of yellow. “Jeune Homme au Plateau” –young man with platter - was painted by Christopher Harmon Cheung in 1986. He is a Hyperrealism painter.

The correspondence on the back is interesting too. Written by the father of the gallery owner wishing someone good luck. A hopeful artist looking for somewhere to exhibit his paintings perhaps?

Abbé Miroy

This postcard made me feel overwhelmingly sad. Click on the image to get a better view of the bronze statue of the Abbé Charles-Eugène Miroy (sorry, it is in French but you can see a picture of him), who was shot by the Prussian army after the armistice had been signed, when he was 42 years old,. The sculptor was Charles René de Paul de Saint-Marceaux and this was one of his earlier works.

Abbé Miroy’s tomb is still regarded as a symbol of resistance and flowers are regularly laid there today.

Sur le Pont d'Avignon

When the Saint Benezet bridge was built in in the 12th century there were 22 arches, but floods, conflicts and time have taken their toll and only four remain. These children were perhaps singing the famous song for the photographer when he took the picture for this postcard around 90 years ago. They all look very happy to demonstrate their dance.

My daughter Dom went to visit the Avignon bridge a couple of weeks ago. You have to pay to visit today.