Well we arrived here at L'Hopital Camfrout after a really long, wet and windy journey. Shouldn't really moan, we are afterall in Finistere where it is always wet and windy! Although it had stopped raining, it was very overcast until the early evening - and the sun made a brief appearance.  A really cute place, only 2000 inhabitants (and that includes all those hidden in the surrounding hillside).  During the second World War a plane was shot down here and the pilot and 3 crew members (from Dudley) are buried in a very tasteful memorial park.

As the evening progressed, other chums started to arrive - you can see their van behind ours.  I started to have an idea of what I was going to paint.  However, the night was still very windy and cold!

OK - so it's now Saturday 25th May, we're signed on (8.00 p.m.), I've made my sketches and I've got all the appropriate summer weather clothes on, including my lovely insulated gloves from Ryde.  Bertie is keeping an eye on my so make sure I try hard!

View of me attemptintg to do something in front of the vans.  Of course, the tide went out - typical! The sun did come out, after work was handed in. and it turned out to be a really lovely afternoon.

Come on mum, get on with it!  and I don't like that colour much. Are you really concentrating?  When's lunch?  I want to go for a pee!  Aren't you ready?  Perry's fallen asleep...Mum!

Oh dear, it didn't turn out as expected.  Never mind.  It's only paper!  After the prize giving, jumped in the van and another 100 kms later.... we arrived at Pont-Croix.

Sunday 26th May - Pont Croix.  Started off pretty cold.  Thought I'd better concentrate a bit better, and not try anything unusual.  Ended up with rather a boring picture.  Perhaps I should have experimented! It did however turn out to be a lovely day, very warm.  There are lots of interesting things to see in this small town, so I'll have another go next year!  We decided that a 5 hour trip home was just too much, so broke it by staying at Josselin which is about halfway home.

Saturday, 18th May St Jacut de la Mer.  I love this place.  We've visited it a number of times in the van, but this is the first time I've painted here. My foot is getting a little better, it is apparently not broken, but I am still hobbling everywhere.  Fortunately Perry found a good place to park the van, so I didn't have far to walk.  It was very cold, windy and overcast when I started. (What's new!).  The tide was out, and I am sure we could have walked to the Isle of Wight, there just didn't appear to be any water anywhere.  I was quite happy with the sky, but could have done better with the rest.  By the time I had finished the sun was out, but  it was still cold and the sea was just coming around the harbour wall. In sheltered areas it was really quite warm.

Yep, this is me dressed up for the summer weather! Gloves, hat and thick woolies. Sunglasses, because I have a problem with glare.

And here are the boys.... Joel Desert took this, he takes all the Couleurs de Bretagne piccies and he was really pleased with this one of Bertie - posing for his photo! They were sitting in one of the sunnier spots - obviously not near me, where I was struggling with the elements to produce a masterpiece!

Sunday 19th May - Erquy.  Another place we have visited often in the van, but never painted. The weather was absolutely diabolical.  Wind, rain, cold..... I started outside for the first 2 hours, but had to give up and go inside where there were loads of other painters seeking shelter.   I had another go at a very loose wash.  I was quite pleased with the background wash and the lighthouse, but should have thought a bit harder about the line of Hobycats which were all lined up in front of me when I started, waiting for a day's sailing!  However, I did manage to get runner up, so not all bad. I quite like experiment, will do some more.

Monday 20th May - Loguivy-Plougras. Never been here before.  It rained all night!  Again incredibly cold and windy.  Even with my lovely insulated gloves that I bought in Ryde, my fingers were turning blue (why am I doing this painting outside?).  There were two very short visits by the sun and I quickly noted the effect. Everything seemed to brighten up, but then it went back to being grey and miserable. Experimented with the some negative spaces - appeared to work. Very long rainy journey back and when we got home the house was cold so we had to put on the heating, turn on electric blanker and fill the hot water bottle.  Summer can't be very far away now - surely?

 

Before describing this event, I had better include the fact that I have had a slight accident.  On Tuesday morning I managed to fall down the  steps (well not all of the, just the last one) and damage my foot.  I was sure it wasn't broken, but it was pretty black and blue and has been absolute hell to walk on! And guess what, every venue, bar one, involved lots of walking!  The picture above is of Plouer sur Rance and I did it in M. Lemarchard's house.  For anyone interested, he is an ex Air France pilot and is 84 years old.  I have painted in his garden before, and we (sort of) correspond, when I get round to it (always at Christmas!).  He is a smashing chap, and brought me out a cup of tea (with milk) and biscuits.  Well, I did this picture in his garden looking toward the old presbytery (where M. Lemarchand was born).  It was a bit of a damp day, but I carried on.  Anyway, guess what - I won!  Hooray.  I got a bundle of goodies, including a huge pot plant, acrylic paints, T-shirt (for Perry), torch, bags, ... Following that, M. Lemarchard even wants to buy it.  Unfortunately, he will have to wait until after the final.  Following all the excitement, we jumped in the van, and tore of to Baden (Port Blanc) in the Morbihan - miles away.

We're now in the Morbhian and it's Golfe de Morbihan week - chaos everywhere.  I knew the competiton was going to be enormous, so decided to just have fun and experiment with some ideas I have been having - hence the rather wakky picture.  There were 150 entrants, about 16 in my watercolour group, and I got runner up.  I was pretty pleased.  (also had a packet of chips to help my bad foot along!).  Very sunny, but very windy. 

Next venue, just a few miles down the road at Larmor Baden.  Quite a sweet place, but a bit difficult to paint.  There was also another event going on (still part of Golfe de Morbihan week).  However, it was very, very cold, very windy and the odd shower, just for good measure.  I started off OK, then just got colder and colder, so I gave up. Fortunately I had my new thermal fingerless gloves on which I bought at Ryde bus station - lovely!). No placing - not surprised really!

It's Saturday, must be Etel and of course, it's raining! (Does it do anything else in Etel).  The mayor had arranged for the vans to park in the centre of town - how lucky is that - and this time sign on was not very far away.  Interesting place because it used to be a huge tuna fishing and processing port. After hobbling to sign on, not too far this time, I set up my stuff as usual, but it was so windy that I had to hold the easel down while working out what I was going to do.  Decided I could not spend too long on this one, so had fun with colours again and put in some tuna fishing boats.  Lost the easel a couple of times, but when I sat down to work I wrapped my legs round it to stop if flying away.  However, then my palette flew into the road, fortunately avoided by a motorist.  My wash dishes also took flight! It really was very sunny here, but oh that wind and it was cold again.  We decided to treat ourselves to mussels for lunch - yummy, followed by the most delicious desert I have ever had - coconut icecream, whipped cream, nuts and warm chocolate sauce - just the tickert.  Fell asleep in the afternoon.  No placing - try again next weekend. Foot still hurts and I'll decide what to do about that on Monday.

 It's Monday 6th and we're back at La Pelouiniere I've been cooking and baking ready for tomorrow.  Perry has been working on the boat, but also has to get the van ready for it's MOT tomorrow afternoon.  As soon as that's done we're off to Plouer sur Rance. As it's been so hot today, Bertie has just been loafing around all day!

Managed to do something.  Had to get Perry to pose three times so that I could get a quick sketch down.  Painted for just short of 4 hours.  Finally got warm about 11.30 and then the paint started drying to quick!  Managed to get a runner up position.  Not bad for a first try (even though  I can see loads of errors).

We're at the Terrain de Sport at Vieux Vy sur Couesmon and here are the boys waiting for me to clear off and sign on for the competition. It is just before 8.00 a.m. Not the most inspiring of places, but I'll have a go anyway.

Well, we're back at Le Pelouiniere and low and below some flowers were waiting for us.  Looks quite pretty.  Now have to get ready for our painting trip.