SUMMER 2017 TRIP PART 2

After 5 lovely days at Briare it was time to move on  and we decided to visit St Fargeau on the way to our next destination. We had been recommended by our neighbour as he had grown up in the town and his grandfather had worked in the chateau gardens.

We finally arrived at Decize late in the afternoon and set up camp by the Vielle Loire, a tributary that joins the main river at this point.  We were lucky enough to watch this heron from our chairs as he slowly walked searching for his supper while we sipped a glass of rosé.

The town of Decize is famous for the Promenade des Halles, a 985 metre long alley of Plane and Lime trees, protected by the inventory of historic monuments.  I couldn't resist sketching the trees, sitting in the shade in the afternoon.

I had decided before leaving home to bring some hand sewing materials with me to try my hand at embroidery while we were on holiday .  Here is my first attempt copying my sketch and inventing stitches as I went along.  Bob suggested appliqueing the 2 large trees as I would have had to spend far too long stitching those big trunks.

Here is the finished picture, it measures 14 x 19 cms and the colour is really much greener than it appears here.  What do you think, have I found another new medium to add to all the others?

Here's an aerial view of the alley and the confluence of the rivers so you can see what a beautiful place it is. The campsite was near the top of the island right by the water's edge.

Sadly some of the trees in the alley had become diseased and had to be cut down, leaving several gaps in the line.  When we arrived the workmen were busy cleaning up the large trunks and sweeping away the branches but I managed to pick up a wedge to take back to camp to draw on a rainy afternoon.

We left Decize on the Saturday morning as there was a motorbike festival planned for the weekend and we didn't really fancy being kept awake by the ZZ top tribute band or the sound of hundreds of bikers turning up at all times!



We moved on to another historic town, Paray le Monial, famous for it's basilica and of course on a canal so we could continue our biking experiences. I didn't do much drawing here as we were busy cycling about and exploring the town.

Next time we visit Annecy, a beautiful town with a fabulous turquoise lake.

A bientot!