SUMMER TRIP 2017 PART 4

 

As we were in the French alps it was time to stay on a mountain camp for a change and we chose Allevard les Bains, another thermal cure centre.  We chose a campsite called Clair Matin and we arrived there at 1030 in the morning after our early escape from Aix.  The welcome was so friendly from the whole family who worked on the site that we were pleased to have arrived sooner than expected. This sketch of the view from the top level of the camp is also now an embroidery.

 

The camp is situated in a valley in the Belldonne range and there is a small lake formed by a dam nearby and we walked there one morning as it was too hilly to bother getting the bikes out.  It was also too hot to walk too far so we soon went back to camp for a cool beer at the snack bar where we met some of the regular campers who come every year for their 'cure' at the thermals.

 

I picked a selection of wildflowers on the way back to draw during the afternoon.

 

The campsite had lots of mature trees interspersed with the pitches and this large silver birch was on ours.  It must have been pretty old as the trunk was very thick and twisted and gnarled.  I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to draw it in my parallel pen normally used for calligraphy.

 

The town of Allevard was nestled in between the mountains with some steep streets leading down to the square in the centre where we stopped for a coffee after walking there on the Sunday morning.  It was market day so there were a few colourful stalls selling fruit and fish.

 

The next time we went to town for a coffee was a holiday and very quiet but after waiting 10 minutes to be served we went back to camp to our friend Terry's inn  for a beer instead!  He was a great English guy who has made his life in France running the snack bar on the campsite and cooking delicious food.

 

 

Here's the embroidery of the top sketch, that pretty building in the bottom right is actually the shower block with living accommodation upstairs for one of the family.  I sent them an email to thank them for making our time there so pleasant as well as a copy of this picture and they were delighted.

My next blog is going to be a special one to celebrate 5 years and 300 blogs published, I hope you will join me then!

 

 

 

SKETCHBOOK CATCHUP

 

With all the travelling we've been doing lately, I've just realised that I've still got a few sketches of spring flowers from February that haven't been posted.  These tiny daffodils were given to me by a friend from her garden.

 

 

These tulips brightened up our days when it was cold and very wet earlier in the year. We have certainly had some extreme weather this year and are hoping the summer will be more normal when it finally arrives!

 

 

This is a twig from a chaenomeles japonica shrub in my garden which is still flowering although the blooms are now hidden by the leaves.

 

 

I found this peacock butterfly sunning itself on the log pile by our hedge, I hope it found somewhere to lay it's eggs as we do so enjoy seeing the butterflies on our buddleas in the summer.

We're off on more travels at the weekend so I'll say 'au revoir et à bientot.'