Current News

March 2006
Cant believe we have been here 3 and a half years now!!
We are really busy with booking enquiries for our holiday rentals for spring and summer 2006.
It seems that our first television programme which was filmed in 02/03 has been screened in Australia as i have received hundreds of lovely letters form viewers. They were all relieved to see we are still here.
Thanks to everybody who has written. I will reply to you all personally as soon as I can.

Last year passed us by very fast. Mac was busy painting and trying to get his paintings exhibited. We stayed in the USA ( in New York for 5 weeks) over the summer which was an amazing experience. The French and the Americans are polar opposites in personality and so it took us a while to adjust. Instead of the' gallic shrug' that one often receives here in shops and restaurants etc, the Americans could not do enough for us, and we made many new friends. We went primarily so that Mac could paint the beautiful Connecticut and Vermont landscapes and try to make some new gallery contacts in the NYC.
He successfully held an exhibition there in September 05, and returned to France with 10 new canvasses of the City itself, and the beautiful countryside from New York to Vermont and Massachusetts.
We were all spell bound with the city of New York and its people, feeling as though we were on a film set for the entire time.
Grand central station was our favorite place, and of course the church of St Pauls opposite 'ground zero' which is an amazing testament to the human spirit.

2005 also saw us finish our apartment in Cannes. We renovated it from top to bottom, and it is now available to rent by the week.( And you all thought we would NEVER do any purchasing here in France again!?)
Well experience is a great weapon. I don't think the poor Notaire knew what hit him! He actually asked me if I was a solicitor or something, as he said I grilled him about the property and access/ leases etc like a professional!!

We were adopted by a (lucky?) black cat this summer who promptly deposited 3 kittens on our doorstep.
Needless to say she has now absolved herself of all motherly duties and we are the surrogates!
Dont know if it was good luck or not? The kittens are very beautiful, charcoal grey and very friendly though they do live outside.

We are busy planting in the gardens of Le Mas Casteunou again. We lost quite afew plants through the drought in the summer and so are replacing them, but I have also planted a beautiful eucalyptus tree in memory of my dad, Dave who sadly passed away in summer 2004. He helped us greatly with the renovations in the house and had visited only a few months before he died, and had built us a stone wall in the garden. It seemed fitting to plant the tree there next to the wall, where i can see it from my bedroom.
I often sit and remember him, and its lovely to see the tree growing and changing with the seasons.

Mac is returning to London this month to deliver some of his paintings to the annual 'Venice in Peril' exhibition in Londons Mayfair from January 23rd. It is a great cause and one which we greatly support.
We visit Venice regularly, as Mac loves to paint there, and we all love being there. Each year we run a painting holiday to Venice and stay at the charming Hotel La Fenice which is near the opera house.
Some of Macs canvasses are on the gallery page on this site if you want to look.
He is busy with 5 newly commissioned portraits in oils which is very exciting for him, as he loves doing portraiture.
We will place thes on the gallery page once they are finished.

We also run a painting holiday to Tuscany each year, so i am busy putting that together for Sept 2006. We are lucky enough to have found an amazing 500 year old wine estate which will be the base for our stay.
The same family have owned the house for centuries and they produce award winning Tuscan wines which are very tasty indeed. In addition they have a very talented and celebrated chef, who produces delicious dinners using the produce from the estate and, all set in rolling tuscan hills and hilltop villages amongst cypress trees.
Just perfect!
Once again, we felt as though we were on a film set and half expected roman soldiers to march by..
Ridley Scott partly filmed the epic 'Gladiator' in nearby in Pienza, which is one of the places we will go to paint during the week.
We are looking forward to a busy 2006 by the looks of it!
Best wishes
Laura

. 20th December 2003 to 20th March 2004

The olives were ready in December this year due to the warmth of the autumn, so our olive pressing was done at the local mill, and our own organic olive oil is stored ready for use in our wine cellar.


Our unexpected Christmas present from our dog was the gift of black truffles which he found in our garden under a tree.The locals were incredulous as we are not in the known truffle region, and our dog is a boxer and has absolutely no sense of smell! Still, they were sold to a trader for a handsome sum and we enjoyed a few bottles of champagne(6) with our Christmas meal.


Our mild winter has suddenly turned in to Spring, with warm sunny days.The mimosa has exploded onto the landscape and its distinct scent is everywhere. We have already spent several days on the beach with the children ( they swam in the sea and 'yes', the French think we are 'barking'!) and we are ski-ing at weekends in Isola and Auron. I cannot get over how close the mountains are to the sea here. Where else in the world could you do both things on the same day??


Mac was lucky enough to be invited to help crew a 100metre 6 bedroom super yacht for the day recently which is one of the largest and most beautiful private boats on the Riviera. (No, we won't tell you who owns it.) He said it was an incredible experience, and actually steered the huge boat in to the harbour at Monaco himself. Flash or what? He certainly got a bump down to earth when he got back into our little Renault Clio for the drive home!

We are improving our French by the day, but still make hilarious mistakes such as the other day in a restaurant when I ordered a tabouret (stool) as a starter instead of taboulet. The best thing about it was that the straight faced waiter actually bought me a bar stool, and garnished it with herbs before I realised my error. It was only at that point that he smiled and then roared with laughter.

The people here are such great characters.
I went to the boulangerie and there was a little old man with 2 carrier bags full of bread so to be friendly and show off my powers of communication in French I cockily piped up ' Are you hungry?' He looked horrified, and scuffled out of the shop much to the amusement of everybody else. I had no idea until a kindly man in the queue enlightened me as to my faux pas. I had actually asked him if he wanted a woman!


Mac has been really busy painting in oils for his up-coming exhibitions. Most of the canvases are of the Provencal landscape and its people. The first this year will be in the old town of Antibes at
the beginning of May. (further details will be added soon.) During the first week in July he is exhibiting in Valbonne. There will be further exhibitions scheduled for later in the year in the UK. If you wish to be invited to the previews and exhibitions, please send me your details on the enquiry form.


Mac is also donating a piece of work to the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity Art Sale later in the year which is being organised by Canvas a great UK based charity which sells art for good causes. www.canvas.org
Watch this space for further information!
We now have a gallery on our new web-site where you can view and buy Macs work.


We have been busy re-organising and re-writing our original web-site with the design and technical expertise of Digital Paint in the UK. Big thanks to them for their great work. Thanks Andrew, Ben and Khadine for all your hard work and patience. Take a look and tell us what you think.


Following the massive viewing figures of the last 'No going Back' series, and its subsequent screening in Holland, Belgium, Australia etc, Channel 4 have been paying us regular visits for a second programme about us in the series to be screened during summer 2004. This new programme will up-date the story of our move to France and the setting up of the painting holidays business and will show the turn-around in our situation that has been made over the last year or so.

Most importantly, it will show us doing what we came here to do, being with our children, and having more time to spend together as well as Mac fulfilling his dream of painting full time and exhibiting. We will also be featured in Channel 4s 'No going back' book to be published in Summer 04.


We have been busy this week trying to rescue 4 horses which have been abandoned in a local field. We have been feeding them and giving them water as they were close to death when we found them. Luckily having been involved with horses for most of my life I am able to help them, and am giving them medicines and supplements. I have now involved the SPA who are trying to trace the owner. Meanwhile Bruno and Morgan have named them Coco, Flocon,Marius and Toffee and look forward to seeing them each day and feeding them. I find it incredible that some animal owners still behave like this in the 21st century. We may be looking for homes for them soon.


Mac and I have a great new idea for a TV series called 'Can't paint Won't paint', where an artist has so many hours to teach a member of the public (someone who is terrible at art) to paint and competes against another artist doing the same. Come on Channel 4! We think it would be a scream!


Best wishes to you all.
Laura and Mac