Not exactly French classicists

Cezanne, Van Gogh and Renoir

This part of France is well known for its famous painters. There is no danger of us joining that list at anytime soon.

This Sunday was spent helping some friends paint their new old house they just bought. It's actually quite a house - more than 200 years old and 7 bedrooms in total, located near St. Remy de Provence (the town where, ironically, Van Gogh spent his final days in a mental institution). They hope to convert it into a B&B. 

Before we got to work, a suitably French lunch was in order, complete with aperitif, served around the only furniture in the house (bearing in mind they house has no kitchen appliances - Stephanie cooked over the open fireplace), and a tour of the expansive grounds. Then we all set to work painting one of the guest rooms. Lindsey, Savannah and Clarice were in charge of the lower portions of the room, while the adults did the rest. We knocked it off in about an hour and half, with a minimal mess.

Van Gogh rests easily tonight.  

This totally mundane blog post is partially to let you know that our life in France is not all about galavanting all over Europe and beyond, eating fine cuisine and drinking good wine. We actually have many more decidedly ordinary experiences