Progressing confidently towards the dream... the transformation of a shutter

She was greying and unkempt

when I first noticed her.

She had been left to wither in an old barn in the Ariège,

at the foothills of the Pyrénées.

Her big sisters (huge old wooden doors)

were still protecting her

to the extent that I nearly didn't notice her there;

so well was she hidden

by shadows and cobwebs!

She seemed so folorn that I wanted to bring her colour.

I sang to her, read to her...

From the beginning; it was always Thoreau (my favourite)

There was never any question about that...

His wisdom can inspire the most greying of spirits

We shared secrets, she and I.

She told me she had never seen the sea.

So I dressed her in the Bleu de L'Ile d'Yeu.

She pleaded for some embellishment,
so I dressed her with a page of history from her region.

Petit à petit we have built her a new life together

Like me, she now feels equally comfortable

with tradition and progress.

 And in her we have reconciled the two.

.

But there's more to discover in the old girl yet

She hasn't had her final say...
Maybe later today I will give her the final touches.

Maybe it will be tomorrow when the mess monsters go back to school

that we shall chat over coffee and gesso!

In the mean time I'm off for some inspiration
at Seth's Secret Sunday