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La Maison de Maitre |
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We have lived in France since February 2003 having taken early retirement from teaching. Chris was head of Modern Languages and I was head of Art & Design at schools in Bournemouth. We have three grown up children and four grandchildren. We had lived in Bournemouth for twenty two years having moved from Ipswich on the East coast. Before teaching we had lived in Holland for a short while after graduating from colleges in Brighton at the beginning of the 1970’s. Chris speaks fluent French, some German and some Italian and Spanish, I trained in Painting and Printmaking and now work in Acrylic, watercolours, with relief and silkscreen printmaking.
Our house was built in the 1850’s and commands a central position on the side of the Place General De Gaulle, the main market square in the village of Pont L’Abbé in the commune of Picauville. The village is situated on the edge of the Manche National Park, which is an area of natural beauty, a flood plain that becomes a lake in the winter and good pasture in the summer. ‘La Maison de Maitre’ was one of only two surviving houses after D-Day and was partially commandeered for use by the German command during the occupation.
We have travelled extensively, going skiing and making many friends around the world. In France we have recently enjoyed the challenge of restoring the house and its grounds to a home once again. Chris is using her ever expanding French and enjoys cooking and entertaining, while I paint and make prints during the winter and share both my studio\workshop and experience with other artists during the summer. |
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Contact mikeclench@hotmail.com Or Telephone: 00 33 (0)233 01 31 63 |
