Now that the summer is over and we return to our normal opening hours here on the hillside (5 days a week instead of 7) we are able, on rare occasions, to indulge in the odd visit to pastures new, to wallow in some slightly different scenery and recharge our batteries. Usually our ‘grand days out’ involve one or more technical hitches, either we have chosen the only day in the week when everywhere is closed or it pours with rain, or we forget to take any money or all of the above together. This week’s visit started out well with the discovery that the camera battery was as dead as a dodo. The little emergency camera was called up for duty and stepped bravely into the breach, taking some shots that I decided were really not bad at all. Our destination was the delightful town of Jonzac in the heart of cognac country, for a spot of lunch and a wander about. The town boasts some wonderful architecture from various notable epochs, all of it hewn from the gloriously warm and textured local limestone. I found myself, as always, drawn to the doors and entryways of the various buildings, which somehow reflect the towns’ obvious prosperity alongside it’s humbler rural aspects. Here is a selection of doors – including the church – and a château window which I couldn’t resist throwing into the mix……………….
ALL PHOTOS © JANE MORLEY
View from a French Hillside 
Doors are magical!
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Absolutely they are Sarah! It’s impossible not to wish to know what lies behind them I find! 🙂
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And that’s what makes me write fiction!
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I didn’t know you did that too Sarah! Do you ever put any excerpts on your blogs or do you write novels? Do tell! 🙂
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I’m writing a memoir (go to About, scroll down and you’ll see links to three parts of it). I also want to rewrite a YA novel I wrote in the early 90s. Never been published but did once have a literary agent and once came very close with Methuen. 🙂
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I shall certainly have a look, I imagine the climate and ambiance of Greece could be very conducive to the pursuit of writing! 🙂
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Yes, if only I could find all the time and energy I need!
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I know what you mean! 🙂
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Not only doors are magical, I am sure your camera is too (with you behind it that is) because it/you certainly seem to see far more than I manage. All very inspiring – bravo!
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You are very kind Mrs Tart, I really appreciate it! 🙂
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Oh I hope you had a great time!! Absolutely love this architecture, the doors and incredible craftsmanship! GORGEOUS! ❤ The blue and green doors are fantastic! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 🐻
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Delighted you like them west517, it is a really lovely town, not very big, but the buildings are beautiful , lovely warm limestone and beautiful carvings. 🙂
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I wish we had one or two places here with that much character and charm 😀
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Some centuries of history are required to achieve it – the château was first built in the 11th century and then rebuilt in the 15th century after the 100 years war with us English!! I figure we have a lot to answer for 🙂
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WOW!! 🙂 Gorgeous! …sounds like paradise! …minus the palm trees 🙂
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😀
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Great pics 🙂
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Many thanks Martin!
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Your welcome 🙂
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Firstly, brilliant photography–and a hearty hug for the understudy to rise to the occasion. Bravo. Boy, the blue doors are splendid! I rather feel like heading out to grab some cobalt blue and start slathering in across my main entrance. What a statement.
Secondly, I love Cognac–the town (okay, and the spirit). I especially love the black fungus that grows on the stones, feeding off the Angel’s Share. I would like to be that black fungus in another lifetime.
What a beautiful day out for grand exploration.
Cheers, Jane!
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HI Shelley, so glad you like the post, Jonzac really is a little gem of a place. The blue doors are all on the château and the ‘Mairie’ (town hall) which is now in the old château buildings, all very smart! You’re so right about the wonderful black fungus, it absorbs all those fabulous cognac and grape fermenting smells so that you can go into any old building that has once stored cognac barrels and if the black fungus is there, it will have that fantastic smell…. Dreamy 😀
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I doubt I’d need much food to survive there. I’d just lick the village walls.
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😀
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Jonzac…….Would you believe I had a boozy lunch there?
Yes of course you would. 🙂
Fine fotos MDeM……as per….
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Boozy lunch? Never would have credited it sir ! Didn’t hear any ugly rumours so the coast is obviously clear should you ever decide to return
We had a jolly spot of luncheon ourselves but not too boozy as we were in our new (well 8 years old but new to us) vehicle and having a first run out! 🙂 definitely a place worth revisiting…..
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Tell me it’s an Alfa…….
🙂
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Errr, wish I could 🙂 but it’s an ….
gulp, splutter splutter 
Nissan X Trail 😕 😎 😕 Gulp splutter splutter……
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OMFG !!!!!!
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Is that a good or a bad response 😕
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SHEER UNADULTERATED HORROR!!!!
heehee 😀
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I think sh, that you are a very unkind person 😦 😀 or just a person of good sense and taste 😕 Naahh just very unkind, we can’t afford an Alfa 😥 or a Vauxhall
No really truthfully our Nissan ixtriyelle as our vendor called it, is jolly excellent and perfect for the muddy roads and 1 in 2 hillside 🙂 Go ahead mock, water off a dude’s back 
😀
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OK joking aside.. 🙂 .In a previous incarnation,(back when I had a proper job), I actually event managed a fair few launch do’s for said ‘Ixtriyelle’ when it first appeared on’t UK market… and I rather liked it.
It was like a much nicer Freelander which didn’t need a spanner every time you used it.
I had one for six months while I was working on the contract and was sad to see it go.
So yes I was just being unkind…….
I like to be consistent.
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Aha! there you go, I knew you were just joshing there, it’s a very jolly vehicle and even has a CD player! 🙂 Haven’t had one of those in years 😀 Mind you if that stupid woman hiding in the dashboard tells me where to go one more time there’ll be an incident
😦
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Nissan missed out on advertising gold there didn’t they?
I can hear the commercial now….
“The New Nissan X-Trail!!! A VERY Jolly vehicle!!”
(PS I’ve got one of those awful opinionated women too…How can someone who is NEVER right, be SO bloody full of themselves?)
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Absolutely! “Pip Pip Hurrah!” I could have done the voice-over but nobody bothered to ask 😦 I do hope your second comment is referring to the GPS dudette and not Mrs sh
😀 As for our Mrs GPS she sounds like Anne Robinson, which could never be a good thing, and keeps insisting that our house doesn’t exist 
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Firstly I must stress, Mrs Shpics is a navigational miracle, she has been the one with the map stuck down the front of her motorbiking jeans as we traversed all of Vietnam and most of Cambodia…She is a miracle!
However……GPS Robot Cow-Bitch, (as I call her), is another story….
Shpics Espana doesn’t exist either.
😦
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I somehow knew MrsShpics wouldn’t let us girlies down 🙂 so much for us not knowing one end of a map from the other, my experience is quite the reverse, I always know exactly where I am whereas Mr H is always completely lost , unless of course there’s a pub to navigate from… 🙂 I’m quite glad not to appear on the GPS radar, it makes for very interesting journeys for those who decide to visit – through vineyards, farmyards, local woodland – most amusing 😀
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Mr H is probably perfectly aware of where he is but, like myself, is happy for his paramour to take the credit…..It’s a love-thing! 🙂
Oh, and the best visitor is a lost visitor…They can always try again next year.
👿
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Couldn’t possibly agree with your first point but the second is so very well made 😈
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Poor Mr H…Make sure his name is written in his knickers…
I’m glad we’re on the same page re visitors…
Thankfully, we’ve yet to have any make it over the barbed wire.
😈
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HaHa! We have no barbed wire but we do have two dogs, one is a gorgeous soppy labrador but the other is very large, very black, very quiet, menacing and watchful……. 👿 😈
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Ooooooer……………
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😀 Actually he’s as soppy as the labrador – but only with people he knows …….
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But no-one can find there way there…Who does he meet?
💡
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The Postman and he doesn’t like him one bit
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Spot the idiotic spelling..DuHHrr!
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OK
So you got your possessive pronouns in a tangle – it can happen to anyone 
😦
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It can… But I’m not happy!
😦
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Brings tears to the eyes ! 😦
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PS Just posted an autumnal bunch of pics if you’ve time for a visit 🙂
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Wonderful collection of doors! Your photography is stunning.
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Thank you so much Front Door Project – very much appreciated!
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Reblogged this on Moorezart.
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Thank you for this Douglas! Very much appreciated!
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We saw these bright blue doors all over Brittany and were told the color was related to Mary, Patron Saint of Sailors. I’d thought it was a Breton thing, but maybe it’s a French Maritime thing in Poitou-Charente as well?
I’m so enjoying seeing so many beautiful sights in France through your lens, Jane!
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Thankyou so much Beth! I shall have to find out about the colour, I confess I didn’t know about Saint Mary but it would make sense!
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Just doors and these are beautiful. And to add to my happiness is that door is painted in my favorite blue Thank you for sharing. :0
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I’m delighted that you like them lynda and thank you for taking the time to comment !
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