Day Eight – Writing, a Walk, and Storytime!

Another hot day, another productive day of writing. I did a revision on a feature screenplay (entitled “Ravine”) and composed a new ten-minute play. The new play is a commentary on tidying influencers, and the passionate disagreements these influencers can have about the most valid tidying philosophy. It struck me as rife for a bit of theatrical satire–because let’s face it: who cares? –so I completed the first draft.

Then I had time for an afternoon walk. Yes, it was warm, but I can’t be sedentary all the time. So, I headed out into the hot afternoon sun and did a circuit around the grounds: this involves the pond, the boathouse, the vineyards, before circling back to the chateau. The Eurasian Koots would serenade me as I pass them in the pond, and there were some other lovely sights:

After my walk, and dinner, it was story time in the salon. Jacob, a disgustingly talented writer-artist, wanted to share his project with us, which involved him reading a couple of the stories from his collection, and then a tour of his artist’s studio to see the illustrations he was creating for the project. I enjoyed his magical, spiritual stories–they struck me as the sort of stories Rod Serling might write if he were around today. And the artwork he was preparing was very strong–clear, distinctive pencils and inks. I sincerely hope he is able to get his collection published, because there is no shortage of talent and passion in the man.

After seeing Jacob’s art, I headed back to the chateau, accompanied by the redoubtable Emory. I had yet to see what the chateau entrance looked like at night, and I was able to take a photograph of the entrance lit up. It looks to no one’s surprise, magical.