Back to the Côte Sauvage

Posted on Nov 4, 2022Nov 3, 2022 Posted in Black and White Photography, France, Landscape Photography, Travel photographyTagged beer, benedictine, black and white, Black and White Photography, Bretagne, church, cote sauvage, France, fuji, fuji XT2, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilm xt2, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Landscape, mass, mother in law, peace, photographer, photography, prozac, Quiberon, rocks, sea, shore, solitude, waves, wife, wild coast3 Comments

Sometimes you just want to spend time alone, not because you hate other people, even if I sometimes find it difficult to love my fellow man. People, or too many people, or people that are too intense just leave me shattered, and ready for an emotional breakdown. My mother in law is one of those people. She is the polar opposite of me. She loves people, loves the gossip, can’t stand her first husband or any other of her ex’s, and her opinions on everything are the exact opposite of mine. Could this be her calling in life? Is she there just to make me question my own beliefs and reinforce them, or is she just a pain in the arse? Possibly both…

Last weekend the idea was that we go up and see her. At first, it was going to be my wife and son, but not my daughter, and then it became my wife and I without the children. I must be a glutton for punishment. Killian had been using my car as an extension of his room to store his crap in since he left the girlfriend. I was getting sick of the whole thing and said if he didn’t get my car sorted then I wouldn’t be going either. The little bugger got all the stuff in my car out, and so I had no choice. Shit!

I have talked about the way I either need 10 pints worth of Heineken (other beers do exist) or Prozac to be able to deal with my mother-in-law. And how this technique has evolved into being stone, cold, sober. Not as fun but allows me to get in the car if things get too intense, escape, leave, and do some photography.

As it was Sunday, I went off to mass at the local Benedictine monastery. This is because I genuinely wanted to go to mass and fulfil my domincal obligations to keep the Sabbath holy. It was also my Dad’s birthday, so I would be able to call and sing him Happy Birthday.

No, I would not be back for lunch as I would be out doing some photography, and having some Ian time, to partake in my number one solitary pastime; photography of course, what else? But don’t worry about me for lunch, I will look after myself…. On the Quiberon peninsular, they have what they refer to as the Côte Sauvage, or the Wild Coast. Despite the high temperatures, we have to pinch ourselves to remind us that it actually autumn, and the end of October. However, on this Wild Coast you were left in no doubt which season we were in despite the warmth. Very slightly breezy, so I really did need my cane, and I found the white horses on the waves as they came crashing down on the shore against the rocks so beautiful. You can really feel the power of the ocean as those waves come in. It reminds you on how small you are, compared to God’s creation.

Despite the wildness of the coast, the ocean, and the waves, I managed to find my peace…

Rest and Recuperation

Posted on Nov 6, 2021Nov 7, 2021 Posted in mental healthTagged arthritis, baby boomer, boomer, born out, busy, cbd oil, chrysanthemums, dog, flower, France, French, Gen Z, generation x, ill, laicite, man flu, mental health, millennial, millennials, mother in law, physical health, public holidays, r and r, rest, secular, sick, sleep, storyvtimeLeave a comment

Rest and recuperation, or R and R for those who know, is so underrated in these modern times where being busy is seen as being a virtue and shows how very productive you are, and yet it is vital and something we so badly need. Yes, I’m talking to you burnt out millennials who are just seeking validation by being so into your careers to replace the love you didn’t get from your baby boomer parents. You’re still not as screwed up as Generation X who are experts in coping with mental health. When we were kids, we just didn’t talk about it and it has led to a generation of very “interesting” people.

Anyway. Rest and Recuperation. The clue is in the name. For those who don’t know me, I’ll bring you up to date. I suffer from Arthritis in my right knee and have been limping for what seems like forever, and it hurts like buggery. I gradually have got into CBD oil in a big way and enjoy the relief it gives me, but it’s just enough to keep me vertical. I know I’m rambling, but I want to give you a little context, or even a large context, for the rest of this article. I also live in France and we enjoy quite a few public holidays, a majority of them being religious holidays, which I always found a tad strange for such a fiercely secular country where “laïcité” is the national religion! So the 1st of November is All Saints’ Day, where the French will go to the cemeteries to put chrysanthemums on the gravesides of the dead, and remember what the people were like and reflect on their own personal histories. Note to self, if I ever get flowers for my mother in law, it might be wise to get anything but Chysantemums… I might be sending the wrong message otherwise. In the UK, they’re a flower like any other but here they’re just for dead people. Halloween isn’t as big over here as it is In Ireland, the UK, or the US, but Gen Z have worked out the trick or treat thing and are well into it! So it might decide to stay after all. In the John Mc Byrne pub, they had a right old knees up and were all dressed up! I decided to decline. I was resting.

Now we’re getting to the crux of this article. As of Thursday, I have been suffering from a cold. That’s bollocks, I’ve been dying of Man-Flu. My nose turned into a water fountain, and for two days the tap was open and I felt awful. Thank you brothers for your solidarity and good wishes. But I was able to get into the car and get to work and therefore not dead, and able to work, even off my head. Fortunately, I wasn’t working on Friday afternoon, so, was free. My wife had left on Thursday morning to go and see her mother, minus the chrysanthemums, and would only be coming back on Sunday. Feeling like death I thought the best thing was just to go to bed and stay there for as long as possible. Fortune shone on me again, and there was no Friday night OHC rehearsal (insert plug here for our concert “the Planets” on the 14th of November, tickets still available here, and don’t forget the comfy seats…) I had my dog sleeping next to me in her basket on my bedroom floor. I would go down from time to let her do her two p’s. Pees and poops.

I had a call from my son asking if he could come home with a couple of friends for a soirée. I agreed on the basis that there would be no noise and they would leave the living room (which was to become the drinking room) spotless the next day. The friends would kip on the pull out sofa in the living room. At least nobody would have to drive. I drifted between sleep, going to the loo in the middle of the night, and then back to sleep. I had a Vicks vapour stick, and by then my nose was leaking less and was staying relatively dry. I took the dog down at 10 am to let her do her business and saw two of my son’s friends asleep on my sofa and I could not get into the kitchen. The huge sofa bed takes up quite a lot of space. It’s always delicate when people are staying over…

I went back down at 3pm feeling a little peckish, but they were still out for the count. There was only one thing to do. Get in the car, and go to MacDonalds to get my lunch. I got back and saw my son coming out of his room looking somewhat delicate, he asked where I had been and explained why, and he just said, oh yeah and went back into his room. I must have gone back to sleep because when I woke up they had taken the dog with them but the living room was spotless! #DadGoals!

My wife and daughter arrived on Sunday at what seemed like mid-afternoon, and so it passed. The house was no longer quiet. I still rested though. My daughter went out with some of her friends in the quest for sweets, and my wife filled up a whole bowl with sweets for children coming ringing at the door. I was shouted at for eating some of those sweets but the return to childhood was immediate. Emotion and food isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Monday came around and I was worried about going to work, and not feeling up to it.

Monday came and went, and on Monday evening that I wasn’t limping and hadn’t taken any CBD. Maybe Rest and Recuperation go together

The Quiberon Peninsular

Posted on Jul 31, 2020Jul 31, 2020 Posted in France, Landscape Photography, Travel photographyTagged beach, blog, Bretagne, Brittany, coast, colour photography, drink, family, family life, France, French, french countryside, friend, fuji, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilm xt2, fujixt2, going out, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, la vie est belle, Landscape, mental health, Morbhian, morbihan, mother in law, nature, photo walk, photographer, photography, seaside, summer, tranquility, Travel photography7 Comments

As any visit to my French family worth its salt, there is always drama. Drama and booze. This is why I refuse to drink whilst there. Usually everything is my fault. I am the immigrant after all! But this time it wasn’t me. I was in such shock that I had to go and lie down after lunch. I was respecting the ultimate French custom of the sieste. It was for digestion. And the fact that I was knackered always being alert for not saying the right thing and pissing everyone off.

So as I said, this time it wasn’t me, or my brother in law, who is the other family scapegoat. All of a sudden I heard world war three coming from downstairs. I thought it wise to stay in bed and pretend to sleep. One the fallout had fallen out, I risked going downstairs asking what the feck just happened and making sure everyone knew perfectly well that it wasn’t me this time as I wasn’t even there!!!

My brother in law doesn’t follow my zero booze rule, was just really mellow. A really nice bloke and we reflected laughing about our near 30 years of victim-hood. We are really in the Zeitgeist!

People had dropped off and disappeared to the beach before going to the restaurant that evening to allow my mother in law to just sit at table and be served. There is an important rule in her house that must be respected at all times. Anyone who has a penis is not allowed in her kitchen. I have a penis and therefore the kitchen is out of bounds. I daren’t even make myself a cup of tea, and don’t get me started about cake.

As usual,I had prepared the terrain. They know I don’t like going to sit on a beach. I don’t even go swimming. I’m so fat that there isn’t a swimming costume my size. Also those bastards from Greenpeace come along in their zodiacs and try and push me out to sea. The first time it happens, it’s all fun and games, but the second time I start to get slightly miffed! I therefore do not do beaches. What I do do is to take photographs. As I hadn’t partaken of the daemon drink I was able to drive, I could drive. I could escape. And escape I did. I actually thought about going to the pub in Nantes, but then I would really be up the creek without a paddle. It would almost be worth it, but I’m not a masochist!

I thought I would take my camera and go to Quiberon and go and see the Côte Sauvage, and a beach where I had already taken some nice photos with a film camera. Tell me if you want to see those film photographs then I might have to think about editing this post and add them later.

But here I was with my Fujifilm XT2 digital camera. I also wanted to use colour in these photos. I know…. Not black and white. What is happening to me? What has the world come to?

Sooooo, I was on the coast and in the zone. My mind was just doing instead of thinking. All reflective powers had been given up in order to concentrate of getting “the shot.” I like being like this. It is my coping mechanism. And you need this. Why is being with my mother in law like going camping? Because it’s so fecking intense!

I had done my first beach. I went to the first car park on the Côte Sauvage. I parked up and then started looking for shots. All of a sudden my phone goes off, and I have my wife yelling at me for being a fecking idiot and how in God’s name was I supposed to be at the restaurant on time. I learnt what a dick I was and how I never think of anybody else, and I’d bloody well be there at such and such a time.

I didn’t have the address and nobody had talked to me about time etc. But this of course was my fault. It’s a shame because you may have had more photos to look at. But I did what I could.

Let me assure you that I am still alive and despite being yelled at when I told them what time I would be there according to my GPS, I was still keeping it together man! I followed the exact route that the GPS sent me on, and I actually arrived at the same time as everyone else. I didn’t speed. I am not a sporty driver, I’m a middle aged fat guy who takes his time. O sweet irony. They couldn’t believe me. But the proof was there for all to see!

Let’s get back to the photos. I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to leave any constructive criticism. PS I do actually like my wife’s family, and some of the members of said family are actually quite normal and decent people who are not psychotic or hysterical.