Palimpsest

One of my favourite words, and I feel it suits this photo perfectly. Quite a mingling of eras here. This is -- or was -- a window in the massive Château de Ventenac, on the bank of the Canal du Midi. The current chateau was built in the 19th century, by Madame Seguy de Saint Siran, whose initials are carved into the impressive gateway. When the subsequent occupants left in 1938, fleeing the imminent war, the buildings were taken over as a cave cooperative by the local growers.

It's now a mishmash of styles and later additions; parts are sadly dilapidated, but when the cooperative took it over, some of the buildings were converted into six small houses facing onto the courtyard, and one large one with magnificent views over the vineyards to the Pyrenees. This elegantly restored part of the chateau is now run as a gite by Julia, our host for today's Languedoc Jelly; she also hosts creative writing, poetry, and other courses in the spring and autumn.

I do feel sad that the workmanship that must have been put into this window has been so undervalued by subsequent generations.