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Hello there
While Charlotte LOVES autumn and the run up to Christmas, I’m more inclined to mourn the passing of the summer and wish the winter away. I love the creation that spring and summer enables and am reluctant to acknowledge the reset of winter that’s necessary to bring it about. Nevertheless, if the news feeds are to be believed, we seem locked into an endless winter, a cycle of destruction not set to end any time soon. It is as if Fenrir himself has loosened his chain and is stalking the world.
So, we’re standing with the people who make things. Good things we need. Beautiful things we can treasure. Things others can enjoy. Things in the shape of ideas that help us live wisely and compassionately. And with courage, when Fenrir is abroad.
If you’re reading this, we’re pretty sure you, too, are a creator. Be proud of that. Everything of beauty or utility you send out into the world is a small act of resistance against those whose chief contribution to this mote of life in the solar system is destruction. Give them no succour. Don’t be afraid to call them out. And just say “No!” to Fenrir and his ilk.
Chin up!
With our best wishes
Charlotte and Niall
Our recent Retreat on Islay in the Cairngorms
Now and again, things just don’t work out as planned. That’s life and that’s fine. But when it means having to run a Retreat in a place entirely different from the advertised one - and at one day’s notice- that is an entirely different level of “that’s life”.
So it was at 6 am on Friday 3rd October, with Storm Amy making waves, that Charlotte called the ferry operator, Calmac, to check if there would be delays to our passage to Islay the next day, the first day of our Retreat there. Well, not only was the ferry cancelled but there would be no more openings for cars (booked or not) until the following THURSDAY. With only one serviceable ferry sailing the route (and it without functioning stabilisers) severe postponement was inevitable given the high demand. There should, in fact, be three vessels serving Islay - one of which is normally held in reserve - but Calmac and the Scottish government’s shambolic procurement of new vessels means that the island has still to see the benefit of vessels commissioned from a Turkish shipyard, and remains chronically under-served.
So, by 7 am, we had determined that we couldn’t run the Retreat and that there would be no refund for the house we had rented. But we weren’t going to cancel! We let the guests know the situation straight away and got approval by 8 am to make an alternative plan. One frantic hour of online searching later we had found a suitable house to rent for the week in the Boat of Garten at the heart of the Cairngorms NP and by 10 am had confirmed its availability. At 10.30 am we sent out the new itinerary along with details of the new house and, thanks to our lovely guests, a new Retreat was approved and ready to run.
The Cairngorms in October, as it turned out, was good alternative. While the colours in the forest were still quite muted, those on the moors and mountains whispered “autumn”. And when the clouds descended and stinging showers of hail swept down from the upper slopes of the massif, “winter” was clearly audible.
The domesticated herd of reindeer that ranges over the mountains can usually be relied on to provide us with interesting photographs and we took full advantage of the colours of the hill slopes and gentle backlighting. It was another situation where I was so glad to have swapped my monstrous 25 year-old 500 mm f4 for a Nikkor 500 mm f5.6 PF lens a couple of years ago. Responsiveness trumps f4 in just about every wildlife encounter these days, especially now that Lightroom can clean out the noise from the higher ISO settings this lens calls for.
We spent a productive time cruising the narrow road in a glen just to the north of Speyside where, in the past, I had had success in meeting our endemic subspecies of willow grouse, the red grouse. These fellows often come to the roadside to take small pieces of grit which, stored in their gizzards, help to break down the hard heather seeds they eat in autumn and winter. Given the extent of the moorlands, I am always a bit surprised - and relieved - to find how often red grouse hang around at the side of the road, allowing us to photograph them from our vehicle.
It seems that no Food and Photography Retreat is complete these days without a little D and D (Dereliction and Decay) in the mix. And on this particular one, a house I had visited many times before - but never entered - delivered the images of abandoned lives we sought. I’ve noticed a few times now that even in properties where pretty much everything has been cleared out, more often than not, the stove remains. I’d like to believe that people can’t bring themselves to remove the heart of a home but I suspect it’s more a matter of the sheer weight of these things.
On this trip to “Islay”, I had looked forward to recreating CDF’s Monk by the Sea on the beach at Machir Bay (improving on the original by making the figure more identifiably a monk). With that plan scuppered, I looked for alternative venues and settled on this spot at Loch an Eilein, for, uhhh…Monk by the Loch. And while all attempts at water-walking failed, I did at least stay dry, thanks to my decidedly un-monkish wellington boots.
At the heart of every one of our Retreats, of course, is the good food and hospitality provided by Charlotte (assisted this time by my big sis, Dawn) and wherever we go, at whatever notice, that doesn’t change. Sometimes, though, we ducks just need to paddle a little harder to ensure that your holiday really feels like one.
Our October Chez-nous in Burgundy
It’s a source of pride that Glyn and Bridget have taken three Chez-nous Retreats with us, each at a different time of year and with different objectives. And while the weather wasn’t always kind last week, we managed to create a wide variety of Burgundian images during this, their third stay.
Since the hour had recently changed, we didn’t have to wait long in the afternoon for the sun to drop low in the sky. And on the days the clouds were just too thick - well, there is always plenty to do in the studio.
After previous “near miss” visits to Pernand Vergelesses in the Côtes de Beaune, we struck it lucky this time with good light on the golden vineyards. To be honest, vines aren’t visually very exciting for most of the year and it’s only when they colour up in September and October that they hold much attraction for us. Bear that in mind when booking your autumn Chez-nous!
The Hospice de Beaune is a mediaeval UNSECO World Heritage Site in the heart of Beaune which we sometimes visit, especially when guests are interested in collecting “elements” with which to construct Chocolate Bars or make Colour Transects. We used Richard Craddock’s Boxer Photoshop plug-in for this Transect (below). If you don’t have Affinity Publisher but DO have Photoshop, this (free-for-now plug-in) is highly recommended for its versatility and speed of operation. Richard has even written user instructions for it that are intelligible and work 😉
The first European cranes of the year arrived a couple of weeks ago and it was good to see that numbers are now building in the maize stubble fields on the Loire’s flood plain, 20 minutes along the road from us. With a lot of maize still to be harvested, I think we can look forward to many more encounters this winter. Much to our surprise we also met a solitary white stork, long after all the others in the area had migrated south. While more and more west European white storks are wintering in the south of France (rather than flying on to Africa), it’s still quite unusual to meet storks here “out of season”.
I have to say that I’m a bit evangelical when it comes to flash. After a career of trying to conjure images out of the gloom in Scotland, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of the light that flash can produce, when it’s modified properly. And I love sharing what I’ve learned over the years. As well as the cookie shot, below, we also made still lives featuring fruit and old tools, leaving the viewer to speculate about what the link between the two might be.
Flash is just as useful out-of-doors when we need to draw attention to the subject. With a clear dusk forecast, we headed an hour to the west and up the hill to the church at Uchon to a spot I’d recce’d a couple of months previously. This, I reckoned, would be a good place not only to photograph the Wandering Monk but to illustrate how to mix flash with daylight.
Photo by Bridget Fonteneau
The light for the monk came from a 135 cm Rotalux Softbox, positioned just out of shot, matching the direction of the setting sun. This is the time of day when softbox lighting comes into its own as the scene falls into shadow and the highlights start to dim.
Photo by Bridget Fonteneau
If you think you’d like to join us on a Chez-nous, with a programme created around what you’d like to learn about (and eat!), drop us a line. There is some information below about our winter programme.
Possibly the best cookies…on Earth
Chocolate and Raisin Oat Cookies
This recipe is inspired by a recipe from my latest Mary Berry book, and I have taken the liberty of tweaking the original recipe slightly by adding raisins and a dash of cinnamon. They are really easy to make and are truly delicious. You can also freeze them baked or unbaked- it’s nice to have a batch ready to go for unexpected visitors. This recipe makes about 30 cookies: two days’ supply if Niall is working outside.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6 and line 2 or 3 big baking trays with baking paper, and set aside.
You will need:
Butter ~ 150g (5oz)
Golden syrup ~ 125g (4.5oz)
Plain flour ~ 125g (4.5oz)
Cocoa powder ~ 25g (1oz)
Porridge oats ~ 175g (6oz)
Light muscovado sugar ~ 75g (3oz)
Bicarbonate of soda ~ 1 level teaspoon
Dark chocolate chips ~ 115g (4oz) (you can use a bar of chocolate and finely chop to small pieces)
Raisins ~ 115g (40z) (sultanas or cranberries are good too)
Cinnamon ~ a good pinch.
And to make them…
Melt the butter and golden syrup gently in a large pan over a medium heat. Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, cocoa powder, oats, sugar, raisins and bicarbonate of soda. Mix the ingredients well with a wooden spoon and leave them to cool.
Once the mixture has cooled, add the chocolate chips and mix once more. This means that the chocolate chips will melt slowly in the oven rather than in the mixture when it’s still warm.
Divide the mixture into 30 equal pieces and then roll each one into a ball. Put the balls onto the prepared baking trays and flatten slightly with your hand (remember to leave enough space for spreading whilst they are baking.)
Bake in the pre-heated oven for between 12-15 minutes, until just firm to touch.
Leave on the baking trays to cool for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
And that’s the recipe for cookie heaven! You can experiment with different origin chocolates for subtle refinements to the intensity of the flavour. But it’s the dried fruit that really makes the difference from the original.
Enjoy on your next coffee break.😊
Charlotte x
Chez-nous Retreats this winter
Welcome to Les Saumais, our cozy home in the Burgundy countryside and your venue for a week of photography, books, discussion, relaxation and good food.
We have these weeks available this winter:
December: 12-19
January: 16-23, 24-31
February: 2-9
March (which is almost spring here…) 2-9, 29 - 4 April
Let’s have a Zoom call so we can figure out what we can do for you.
Alongside our work later in 2026 for Light and Land, we have our own offers in the first half of the year. We have the numbers we need to run Coll and Lunga now but there are still a couple of places we can make available. We’re happy to have a chat with you about this or any of our other Retreats before you book.
At the backend of next year we will be doing some work for Light and Land so check out their site to see what appeals.
Have a look, too, at our Slovenian Retreat with Santa Fe Workshops. Click on the pictures below to view the brochures. We’re not planning to be idle!
Our 2026 Chez-nous brochures are out. If you want to progress your photography - and be treated like kings and queens - there really is nothing else like it. Let’s have a Zoom call to see what we can do for you.
Bonus footage: Fenrir’s lair
I started this MENUette in a minor key and I’m afraid it hasn’t yet resolved into a major one. This image from the north west Highlands of Scotland shows the view from the Bealach na Bà, looking down the Allt a’ Chumhaing burn with the summit of Meall Gorm lost in the clouds. Beyond is Kishorn and the sea, and above the clouds, no doubt, blue sky. But here and now, in this space, is a vision of desolation, perhaps even a forsaking of hope.
The question is: is that really the foot of the mountain, or the foot of a giant and terrible wolf? No wonder the northern realms (such as Iceland, below) are such fertile grounds for the active imagination.
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Many thanks,
Our best wishes, Charlotte and Niall
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