Nothing too chic

A short ride today .. just to keep the legs in .. as they say! So within 5km of starting we had stopped for coffee and croissant and that is unusual ...usually we have covered 20km before we even think about stopping .. and it was downhill to Verteillac and Luc's bar ... This whole square has been significantly renovated in the last two years (or is it three) and the pavements have been widened such that Luc now has an extensive outdoor area and lots of pot plants. The trees that you see are all newly planted replacing old ones that were removed as part of the new look. It must have all cost a fortune - heaven knows where the money came from (well us no doubt) ... But it does all look very smart, but you never really get 'chic' in rural France ...I remember a neighbour saying we were the talk of the local village because we had had our curtains tailor made ... that house style and furnishings are something that just does not enter the conversation ... so bright brash flowers are the norm: the inevitable geraniums .. So when I saw this pic and I was experimenting with 'fill flash' (another term I discovered from Mr A as I was trying to get both the flowers and the background visible). And not only that but he discovered that on this compact powershot I can vary the intensity of the fill flash.. (I have only had this camera for 5 years and the things I don't know about it could fill more than the camera manual). So fill flash it is at -1 ... but the flowers still looked garish and not quite in focus.. but you know that is how they are .. so that is how this is...