If this blog has been rather quite of late, my apologies. That does not mean there has not been progress behind the scene; there has been lots. Meaning there is a lot of news, information and with a bit of luck some very nice surprises to come in 2016. My landscape painting year has started with a beautiful inspiring evening… just as well I have a lot of ‘wine village’ paintings planned, to paint in the first half of this year so it’s fair to say there are some adventures and surprises fermenting. This picture was a birthday surprise for my new friend Francoise, presented at his birthday party yesterday evening. This petit, rapidly made water colour measures 80 x 30 cms (7″ x 5″) , birthday card and gift all in one, (very economic).
Francoise, a poet, accomplished amateur painter, philosopher and self confessed Roman Catholic is very interested in ‘religions’ hence my choice of subject for his ‘surprise’.
The scene shows the site of the ancient city of David with the Turkish walls of old Jerusalem in the back ground. Jerusalem does not look much like that today.
This is how I remember and painted it from my first visit way back in 1984.
Israel had developed miraculously.
Today Jerusalem is no longer surrounded by waste land, it lives again,
Francoise birthday party evening organised by Mutual friends passed all to quickly.
Dinner was Mexican cuisine, less surprisingly the wines were French.
The Musique after soon became noisy, International, guitars skillfully played so you could have sung along some of the time, no problem. 
All agreed we must get together again soon, a bientot; wish you were here…
Merci mes amis ce la vie, vive la France.
