'At Winter's Edge...' - Tote Bag

‘At Winter’s Edge, the Path Least Trod Led to a New View - a New Beginning’ Château de Lalande, France 2025 Watercolour Several years ago, I like many others, became hooked on watching 'Escape to the Château' with Dick and Angel Strawbridge. After some time, I was delighted to discover the spin-off series 'Escape to the Château DIY'. This new series saw the Strawbridge's connecting with other château owners in France. Among these was Stephanie Jarvis - an effervescent trained opera singer - now owner of Château de Lalande. She and her delightful family and friends quickly became a favourite of mine - and indeed many others. During 2020 amidst lockdowns, Stephanie - with her 'not to be beaten' attitude - started her own YouTube channel which has grown to become one of the most popular channels in this genre and has inspired many others to follow suit. I have followed Stephanie's journey ever since. Several times a week, while eating breakfast or lunch, I'll tune in to see what antics, projects and dramas are occurring at Château de Lalande and beyond. In February, 2025, Stephanie received news (while out of the country) that there was a massive leak in the ceiling of the main kitchen. Upon arriving home it was a huge shock to see how much damage had been done and to discover that the entire kitchen needed to be redone to make things safer. To clear her head, she went for a walk with her beloved dog Galahad along a path that had only recently been cleared - leading to the edge of the property. Stephanie remarked feeling better for the walk and delighted to show viewers a new view that had not been seen before. For some time, I had it in my mind to send some kind of artistic gift to Stephanie to celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday. She and I were born in the same year. As soon as I saw this beautiful 'new view' I leapt to take a screen-shot on my iPad, thinking it would make a stunning gift if I were to paint the view. I was battling with a cold that week, so had a bit more time on my hands than usual, and within the space of a week, completed a watercolour painting to gift to Stephanie. Knowing how much she loves yellow and blue, I pushed these colours a little further to create a delicate sparkling landscape. I sincerely feel that this is one of the most beautiful paintings I have done to date. The title captures the sense of the trial that led to something new. And weeks on, a new kitchen is in the works and that smile Stephanie is so well known for is beaming again as a new chapter begins.​​​​​​