The beauty of receiving guests at our 1739 Bressane maison is that very often there is an unanticipated, but pleasant bonus factor included with their arrival.

In the past, we have had the pleasure of receiving classic vehicles of certain marques. In one instance, for example, Triumphs somewhat older (and in much better condition) than our own dear ‘old lady’ (a 1970 Triumph Herald). And of course, when these ladies reach a ‘certain’ age . . . the term ‘historic’ can be also be applied.

They are hugely admired by us, we being fans of all ‘classics’ modern and old, whether in daily use, in need of a little love and attention or in pristine condition and as original, or having been restored (or - as in the case of our own Herald which has faithfully seen us through the last Bressane Winter with an exceptional temperature as low as -17C on one occasion – now requiring more than a little TLC!).

In the case of the arrival of a couple from the Home Counties who recently visited us – ‘us’ being Catherine and Colin Winn running painting and regional discovery holiday breaks in East Burgundy, France, there was little doubt that we had received yet another delightful bonus.

My painting guests delivered themselves in considerable style – in a ‘modern classic’; a beautiful dark green supercharged Jaguar XKR cabriolet . . . top down . . . properly ‘air-conditioned’ - just as soft-top enthusiasts would have it, for the beautiful weather we experienced.

As a person predominantly concerned with all things visual, Jaguars have always held a place close to my own heart – for me, the older types are the ‘Spitfires’ (the aircraft) of the road, whilst coming up to date with the likes of the XKR, they seem to me to be the earth-bound equivalents of the Concordes of this world (by this, I don’t mean they should be taken out of service and confined to Museums . . . merely that their design lines are so beautiful!).

I remember reading somewhere that the original E-Type was designed by an aeronautic engineer whose name I now forget (probably an R.J. Mitchell fan?!) and so there is no surprise that the lineage has tended to follow the supremely elegant lines.

The incredibly smooth, low throb of the XKR’s V8 engine was quite something to behold and I believe the owner implicitly in his (perhaps understated?) description of its acceleration performance capabilities! However, she looked just as serene at low speeds, cosily pulling into and out of our drive to and from the adjacent narrow rural lane.

There was somehow a strange symmetry between her own elegance, and the traditional timber framing of our own maison when she was parked immediately in front of the house and I am still trying to put my finger on exactly why the two went together so well!

All I know is that we were very happy to have received our visitors and thank them enormously for having delighted us with their own cultured presence and for giving us the added pleasure of being able to hugely admire their Jaguar – a real ‘modern classic’ (to use an oxymoron) from very close quarters. She’s left a definite gap in the parking space with her name, “Jessica” on it !

You are more than welcome to drive or fly/drive to “Les Lavandes”, near to Savigny en Revermont, East Burgundy in any vehicle you wish!

However, why not take your ‘classic’ old or new for a well-earned run? Who knows, maybe we’ll even do some painting, sketching or drawing based on the marque you bring?!

Why not visit their web site and see details about other ‘classic’ car visitors, the activities you can undertake and delights you can discover in their region?
Find it here: www.pictureburgundy.com

Colin & Catherine Winn can be also be contacted at: info@pictureburgundy.com
Or telephone: 00 33 385 74 45 35
They are occasional ‘Skype’ users: Colin G. Winn.