Eco Wooden House for Sale or Rent in the Alpujarras, Southern Spain

This wonderful property in Andalucia is ideal for nature lovers, walkers, birdwatchers, artists, writers, young people - those interested in green issues.

Stunning views looking out over the river and snow capped mountains beyond.

A 55 square metre wooden house with four big solar panels with olives, almond and fig trees. A magnificent view of the mountains and river below.

Located in the foothills of the Alpujarras in Southern Spain.

An ancient water channel built by the Moors runs just below the house. There is broadband internet connection.

This property is just one hour inland from Granada, and the local community is very friendly and supportive.

The nearest village is Torviscon, 10 minutes drive away. The property is very tastefully laid out inside, there is an open plan kitchen/living room/studio

Broadband internet is available.

This property is for rent or sale.

A Country House in Gorge d'Aveyron – the Ideal South West France Holiday Retreat

This secluded country house in Gorge d’Aveyron with pool is surrounded by its own eight acre patch of natural parkland and is a must for nature lovers.

It is set high up in the rugged plateau landscape of SW France and although in the heart of the countryside it is only a 15 minute drive to medieval Saint Antonin Noble Val with its famous Sunday market and Gorge d’Aveyron, popular for swimming and canoeing.

The delightful former "bergerie" has been transformed into a spacious and comfortable single-storey house with immediate access to nature.

Igue Que Ratzo in Occitan means "the watering hole that flows" and is named from a spring or source "just off the grounds".

The land immediately surrounding the house and pool has been sensitively landscaped with shrubs, flowerbeds and a little water feature pool/cascade – very popular with tiny tots!

There is an enchanted wood on the property with magical walkways and shaded glens.

Wild deer often come to visit here and 35 different species of butterflies and moths have been spotted on the lavender bushes. The whole merges seamlessly into the indigenous Oak, Juniper and multitude of other shrubs that make the "garrige" of SW France so unique.

Igue Que Ratzo is very popular with nature lovers –walkers, artists, writers - and those seeking "time-out" from busy lives.

Far removed from the intrusion of traffic, you can enjoy the natural surrounding sounds of cicadas, nightingales in the early summer, and a host of other birds to the full.

There are no immediate neighbours, other than the English-speaking owner artist Jenni Rodger who lives in a little stone roundhouse within the grounds for the summer months.

Art tuition as an extra for adults and children is available from Jenni if required. This is very popular with parents who wish to have time for themselves as their children paint with the artist!

One of the most delightful features of the country house – Igue – is the way it opens out through large French doors from every room to give immediate access to the garden, the swimming-pool area, the shady veranda and the outside fireplace/barbecue. Surrounded by shady trees, it is never too hot - even on the hottest days.

Inspired Landscapes and Expressions of Spirit in Art

Most of us would dearly like to be able to express ourselves through some artistic medium or another.  We all have an inner soul, with thoughts and feelings that we yearn to express through some means in a way in which we can be understood.

Some use the written word as a means of conveying our thoughts and emotions.  A wide vocabulary and a fired imagination will, if we fulfil the objective we strive to achieve, create an image or inspire sentiment.

Others are blessed with the gift of music.  Whether the genre be classical, soul, ballad or rock the successful music writer will create something, whether it be in instrumental or lyrical form, that will move us to another state, be it one that is steeped in nostalgia, feelings of love, a rush of adrenalin or any of a whole host of other emotions that we all pass through at various stages of our being.

The photographer captures the magical moment for posterity.  Whilst it takes very little in the way of knowledge or training to hold a mobile telephone up to the subject and click away, the trained art in creating the ideal pose against the right background and with the light in the place we want it remains the prerogative of the professional, whose acquired expertise compliments his or her natural flair for creating the ultimate image for our optimum enjoyment.

So it is with the painter, whose talent it is to project not only the literal image as beheld by the naked eye but also the spirit of the subject and the emotions it induces to the audience. 

Those who are blessed with the ability to draw or to paint exude a trait that is unique to their kind, a sense of being at one with the tools of their trade in a way that almost absorbs them into the artist’s own personality.  A loving feel for the texture and the consistency of the crayon, a perception of colour and tone that seems so much deeper than that that the rest of us experience as we take them so much for granted.

The finished product finds itself into our homes in so many different ways, not just in the form of wall-mounted inspirational paintings but also as placemats, wallpapers, intuitive greeting card designs and so forth.  It gives character to our dwellings or workplaces that in turn speaks out about our own personalities and desires.

In an age of mass-production in the realms of music and visual entertainment it is reassuring that true art continues to inspire us as it always has done throughout the centuries.

About Rana

Rana began her career specialising in architectural portraiture back in the 1970s (jennirodger.co.uk).  This led to greeting card designs and illustrations for posters and children’s books and many commissions in the commercial field.  Her work has changed and varied considerably over the ensuing years.

In the late 80s Rana made the decision to concentrate entirely on her own personal artistic journey. There was a whole year when she spent virtually every day experimenting with texture, colour and hue.  There were days when she felt she was just making a load of mess and not getting anywhere....but as she says - where is there to get to anyway?

She was profoundly moved by a trip to Australia and when she returned she began to make her own paints from natural pigments and to experiment with different media...rolling inks onto paper and working with gesso and oil pastel.

She had rediscovered the delight and satisfaction that she had found as a small child, and as a result her paintings started to take her on a new voyage of discovery.

Rana's studio is a roundhouse built of limestone and wood high up on a plateau of South West France.