I like cool life: Saumur, France 法國索米爾，幸運地遇到石雕塑的好老師。

Fortunately coming across an excellent stone sculpture teacher at Saumur, France

It took me about three hours to drive from Mont St. Michel to Saumur. I stayed at a guesthouses ABACA Lodge. The host happened to be a stone sculptor Pierre Nouri. He lived with his wife and kept a cat of a very special kind. Similar to most French families today their children left to pursue their own careers when grown up. And the rooms vacant behind were transformed into rooms for guests. They started to run the guesthouse after some renovations to meet the required standard of guesthouses in France.

Only after meeting the host did I know he was a stone sculptor. He had a work shop beside the guesthouse for producing his works and teaching students. He recommended me an exhibition centre Pierre et Lumière. There he was the instructor and had his masterpieces displayed in the main hall. All his guests going to the exhibition centre would be given a special discount on admission fees.

由Mont St-Michel出發到Saumur索米爾，行駛高速約3個鐘車程。入住民宿ABACA lodge, 主人是一位石雕塑家Pierre Nouri，除了他和他的太太居住，還養了一隻很特別品種的貓。現今一般法國家庭，當子女長大了，搬離父母住所出外闖，家裡多出的房間便改為招呼客人，成為民宿。當然房間要經過修飾和合乎法國民宿標準才能開業。

今次入住後才知道主人是位石雕塑家，民宿旁設有工作室，用在日常教學和製作雕塑。
Pierre Nouri 推介當地一間展覧館Pierre et Lumière，原來他是幫這展館教學，亦有他的作品放在展覧廳大堂。所以他的客人參觀會有優惠，憑他給我的入場劵有折。

教會、村莊、城鎮和城堡的全景雕刻

Sculptures of churches, villages, towns and castles

Tours Cathédrale Saint-Gatien 的石雕

Stone sculpture of Tours Cathédrale Saint-Gatien

Tours Cathédrale Saint-Gatien

Inside the centre churches, villages, towns and castles were displayed as the main themes.

館內作品以教堂、村莊、城鎮和城堡為主題。

Angers
St Georges des 7 voies
Le Thoureil
Cunault
Trèves
Chênehutte les Tuffeaux
St Hilaire, St Florent
Vieil Baugé
Saumur
Pontigné
Montsoreau
Fontevraud
Bourgueil
Candes
Restigné
Chinon
Tours
Amboise

Among all these Tours' Cathédrale Saint-Gatien was the signature masterpiece.

They were miniatures of the actual images, delicately and exquisitely carved out, including the tiny spectators in the plazas. Under the gentle lighting the strata appearance was brought up. The drawings on windows and carvings on walls of the churches were clearly portrayed.

Tours 圖爾的Cathédrale Saint-Gatien聖加蒂安大教堂是其中振館之作。
其精細度和實景建築物很相像，而廣場上的群眾雕塑得很細緻。

Vieil-Baugé l'église

燈光下的石雕更有層次感，每個窗花和教堂上的特別之處也刻畫得一模一樣。

Vieil-Baugé l'église

Vieil-Baugé l'église 石雕近

Vieil-Baugé l'église

由Mont-St-Michel 行高速至Saumur, 也要3個鐘之久！

From Mont-Saint-Michel to Saumur along the highway is a three-hour driving distance

從民宿网上下載的相片，ABACA lodge的房間，很舒適而房內竟然有琴。
Chambre d'hôte, ABACA lodge. Photo par Pierre Nouri
The photo from the website of the guesthouse ABACA Lodge shows
the room is a very comfortable one with a piano

After seeing the exhibition I returned to the guesthouses. But Mr. Pierre Nouri asked me to go there once again. He wanted to tell me how the sculptures were processed and produced. What an eager and ethical teacher he was!

Once reaching the exhibition centre he led me to see his works. At the same time he taught me how to work out the proportions between the actual architectures and the sculptures, and how to observe the relationship among the various objects and how to depend on pacing and length of the leg for calculations.

In his workshop he demonstrated the production of the basic materials by hand as well as the expected hand work. Specially he introduced the use of natural calcium rock materials for making the models. The natural rocks were ground into colorful grains of different calibres to yield different effects. They were natural and their colors would be everlasting. He also showed me how to produce color materials by grinding glass bottles. He kept reminding me of all the details about the sculpture process and correct attitude of the sculptor. I did learn a great deal! He did not mind my humble background and was so kind and generous !

我參觀完展館便返回民宿，Pierre Nouri先生仍想再和我去多一次，希望講解製作雕塑過程，很有教學熱誠的老師！

去到展館，帶我參觀他的作品，教我如何計算實際建築物和雕塑模型的比例。如何注意四週邊的建築物之間互相的比例和關係，用腳的長度如何量度等等。

在他的教室亦示範了製作雕塑的應有手勢和顏料是如何手製。特別介紹的是用天然的鈣華石製作模型，用的天然石磨成不同顏料，有不同的粗幼便有不同效果，因為是天然所以便不脫色。用玻璃罇磨顏料，都是他親自示範給我看。雕刻時注意的細節和處理態度，都使我獲益良多。我很多謝他有教無類。

Another story
The first Frenchman I taught tai ji quan

When we were having our last breakfast in the guesthouse my sculpture teacher suddenly asked me if I could teach him and his wife some tai ji quan. I wondered why they thought I knew how to play tai ji quan.
Actually to most foreigners tai ji, so outstanding a Chinese cultural wholesome exercise, is taken for granted a kind of common knowledge among all Chinese people.
Luckily, since I was a little girl my father, who happens to be a tai ji quan teacher of high esteem, started instructed me on this martial art. I still can master it to a certain extent.

As his wife had been suffering from some eye ailments I suggested she do more eye exercises. And the tai ji quan I taught them was the most basic forms easy to remember, including the 'Starting Form' and 'Cloud Hands'. Only intent concentration to couple with the rhythms of breathing could bring expected good result. I sincerely hope they will grasp the idea correctly and be truly benefited from the practice.

小插曲－
我教第一個法國人學太極拳
這位石雕老師在我留宿的最後一個早餐，突然問我可否教他和他太太一些太極拳。我問他為何覺得我會懂太極拳呢？原來在他心目中，太極是中國傳統武術之一，亦聞名於世的養生健體獨特文化，是普及全中國人社會的運動。
幸好我真的自小跟爸爸學習太極，不懂多也知少吧。

因他太太的眼睛不太好，我叫她做多些眼部運動，而我教他們的太極亦是最基本而最容易記的"太極起式"和"雲手"。意念修煉配合呼吸才能收效，希望他領匯和對他們有益。

石雕塑家Pierre Nouri和他的愛貓
Stone sculptor Pierre Nouri and his beloved cat

看看牠的表情多神氣
Look, how proud it is!

為愛貓特別做的遊戲柱

Pierre Nouri的示範
Pierre Nouri is demonstrating his art

展示櫃頂的玻璃罇內，放了天然石磨成的顏料。
In the glass bottles in the exhibition chest are the ground colorful rock materials

用鈣華石製作模型，盧瓦爾河的高山峽谷，是Pierre Nouri的作品。
The castle in the high mountain valley is a masterpiece of Pierre Nouri made from calcite material

大堂放了Candes-St-Martin 表現結構上的石雕，是結構上有難度的建築物。
In the main hall is placed Candes-St-Martin's stone sculpture displaying an architecture with high degree of structural difficulties

Pierre Nouri帶我去Candes-St-Martin實地觀察，
看看建築物的結構有多難度。
Pierre Nouri takes me to Candes-St-Martin
to appreciate the actual architectures
there and their intricate structure