The most interesting parts of the scene were the two pine trees and the hundred-year-old oak in the foreground, with the stone hut right in the middle, a shelter probably once used for keeping animals – rabbits or hens, or tools perhaps. Since the beginning of the afternoon the sun had crept behind the dense foliage of the oak tree, so Lise could paint on the balcony without even needing an umbrella. She was lost in shadow, hidden at the heart of an ocean of light. Franck had been asleep downstairs for over an hour, but she could tell he had just woken up. The shutter squealed as it opened again, and then, having barely moved for an hour, the dog sat up and started stretching and yapping, and ran around barking. He could probably see Franck moving in the living room as he prepared to go outside.