We are in a suburb north west of Paris where our friends are hosting a 70th party. The Mairie stands proud in the square. To one side the church, dedicated to St Clothilde built in the 12th Century, with stained glass windows reflecting the sunshine.

We sat at the Tabac on the corner of the square for a beautifully presented cup of tea and admired the many roses in our walks around the village.

We shall be celebrating our friends 70th in Maison Andre Derain.

The house known as Maison André Derain (formerly called La Roseraie) is a mansion built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and renovated in the 19th century. Its one of the oldest houses in the village. The painter André Derain, a master of Fauvism, bought the property on 23 July 1935.

The artist lived here with his family until his death, on 8 September 1954. Alice, his wife, died here on 20 July 1975, at the age of 91. The artist’s niece, Geneviève Taillade, who was one of his favourite models, continued to live here for a further 12 years or so. Many artists were invited as friends to La Roseraie: Georges Braque, Balthus, André Dignimont, Alberto Giacometti, among others.