Rodney Trotter after going skateboarding with the Groovy Gang.

I just stumbled upon a classic episode of the TV series Only Fools And Horses. It’s the one where Del Boy, Rodney and Cassandra win a holiday to Spain after Del sends one of Rodney’s old school paintings into a cereal competition.

This series still stands up and I’m still laughing out loud watching it.

They truly don’t make them quite like this anymore.

A Beggar Woman 1861 Painting by Hugues Merle

A Beggar Woman by Hugues Merle

A Beggar Woman by Hugues Merle

Taken by myself at the musée d’Orsay in Paris

During our trip to Paris a few years ago, my girlfriend and I visited a fair number of art galleries. Although I saw a lot of paintings that stood out to me, this one — A Beggar Woman by Hugues Merle — was one that grabbed me the most.

I’m not even sure what it is about it that spoke to me. I just found myself imagining stories within the world this woman lived in.