But I gazed long and raptly at the wonderful textures of spongy grass, dully reflective flagstones, and dreaming concrete.

NEWYORKER: Flashes of Light

If you have a taste for adventure, however, hiking the old weather-beaten flagstones that link up the remote villages is an intriguing option.

BBC: Rural adventures in China��s backcountry

When you opened that door, you were in the dining room, a place of giant flagstones and wormholed beams half buried in the plaster.

NEWYORKER: Hand on the Shoulder

At the Villa Gallici, a four-star hotel in Aix-en-Provence, a maid spritzes the flagstones and rugs in the lobby with essence of lavender each morning, to insure the appropriate ambience.

NEWYORKER: Man Behind the Curtain

Whiplike cords of mint raced across the flagstones.

NPR: Garden in a Glass: Herbal Teas, Lavender Martinis

The ideas may be fresh, but both pubs have retained their rustic character: flagstones on the floor, rough beams, a crackling fire in the grate and, most importantly of all, a passionately loyal local clientele.

BBC: The perfect trip: The Lake District

The soldier running in the distance, the graffiti on the crash barrier (something Graham did not see until in the darkroom), the broken lights, the posters placed high on the lamp posts and the flagstones removed from the kerb.

BBC: Paul Graham: Photographs 1981-2006