Vaucluse Dreamer

At this time of year, it would be fair to say that normally the weather is settled, calm and generally lovely . By now, we have usually set up the cushions on the old day beds, under the shade of the pergola, and have the parasols on hand, even in the early morning to shade our eyes, as we sit on the terrace having breakfast, whilst Pusscat happily snores in the sun

Yet this year, it has been totally different and although I am writing this outside on the terrace, I am wearing jeans and a fleece, and not even having to consider wearing sunglasses. It is really hard to believe that it will be May tomorrow..

It’s been incredibly unsettled since the start of the year, and even though we have had glimpses of what we would call nice spring days, they have been few and far between, quickly forgotten as the rain clouds have arrived, or the bitterly cold Mistral has started chasing us through the valley.

Don’t get me wrong. We needed the rain. The last few years have seen us experiencing droughts from the start of the year, with the ever-present risk of forest fires as the temperatures have soared during the summer months. In fact, last summer there was a fire in the woodland just up the hill from us, which really was a little too close to home.

It’s lovely to see the river Calavon running under the bridge at the bottom of the road, and water cascading from the land-drain on the side of the road too. Yet this has been to the cost of the submersible car park in Apt.

In the summer, visitors are amazed that there are signs saying not to park there at time of heavy rain, with prized spaces being those in the shade under the arches of the bridge. Yet the signs are not there in vain, as the car park has had to be resurfaced twice already this year; most recently after 12 cars were washed away by the fast flowing water, which almost seems impossible.

The good news is that the water-table levels have risen, and for the first time in a few years they are back to normal levels in the Vaucluse. The river has been in full flow under the Roman bridge at Pont Julien.

It has also led to the source of the river Sorgue at Fontaine de Vaucluse rising to spectacular levels, the water tumbling over the rocks in a noisy, frothing torrent, the like of which I haven’t seen before.

If I was to believe the legend, the Nymph that controls the source with a collection of diamonds has pulled out the seventh one, sending the water level high enough to reach the roots of the fig tree that sprouts from the cliff face. However I know that it’s actually just the sheer weight of water that has fallen from the sky, which is a much less romantic option!

The other benefit has been the lush growth and the bright spring flowers that have flourished with the cooler weather and ready supply of water. As we walk and cycle around the area, we find ourselves captured by the sheer range of greens in the landscape, with every possible shade making an appearance, which is an absolute delight.

But the rain is only one part of the unsettled weather, as the skies have cleared too, scrubbed clean by the powerful Mistral wind that brings an icy touch to the valley. The light that comes with this wind is incredible, it brings a luminosity to the valley that brightens all the colours and makes everything sparkle, as if Mother Nature has popped around with a feather duster and a spot of polish.

With the Mistral, the sky is inconceivably blue, the sort of blue that is used by children painting their idea of a summer’s day and it is spectacular.

Out of the wind it can be quite warm, lulling you into a false sense of security. We often find ourselves stripping off layers, only to quickly put them back on again the moment we come out of the shelter, as the wind sucks the heat from our bodies.

It did mean though, that our hopes of having finally put away the winter cycling kit for the year were dashed. The few, blissful days of wearing shorts were quickly forgotten, as the winter leg-warmers came out again and our jerseys were hidden under thermal, long-sleeved tops. Andy even returned to wearing his winter boots! A little video from a chilly day

But at least we were out on the bikes, planning our routes to cycle into the wind on the way out, and being happily bowled along by it on the way back. Although, one morning, I did need a sit down, a coffee and a pain au chocolat by the time we had battled our way into a fierce headwind, on the way up to Roussillon. It was always worth the effort though.

The other problem with these cobalt blue, cloudless skies is the chance of frost, which is always a worry at this time of year. Last week, we woke up on several mornings to see the cars sparkling with ice, and the flowers drooping their heads in the early-morning chill.

The last few wisteria flowers wilted and then went crisp. The last of the delicate purple flowers falling to the floor, and a couple of our early-planted tubs looked rather sad after a few frosty nights. But we got off lightly, as the farmers and wine-makers started to see the devastation caused to their crops.

Sylla (one of the big local wine producers) reported having lost 100% of this year’s vines, on parcels of land around Gargas. And as we walked and cycled, we noticed that the new growth on many of the local vines had turned brown and died in the frost, devastating the year’s work and the future harvest

Near Saint Saturnin, we passed huge bales of straw smouldering at the end of the vines, in an effort to keep the worst of the chill away. I can only hope the efforts were a success.

But there have been benefits too…

The spring flowers have been glorious, with the verges dotted with almost every colour of the rainbow for much longer than we have seen before….

The Judas Trees have seemed brighter and appeared to bloom earlier than normal too…

And the irises have flourished, with banks of the beautiful purple flowers making me smile.

There will hopefully be a future pay-off too, as the figs trees are groaning with fruits that are already the size of small apples. With such a ready supply of water, I am sure they will be juicy and full of flavour once they ripen in a couple of months time.

As I finish this post, I’ve moved inside as the rain has started to fall again. The start of May is looking wet and unsettled too, which really won’t impress Pusscat, who looks at us with total disdain if we Can’t find a door where it’s sunny outside

But we’ll keep everything crossed that it starts to settle soon …