Vaucluse Dreamer

It’s hard to believe that we’ve rolled into yet another year, and once again it’s been a very gentle start for us. Our youngest son stayed over Christmas and we spent a delightful time together, watching the rugby at Toulon

And having a final night together in Antibes, before dropping him back at the airport to fly home.

We’re not party animals, and for many reasons, we’re not great lovers of New Year’s Eve. In fact, you’ll generally find us behind closed shutters, in front of a blazing fire, in bed & asleep by 10pm. Some will think us kill-joys for not joining in with the celebrations, cheering with delight as the clock chimes midnight, and linking arms to sing a drunken rendition of Auld Lang Syne. But it’s just not us, and we find our approach has so many benefits (beyond starting the New Year with a sore head and a hangover.)

We are always at our happiest, celebrating the New Year by watching the first sunrise, marvelling at the peace and beauty of the start of a new day. Last year, we drove up to the Foret Des Cedres, and sat on a rocky outcrop watching the colours shift on Mont Ventoux, as the sun rose behind us. It was a beautiful sight, despite the clouds and we watched a sea of mist flow through the valley below us, as we drank our coffee & munched on croissants. Dawn on 2024

This year, we chatted about where to go. We discussed pottering out to Gordes, perhaps even heading up to Mont Ventoux, but decided to go back up to the Foret Des Cedres and to find a spot, where we would be able to look towards Aix and watch the rising sun.

A quick check showed sunrise to be at 8.13am, but we know only too well that the hour before that is always the most beautiful, so we were on our way by 6.30 and had found a perfect spot by 7. As we found a place to park, there was the first glow of dawn, tinting the sky with shades of orange and turquoise as day started to chase the darkness away.

We made our coffee & stood watching the colours brighten with the coming sun.

An incredible peace comes with dawn; a peace so intense that it seems almost overwhelming. Even the birds seemed to think twice before starting to sing, with just the occasional coo of a pigeon breaking the silence, before the blackbirds and robins felt confident enough to join in.

As the sky brightened further, the hills in front of us started to appear, blocks of black becoming subtle layers of grey, further defined by the tendrils of mist that flowed between them, like water. It was a magical sight, and we stood absorbed by it, lost in our thoughts of what this year will bring.

The sky continued to change, turning from shades of burnt orange to apricot and gold, the vapour trails from jets adding flashes of candyfloss pink to the morning, all before we caught the first sight of the sun.

There is an odd time, just before the sun finally appears on the horizon, when the temperature drops significantly and everything quietens again. It is as if the coming sun pulls every bit of energy towards it, just to help it on its way. We had been quite warm, but all of a sudden we pulled our zips right up, wrapped our scarves around our necks and popped gloves on, against that early morning chill.

We weren’t too sure where the sun would rise, even wondering if it would come up, hidden behind the Mourre Negre, but all of a sudden there was a slice of fire in the distance and the sun came into view, rising directly in front of us.

It was a spectacular sight and as the first rays of the new day made our faces glow, we felt as if 2025 had finally arrived.

We watched the sun clear the hills

Tinting the summit of Mont Ventoux, behind us…

Before hopping back in the car, and heading home for breakfast. Watch the morning Here

Once again, it proved the perfect way to start the New Year, and we spent the whole time chatting about our plans for the months ahead. Last year, we had lots of plans, but life switched backwards and forwards, scuppering them, but leaving us free to make others. At the start of the year, we had no idea that we would spend a couple of weeks Cycling across Spain. So sometimes changes are really positive.

We are great believers that what we do isn’t necessarily about adding years to our life, but more about adding life to our years. In fact, the older we get, the more we want to do, and hopefully what we have planned for this year will take us in new directions, and open up some incredible new experiences.

As I’m writing this, Andy is researching bikes and camping equipment, as we want to cycle back home through France, after visiting the UK in the summer. We did it for the first time 2 years ago, and now we are keen to follow a different route, camping on the way, but being free to have a few stops in accommodation, as and when we feel we want it. In fact, he has literally just ordered a lightweight tent, so we’re one step closer to it happening! We now just need to buy new bikes to carry it all, as ours are great for simple bike-packing, but we will need ones that are capable of carrying panniers, and a bit more weight.

Any excuse to buy a new bike is always welcome!

Then, at the end of September we will travel to Japan, having booked a camper van for 6 weeks to explore this incredible country. We aren’t aiming to spend time in the cities, but want to get off the beaten track, taking our bikes and walking shoes to explore the quieter parts of the country, immersing ourself in the life and culture, which is so different to anything we have experienced before.

With everything that is due to happen before and between these trips, I have a feeling we’ll be staring 2026 in the face, before we know it. But for now, we’ll carry on planning, spending our time poring over maps and looking forward to what promises to be quite an exciting year.

I hope you will enjoy it too.