By the start of November our little place was in a state of chaos in readiness for the work to start. The rooms were piled high with relocated furniture & building supplies and Andy had laid new Travertine floors throughout the 2 main spaces upstairs that would become the new bedrooms and bathrooms. This was…
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Time for the transformation to begin
Firstly I have to start with an apology – the last few months have been rather chaotic with one thing and another and I find that this really is the first time I’ve been able to sit and write about our little half-life in France for quite some time. It’s probably best if I start…
The Pleasure and Pain of cycling to a Brocante Market
As you have probably gathered by now we tend to enjoy spending our time in France cycling, visiting brocante market & vide greniers and drinking coffee, with the days passing by in a blur and us inevitably falling into bed each evening tired and satisfied after the day’s activities. There are certainly worse ways of…
Let the renovation begin….
It’s well over 2 years now since we finally picked up the keys and opened the door to our little house in Provence after so many years of dreaming about it. We couldn’t afford a perfect house with elegant gardens and a pretty pool and always knew that our little place would need a bit…
A visit to Sault on Market Day
The pretty town of Sault sits on a rocky outcrop to the South East of Mont Ventoux and is at the heart of local lavender production. It sits above the valley that takes its name and the shaded Promenade opposite the Tourist Office on the road towards Aurel offers incredible views across the Southern flank…
Purple Provence – Where to see Lavender in the Vaucluse.
It’s this time of year that Provence turns purple when the Lavender fields start to explode with colour and the air fills with scent as the flowerheads gently brush against each other in the breeze. The air above them seems to shimmer with the colour and the constant buzz of bees and insects is a…
Brexit – 2 years on
It’s a fact of life isn’t it that you recall where you were when you first heard about a major event – I was in the cloakroom at school when I heard John Lennon had been shot; in the car driving to the Supermarket when I heard about Princess Diana’s death and then drinking tea…
The incredible gardens at Valsaintes Abbey
I have always loved gardens, although I have to admit to not being a great gardener myself. A summer garden with deep herbaceous borders, filled with the scent and colour of roses is always a delight and we have some delightful ones around us in the UK, such as this one at Coombe Trenchard just…
Poppies & Cherries – Provence has turned red.
Having arrived back in Provence a few of days ago I’ve been really surprised at how much things have changed in the last 5 weeks. First, and probably the biggest surprise, is that everything is looking incredibly lush and green. This a such a stark contrast to the bleached colours and dry fields and verges…
The sad tale of the beautiful Judas Tree
Over the years we have visited Provence in just about every month, but until we bought the house we hadn’t visited in April, which to be honest looking back on it now, was rather an oversight. In April the countryside simply explodes with colour as the wild flowers start to bloom, bringing the landscape back…
