A few weeks ago, when I was back in the UK and Andy was in France he did a ride that he was particularly excited about. He told me about it and yes it sounded lovely, until he said it was about 110km and had nearly 1500 metres of climbing. At that point I was…
Tag: provence
When the day doesn’t go as planned……
I had yesterday planned out in my mind and very lovely it was going to be too…. An early start, with my silver-buying head on, to go to the Deballage (Unwrapping) at Avignon. This is a regular event run for professionals only to buy from dealers and I had finally got the necessary paperwork to…
Settling in after a few weeks away…..
Time is a very strange thing indeed, I have been back in the UK for less than 4 weeks and although the time has flown by, it feels as if I have been away from France for so much longer. I am sure there is some psychological explanation for this, but I wouldn’t have any…
An afternoon at The Thermal Spa in Montbrun Les Bains
Sometimes it takes me a while to get round to doing something and this week I finally decided I would go and try out the Spa at Montbrun Les Bains. I say finally as our lovely neighbour had mentioned it to me 3 years ago, just after we bought the house, saying it was a…
The sweet shift of summer towards autumn….
Bizarrely we sense and feel the changing seasons more in Provence than we do in Devon. Back in Exeter the proximity to the sea seems to soften the edges of summer as it shifts into autumn and likewise, autumn into winter. That’s not the case here and today it was almost as if someone had…
Back to Provence…. Day 1… Exeter to Paris via Portobello Road Market
I honestly thought we’d tried all possible options to get back to Provence, but it appears now that we may have found another route that is a bit bonkers, but seems (so far) to have been quite fun. This time we have incorporated a couple of market visits into the trip, which has not only…
Chasing the dawn on Mont Ventoux
A few years ago, if Andy had suggested watching the sunrise from the summit of Mont Ventoux, I would have worked out how long it would take us to drive there, set an alarm and enjoyed the drive across and up the mountain. But that was a few years ago and things change. So a…
Perfectly Cool Day By The River… Happy, Soggy Doggy
Whenever we come down to Provence for a prolonged period we always bring the animals with us.It’s a Dog’s Life in Provence Happily Pusscat immediately adapts to life here, switching from being a Devonian cat to a full-blown Provencal resident, spending her days chasing Lizards and Grasshoppers or stretching out in the shade under one…
Market Day in Banon
Sometimes the best laid plans have to be cast aside and that was the case last Tuesday. After taking the dog for an early-morning walk and getting everything ready for a cycle out to Roussillon for breakfast, we started to get the bikes out, only to hear the rumble of thunder coming from the valley…
Meandering around Menerbes
We often find ourselves sitting on the wall on the front edge of the pretty village of Menerbes, whilst we’re out exploring the area on our bikes. Like so many of the hilltop villages here it has an incredible view that stretches as far as Mont Ventoux, and we spend time just sitting and watching…
