The air is hot and is shaking my hand, pumping it like a madman. And yet I hesitate before taking shelter, sweetened by the prospect of a wide-open view.
A little shade gives respite despite the whistling that sings in my ears…
…with the clarity of the church bell ringing from Crillon-le-Brave.
I sit in the dust under an unripe fig tree, knowing that the wasps have yet to mate in their magic…
…and let my vision be torn between the insisting cypresses pointing heavenwards…
…and the light shorn details pulling down…
…to settle in this in-between where the olive trees whip in the winds that circle hawk-like under the Mount Ventoux. It strips me back to the bone – this beauty, this softened wilderness, kind.
Thank you Meredith, coming from you…*takes a little curtsy* And oh my, this must be your busy, busy season. Bon Courage and France is waiting for you whenever you want… 🙂
My happy place! (I'm way behind on my blog reading, Heather, but I'm glad I made it back to this post. I needed this dose of light and sunshine.) I also adore the final photo – just lovely.
Merci Elizabeth. How I would love to make it to Australia one day…just to see even part of it…
xo
There is an untamed wildness around this pocket of Provence which reminds me of Australia. The first and only time we were caught in the mistral near Mount Ventoux was indeed an unexpected experience. Warm regards.
Oooh…the TRADE Winds! I don't even really know what they are but that sounds so exciting. Time to ship off into a new adventure???
I prefer the rain to the wind…
I agree Edgar. Happy to be here for another Spring…
Most of the time, the Mistral is not nearly as crazy-making as the Santa Ana's but when a particularly mean and scratchy one comes along, look out!
Oh! On one visit to the Bretagne coast when we lived in Paris, I had to hold onto the rocks for dear life! But how I do love "strangely difficult magic. " 🙂
Ahhhh, merci! 🙂 Mais franchement, c'est n'importe quoi cette année! Je suis certain que cette été va etre super chaud…boooohhhh!!!!
It is always a magic combination it is true…
It was so good that I did it again today. 🙂
this sounds like a perfect way to spend a sunday afternoon Heather….tucked up quietly with tea and a stack of good books….heaven….
Mean Mistral. The wind and I are not usually on good terms. Of all the winds I have known, the only ones that I have truly welcomed and loved were the Trade Winds.
The wind seems to make life exciting in the beautiful pastoral setting with the benevolent Mt. Ventoux not so far away.
The church spire and the figs complement each other.
It's May, a time for celebration.
Santa Ana winds here, dry, hot, coursing along miles of pavement… I just want to say the Mistral has never looked lovelier
Ah, the Mistral. Something we are lucky to avoid in our part of France, though the winds from the Atlantic work their own strangely difficult magic, and even havoc, at times. What a beautiful post.
Oh my, is the air already hot chez vous? Est-ce que l'année a déja tellement avancée? Though the heat can sometimes become oppresive in your region this sounds too sweet to me. As well as your soul-soothing poetry which makes us forget the force and rigor of the Mistral.
When I'm midst the grape fields and cypresses, all I can do is repeat over and over, "I love this place!"
Hello my dear Jane and Lance!
While these photos were taken some time ago, the Mistral wind is acting exactly the same today and it is a mean one. No wonder they say that it can drive folks mad. So I am staying in despite the sun and imagine that you both are tucked up quietly with tea and a stack of good books. What a fantastic way to spend the weekend. Oh! And especially is there is some lovely music playing quietly in the background and the prospect of friends dropping by later (for you two, I have my furry companions).
Wishing you a lovely weekend as well,
Heather
Hello Heather:
There is indeed a kind of wildness about this landscape, particularly so with the image of the olive trees standing amongst the whipped brown grasses which do themselves suggest the prairie, and yet it is not, or so we believe, alien in any way.
How wonderful, Heather, to feel that warmth which here we knew a few days back but has, for what is a holiday weekend, been replaced with grey skies, a cool breeze and, from time to time, exceedingly heavy downpours. Your photographs are, as always, so very evocative and portray so clearly that wonderful part of France in which you find yourself living.
Enjoy your weekend. xxx