Author: Heather Robinson

Mutiny on the bounty

Hello everyone! I would like to start off by thanking all of you for your kindness regarding my last post and also for those of you that were so supportive about yesterday’s guest post at Tish Jett’s amazing blog, A Femme d’un Certain Age. For those of you that missed it, you can see it here.
Now, most of you might know that I avoid covering our markets in Arles like the plague even if they are some of the very finest in Provence. It is just too cliché! And I do try from falling into those traps but just like the allure of lavender, there are elements that are too beautiful to be denied. So a little mutiny against my own overly controlling captain. This morning as I strolled with my Sister through the market, the light absolutely caressed the veggies, bounced off the freshly baked loaves of pain and lit up the honey like stained glass. 
Hoping that you all are enjoying the finest of your season, wherever you are…

Happy Days

Happy days. Slung down low on the sofa next to my Sister, slurping up truths with our morning coffee and digging for answers amidst the croissant crumbs. The solidity of a quiet agreement of things that go without saying because they have always done so. Remembering what once was and who we once were without being precious about it because a certain now is just too appealing. 

Happy Days. With a bit of puffed up pride introducing her to my world, this glowing Provence. Of sun tilted up, the castanets click of the cigales and the café chatter well into the night. Watching the ripple of discovery wash over her beautiful face or the pucker up tight from something different, like the tang from a fresh prune. I relax because she is relaxed and there is that electric wire of family between us.

Happy Days. Seeing her get to know my honey better and be wooed by my charmer of a pup. Of my getting to meet her wonderful companion and the joy I feel in seeing them together. Here. I am gathering up these memories to keep me warm in the winter of their absence, coming soon. But for now I will just be and enjoy.

So tell me, where did I take these photos? Any guesses? 
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Parfum d’Antan


Even after so many years of living in France, I can’t help but be drawn to the parfum d’antan, that ephemeral feeling of the past, one often wafting around me like the scent trail left behind by a beautiful woman. My eye roves towards that sense of time worn, time known.

It is little wonder why I am so taken by such beauty. Only those that are born here seem to be oblivious to it. And yet I wonder if all of this past pulls me by the arms at times, holding me back. My Sister is visiting. One of the fascinating aspects of seeing family members after an absence is that the changes in them stand out as if drawn in bright colors. Robin has been working hard on herself and seems so less caught by the cobwebs of the past than before. She stands clear in the present with an open face towards the future.

So best then to appreciate the past with its style and substance without letting it take roots within. To linger in the parfum d’antan without getting caught under its spell…

Bon weekend!




PS. As I was about to hit publish, I had a lovely surprise from my friend Virginia in Melbourne. She is a talented and successful designer and yet shares her world generously in her incredible blog, Glamour Drops. Today’s post involves me and our friendship. And while the French have taught me not to say thank you for a thank you, what she wrote is just too beautiful not to acknowledge. And it also is very similar in its way to what I have been pondering here. So far away and yet on the same wave-length. There is nothing old-fashioned about that. Friendship lives out of time, doesn’t it?

Dog Days of Summer

In keeping with the theme of the happiness that our dogs bring us (or cats too!), I can’t help but share a series of videos that I took the other day despite the fact that I had other posts prepared.
The other evening the light was lovely and I thought that it could be a good moment to try and capture a certain video that I had in mind for a while. Following the interest in My Dream Houses in Arles, I had decided to film some of my favorite haunts around town and started with the Cour de L’Archeveché where I go frequently to play with Ben.
 
Save that Mr. B obviously had another plan in mind and decided to become a dust-ball. Here is demonstrating his infamous “Digging to China” move, one that is put into motion only in moments of utter abandon.
And then, for only the second time in his life, he jumped into the fountain in the middle of the Place de la Republique, much to the delight of a large group of Japanese tourists who applauded and filmed the entire thing. Me? I was laughing too hard as you can hear! I especially love his stoic expression. Ah, to be a dog during the Dog Days of Summer!

Thank you all so much for your kind wishes about my Sister’s visit. She has arrived safely and we are having a wonderful time! 

Dog Trots Globe

©Robert and Sheron Long
Look at that face! This is Chula, an eleven year-old Sheltie who will steal your heart and perhaps your baguette if you aren’t careful! 
©Darius Detwiler
I was so delighted to come across the utterly adorable e-book “Dog Trots Globe” by Sheron Long, in which Chula shares her experience living in nearby St. Remy while exploring the heart of Provence–not to mention a glamorous trip to Paris. Now, I know that my fellow dog lovers (and even the one cat lover here–you know who you are!) will get such a kick out of this. Sheron comes from a long career in publishing, so be ready for a gorgeous interactive layout but also be prepared to be caught off guard with a fit of the giggles, as I was several times while reading it. 
©Robert and Sheron Long

And for those of you ready to turn up your nose (or your muzzle) at a story told from a dog’s point of view, don’t you dare! For the all of the facts are interesting ones,  details about life in France are spot on and wittily observed. Even my Ben could not have done a finer job.
©Darius Detwiler
I was equally charmed by the delightful photographs as I was by the adept illustrations by Darius Detwiler. This book would definitely make a lovely gift for your francophile friends this summer. I hope that you enjoy meeting Chula as much as I did–a rendezvous is in the works for her to romp with Ben in the Alpilles this fall…to be continued…
©Robert and Sheron Long

“Dog Trots Globe” can be found at:
OIC Books, the publisher’s website–http://www.oic-books.com/books/france
or
By this link to the book on Amazon US

Have a great week everyone!

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