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As strong as ancient stone…

And runs as deep as a spring drawing down to the center of the earth.

We are growing older together…

…with our little family! 

Here are to the wonderful adventures that lie ahead…

Happy Birthday, sweetheart.

I believe in you.

For nomads like myself, as much as we love the hunt, there are moments when it would be wonderful to be settled, to be a part of the casual gathering rather than always looking on from just outside. Such occasions are rare but they do arrive from time to time. When those feelings stir, I focus all the harder on seeing and remembering how lucky I am to be discovering something new.

A heavy iron cross marks the entry to Oppedette. A tiny one-car only lane separates it from the former village café… 

…where a sundial continues to capture the slow passing of the Provençal sun…

…one that is burning away the last traces of the sign above the entry. How many men had gathered here for their daily pastis…

…while the women gossiped over the washing in the lavoir…

…raising their voices to be heard over the chimes of the bells in the main square?

But as I turned a corner, I was snapped back into the present. For unlike the other villages of the Luberon that I had seen so far, something modern was clearly a foot. Here, was a renovation in many of the homes that used traditional materials in a very contemporary way. Such as steel casings for the windows…

…wide wooden beams as the stairway to a front entry…

…and iron to create one of the more gorgeous terrace railings that I have ever seen.

And yet the charming spirit of the village remained palpable…

…and behind every other corner…

…were glorious traces of the past…

…and of all of the possibilities that are still to come.

As we prepared to take our leave and prepare a Sunday lunch of our own, I was attracted to a beautiful home on a slight rise over-looking the valley. Doesn’t it deserve to be loved? 

If only I had the means, I would bring it back with care and make its garden grow.

Our room was rather quirky, as it was practically underground in a vaulted room that did, nonetheless, let in a bevy of sunshine. The furniture, including an iron daybed, was comfortable and perfect for the space. *Note in the photo: on the table, the necessities of life, wine and coffee. Need I say more?*

But I am getting ahead of myself. For the evening that we spent was just this side of wonderful. We were very late in arriving, business having grasped us in its claws until we beat it back with a stick! Perhaps it is our survival skills from some of our more exotic travels but we knew that it would probably be best to pick up something, anything for dinner as we didn’t know what we would find in the area that would still be open after 9pm. So I did a mad dash through a SuperU while Remi and our dear dog Ben waited in the car and was wildly proud of myself for picking up a roasted chicken, potatoes, and cheese all in about ten minutes flat (trust me, I had already packed the wine and an apéro as any self-respecting expat would). Once settled, we made good use of the rustic (and I do mean rustic) communal kitchen space, grabbed a candelabra, lit the candles and had the most leisurely dinner under a giant old oak tree as we gradually and giddily remembered what silence was. Gorgeous.

True to its name, the property is topped with terra-cotta tiles that bounce off the light as we discovered the next morning after sleeping…are you ready for it? Twelve hours! Thank goodness the owner was so welcoming and not only just let us be but insisted we take our time for breakfasting under the afore-mentioned wise oak.

As it was still piping hot, the pool overlooking a valley of vineyards and lavender did beckon but it was time to move on to our charming cabanon.

But as you can see, there were some seriously happy customers! At 50€ the night, I thought it a fitting price for an authentic farmhouse environment. As the website promises, there is also a larger apartment with a full kitchen that looked adorable. All three rentals have semi-private terraces.

La Tuilerie 

In the Hameau of Dauban

04150 Banon

Tel.: +33 (0)4 92 73 32 75 

Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses for my last post. I promise to tell you more about that amazing area but thought that you might like a last minute getaway idea for this Friday evening!

Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend…

Ochre has been mined for pigments since the dawn of humanity. It traces out the animals dancing across the caves of Lascaux, the Egyptians dabbed it tenderly across their lips and cheeks…

Such earth equalled wealth for those who mined it and such was the family practice along a certain stretch of the Luberon for over one hundred years. And while the natural has long been supplanted by the synthetic, the land here is still thriving.

It seems to me to be that now is a month of abundance, despite an/our American predilection for Thanksgiving in November. And the varying terrain along these former ochre mines is rife…with life.

So lets hear it for the shift and sway of earth giving us the goods over and over.

Let us use them wisely. 

For we are indeed rich, when we take in all that we have. Around us and in who we are.

I know, I know how often I say that but right now, as we dive towards the winter sleep on this top of the planet while friends are awakening to spring below on the other, it bares repeating. 

Listen to the scribble of the undertow.

What is in your heart during this month? 

What are you hoping for that lies ahead?

It is October, a perfect time to do a bit of (gentle!) digging…

…is there anything just below the surface that is calling for attention?

…for while we all learn our lessons and endure our scars…

 …all the more reason to welcome a whopping batch of joy when that is what life throws us, to roll around in it gleefully, creating moments to carry us through the months ahead…

For yes, our lives are inscribed indelibly in a lasting ochre. Let us try to write it well.

Today’s post is my October contribution to the “By Invitation Only” series. To see what the talented bloggers from the around the world have concocted for “Thoughts on October” please visit Splenderosa here.

Wishing you all a wonderful month ahead…

Aren’t they adorable? I was out taking photos for what may or may not be tomorrow’s post when the charming young lady on the left approached me on the Place de la Republique. “May I offer you a Coca-Cola light?” she asked with that cute little grin. Wait, what? A stranger talking to me? And offering me something for free? I started to wonder if I had somehow slipped into a different time/space convergence but…she was wearing a beret, a t-shirt marinière and ballet flats, the “Coca” can was designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier…this must be France! Heck, I don’t even drink soda but when her charming partner got in the act, how could I say no?

À demain mes chers amis…