Chez ma soeur en Provence

My sister, Frances, lives in the south of France in the Vaucluse area of Provence north of Avignon near the hamlet of Le Barroux whose 12^th century château of the same name presides over the village. Frances’ beautiful home looks out to the west towards the Rhone Valley past the Dentelles de Montmirail so the views from her outdoor terrace are magnificent, as is her swimming-pool.

First up was an evening walk down to some (French) neighbours to pick cherries. They had an excess and had invited all the neighbours to pick as many as they wanted. We picked (and tasted) our fill of rather too many huge delicious shiny ones then sat on their shady terrace with a glass of local Muscat and olives and talked French politics all in French of course!

You can’t stay with Frances without going for a hike around the local area. Some wildflowers were still lingering from springtime when they’re prolific along the roadsides and in the fields. As well as cherries and apricots, it’s very much a wine-growing area and there are sturdy gnarled vines across the valleys and squeezed onto small terraces up and down the hillsides.

Usually visible from anywhere around here is the summit of the famous Mont Ventoux (1,912m), the goal of every serious cyclist. Said to be the hardest of all the mythical Tour de France climbs, it has claimed the lives of a number of bikers heading uphill on too hot an afternoon. From a distance, its bare white top looks like snow but it’s actually white rock that glistens under the provençal summer sun.