I have never lived in a village in France. I lived in a city (Paris), but I’ve always lived in the countryside in Provence. Never far from a town, but not actually in one. As we are working out a plan for a full-time life in Provence, I thought it …

Fall in Provence can be strange and wonderful. We seemed to skip right from summer to autumn in a day, then thankfully recovered a little bit since the beginning of October. On the other hand, I always get rather down when the temperatures dip and the days become shorter; this …

Between the intense month-plus-long heatwave and lack of rain this past summer, our planet is obviously not happy. There was a moment during the pandemic when the planet was given a chance to take a big breath of fresh air. But that didn’t last long, and we are back to …

I’ve only been in Provence once during lavender season. It was many years ago when everything in the region was new to me and I was much less adventurous. As a result, I didn’t see much lavender and have regretted it ever since. This year I wanted to be here …

Harvest or vendanges for wineries in the Ventoux usually takes place between the end of August and the last part of September. For those who don’t know this wine region, AOC Ventoux (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) is a vast area in the southern Rhône with over 150 wineries. And it’s a …

Quick Getaway to Saint-Tropez Do you know the way to Saint-Tropez? I am quite certain that is not how the song goes, but I think it can easily be substituted! This summer was a super eventful one, with guests leaving, new guests arriving, big dinners, photoshoots and a little mini-break …

By Paula Kane I am a big fan of ritual. Simple or complex, I believe they are good for keeping us grounded in something bigger than ourselves. I have mini rituals I do every day, but when I get to France, I crash right into a whole different set of …

It constantly amazes me how quickly two months pass. In the dead of winter, each month is dreadfully long and feels interminable. In contrast, the summer functions the complete opposite. It is never long enough and ends too quickly. These two months in Provence are always racing by, even though …

By Paula Kane Here it is, the last full weekend of my stint in Provence. The time always whips by and it’s hard to believe I’ve been here just over two months already. This stretch is often punctuated with a wide range of emotions, and this year has been no …

Gluten has been getting a bad rap for a while now. It’s really not fair, as all gluten is not created equally. And some people who think they might have an aversion to gluten are often having issues with the highly processed variety, are perhaps having too much of it, …