
Colourful autumn garden in Provence
We are experiencing the most wonderful autumn in the South of France. For several weeks now, the mercury has been hitting the 20s, with a high of 28°c last week! November is often lovely on the French Riviera, but these temperatures are even higher than normal. The garden is still …
We are experiencing the most wonderful autumn in the South of France. For several weeks now, the mercury has been hitting the 20s, with a high of 28°c last week! November is often lovely on the French Riviera, but these temperatures are even higher than normal. The garden is still …

Un Grand Projet No Small Renovation in the South of France
When we were first shown the ancient former farmhouse near Uzès (in the South of France) we now call home, I rejected it firmly with a resounding ‘No’. We had agreed that we didn’t want a third project in fifteen years: its desolate state, left for months forlornly empty, with dust …
When we were first shown the ancient former farmhouse near Uzès (in the South of France) we now call home, I rejected it firmly with a resounding ‘No’. We had agreed that we didn’t want a third project in fifteen years: its desolate state, left for months forlornly empty, with dust …

Painting the South
The south is a world of light. Luminescent brightness is the first, clearest and most lasting impression it makes when you arrive, and its absence is what hits you when you go back north. For a painter, the challenge is somehow to evoke this world using colours and canvas. It’s …
The south is a world of light. Luminescent brightness is the first, clearest and most lasting impression it makes when you arrive, and its absence is what hits you when you go back north. For a painter, the challenge is somehow to evoke this world using colours and canvas. It’s …

Cezanne’s Provence Painted by Artist Jill Steenhuis Part 3
This is the third Perfectly Provence article on American artist Jill Steenhuis – you can read more on her background here and here. In this post learn about Cezanne’s artistic approach and one of his favourite spots Château Noir from Jill. Several things I learned from the Marchutz School that …
This is the third Perfectly Provence article on American artist Jill Steenhuis – you can read more on her background here and here. In this post learn about Cezanne’s artistic approach and one of his favourite spots Château Noir from Jill. Several things I learned from the Marchutz School that …
School and the Converse Shoes
Our first day at the little CIPEC International School located just ten minutes outside Aix on a peaceful road surrounded by beautiful sunflowers. The house we are renting is four minutes away and I’m in heaven as it’s so much quicker than my school run back home. When we first …
Our first day at the little CIPEC International School located just ten minutes outside Aix on a peaceful road surrounded by beautiful sunflowers. The house we are renting is four minutes away and I’m in heaven as it’s so much quicker than my school run back home. When we first …

Provencal Mysteries Unveiled in Provence Mysterious
Provencal postcards are dominated by fields of purple-lavender rows, stoic sunflowers against cobalt-sky backdrops, gnarled grapevines burdened with ripening fruit and endless groves of olive trees. It is highly unlikely that demons, demigods, bat caves and sorcery are images that pop into your mind when a friend says they are going to …
Provencal postcards are dominated by fields of purple-lavender rows, stoic sunflowers against cobalt-sky backdrops, gnarled grapevines burdened with ripening fruit and endless groves of olive trees. It is highly unlikely that demons, demigods, bat caves and sorcery are images that pop into your mind when a friend says they are going to …