Already 2011

The sun sets already by 16:30 now. The days are wickedly short; they were already never long enough in the summer. And now as November draws to a close and December begins – with chilly evenings, frigid nights and cold mornings, our blessed year in the Provence is already ending. With the low sun, the lighting is magical, and the autumnal colours are virtually incomparable to anything anywhere else. The Provençal uniqueness is especially recognisable at this time of year. Restaurants are nearly empty but definitely cosy, and it is a time now to draw together with those souls more permanent to the region and celebrate their being part and parcel of this almost unbelievable fabric of enchantment that overlays the southern part of France.

Since the storm, we have had flawless days of sun and sparkling daytime warmth. Everyone seems happy. We have been relatively grounded without Melissa, but Petit Claude has at least located the replacement part in Germany – and for half the price it would have otherwise been, if even available. The confinement has not mattered. Though we have shopping that could be accomplished in either Draguignan or Aix-en-Provence, it has not been necessary, and the splendidness of the diurnal cycles has been more than sufficient.

We’ve had a dinner with Jean and her daughter Elaine at Les Gourmets. Another evening, Pierre and Catherine took us to the Beaujolais Nouveau buffet at the Calalou. This was perfectly delightful. And we also had a lovely déjeuner at Liliane and Renaud’s with Jim and Joanne as well - tarte  d'oignon and daube de sanglier. We managed to be home in time before Wendy-flower arrived from her Buddhist retreat. She had got lost, and what should have taken her no more than two hours became closer to five instead, but then we had her for a week. But with that indulgent midday meal chez Liliane, my timing got thrown off completely, and I could scarcely adjust to the fact that it was not the weekend but only mid-week.

One dinner I was especially pleased with consisted of margaritas for our ‘salads’ followed by a chicken-roquefort quiche and then an apple crisp. This was our domestic Thanksgiving meal. The following evening we went to La Table in Tourtour which lived up to any expectations and beyond. And then on Saturday we had our real Thanksgiving banquet at Jim and Joanne’s. The foods were excellent, and the relaxed banter and overall comfort of the occasion was superb. A seat was set for Joanne’s grandmother at the head of the table, and the living souls totalled thirteen and included Renaud, Liliane, Adelaïde, Pascal, Mariame, Anne and two Parisian Isobels originally from, I believe, Gabinda – living human souls because we also had Nessy. Negronis had been served as starters, and it became a true feast. We were able to all sit outside in the sun and, after the sun set, gather around a delicious fire in the living room.

So the whirlwind seems to be no less than it has ever been but now accentuated with a poignancy and even premature nostalgia. For Wendy’s last full day, we went for the midday meal at La Célestine and then afterwards visited the Temple of Apollo and the Baptistery in Riez and the Romanesque-Gothic église in Moustiers-St.-Marie. When Wendy had first arrived, I served her some wine and then left the room to check something upstairs. When I returned, Wendy informed me that she had broken the bowl in which I served some olives. I simply replied, “Already?” and did not think further about it. But that night when going to bed, Richard could not stop laughing over my sure-fire response – and all three of us continued to laugh about it for the rest of the week. We had a great time with our Wendy. For her, for my lovely friends here as well as elsewhere, for Richard and for all the incredible marvellousness this year has been, I can only express my deep and endless gratitude. The festival of Thanksgiving allows us to pause and reflect for all that we have to be thankful for, and I am humbled to be able to say that I know I have been immensely fortunate beyond any norm and am utterly thankful for it.