Well here we are, waking up at 5 am, looking through the window as the sky turns from midnight blue to smokey cobalt then hazy cerulean.
Every morning at seven am we watch the hot air balloons rise and drop and rise again just to float away and vanish across the alpes. We are in the National Park of the Luberon and in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cotes-D’Azur, quite a mouthful really, a few years ago this area was simply known as the Haute Alpes de Provence and the region the Luberon.
Surrounding our little house are rolling hills of harvested lavender and sunflowers, it must be glorious in late June, early July.
The medieval village of Vacheres is nestling on the hill top about a kilometer away, we haven’t really ventured into it yet but we will, with it’s ancient monastery and chateau, a pretty little streets it will be nice to take a wander. Although it is hard to tear ourselves away from our view, the pool and the visiting wild life. At 6.30 pm literally on the dot a single buzzard flies by, so close we can see her huge wing span, her eagle eyes in search of her prey and her great beauty. She is too quick for me to take a photo.
I have been painting a lot of unfinished landscapes, maybe I will finish them today.
It is odd painting in watercolour after months of using the ipad app procreate to paint with, and it really is painting, just a different kind. And not one bit messy!!!
We also have in the garden, two fig trees laden with big juicy green figs, two apple trees whose fruit I have picked. Two pear trees, the wind gave me their fruit, cherry trees that lost their fruit in the spring, a walnut tree filled with ripening walnuts, a hazelnut tree and a horse chestnut tree.
One of my favourite desserts from Provence is the walnut and fig tart. I think I shall make one tomorrow.
For one week I am taking time away from the difficult and hard to digest reality of our world and we are in the perfect spot for doing just that. A week away in the High Alpes of Provence.
You can find my paintings on tessabakerart.com and my painting trips on paintprovencewithtess
A bientot