MAS D'ARVIEUX

Dear reader,

you may want to get yourself 

a café au lait, glass of rosé,

or whatever it may be that tickles the fancy

- you're in for a loooong post. 

(Although more pictures than words.)

We'd enter through these gates,

then carry on along the long pathway,

passing olive groves on either side

along the way. 

And then we arrive in paradise,

our home away from home.

We stay in a simple gîte at the rear end of the estate,

where life quickly takes on a relaxed vibe,

the kind we'd hoped.

Tucked in the middle of countryside,

hearing the neighbour's sheep by day,

concerts by crickets by night.

We'd pick up veggies

that oozed in vibrant colours & flavours

from the local store,

 bread warm from the oven

from the boulangerie,

a short drive away. 

A beautiful base for scratching the surface

of all that Provence has to offer.

The feeling that for those few precious weeks

that beckoned ahead,

you actually "lived" there,

rather than followed tourist trails.

We fell in love with the three dogs,

Gustave, Léopold & Lucette,

elderly gentleman Gustave 

especially stealing our hearts.

(There was a mutual thing going on there,

he had a habit of sneaking into our cottage

although he wasn't supposed to...)

Then there were the two white horses

my daughter would try to glimpse each day.. 

And human bonds, too,

for our daughter so strong

that parting with her new friend 

caused tears to stream down her face.

Dips in the pool 

during the hottest hour of the afternoon

& after long days exploring

nearby villages and towns. 

We've sworn we'll be back one day.

x