One of the delights and benefits of staying in the one place for 6 months is that you get to see the seasons change.
From arriving in close to the coldest time of the year and getting a shock by how much electricity the heating we used, and how much electricity cost (absolutely set a record for a month's power bill)
to
having the romance of a traditional stone and timber cottage, open to the third floor where you sleep, start to wear out after 8 weeks of the bedroom not dropping below 27 degrees, witnessing the full range of seasons has been a real treat.
And seeing the local vineyards go from this
to this
We did experience, early on, what a local winter "cool change" can be like when it comes down from the Alps, out on our bikes and having the day turn from sunny 18 degrees to sleet and 4 degrees - got a bit dangerous.
And now, unlike Melbourne which can have two to three days in the high thirties, then inevitably drop after a cool change into the high 'teens, someone switches the Provence switch to summer and you get 8 weeks of 32 to 35 every day, down to 20 overnight.
...making cycling a bit tricky during the week. Even if we can get out as soon as Tony's work simmers down, it is already 30+ degrees. By the end it gets a bit
hotter....
We have needed to temper our ride durations and have otherwise been bunkering down or, occasionally, walking down the local pool to swims some laps, cool off, then walk back up the hill to bake again.
Friends and travel
Even though our plan was to stay put in the one community and get to live in it, rather than rushing hither and yon to see the sights, the privilege and joy of seeing friends when they have come to visit us has brought the added benefit of encouraging to get out and see more - so we have had the best of both worlds.
The last fortnight saw a visit from friends combined with a (booked many months ago) journey into Marseilles to see the Olympic semifinal of the women's football (Spain vs Brazil). Really great stadium
Really great seats (7 rows from the fence)
and, after Tony realised he turned up wearing yellow and green, barracking for Brazil who won (seriously, Jacquie had to point this out to him as they were walking into the stadium and contemplating whether Spain (reigning world champions) would be the team to support...)
...men...seriously....
[Condensed editorial commentary on football:
It's soccer, Australian Rules is football;
It's much more (really, quite) interesting to watch in person
The skill level is amazing;
To play that long for a combined score of "1" is exasperating...
But not nearly as tiresome as players regularly falling to the ground, clutching some part of their leg that didn't come anywhere near contact with anything, staging for a free then, when that didn't work, needing the medical staff to attend to make it look real, stay on the grass for about 5 minutes holding up the (slow scoring) match then, "miraculously" getting up and playing the rest of the match
The sooner they institute a rule whereby 30 seconds on the grass automatically requires being stretchered off and taking no further part in the game, the better
seriously......]
Marseilles is fascinating - being a number of villages pulled together over many years of growing, and retaining very distinct characters in different parts of the town (some best avoided by tourists but some, like to port, a must visit)
Or, if your second cousin has a boat, getting out into the Mediterranean..
and the obligatory visit to the church overlooking the city with friends...
In the last week, recovered from covid and having waved goodbye to friends, back on the bikes when the weather allowed
which we love...
As we write this, we have less than two weeks to go before we head to Nice airport and our flight home.
Fully into the
logistics of packing up, shipping stuff off (being done with consummate skill by Jacquie),
positioning ourselves not to be dudded by our landlord (who has been described, perhaps not too unfairly, as a mix between Arthur Daley and Steptoe) - (probably will be),
spreading the remaining vegemite increasingly sparingly to try to make it last (it won't) and,
more thoughtfully and mindfully, trying to make the most of each day, revisiting some favourite places and already starting to reflect on our time here.
It remains quite an adventure and one we are so grateful to be able to do.
so, making to most of the remaining 12 days and looking forward to further adventures.
At least one more update to come...
Cheers
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