Days In The Sun, Nights On The Tiles

The tranquillity of the early morning in our village is truly something to behold: the sun, already warm and welcoming, rises over the rooftops, the birds emerge from their hidey holes in the Church (and the top of our house…) and there is a great feeling of peaceful anticipation for the day ahead. As the mercury rises, the boulangerie opens and the dogs sniff out early morning worms in the garden, it becomes very easy to see through the ever present brick dust and marvel at our good fortune in finding this graceful house.

It is still something of a novelty to be able to walk down our new curved steps and out of either of the doors – until recently windows - to the garden. Each morning too I look up to the new window in one of our bedrooms. The difference this has made to what already was a light and gracious room overlooking the Church, is quite extraordinary: double aspect now, an easy breeze running through it, it is quite simply stunning. Our new balcony awaits and I imagine myself one day soon writing as I am now from outside this very room, morning petit café and dogs beside me.



Mr. Fix It has finished tiling our second ensuite shower room so we have gone, somewhat proudly, from one tiny and rather rough makeshift shower off the kitchen when we first arrived, to 3 decent bathrooms upstairs in just over 4 months. Each day our house becomes lovelier and everyone who comes through her huge front door and enters the square hallway with its high ceilings, eyes naturally drawn to the pale grey marble staircase and huge stained glass window at the turn, gasps at her natural beauty.

We have had guests again this week and so have explored our region a little more as the heat of the day takes its hold. The summer is in full flow as every village or town makes its own fetes and concerts. We celebrated Bastille Day here, sitting at our little bar until late in the evening, strolling through the night market and then watching the fireworks add to the stars above at midnight. Bastille Day, called “Fête Nationale in France, is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The symbol of this is the birth of the modern French nation and the coming together of the French inside the monarchy. The feeling of community is ever present here but on this day more than ever there is cause for celebration in every village and town.

So the days are sunny and the nights warm and somehow one adjusts to a different way of living in this Mediterranean climate: it has not seemed strange to find Mr. Fix It toiling and tiling away as the clock strikes midnight. Then as the day dawns and the village awakes, we see people making the most of the sun before it reaches its full heat around mid-afternoon. A little like the early mornings, this is a quiet time until at 5 pm our epicerie and boulangerie open again, the bar starts to see workers and visitors alike enjoying an early evening drink and the older folk mingle on the promenade to discuss their day, their news and their lives.

As for Mr. Fix It and I, we still feel as though we have just begun: each little piece of renovation in this house brings its own reward and despite our having many more days and weeks of work to go, we enjoy the simplicity of life, the flowers, the natural beauty of this countryside and thank our lucky stars every day.




Alexis
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