A Quick Update from France

If you’ve been wondering why things have gone a little quiet lately, there’s a good reason.

The plan had been to spend some time travelling through southern France while still keeping up with writing and posting. As it turned out, the weather had other ideas. During our week on the Canal du Midi the heat was relentless. By the time we’d finished each day’s boating, tied up for the evening and sorted ourselves out, we were completely spent. The canal was wonderful, but it certainly wasn’t the productive writing retreat I had imagined.

Then, just as we finished the boating trip, I managed to have a fairly solid encounter with a cobblestone dock. The resulting rib injury hasn’t been serious, but it has been painful enough to slow me down considerably. Since arriving at our farmhouse in Occitanie I’ve spent more time resting than working. I’ve been able to do a little, but not nearly as much as I had hoped.

The good news is that being forced to slow down has given us the chance to enjoy some of the best parts of French life. We’ve spent mornings wandering through local markets, buying whatever looks fresh and interesting, then taking it home to cook. A beautiful mushroom risotto was a highlight, as were swordfish and calamari skewers (care of Sue and Kevin)cooked simply and served with fresh local produce.

We’ve also eaten at some excellent restaurants. One thing I’ve learned is that in France appearances can be deceptive. A restaurant that looks completely unremarkable from the outside can produce food that would make many supposedly fashionable establishments back home look ordinary. Everywhere we’ve gone, the emphasis has been on fresh ingredients, careful preparation and letting the food speak for itself.

We have a couple of days in Paris before heading home to Australia, so there may yet be a few more stories to come from this trip. Otherwise, normal service will resume once I’m back home and fully recovered.

Thank you for your patience while I’ve been offline. Sometimes the best thing you can do is accept that recovery takes time, enjoy where you are, and come back ready to go again.

See you soon.