It’s May and the poppies are blooming in Provence. Their tiny black faces almost obscured by their bright red hats, delicate, vibrant, petals wafting in the breeze. Last year I was in Lourmarin admiring them. This year I should have …
Every year on July 4th, thousands of Americans across this great continent adorn their homes in the stars and stripes, don their red, white and blue, attend local parades, and light up their BBQ’s to celebrate America’s independence from us, the …
There is something special about this time of year, a mystical wonder in the air, the anticipation of the season. Daylight fades much earlier, evenings are longer, there is a distinct chill at night and early mornings are fresh and …
Recently I have been busy networking with other writers, talking mostly about Provence. When the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce tweeted about me last week they referred to Shutters and Sunflowers as ‘a fun Franco British blog with a US flavor’. …
Spoiled as we are by the continuing warm weather in Northern California, there are still signs everywhere that Autumn has danced her way back into our lives. Leaves carpeting the ground, acorns scattered below the trees and a distinct chill …
Pumpkins are such happy things, when I see them arranged in a pile as they are so often are at this time of year, well pumpkins make me smile! Life is a journey, a journey, that regardless of how well …
A morning walk in Danville should be part of my daily routine. But why can it be so difficult to motivate one self to get up earlier than perhaps necessary, to make the time to exercise? So often I lie there …
July 4th, the day when America celebrates her independence from Britain. Had things been handled differently, history might well have unfolded in another way, but 1776 is a long time ago, wounds have healed, differences buried, today we are each …
‘Provence’ in California? After a ten hour plane journey how can it seem like you had never left, shouldn’t you be somewhere vastly different? Although there are obvious immense variances between Provence, where I had departed from and northern California, my destination, …
Another Saturday, another farmer’s market in the vibrant but somewhat sleepy suburb which we call home, Danville, 30 miles east of San Francisco. In the shadows of the old railway station, market holders have gathered. More sunflowers, lavender, olive oil …
