This all started at home when the storms & overcast skies & rain & gloom threatened to pinch any buds of brightness out of a feeble spring. A trip to wonderful friends in Provence would surely lift the spirit. Sadly the weather is letting us down but the friendship, the change of scene and the French style have all helped to refresh & revitalise. This blog will be like a series of picture postcards from our short stay.

Aix en Provence is a classy place about the size of Oxford. Previously, the main routes through the centre, now wide, elegant pedestrianised boulevards now lead into the centre of town. Lined with grand buildings & bare saplings these present the best of Aix in impressive style. Moss-scragging sculptures check their hair in small fountains dotted up the middle of the old road.

Cutting through the blocks, cobbled streets lead into the heart of the town. A lively maze of cafes & fashions & crafts mixed up with attractive squares, churches & galleries. A great place to browse for hours at a time. It’s great to see the French at home and being French with few tourists to spoil the mix

The wind sends squalling gusts of tables & chairs in waves to attack the few resolute customers who have been successful in anchoring their cafe furniture to the ground.