Poppies in Provence! Bienvenue aux coqueliquots!
One of the joys of living in Provence is taking a morning walk in the Provençal countryside with my neighbour and enjoying the breath-taking scenery.
Whilst, meandering through the lanes, chattering away with Hélène and being surrounded by wonderful views and enchanting bird song, I realised it could become very easy to take much of this traditional Provençal iconic imagery, for granted.
One sure way to appreciate what’s on my doorstep is to take the camera and capture the passing seasons. So, this morning, with everywhere looking so fresh and green after the very wet spring, I decided to take my camera along and try and capture the magic of Provence.
Everywhere I looked, I could see the charm of Provence… the time faded farm buildings, the fresh green vines, planted out in rows with military precision, the stone cabanons that provide shade for the grape pickers in autumn, the view back towards Lorgues, perched on a hill with its magnificent church taking pride of place.
It’s late May in Provence and the hedgerows and fields are currently flecked not only with a myriad of wild flowers but with the soft red ruffle of thousands of poppies, their paper thin petals, shimmying in the warm morning breeze. Every single one an example of the beauty and perfection of nature.
There was a particular view of an old stone Provençal Mas (farmhouse), that I pass on my walk that I wanted to capture. The perfectly aged natural stone, nestled in the green fields and the subtle tinge of red from the row of fluttering poppies that leads towards the house, a scene worthy of a Monet masterpiece!
Jennie Ayres 26th May 2018