It’s starting to be that time of year again when thoughts turn to Christmas. And this year I’m making a bumper Christmas edition of the website with some extra special features. While I can’t let all the cats out of the bag just yet, I can say that there will be an interview with Peter Mayle. Peter presently lives just outside the charming village of Lourmarin and consented to an interview if I drove down there to meet with him. How could I refuse especially as the village is situated in the heart of the Luberon Regional Natural Park, a region listed by UNESCO as a “biosphere reserve” because of the great richness and important diversity in its fauna and flora?

There is a delightful story how in 1920, just when the castle was about to be sold to an entrepreneur and doomed to destruction for the recovery of its stone, it was purchased at the last minute by Robert Laurent-Vibert, an industrialist from Lyon.  As it turned out, Laurent-Vibert was also a scholar, college graduate and professor, as well as a member of the French school in Rome. Captivated by the magnificent remains of the dwelling and determined to acquire and restore it, he managed to gain ownership by a “vente à la chandelle” (an auction sale where candles are lit and bids are accepted until the last candle has burnt out).

Next week will see me return to Aix-en-Provence to meet Laurence Anholt who is presently working on a children’s book, all about Cézanne.  Laurence and his wife Catherine have produced more than 90 internationally bestselling children’s book including Chimp and Zee.  I’m acting as his interpreter when we meet with the Director of Cézanne’s Atelier and am greatly looking forward to helping him with his new project.