Well, you have to be of a certain age to remember CAMELOT, that wonderfully musical Broadway musical from a few decades ago... but if you are that old, you'll not only remember that the 1960 production starred Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, and Canada's Robert Goulet, but you'll probably have a pretty good memory for some of the songs...("If ever I would leave you, it wouldn't be in springtime...." etc.etc.) And you might even be, as I have been these past days, humming your way through the first bars of "It's May! it's May! the merry month of May!!" and then far too quickly have to begin hunting madly through your mental files for what comes next... Nevertheless, this cheery little melody with its pretty lyrics does come to mind, when the world awakens in the most lush and sensual sort of way. Even those of us who have a propensity to feel a bit blue during the winter months find ourselves floating on a cloud of well-being once May is here. I mean, just look at my apple tree, have you ever seen anything happier?
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This little apple tree produces wonderfully sweet Jonagolds...
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May is a wonderful season for visiting France -- just a little ahead of the major tourist invasion, and in the south it is not yet too hot. In fact, it's just about perfect, so I was very glad that my new friends Ingrid and Phil, from Portland, Oregon, were able to make their brief stay at this perfect time of year. Of course we dined seasonly -- asparagus, organic salmon and new pototoes, followed by fresh local salad greens, and after the cheese course, a big bowl of just-picked Clery strawberries with cream... a meal very like the one I described last year for Kim Moritsugu's HUNGRY NOVELIST BLOG).
We enjoyed our evening of conversation, and equally, we enjoyed spending time out on the terrace this morning, where Ingrid had opportunity to sketch the old mill across the stream.
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| The view from the terrace is ideal for those lucky souls with artistic talent.... |
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Better than a photograph when you get home, the sketch or water colour is truly YOUR memory
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