Vaison-la-Romaine market

I needed some potted herbs to add to the herb garden in the gite, and I knew just the place to get them: the Tuesday market in Vaison-la-Romaine. With over 400 stalls is probably one of the biggest and most colourful Provencal markets in the Vaucluse. Don’t expect to visit all the stalls unless you get there before 10am. The market is extremely popular with tourists and local alike, for very good reason.

Read about it on the Vaison-la-Romaine website.

I got my herbs, did my food shopping, took some photographs and was back home by ten. Mission accomplished.

Bags of bags

The market is by no means just about food

Hats and more hats

You do need a good sun hat in the Vaucluse.

Spices, teas, and tisanes

Some great alternatives to black tea, and coffee

Spit-roasted chicken

To my mind, the perfect way to roast a chicken is to spit-roast it. That way the fat gets evenly distributed.

Local fruit

He only sells fruit from the Provence

Paella

Freshly-cooked. I can smell the aroma by just looking at the phot.

Olives

They come in many flavours

Olive wood carvings

What a versatile tree. You can eat its fruit, make oil from the fruit, and when the tree is no longer productive, make beatiful objects out of the wood.

Melons

They are now in season. Wonderful with dried ham, or alternatively, sliced in half and the cavity filled with sweet red wine from Rasteau.

A gentleman of Girona

He has been selling his dried Girona sausages in Vaison for many years. Five for ten Euros - and he throws in some extras. You can choose from natural pork, pork in herbs, goat, duck. wild boar, bull, pork with truffles, pork with ceps, and many more.

Garlic bulbs galore

Not just for the tourists

There are many fruit & vegetable stalls

Shop around until you find what you want. Quality produce which doesn't cost any more than in the supermarket.

Yet another garlic stall

You can't have enough...

A bookstall in the main square

Food for the brain

Haricot beans - red and green

Good to look at and good to eat

Saucissons from the Ardeche

They are not Provencal, but who cares?

A selection of breads

I asked, but they didn't have a Waburton white sliced...

Tour de France 2016 – Mont Ventoux

As ‘Le Tour’ was passing close on the stage from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, I decided to watch it for the first time. It was only a 30 minute drive to Pont de Crillon, and yes I should have cycled it!

So Chris Froome ran some of the way up the Ventoux!

I recall being overtaken by a runner when cycling from Bedoin to the summit of the Ventoux. As he passed he said ‘Just tuck in behind me, and you will be OK, I will pull you up.’ I reasoned he didn’t have the weight of the bike to worry about. Maybe Chris Froome thought the same.

By the way it is exactly half marathon distance from Bedoin to the summit. That’s some half marathon.

The cockerel

Applause for the cockerel

Skoda

Many companies use the opportunity presented by a captive crowd to promote their goods

Haribo

Along with many other companies, Haribo was showering the crowd with free products.

Vittel

After being struck by a saucisson. I was pleased that Vittel weren't showering the crowd with litre bottles of water.

For some the wait is too much

You can only be amused for so long by trying to catch packets of Haribo.

The leading group

Leading by a long way with 4km to go to Bedoin. But that's where the climbing starts!

A lone cyclist

They always get huge support and encouragement.

The main group

The main group are some minutes behind the leaders but benefitting from a stromg tail wind - for now.

Wine tasting in Vacqueyras

Some of our guests from England had fun wine-tasting in Vacqueyras on Sunday. As France were playing in the UEFA Euro 2016 final that evening, the staff in the Cave Vignerons de Caractere were in celebratory mood.

Allez les Bleus

Hoping for a French victory later in the evening,

Wine-tasting in the cave

Guests from England enjoying a glass of rose

Same quality - just a different price

Filling a container with draught wine

Score a goal and win a bottle

A fun competition for customers at the Cave

Removing a nest of bees

Bees are amazing insects. However you don’t want to find them as I did, nesting between the shutters and the window of a bedroom. Fortunately the mairie was able to recommend an apiculteur – Daniel Boulle – who was willing to remove the nest. It was not an easy job, but Daniel and his son, pulled it off expertly.

Bee-keeping is simply a hobby for Daniel. He specialises in viticulture biologique, and produces quality wines at the Domaine les Aphillanthes in Travaillan.

Thanks for the bottle Daniel!

The location

The bees were nesting behind the shutters of a first floor bedroom.

The problem - or the opportunity

The product of more than a month's work by the bees.

Dressed for action

The hive was removed from the inside. But only after I had sealed off the rest of the house!

Removing honeycombs

Honeycombs are removed one by one and pressed into frames, which are inserted into a wooden hive,

A watchful eye

Daniel's son watches from the ground and reports back to his father.

Encouraging bees into the hive

The hive has been placed beside the original location of the nest, and lavender smoke is being used to encourage them to enter.