Sunday

Today is our very very last day together as a whole little family unit. I'm trying hard not to feel sad as it has been such a marvellous time us being altogether and enjoying our holiday here in Provence.


I feel thankful indeed that our children (they are always our children to us !!) have come on holiday with us.


Their time off work is short and precious and I appreciate that these days here have eaten into their annual holiday allowance.


Most days here, dad and I are up early, habit....but it serves us well as we can organise the kitchen, lay up for breakfast etc. Boring chores that no one really wants to do while on holiday but we have lots of leisure time so it's no hardship for us at all.


Today is going to be pancake day - so I actually wake Marian, Ben and Isabel to get cracking with the cheffing bit..... normally I don't as it is a holiday after all !


 Trystan and Leila are busy doing last minute packing and a general house search for their belongings. Amazing how stuff gets spread around over a week.

Marian mixes up an enormous batch of pancake batter and it's almost like a production unit with the cooked pancakes piling up very quickly.


 Some are even flavoured with cinnamon, that's a new one for me (Trystan's idea) and I find them quite delicious.

They are kept warm in the oven and eventually we set the table outside as it's a beautiful day again and all get stuck in to a pancake feast.

We have a huge assortment of fillings - prunes, sweet chestnut puree (a family favourite), nuts, yogurts, fromage frais, apricot and strawberry jam, cheeses, lemon and sugar. I can't remember the rest ! so it's a case of each to his own.....and tuck in.....

Trystan and Leila have a deadline with the TGV in Avignon as they are heading up to Paris for their last few days in Europe.


So we pile their luggage into the car and after lots of hugs all round and a few tears (I can't stop myself!!) they leave for the next stage of their european tour.

Dad will drive them to the station and then come back to take the caravan to its next home for a while.

In the meantime I get cracking transferring all our stuff from the house into the caravan. The girls and Ben promptly pack their bags and leave them outside ready for the next trip - Marian and Ben are flying out to Palermo on Monday morning and Isabel is heading back to the UK.

They are then free the rest of the day to enjoy the pool and mess around having fun.




Philip arrives back in time for our late lunch and then we load up the car and hook up the caravan and sadly take our leave of the beautiful villa in Provence which has been our home for the last week or so.

One little last moment of panic before we actually head off though - Marian just wants to check where their passports are.....so a quick unpacking of their luggage, a sift through and nowt appears....but happily eventally they are discovered inside Ben's shoes !!


All fine, we can now head off. A last farewell to Izabel and her husband Jose - the housekeeper and gardner, and we trundle very slowly down the rugged drive.


The next campsite is literally a mile up the track and so it's not far to go - it's called 'L'Arc en Ciel' and it's a beautiful rural site with lots of trees and is very french in that it is somewhat rambling and slightly unkempt !! well, at least compared to the Caravan Club sites back in the UK.


 All very regimented and shipshape there allways, sort of comforting in a good way as you almost know what you are going to be arriving at. Also the pitches are quite apart which is wonderful as you can't then hear the man next door snore at night !!

We settle in to the pitch which is in a very secluded corner with a view over to Bonnieux accross the valley. We make ourselves comfortable for the evening and enjoy our last few hours together. It is going to be very 'cosy' in the caravan tonight, 5 of us in all, but all is well and sleep comes easily.

A really early morning start tomorrow for dad and the youngsters means we really really have to be sensible about bedtime.

Ah well, all good things come to an end, and this time together has been really good and sadly it has ended. Well, until next time.......well start planning the next big gathering soon.