Printemps!
Newsletter Issued 6 April 2026
One year into our French journey, we are reflecting on our new life here. There has been so much happening - meeting new people, seeing so many new places, having many visitors, enjoying new and seasonal food, and still practicing our French!
So, how is it going?
In a word, fantastique!
We celebrated our one year in France with lunch at our local bar/restaurant. It was a set menu of three courses, and was absolutely delicious! Simple and perfect for a spring day, sitting in the sunshine, sipping local wine, basking in the smells and activity of a village coming out of hibernation. We feel we are in the right place.
Many new friends ask us why we chose to live in this area. It was part by design, and part by chance. We posted a notice on a local facebook group looking for short term accommodation when we first arrived, and were overwhelmed by the response. We come a lovely house in the small village of Vers-Pont-du-Gard, and we have been in this village ever since! It has everything we need, and very friendly people and businesses. There is an excellent boulangerie, a tabac (corner store with more), a post office, and two bar/restaurants, plus many other small businesses. The weekly produce market is on Saturday morning in the main square, and also a few small fruit and vegetable providers are nearby. We can walk to the Pont-du-Gard, and it is a ten minute drive into Uzés for a larger town, and 30 minutes to either Avignon or Nîmes for bigger city amenities.
Blossoms for almonds, cherries and quinces are all over the village, earlier than last year after a wet winter. These are completely outshone by the fluorescent mimosa. Just like Australian wattle, these trees are flashes of brilliant yellow and make us smile every time. The colours are changing, buds are growing, and farmers are readying their fields for spring. Purple irises are popping up all over, and there is a local wild orchid which is appearing in fields and laneways.
The food is seasonal and fabulous. We are have patiently waiting for the first asparagus of the season, there are fields being hand picked every day and we have enjoyed locally grown white asparagus already! Strawberries too are in season now (To. Die. For.). There is a secret place nearby that sells both, they had been closed since the end of the strawberry season last year and have just reopened. At the end of the season, they close for business and there is a short window for the jam makers to come and collect the last of the crop for confiture. We are always pleased to receive a jar of home made jam, we have a couple of friends who are expert!
After you meet a French person, casual friends do the “bise” that awkward, multiple, cheek kiss which can be two, three or even four! In our region, it is three, starting on the left (mostly). We have become friends with a French woman who works locally, and one day she arrived at our house and gave us a hug - we must have looked stunned, because she explained that we were closer friends now, so you hug. Then a few weeks later, another French friend started to hug too. Needless to say we feel very special! It is similar with the language, you progress to a tu (informal) from a vous (formal). This is heady progress!
We have been told that if you get invited into the home of a French person for a meal, you have been accepted. We have had a couple of invitations for apero and dinner, so perhaps we are on our way!
One morning a week we head to Saint-Quentin-La-Poterie, a village nearby mostly famous for its ceramics, where Thursday 10-12h is set aside for the women to step foot onto the hallowed terrain of the local boules club to play pétanque. Under mulberry and plane trees, several terrains are laid out, overlooked by a bar (which opens when the men play). Playing in teams, the object is to be the first to 13, and each player uses two or three boules, depending upon the team numbers. We have made some good friends in this supportive group of women, from all around the world. There are even a few French women who are thrilled to have the opportunity to play. It is fun, mildly competitive, and followed by a coffee at the local cafe.
Day to day we are enjoying the slower pace, taking time for long walks with the dogs, taking time over meals, shopping for fresh and seasonal produce, and exploring new villages and regions. On weekends we browse markets, brocantes, and antique stores, searching for unique pieces that fit with our style. During the week we are laundering and repairing, ironing and photographing, measuring, and preparing for sale our finds. We now have all of our textiles in one place, and are planning and designing some new handmade pieces. We have some exciting ideas inspired by the region: the places we go, the textiles we find, the history, colours and textures of the countryside.
While the days are still shorter, and we have now experienced a full cycle, it is the perfect time to spend planning our year. Between must-see brocantes (some involving road trips - exciting!), creating and making, seasonal social events, visitors, and general French life, we are mapping out the coming months and looking toward long and warm days.
Follow our journey as we settle into French life, this year will be better than ever!
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