Blue Sky Living

Extreme Boule

This Sunday 5^th April the Extreme Boule Federation of France is hosting its first ever tournament. Jamie Aarvold (pictured left)the honorary president of the association explained “The rules of extreme boule are identical to normal boule, except that it is perfectly acceptable to throw the cochonnet into a swimming pool and continue the game under water.”

The tournament is taking place at Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri (Ansouis, Luberon) between 10am and midday. Extreme Boule courses have been mapped out in the vines and the region’s best boule clubs have entered players into the contest. The Swedish national boule champion has also flown in to be part of the tournament. First prize is 12 bottles of wine kindly donated by the vigneron.

Spectators welcome.

Domaine de Trevallon

Clear the diary, book a baby sitter, invent a great excuse to let down your girlfriend/mistress/wife, in fact do whatever it takes to make sure that you are free on Saturday 25th April at 4pm. Next spend the preceding week cleansing your taste buds, eating sorbet, and avoiding anyone with a cold.

Why? Well the Saint Remy wine shop Entre Terre et Verre together with Hotel des Ateliers de l'Image has organised a vertical tasting of Domaine de Trevallon. This is the wine that put Les Baux on the vinous map, and the tasting includes the classic 1982 that Robert Parker scored 92/100.

To download the invite click here Download TrevallonTastingPDFC[1]

Hostellerie Crillon le Brave

My wife Tanya is something of a connoisseur of Provencal hotels. Whether distributing our magazine or writing the books she adores visiting new hotels and experiencing that unique southern France ambiance created by a combination of olive trees, wild herbs, crisp white linen on pool side tables and glasses of rosé on sun drenched terraces.

The place she has always longed to go but for one reason or another we have never visited is hostelerie Crillon le Brave about 40 km north of Avignon. This year she is in luck. To celebrate the hotels 20^th birthday the management is running a promotional offer - Log onto their website at 8pm on the 20^th of every month and if you are lucky you can pick up a room for just 20 euros. It's a bargain we can't refuse.

Bon Chance. Click here for website

Michelin stars

 

Last week was Michelin star week in France. Le Petit-Nice in Marseille remains Provence’s only three starred restaurant and there were two notable new stars in the Luberon and Les Alpilles - Marc de Passorio at the L’Hostellerie du Vallon de Valrugues in Saint Remy and Eric Sapet at La Petite Maison in Cucuron.

In Cucuron Eric has promised that the star will not affect the atmosphere of the restaurant, which will remain an auberge du village, where friends and neighbours can eat well. When we ate there last week Eric was true to his word - there was none of the stiffness of Michelin dining, instead there was a warm conviviality and of course excellent food.

Click here  to read the blue sky living review of La Petite Maison.

French anti-american sentiment

Way back when I was writing my second book my wife got stung by a jellyfish. She was in extreme pain and we rushed to the nearest pharmacy. Once we'd been given every possible medicine - cream, pills and some kind of suction contraption - discussion in the pharmacy turned to who was at fault.

Apparently we should blame George Bush. His dismissive attitude towards the Kyoto climate change treaty was typical of the Americans - big cars, big egos, and a stubborn refusal to recognise global warming. Still we were none the wiser how this related to the jellyfish sting. The other customers soon enlightened us - the warming Med meant more jellyfish. It was all America's fault they clucked with certainty.

I was reminded of this episode by the book I am currently reading - France the dark years by Julian Jackson. To my suprise I discovered that French anti American sentiment was rife during the interwar years. Then as now American efficiency and money was seen as an evil that would drive the French artisan out of business. "All the Americans need in their factories are chimps," said one, Paris is suffering from "a pox of American boils," said another....Over to Sarko and Barack to repair a century or so of bad feeling. Bonne chance.