Laura, our friend from Piégon, suggested a delightful book about remodeling a house in the south of France. In the 1930’s Winifred Fortescue and her husband, Sir John Fortescue, left England and settled in Provence, in a small stone house amid olive groves. Her book is a witty and warm account of life with stonemasons, builders, and everyday life in a Provençal village. It was an instant bestseller when it came out and is still in print and much-loved today. It is fascinating that she wrote the precursor to Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence more than 75 years ago! I am enjoying each charming vignette as we go through similar experiences ourselves in Mirabel.
–Dory