  I've had a good time in Provence. The sun, the food and the scenery were quite another world. It was a sort of holiday/ course with Alliance Francais which is an national organisation to promote france & french. The south west branch is based in Exeter. We had to have read a book ( Jean de Florette by Pagnol) and the discussions were centered around the book which is set exactly in the area we were staying in. We also had other discussions and a bit of written work, nothing too demanding. We travelled by Eurostar and T.G.V. The hotel was small 20 rooms only, so we got to know all the other guests. Although not a great football fan, it was great fun watching the European cup with other different Europeans. There was only the one T.V. so we all watched together whatever country. We only watched after our meal so there was a great deal of camaraderie.
There was a lovely swimming pool to alleviate the heat, and the food was delicious. We were a rather disparate group. We were meant to be 6 but 2 did not come. A 74 year old 'little bird' from Exeter, who spoke in a whisper and had a very bad spinal curvature. She was very academic and was fluent in 2 or 3 languages; a VERY loud lady from Bath but originally from Newcastle.
She also was fluent as she had worked with her husband in the travel industry; she was nearly, or about 80 and had a form of bad arthritis. Gordon from Paddington was the only man who was really not all that bright and certainly not too good a French 'though he thought he was. We were all handled very well by our French leader Albert, and surprisingly we soon gelled and became a sort of family, forming a nucleus in the hotel. We had some to trips to surrounding picturesque hill villages, to Aix, an evening of Italian Baroque music on period instruments in a village church ( unusually a protestant church) and by chance sat in on a concert in another little church given by a local music school.
I came back to England to see the end of Wimbledon which always brings back memories for me. This month I am going to London to attend two workshops on how to start interviewing ex St. Georges nurses for an oral history project. Yesterday we spent with Diana( nee Mabbutt who lived nextdoor when I was young in Raynes Park) her daughter Ruth and dog Murphy (a slightly older edition of Mungo). They were staying at Lee Bay near Ilfracombe in 'Shell Cottage' overlooking the beach. We had a really good day the sun shone, the dogs had a wonderful time together and Mungo learned to swim. Ruth has been working on the editorial side of a magazine and is about to launch her own with 3 friends on Illustration. I will try and post some pictures but have not been too successful so far so.... watch this space! 
