Letter From Provence – Sheryle Bagwell

‘You have some osteoarthritis in the knee,’ the specialist explained. ‘It looks like a lot of the cartilage has worn away.’ She recommended anti- inflammatories and physiotherapy but warned that knee surgery was likely to be in my future. I didn’t want to think about that prospect right now.

So, I took the meds and did the exercises, which provided some relief. Fortunately, my knees didn’t seem to mind a bit of bike riding; indeed, cycling seemed to help them. This was good news, as I was worried that our beautiful, ancient stairs might defeat me before I’d had a chance to enjoy our new house. I couldn’t postpone ageing, but I could now at least postpone thinking about it. Chantal, on the other hand, was at least ten years older than me but she rode her bike like she was in the Tour de France—as the de facto leader of our little peloton, she was always far ahead of us, leading the way.

She knew the country lanes and back roads like the back of her hand and loved to take deviations that took us through new landscapes that she’d duly photograph as inspirations for her next paintings. Sometimes, when the heat got too much, we would request a shorter route home, back to her cool mas and her coffee and snacks.

Non, would inevitably come the reply. This way is much prettier and quieter, she’d insist. She was usually right. We’d met Chantal through Kane, the American, who suggested we might like to see some of her artwork. We arranged to visit her little studio behind her house one day soon after we arrived. Like most of the French who migrate south, Chantal and André had been drawn to Provence by the region’s heat and light, which Chantal was now trying to capture in her work.

After various stints as a teacher of French around the world, she was devoting her retirement years to her art. Her paintings of the Provençal countryside and village scenes had a heartwarming naivety about them, a bit like a Matisse. There was no shortage of amateur painters around these parts—I swear Provence has more artists per square kilometre than any other region in France, and Rabasse is no exception—but Chantal’s work stood out, at least for me.

What I particularly liked about her paintings were their colour and vibrancy —she slapped paint around with glorious, travel-imbued joie de vivre that reflected her own personality.

First published in 2026 Copyright © Sheryle Bagwell 2026 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Allen & Unwin Cammeraygal Country 83 Alexander Street Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100 Email: [email protected] Web: www.allenandunwin.com Allen & Unwin acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we live and work.

We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past and present. ISBN 978 1 76147 353 1 eISBN 978 1 92349 261 5 Pages 88, 155: extracts from The Sun King by Nancy Mitford. Published by Book Club Associates, 1966. Copyright © The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire’s Discretionary Settlement 2009. Reproduced by permission of Estate c/o Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd., 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN Page 105: extract from The Discovery of France by Graham Robb.

First published by Picador, 2007. © Graham Robb. Reproduced by permission of Macmillan Publishers International Ltd. Page 290: portrait of Madame de Sévigné, c. 1665, by Claude Lefèbvre, Art Collection 3/Alamy Typeset by Bookhouse, Sydney Cover design: Lisa White Cover photo: The village and castle of Grignan, Gerard SIOEN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images OceanofPDF.com For Judith Anne Townsend 1936–1978 OceanofPDF.com My correspondence with you is my existence, the sole pleasure of my life, and nothing else can compete with it.

Madame de Sévigné, in a letter to her daughter Françoise, January 1672 One has left a version of oneself at the place of departure, and it waits for us at the point of return—but she is not me when I get there. Kirsty Gunn, My Katherine Mansfield Project, 2013 OceanofPDF.com Contents Prologue 1 Coup du Coeur 2 Welcome to Chez Nous 3 A Most Magnificent View 4 It’s the Size of a Pea 5 The Mistral Never Knocks 6 Black Diamonds 7 Three Meals 8 What Is She Saying?

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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