Lazy Sunday in France with Carol Drinkwater

The Lost Girl by Carol Drinkwater

To celebrate the paperback release of The Lost Girl by Carol Drinkwater, available now from all good book sellers, I am delighted to have Carol here today, sharing a very personal #LazySundayinFrance with us. 

All you need to do is sit back, and relax into a Sunday in Provence with Carol, then get yourself a copy of The Lost Girl, and enjoy.

A Lazy Sunday in France with Carol Drinkwater

Sundays are so special, aren’t they? One wants to gobble them up greedily and then hoard them, hide them deep within a book, to take out and remember when you are feeling blue and need laughter and companionship.

Michel, my husband, and I travel a great deal so we are not always together on Sundays, although these days we try to avoid weekends apart. Life is too short: our new mantra. Sunday doesn’t change our heavy work schedules, hammering away at computers at our desks. The difference is knowing that at any moment one of us will be appearing at the door bearing a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, steal a quick kiss, or an email will ping into my box which reads: Lunch is ready x.

Home alone, just us with the dogs, is our idea of Perfect Time. We still rise early. M., usually before me. Breakfast with coffee and lots of fresh fruit and discussions about the day’s menus. Meals are sacred in this household and much debate ensues before they are settled. We set off for the market. Ours in Cannes is a foodie’s treasure trove. Big fish caught before dawn, cheeses of every shape and size; a kaleidoscope of veggies, the sight of which makes you jump with joy. We cram full our baskets but nothing goes to waste. We grow our own too. Pans bubble over with jams, compotes, casseroles, soups.

If it’s Sunday with Sunshine, it’s a chilled rosé on the terrace. I will swim if I haven’t already.  An hour’s work on the land - weeding, pruning - dogs at our feet, or a stroll through the olive groves to work up an appetite. Our lunches tend to be light, served late-ish, but nothing is fixed. ‘Whenever’, and that is the joy of this day. Whenever. No enforced schedule, no interviews by phone, long-distant Skype. 

In the winter, sinking into cushions by a roaring log fire, we choose a film. Our collection counts over 1,000 DVDs. It’s a busman’s holiday, our passion. Over dinner, our principal meal of the day, we might discuss the film or share with one another where we are at with whatever creative challenges we have to hand. The novel I am writing, the documentary M. is producing. These are cherished private weekends, hard-earned.

Or there are guests: close friends, family, sometimes business colleagues. The rhythm is more organised. We might drive the forty minutes distance into Italy for ‘an adventure’ and a groaning plate of spaghetti, or choose a favourite restaurant in the neighbourhood if we’ve a crowd staying. Or the fun of a barbecue. We have three! Yes, three barbecues of varying sizes and strengths. M. and one or two of his close friends are experts, so they claim! I make the salads, lay the tables, keep the wine flowing and the towels and sunhats piled by the pool for those afternoon swims and the quiet hours of reading a book in the shade.

Our Sundays are simple. We create, we share. We produce our own organic olive oil and we value our lives by the pleasure we can give to one another and the loved ones who surround us.

Lazy Sunday in France for French Village Diaries ©caroldrinkwater2018

You can read my review of The Lost Girl here and my France et Moi interview with Carol here. The Lost Girl is now available in paperback and a link to Amazon can be found below. If you are quick, the kindle version is currently only 99p!

You can also follow Carol on Twitter, Facebook and visit her website here.