The Promise of Provence (Love in Provence Book 1) by Patricia Sands

Author:Patricia Sands [Sands, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503945647
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2015-10-05T16:00:00+00:00

25

Sad that this was her last visit to the local market, Katherine vowed to visit the St. Lawrence market at home more often.

Adding three jars of lavender honey to her basket, her next stop was the herb seller, whose long table blazed with vivid color and filled the air with a bouquet of fragrantly pungent smells that was almost hallucinogenic. Here she chose three mixtures prepared by the woman whose flamboyant makeup and dresses were as colorful as her wares. One packet was for preparing fish dishes, another for Mediterranean salads, and the last for lamb.

As she lingered, she was reminded of the word “la garrigue,” which Joy had used to describe the combination of earthy, herbal, floral, and other scents found in the Provençal markets. It was unique and something she felt she would not forget.

Her last stop was the soap vendor. Again, the vibrant and fragrant display of the famous savon de Marseille, oils and creams, caressed her senses. She wasn’t certain how many dozens of photos she had taken here. It was difficult to control the impulse again as she added a dozen bars of her favorite soaps—honey, lavender, rose, jasmine—to the panier. Some would be for her and some for gifts.

I wonder if that will last until my next visit to France. She reminded herself that the way the world was now, she could buy those soaps at home too. Not the same, just not the same . . .

Taking her time to enjoy every detail of the vendors and stalls, each equally enticing, Katherine captured it all yet again with her camera. There were always new angles and different perspectives to discover.

She planned to make a photo book.

The first book without James, she thought, gripped for a moment with an odd feeling that was somewhat like regret, which she quickly shook off . . .

A crème at Le Petit Café, delivered with a nod and a subtle smile from the waiter, made her morning.

After some journaling time and lunch in the garden, Katherine climbed on the rusting Peugeot. She had marked out a route on her map and, at roughly three hours including a lunch stop, this would be her longest ride.

Picasso had been pacing with anticipation. As soon as he saw the bike come out of the shed, he knew something was up.

Placing two water bottles, a container of water for the dog, and a tube of sunscreen in the rear basket along with a wedge of nicely ripe Brie and three figs, she was set.

“A few biscuits for Picoboy! D’accord?” she asked, causing warp-speed tail wagging.

A little concerned her legs were not in shape for this challenge, Katherine took time to stretch before she set off. This time she had her cell phone with Joy’s number plugged into it, just in case. She knew now there were infrequent local buses with bike racks on the front, and she certainly did not discount this option.

The day was as perfect as the others had been. She counted the fine weather among the many blessings reflected upon as she pedaled.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.