Each year several villages in Provence honour the pumpkin and other gourds. There’s nothing quite like a medieval village decorated with autumnal arrangements to celebrate the season.  In France they call the Pumpkin Festival  “La Fête de la Courge”. It promises to be a great family outing and a perfect picture opportunity.

Driving through Villelaure on my way home from visiting friends who run a vineyard in Ansouis (www.stestevedeneri.com) I came across a rather intriguing sign.

Green Asparagus – Marseille London Paris.

Aix en Provence in known throughout France for its delicious almond shaped confections. Think of them as the Hershey’s Kisses of Provence. First created by a local confectioner in honour of the King René second marriage in 1473, calisson factories sprouted during the 19th C. Calisson’s are not well known abroad but a very busy sales and marketing staff at La Confiserie Roy René is working on diversifying the flavours in order to have a wider appeal. In fact they have just developed a date filled calisson for the Dubai market place. www.calisson.com

Bouillabaisse is the world famous fish stew which originated in Marseilles. The name comes from the words bouillir which means to boil and baisser which means to reduce. Originally this meal was prepared by fishermen using their unsold fish. Bouillabaisse is served as two courses.

I stopped off in Roquebrune Cap Martin on my way to Menton a few weeks ago in hopes of seeing the olive wood sculptor whom I last saw in the mid 80’s. Julien was sitting in his atelier, Au Coeur de l’Olivier, exactly where he has been for the last 50 years. He now works with two other sculptors who work the wood into religious or animal figures. I have a preference for his remarkable salad bowls, cutting boards and ladles that all have beautiful flowing shapes. www.sculptures.fr