goodbye

This season is over. See you next year

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - merci beaucoup & thank you

This year we are seeing back quite a few of last year's guests - thank you so much to everyone who chose to return and who appreciates the work and effort - along with love and care - into our work!

Some of them are staying even longer than last year, a sign that what we offer here at La Vudèle is what our guests want and need. And all enquiring about our two cats right away! We have friends of returning guests and relatives of guests - simply wonderful! 

We also have guests who are staying nearby but who come to pay us a visit, over tea and a game of table fussball, or who we meet up with at the market in Riez! One couple came for another yoga & vegan cooking retreat, wow! And this is only until the middle of July - amazing

 
  Thank you &
merci beaucoup

all you lovely people

for your kindness

respect &

love!

Jim & Claudia

Mimie & Mia

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - summer's in the air

After a mild and short winter and a lovely spring we are now gearing up for summer here in Provence!

Along with two more yoga & vegan cooking retreats coming up we are expecting quite a few returning guests which is fantastic and shows that what we offer -  cozy rooms, a delicious organic breakfast, vegetarian/vegan dinners, a relaxed atmosphere - is what our clientele likes and enjoys! And this gives us the energy and affirmation to continue with what we have created here at La Vudèle.

So a big THANK YOU to all of you who have made and shaped La Vudèle and "organic living in Provence" into what it is today!

merci beaucoup

thank you

danke

bedankt

grazie

謝謝

kiitos 

Dziękuję Ci

tak

 and a big hug!

 

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - video of lavender in bloom

We would like to share this beautiful video of the famous lavender fields here in Provence, all around us, filmed with a drone. Amazing views, gorgeous colors: we are ready for lavender season!

Enjoy this short film provided by a group of passionate local filmmakers who want to share their passion for this wonderful area.

 

If the video does not start automatically try watching it here https://player.vimeo.com/video/159332435

Enjoy lavender and its magical color!

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - théâtre à domicile

About 10 years ago a young man called Romain started an association to promote cultural activities around the river Verdon, an area a bit forgotten between the big cities of the Côte d'Azur and the bigger cities further north. It was par hazard that we had been WWOOFers at a farm of friends of his, even before we had bought La Vudéle! Le Plancher des chêvres offers music, workshops, even a little café nowadays but our favorite remains Le Théâtre à Domicile, a live performance of young artists from the region, always hosted at someone's home.


In March and November we choose from a list of hosts and reserve our spots as space is always limited by the size of the living room, lounge room, converted barn, wherever this event takes place. We have watched and applauded singers, comedians, a story teller, performers, sometimes one-man or one-woman shows, sometimes duos but never more. It's all very small and intimate, there is no stage, sometimes a microphone and never a light show or any special effects aside from what the artists can bring or do themselves, sometimes with the help of the audience. 

The best part is the shared meal afterwards where everyone brings a dish or a bottle and everything is shared. A great way to meet new people, to see acquaintances after the summer or after the winter and to visit and explore parts of this region we normally would not have the privilege of!

The performer this March is Morbac, a vocalist using only his voice and various items he finds, like a baguette, some glasses, a gourde on top of a wardrobe, a bottle of water, to create sounds and music: we very much enjoyed this unusual creative performance and were pleased to discover the farm where it was held, in Moissac Bellevue.

In late summer we also very much enjoy the Piano sur le Lac, another fantastic opportunity to absorb some regional culture before the winter:
 a real piano on a ponton, floating on the lac Sainte Croix whilst the audiences is installed on the beach! Part of the series Piano sur la Mer which must be very challenging with the waves on the Med the musicians and spectators alike. People bring picnic hampers, chairs, their dogs and children, and an air of lightheartedness ensues, at the end of a hot summer as usually the end of August the evenings have become much fresher.

Supported by the region PACA and several local organisations we hope Le Plancher des Chèvres will provide us with many more wonderful shows and events!

Bon festival!

  

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - quiet winter days

Provence in winter: gorgeous, quiet

Winter is very quiet in the countryside, and in Provence it is no expection. Our days are marked by the rising sun in the East and the sun setting, usually with a glorious sunset, in the West, in the general direction the famous Mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse.
The temperatures this year have been very moderate and sometimes even very warm so that flowers which usually do not appear until later on in spring are already out, and there are already plenty of almond trees which normally blossom the middle of March are in full bloom!
 
Winter is also the time to reflect, to take time out from the busy summer and its heat. Following is a poem created for the village of Quinson describing the summer, with its heat, the sound of the cigalles chirping, the streets empty and dry, only the thought of "dinner" on one's mind - ah, the easy life:

Chez nous quand midi carillonne,
Les rues sont vides. L’heure sonne
Sur un monde d’indifférence :
C’est souvent ainsi en Provence,

Surtout dans ce village clos
Tapi au pied de son coteau
Et ne pensant plus qu’à « dîner ».
La vie s’est soudain enfermée

A l’intérieur des maisons fraîches ;
Et les rues ne sont plus que sèches
Venelles sans vie et sans heurts ;
Le déjeuner gomme deux heures

Du temps rétréci pour un temps.
Les rues sont vides comme antan,
Aux jours des anciennes chansons
Des troubadours du vieux Quinson*.

*Poème offert au village de Quinson

To a lovely 2016 and a long summer
 with many positive experiences!

YOGA - grounding sequence for winter

As the colder and darker winter months have arrived a calming yoga sequence is ideal for this time of year.

It all starts with taking the time out of one's busy schedule, to make space for oneself. Mindfulness.... awareness... comfort

* * * 

Find a warm cozy spot where you can spend a few minutes to yourself, undistracted by your daily life.

Choose a soft blanket, a zafu or fold your yoga mat so that your body stays warm.

* * * Sit down in a comfortable position, one in which you can stay a good five minutes without moving or shifting. This will take a while to find; give yourself the time to find it. Start by simply being. Breathing. Thinking. Feeling. Let your thoughts wander and learn to accept this natural state of mind. When you are ready close your eyes. When you feel ready start observing your breathing, without forcing it in any direction or way. Do a 3-3 pranayama, also known as So-Ham, followed by a 4-8 pranayama. Returning to regular breathing formulate your wishes for this yoga sequence.

I would like to direct you now to a web site which, along with beautiful photos, put together a lovely restorative yoga sequence. Do this at your own pace, stay in the poses for as long as you can. Watch your breathe: once it becomes forced you leave yoga and enter effort so that is the moment to release out of the pose.
http://www.yogajournal.com/slideshow/yoga-sequence-keep-healthy-winter/

* * * At the end of this sequence come back into a comfortable seated position, close your eyes one more time and reflect on this sequence: which aspect did you enjoy? Which postures helped you relax? Which postures made you feel positive? Take this into your daily life, this realization. Now turn your focus on the wishes you had formulated at the beginning of this sequence and reflect on them. Slowly open your eyes and find yourself back in the hear and now.

namasté

and  may peace be with you

YOGA - x-mas yoga

To celebrate this wonderful time of year and
find inner peace come together at
the yoga shala at La Vudèle for
x-mas YOGA

hatha, Iyengar, meditation
calmING & relaxing
 

  Friday, 18.12., 10h
Wednesday, 23.12., 17h
Wednesday, 30.12., 17h
Saturday, 02.01., 17h
 
after each session we share a cup of warming Zen tea
1.5 hours ~ € 10 ~ mats provided
for beginners, regular practitioners and non-yogis
drop-in class, no reservation required

*** wishing you light, prosperity & happiness ***

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - cooking with devotion

Good food requires more than top-notch ingredients and creative recipes - it's the compassion, intention, and energy of those in the kitchen that make a meal fulfilling. 

Cultivating a selfless intention, committing to recognizing the Divine in those you're feeding, and cooking joyfully without expectation of recognition will improve your awareness as well as your food. For the yogic cook, integrating mindfulness and love only deepens a cooking experience and, according to some, enhances the quality and flavor of the food itself. 


Inspired by the success in running our yoga retreats for several years now and on the positive comments we received from our guests dining with us at our table d'hôtes we decided to combine our two passions, yoga & cooking. 

For 2016  we offer 3 dates for yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends:
20. - 22. May
1. - 3. July
16. - 18. Septemberprogram for the yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends (May, July & September)
Friday
 arrival after 15h and installation in your rooms
16h workshop on healthy, clean, organic vegan cooking and introduction of the weekend's menu and activities and handing out of the La Vudèle goodie bag
19h classic Provencal apéritif dinatoire: a relaxed sit-down dinner with several different dishes prepared by your hosts, to explore the flavors and aromas of Provence
Saturday7.30 energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature, to get Prana flowing and stimulate digestion
9h our copious organic vegan breakfast with sourdough bread
10h visit of the local farmers' market in Riez with guide to our organic producers. We will purchase the ingredients for the delicious meal for dinner
afterwards free time to explore the area, the lavender fields, the gorge du Verdon and its lakes, etc
16h cooking course and preparation of our dinner:
Cooking with the fresh ingredients from our own vegetable garden and purchased at the market in the morning.
Practice of mindfulness, kindness & ahimsa, nonviolence, one of the yamas of yoga.
Awareness meditation: the love we place into the preparation is the love which nourishes us
19h gala dinner presenting the bounty of our cooking experience accompanied by wine tasting of local organic wines from Quinson, some cultivated right behind La Vudèle
Sunday 7.30 energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature
9h our copious organic vegan breakfast|
followed by a workshop on ideas for a healthy vegan breakfast and a certificate of your participation of this workshop
afterwards departure or possibility to extend your stay in our B&B

2 nights accommodation in our organic B&B or guest house including our copious organic vegetarian/vegan breakfast and 2 dinners € 580 / € 770 for two

Come share your passion!

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - organic wine of Quinson

 

Le Parc du Verdon in which Quinson and hence La Vudèle is located recently celebrated 10 years of activity with a big bash in Quinson, at le jardin public. Marquees were set up, stands prepared, stalls erected. Local producers carrying the label "Parc du Verdon" like Felicia our honey supplier got ready to sell their locally produced food. Throughout the day, a gorgeous Sunday, all kinds of activities and workshops were offered, one of which was the traditional way of harvesting grapes. At this occassion Jim was interviewed, right next to La Vudèle, during a workshop on harvesting the organically grown grapes of the wine of Quinson!

On this day the organic wine of Quinson which grows right behind La Vudèle received the label "Parc du Verdon"

The wines called "Terroir de Quintius" and "Azur" are grown according to the rules of the IGP (indication géographique protégée) by our neighbors Joel, Eric and Thimotée. And as a matter of fact Jim and Claudia gave the Quintius wine its name! Ask us about that story next time you visit us!

In this video we see the grandchildren of one of the owners of La Vudèle being interviewed on their experience of the manual grape harvest, and at 00:25 you can see Jim as he talks about living next to the vines which make the delicious wines of Quinson,

 

 

vousenpensezquoi-vin from Anecdoc on Vimeo.

Santé, tchin-tchin and prost!

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - thank you

Claudia & Jim with Mia

October has arrived, the season of contemplation is starting, the sun shines less strong and the evenings get colder... This is also the time to reflect. And to pick up projects left aside during the busy season, like this blog which we stopped in early summer but gathered new ideas, recipes and other news which we will share throughout the winter. 

To reflect is to look back at our activities the past few months which started in March. We hosted many people in our organic vegetarian B&B, all lovely guests from allover the world who stayed with us, not only from all over Europe but also from South Korea, Australia, the US and Canada, Puerto Rico and India and many more places - we would like to thank each one of these persons for having spent some time at La Vudèle, for having brought this energy here.

We also again held yoga workshops which we as hosts enjoyed very much, and judging by the feedback and emails we still receive our participants enjoyed their time here as well. This also gave rise and inspiration for a cook book which turned into the idea of offering yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends for 2016!

Claudia & Jim with Mimie
Mia somewhere else ;-)

We would like to thank all of our guests for making this place so special, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming back some of them next year who already booked for June and July, for the famous lavender season! 

A bientôt!

Jim & Claudia

Mimie & Mia

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - spring gardening

Every year, or rather: continuously, we work on our vegetable garden. 'Continuously' because we use permaculture as the basis which utilizes many different factors like the moon phases; creating our own compost, of course no fertilizers but to us nothing which comes from the outside; local plant varieties and seeds from a trusted source; rain water captured in a basin; the sun's movement; and our own two hands.

cherry tree in bloom in our garden

This year we finally managed to source the materials for a cold frame, like an old window très local, ie. at our neighbors' who had their windows replaced. More on that in our April postings because starting this year we can offer 2 more guest rooms at our organic B&B! Anyway, the end of February, in