Author: Victoria Koning

Arriving with a Paintbrush – Our Mirabeau Journey

On deciding to move to Cotignac after our 4-month sabbatical, Susana of Provence Living introduced us to Stephen and Jeany Cronk, who needed help with opening their boutique
La Tuf Craft Beer

Living as guardians for Villa Caren, the manager’s house on the Lou Calen hotel renovation building site, it was a huge delight to watch stonemason / brewmaster Renaud & his team build the ‘La Tuf’ brewpub
JAKTSLOTTET BJØRKÅSEN IN GÅLÅ, NORWAY

Our first visit to Norway and THE FIRST time with skis on. Ever.
Sundowners aboard Elena of London

During the sailing regatta, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, we were invited onboard the magnificent superyacht after the race. Her incredible size hits you as you’re ready to embark; being relieved of your shoes.
Sailing regatta Les Voiles de Saint Tropez

Les Voiles de Saint Tropez is a fab sailing regatta held from the last weekend of September, where about 300 yachts gather in the Golf of St Tropez for a week of competitive sailing and celebrations.
Le Rocher troglodyte promenade in Cotignac

Visiting the cliffs and formerly inhabited troglodyte dwelling in Cotignac is a must-do activity in this Provençal village
Private tour at Château Léoube

Vic joined two WSET-qualified wine boffs Nuria Styliano and Shelley Coleman for an interview and private tour with Jerome Pernot at Château Léoube
Cotignac Village of Rock 2016

For the 8th year in a row, Big Five and the Red One rocked Cotignac. Great music, dancing and German food and beer. Merci beaucoup.
Hosting at Taste of London with Mirabeau

Marcel and Vic joined Stephen in London to present the delicious Mirabeau pale pink during the annual restaurant festival held at Regent’s Park
Beach Camping “de la Plage” overlooking St Tropez

Camping with soft beach sand between your toes overlooking the Bay of St Tropez also sound like heaven to you? A great spot for our Land Rover #Dakota110
Scenic Wicklow Mountains in Ireland

The best thing to do in the Irish countryside is to get out there, whether you’re on foot or even braver, by bicycle. Sean and Patricia suggested a gentle ramble up Brown Mountain.
Ballyteige Lodge in Wicklow Mountains

The rustic peace and tranquility is enhanced by how welcoming and comfortable the manor is, Ballyteige Lodge is a fabulous country retreat.
Glendalough Nature Reserve in the Wicklow Mountains

Incredible history and beautiful tranquility in nature – a lovely walk in the Irish countryside.
Absorbing the buzz in Temple Bar, Dublin

When you have a couple of hours to kill in Dublin, Temple Bar has to be on your list of things to do … music, good beers and a great vibe
Guinness Storehouse in Dublin

Learning to pull a pint and to see how the Guinness story is told in their flagship storehouse in Dublin
A Spanish family holiday

A gentle roadtrip in the Landy from Provence to Calpe, near Alicante, to join our family in a self-catering rental home for a relaxed holiday in Spain
Classic Grand Prix test session in Monaco

What an experience – the noise of the grand prix cars, the sunshine, the yachts, the Monaco backdrop and my honey to enjoy it with. Fabulous!
Provence sabbatical day 29 – enjoying village life

Getting to understand village life! Winter in Provence: no tourists, just locals, friendly French interactions, grabbing bits of sunshine
Provence sabbatical day 28 – sea spray in St. Tropez

A nice lie-in after a fab Christmas dinner with Patricia. Around lunchtime, we took the leisurely route to St. Tropez, enjoying the sunshine
Provence sabbatical day 27 – Christmas Day 2013

Wow. You wait 365 days a year for it, and then suddenly it’s here. Christmas Day. And here we are in the South of France, with our great buddies, celebrating Yuletide.
Provence sabbatical day 26 – the day before Christmas

What a lovely way to enjoy Christmas? Cozy and warm with candles and a lovely fire, amazing smells emanating from the kitchen and a relaxed vibe. Life is Good!!
Provence sabbatical day 25 – Christmas madness and fabulous friends

It was after 5pm when Rob, Diana and Naomi trundled into town. Bienvenue chers amis!
Provence sabbatical day 24 – Christmas cat in a hat

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” ~ Dr. Seuss, author of Cat in the Hat
Provence sabbatical day 23 – Cotignac tourist office

It’s been raining solid for 2 days. I’m not complaining. We’ve had amazing sunny weather, and the land needs rain. But when it stopped today, Patricia and I hopped and skipped our way down to the village. I wanted to pop into the tourism office to find out things to do for when Rob, Diana […]
Provence sabbatical day 22 – Breaking Bad and mince pies

Watching Breaking Bad late into the night and meeting a 90-year-young legend, Patricia’s Mum.
Provence sabbatical day 21 – baubles and lamb curry

The final DIY touches, decorating for Christmas and a slow-cooked “best dish I’ve made” lamb curry
Provence sabbatical day 20 – fire nooks and e-cards

If this post is a blurred mess, please forgive me. I think we got about half an hour’s sleep last night. Don’t ask me why. Just couldn’t sleep. Eventually I gave up trying and came downstairs to a bewilderd Mado … “What? It’s breakfast time already?” He thought it was Christmas. Peeking through the windows, […]
Provence sabbatical day 19 – caves and pain

Sounds weird doesn’t it? But it’s not got anything to do with painful cave exploring. It’s cellars along the wine route and stocking up on bread … don’t you love the French?
Provence sabbatical day 18 – we’re finally unpacked!

Gosh, we’re in week 4 of our sabbatical! Time is flying by. And finally we’ve managed to move into Pen’s room and unpack!!
Provence sabbatical day 17 – Cotignac Christmas market

After some DIY at Pen’s place, Marcel joined Victoria in the village to check out the annual Christmas market.
Provence sabbatical day 16 – green gold

Today’s the day for Patricia. We collect the olive oil that’s been pressed from her grove. It’s rather impressive, the trees yielded 287,5 kgs and after tallying it up, we counted 37,5 litres of olive oil.
Provence sabbatical day 15 – festive season creeping in

Installing a 4-metre Christmas tree into your lounge is a lot easier with more than two hands. Marcel and I lent ours. Even if I say so myself, it all ran very smoothly.
Provence sabbatical day 14 – what’s for dinner?

Maggi and Derek have done their very best to recreate an “vieille maison” using Provencal features and techniques, and the result is marvellous!
Provence sabbatical day 13 – reflections and panes

I adore mirrors. Not because I enjoy spending hours looking into them. But because of reflections are like memories.
Provence sabbatical day 12 – a drive to Darty in Frejus

Sidsel gave us a tip for the washing machine, Darty. And that you can order online. But we thought we’d go check it out in person.
Provence sabbatical day 11 – back to the future

Last night’s carol service took me back 3 decades to watching my parents sing in Pretoria. One of my proudest moments, they have both got such beautiful voices. And it seems the local antique dealer is harbouring the voice of an angel! I had to close my eyes to fully absorb the nuances of tenors, […]
Provence sabbatical day 10 – freezing my socks off

I froze my socks off. And then my toes defrosted! It turns out that not all socks are equal … the fuzzy socks that I normally sleep in do wonders at keeping my toetsies warm, but get painful if you walk in them too long. And walking socks on the other hand, are pretty damn […]
Provence sabbatical day 9 – la terrasse du soleil

I woke up early to get some bookkeeping done. What do you mean it’s Saturday? Really? Patricia collected me around 11 am for our stroll down to the village
Provence sabbatical day 8 – the brightest star in the African sky

There’s nothing like being welcomed by a room flooded with sunlight. And then learning about the death of a beloved World Leader. Even when you want to stop the clock, life insists you carry on.
Provence sabbatical day 7 – mon roi et un petit gâteau

“Is it 12 o’clock yet?” Marcel was trying to read himself to sleep, and I kept asking until he said yes. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday my darling Marceeeeeel, happy birthday to you” … and then five minutes later in Dutch, and five minutes after that in Afrikaans …we won’t even […]