A Day in France with Le Sac Co-Founder Trisha Dixon Burkitt
Morning here in France begins much as it does at Bobundara, in quietude. So peaceful. First light comes through the windows of my bedroom, which looks out over leafy plane trees onto a little square below. Wonderfully cool and utterly still, carpe diem.
7:00 - 9:00am
Not being a coffee or tea person, I squeeze a grapefruit, my morning kickstart. La Plage hat on, phone in my Le Sac, water bottle strapped to the vélo, and off I head through the sleeping village and up along a beautiful flower-strewn rail trail to the nearby market village of Chalabre, where, if friends are staying, I stop at the boulangerie for croissants.
9:00 - 10:30am
Hat back on the hat rack, and while it's still cool I tackle emails and tour planning, which can easily consume hours. At Bobundara it was always a daily wrangle, garden or office? Here in Camon, with only some lavender and herbs in pots either side of the front door and a few climbing roses clambering up toward the upper windows, there is little gardening to be done.
A friend who stayed recently gifted me a fabulous little pair of red secateurs, which have become my constant companion on daily forays along the bike paths, gathering flowers and foliage to fill the house. They're equally good for deadheading the roses to keep the blooms coming.
10:30 - 12:30pm
Camon is known as the rose village, cheekily proclaiming itself "the most beautiful village in France" on its webpage, and not without reason. Thirty years ago, a far-sighted Mayor had the vision to gift every householder a climbing rose, a decision that now draws thousands of visitors each May for the rose festival. But most days, looking out my windows, I see artists, photographers, walkers and cyclists wandering through the village, stopping to smell the roses and to photograph them.
12:30 - 2:00pm
A big leafy salad, fresh walnuts, chopped dried figs, slivers of parmesan or fresh tomatoes and basil, drizzled with olive oil and a ginger balsamic vinegar, with a tall glass of iced sparkling water. I love pulling a book from the shelf to browse while I eat.
2:00 - 4:00pm
Then it's back to work, mostly tour planning. Which is such fun, for all the administrative weight of it, there is always the element of adventuring, dreaming up new itineraries and planning recce trips to unknown places. A recent one took me walking up, up, up and further up into the Pyrenees, along the walk to freedom taken by so many downed airmen and Jewish people escaping the Germans during the Second World War. Next year, a cycling trip through the Loire Valley is taking shape.
With a beautiful river flowing through the village, a late afternoon dip is one of the great pleasures of summer here. Then a slow walk back through the village, and dressing for the evening.
Later...
Dinners are easy and almost always joyful. A local village community event, long tables set out with food and wine vans, live music, everyone bringing their own plate, cutlery and glass. Or an evening in someone's garden or home, with guests spanning every age. Inclusive, warm, and wonderfully French.
Trisha xx
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