LIVING ABROAD

My 12th September in France

And a look back at other Septembers

September 2024 Cool and damp in the garden (all photos by author)

This September dawned cool and rainy, a welcome change from the heat of the past few weeks. If, as I once wrote, August is like a guest that has overstayed its welcome, September feels like a fever that has broken. Although there can still be warm days in this part of southern France, they’re bearable.

Sitting in the garden, feeling philosophical, I thought I’d look back on my previous Septembers in France. Hard to believe this is the 12th

SEPTEMBER 2013 I’d been in France for less than a year and while I played tour guide to visiting family and friends, I was also discovering the beautiful and historic part of France that would become my home. One of my favourite places to show guests and less than a thirty-minute drive from where I was living, is the medieval village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. Beautiful any time of year, but in September the summer heat is less intense, the streets less crowded.

St. Guilhem-le-Désert, Languedoc France

SEPTEMBER 2014 After returning from a visit to the States, I moved into my new digs — where I still live today. I took the pictures of my study and…