This is one of my favourite photos of France, but like most of my favourite of my own photographs its best effects were accidental.
In this case I love the delicate tracery of the wrought iron work and the serendipitous reflection of the Provencal roof on the open window.
The fact that the men were playing boules in the shade, the women in the sun.
All unobserved when I took the photograph.

We stayed in the same house in Rasteau in Provence for two years, 2002 and 2003.It was beautifully situated with windows out on to the square of this very pretty wine village and yet room in the garden for a pool.
I took this picture of boule players out our bedroom window one afternoon in 2002.
It is a very French scene and I framed a copy which we have kept on the mantelpiece for years, I think the breath of the warm south which it exhaled kept us going through the winters.
We made friends with the Augiers, Marie-Jo and Jean, who live in the village and in 2004 they came to Ireland on holidays and came to see us.
The minute Marie-Jo saw the picture on the mantelpiece she said
“That’s Jean! I recognise his t-shirt”
And indeed it is.
So a precious picture became even more personal.

Commercial:
The house in Rasteau is still for rent by Kevin Aylott
see it at:
www.cheznous.co.uk
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