Transition to Var

Leaving Victoria for Var today made me think of things I will miss about Ballarat.

Gracious buildings in Ballarat's city centre.

Pink cliffs on Black Hill.

1. The cool, clear late autumn light. Recent days have been perfect, illuminating the gracious buildings in the city centre, reflecting the shimmering surface of the lake and bringing a glow to the town's red brick houses and churches.


2. Our 'Frenchified Fridays' - with thanks for that description to my friend, Janelle Gould, (www.distantfrancophile.com ) - where I join a group of local francophiles and spend the morning chatting about everything under the sun - in French.


3. The artistic inspiration I receive from the group of creatives in my 'burb - the Soldiers Hill Artist Collective (www.shacballarat.com.au ) - who have recently introduced the amazingly successful Art Walk.


4. Strenuous walks up and over Black Hill, where, despite its name, you find pink rocks in the midst of the pine trees - a legacy from gold and quartz mining days.

Lake Wendouree.

5. The calm beauty of early-morning and late afternoon (in fact at any time!) walks around Lake Wendouree followed by a stroll back home through streets that boast a stunning variety of domestic architecture.

Les Arce-sur-Argens.

. . . but the alternative will be summer in our little town of Les Arcs-sur-Argens in the Var, meeting old friends in the town and welcoming visiting friends from home.