When I first saw strange fields full of sticks growing in rows, I could not think what exotic plant they were.......
......only to discover they were fields of decapitated sunflowers!
Autumn is the season for violently trimming the characteristic plane trees found throughout Provence. They provide cooling shade in summer, only to be completely cut back in Autumn...and grow back in full force in Spring.
Equally striking are the weird shadows cast by the emasculated trees in the strong afternoon sun....
When walking, the ground is often covered with large numbers of acorns - which were an important part of the diet of early inhabitants of the area.
The typical three-legged ladder also makes its appearance in autumn, as it is used to pick the higher branches of the olive trees and, as here, the pomegranate tree.
The setting sun brings into sharp relief the ironwork used on top of civic and ecclesiastical buildings. (This is used to provide the height of a bigger tower but with less likelihood of it being blown down by the infamous Provencal mistral). The smoke from buring leaves only adds to this autumnal scene.
Perhaps you can understand why we find autumn to be a wonderful time to be in Provence!!
