Joely Richardson

Joely Richardson Instagram – This is where I spent my holidays for the first 50 yrs of my life- the Var region of France. Tumbled down stone cottages reached via a long dirt track . My father, the Yorkshireman, was the custodian- no central heating, no TV. I think that’s why my sister Tash and I became actors – rainy holidays spent inventing shows, singing songs, making hotch potch costumes. We grew up there, and much later so did our children . It’s where I learnt to cook clear set for people- gathering produce from local markets. The smell of baked herbs in the air. The soundtrack of cicadas. I planted the stones of peaches thinking they’d grow. Side stepped scorpions. Found tortoises in the undergrowth. In the very early years there were turtles in the stream. The rocks sparkled when the sun hit them. My father ,who died not far off the age I am now, ashes are embedded there- in the soil he loved so well. But after Tash left it was never the same for me. We’d literally dreamt our lives there. We sold it some years ago. It wasn’t so much like the closing of a chapter- more like the book’s binding had gone. You must have a place that’s run throughout your life- even if you ran from it? Song lines I think it’s called . And then we move on. Because we do. The heart beat beats . | Posted on 25/Jul/2024 14:01:20