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“I am always posting pretty photos from my life and brain downloads on Instagram. ”
— @LAURABRADBURYWRITER
Huge congratulations to Debra Pahal Maddox for winning my latest draw for a free week at any of our three vacation rentals in Burgundy, France. 🍇 For example, Debra can live like a local at Le Relais de Vieux Beaune (pictured here), spend a lazy, lovely morning at the Beaune Saturday morning market and bring all the ingredients back (a three minute walk) to cook in the fully equipped kitchen. 🍇 She can listen to the bells from the church and the nunnery down the street, and wander on top of Beaune’s medieval fortifications (our apartment is “intra muros” which is Latin for “in the medieval core”). 🍇 I’ll be doing another draw in a few months. As usual, you have to be a Grapeviner to be automatically entered. If you already receive my issues of Laura’s Grapevine by email you are good to go. To sign up, just go to the link in my bio above. 🍇 Félicitations Debra! Happy trip planning. Burgundy awaits!
The entire idea for A Vineyard for Two came to be in a ferocious rush when I saw this fabulous Burgundy Harvest photo by @Armelle for the first time. 🍇 I wondered...are these two passing the bucket full of grapes or tugging on it? What is their story? What if they were very unhappily put in a situation where they had to co-own this vineyard, and this was their first harvest? I wanted to write a novel that answered these questions and immersed my readers into the extraordinary atmosphere of les vendanges. I wanted my readers to feel it, hear it, and taste it. 🍇 It all sprung from this photo. It’s amazing how you can look and look for inspiration and not find it, then the universe brings it to you when you’re least expecting. 🍇 In life I’ve found it’s the same phenomenon with healing, finding peace, and meeting “your” people. We can push and strive all we want, but we seem to receive the gifts when we let ourselves stay open and wait. I’m pretty much the least patient person in the world (just ask my family) but even I’m trying to learn this.
Intrigued by the grape harvest happening in France right now? Want to learn more about it? 🍇 Guess what? My novel, Book #1 in the Winemaker’s Trilogy, is set during the Burgundy grape harvest. Les vendanges, as the locals call it, is a massive deal in winemaking areas such as ours. 🍇 It feels like regular routines and life is suspended during the harvest, and it is an intense time full of drama, accidents, hard bloody work, and celebration. It was obvs the perfect setting for the tensions, conflict, and romance in A Vineyard for Two. 🍇 Want to dive into the harvest without paying for a plane ticket? Just click on the link in my bio.
This shot was taken by my friend (and wonderful wine tour guide) @burgundyonaplate . I’m in the thick of trip planning for the cookbook for October and I am having issues reigning myself in. I want to show @rwellmanphoto All The Things. 🍇 Also, harvest just started in Burgundy and all my winemaking friends are reporting lower yields because of the dry, hot summer but LOVELY grapes. Bonne Vendanges mes amis! 🍇 Lastly, have you entered to win my annual free-week-in-Burgundy draw? No? Just click on the link in my bio and maybe you’ll be the lucky one. 🍇 The draw happens on Sunday the 15th and the winner will be announced on Monday. Maybe you could be in Burgundy to join in the harvest next year. Bonne Chance!
No, I’m not in Bermuda right now (though that’d be lovely - I dream of those beaches). I’m up at the Lake for a few days to get caught up with writing after a wonderful but full summer. 🍇 The silence up here is complete, and I can work and work without having to stop to do time-consuming annoyances such as showering. (Kidding, sorta). I am so grateful to have this place as a writing retreat / boot camp. 🍇 I have some big stuff on the go - the French cookbook and my first foray into traditional publishing (extremely exciting) and collaboration (also exciting), getting the My Grape Cellar memoirette manuscript to my editor, publishing my first audiobook (My Grape Year), and finishing the outline for My Grape Québéc, plus the next newsletter, and getting ready for our next France trip in mid-October. It is all stoking a fire in my gut and I’m just so grateful to still be here, able to create after hanging out with my kids in the sunshine. 🍇 But you can see why I don’t have time for showers. ;)
It’s that time of year...oui, back-to-school of course, but also time for me to draw another winner amongst my Grapevine Group. 🍇 What’s the prize? A week for free at your choice of our vacation rentals in Burgundy, France. You can see them all at www.laurabradbury.com . 🍇 Want to enter? Just go to the link in my bio and sûrtout Bonne Chance.
Hard to believe tomorrow is back-to-school. How did that happen?
Leonard as seen from La Musée des Beaux Arts. Some cities have a soul and Montréal is one of them.