The Wind Off the Small Isles Only two days after arriving there, Cora decides she wants to buy a house. While driving around the island they reach Playa Blanca and Cora sees just the house she is looking for. She sends Perdita to ask who owns it. Perdita, after getting no answer at the front door, meets Michael in the grounds who is supervising building work. There is a mention of Julian Gale from Stewart's earlier novel, "This Rough Magic". The Wind Off the Small Isles The Wind Off the Small Isles is a novella by Mary Stewart, first published in 1968. Unlike her other works,
Mistral (wind) is blowing. In the Rhône Valley and on the plain of la Crau, the regularity and force of the mistral causes the trees to grow leaning to the south. Once the forest has been razed by fire, the strong wind makes it difficult for new trees to grow. The farmers of the Rhône Valley have long planted rows of cypress trees to shelter their crops from the dry force of the mistral. The mistral can also have beneficial effects—the moving air can save crops from the spring frost, which can last until the end of April. As summer visitors to