Life does continue ...

 ... even in the heat!

We were tempted out last night as there was an 'event' in St Germain-du-Bel-Air and we like to support local activities.

The commune had organised a Gourmet market; local producers offering varying meals so that you can make your own menu.  This was all staged around the town's 'lake' (plan d'eau).  

The evening was very well supported with estimates of more than 100 although as the evening progressed these numbers grew as people from the municipal camp-site joined.

The evening was notable as Sue, who regularly claims she doesn't like 'a lump of meat', declared that she wanted marinated steak cooked on a BBQ grill served with sauted potatoes and cepe mushrooms ! Now that we are French the steak, cooked 'blue', did not faze her but it definitely needed red wine to wash it down.  So we bought a bottle of a nice Cahors from the van of a local vintner for 6.50 euros which we duly finished off by the end of the evening!  

However this wasn't the full extent of the entertainment.  Once darkness fell at about 10 pm a guitarist began to play 'mood' music to introduce a story teller who recounted 3 tales of country folk, water and the supernatural.  At one point a girl 'danced' in the water at the other side of the lake as a fantasy character in the story.  All in all it certainly was an experience.

This morning we went back to the lake for a display of photos on the theme of Water which linked with the evening's performance.

A nice evening of culture and community.

Burnt Up

 We arrived home from the UK on Wednesday morning at 1.45am having had an eventful journey. We left Lincolnshire at 7am Tuesday and arrived at the Channel Tunnel with no problems,other than the 40C heat which persisted throughout daylight hours. However there was an hours delay on top of the hour John always allows for possible trouble!! Just outside Calais the motorway was shut with a 45 minute diversion. Then the trim on the bonnet started flacking in the wind and took three separate attempts to rectify. Despite the air conditioning in the car I was getting rather hot and bothered by this time and suggested that we stop at the hotel we normally use. As we had to be home for an obligatory blood test for me at 7am Wednesday morning John said that we would have to leave the hotel at 1 in the morning so we should just battle on. Fine, until we encountered a dreadful storm north of Limoge. The fork and sheet lining was flashing continually for about half an hour and all of a sudden a wall of water fell in front of us and we literally couldn't see anything. We had no idea where we were in relation to the road until at the very last second we saw the side railings which John miraculously avoided hitting. Phew, we have no plans to drive to England again in the near future.

Our neighbours had kindly offered to water for us whilst we were away but despite this the weeks of drought coupled with days of 40C temperatures and a boiling wind the garden had succumbed. Of course I started to water straight away but just to try and save a few plants. The soil is like powder, it is eroded from around the plant roots where I have been hoseing since May and even if the flowers manage to bloom they are destroyed by the sun in one day. 

We put the hibiscus in the porcherie for protection so now it is looking great.

The butterflies are still manageing to find nectar on a few survivors.

We will just have to start the Autumn cut back early this year ......when it's cooled a little of course. What a difference a year makes; last year we did not clear up at all because everything was flowering into November.

Garden Update

 We made such a fuss when we were creating the "wedding cake" that I thought you might like to see it now that it is in flower.

The roses are blooming well between the dahlias and the hydrangea now that the deer can't see them and enjoy them for breakfast. Not all is well however. We have lost about 50% of the iberis round the edge. I assumed that they would cope well with the summer heat as they originate from the Iberian Peninsula. Perhaps if I replace them in the Autumn they will have a chance to get established before next years ferocious temperatures.

Whilst I was taking the photo of the wedding cake I took a few more of the garden. Actually they make it look better than it is as flowers fade rapidly in the current heatwave and many will probably not survive at all.

Sorry it is the usual gardeners moan, it's too hot, too cold, no rain.........

Much As Usual

 Looking back our last post said much the same thing!! It is July and very hot so we just slip into the regular summer routine. Up early, out as early as possible  to try to do some gardening before the heat makes it impossible, retire to the shade of the alley for a glass of beer at midday, lunch, hide indoors all afternoon, emerge for a pre-dinner drink, dinner followed by 2 hours watering from 8 until 10 when the temperature has cooled to become a pleasant evening. Oh what a hard life!!

When doing the evening watering we continue to be accompanied by the 4 grey baby rabbits who have taken up residence this year. They seem to become more and more "tame" by the day, so much so that I was in a dream world yesterday evening and didn't realise that I was about to tread on one. 

Another baby turned up on the trail camera the other day.

 Liasing with the furry wildlife is about our highlight at present, don't get us wrong we are not complaining.