"Our Friends"

 I have told you that we have been in virtual "lockdown" for weeks due to the incessant high temperatures. Normally in the holiday season we venture out to some of the numerous cultural events that are arranged at this time of year for both holidaymakers and locals. However as it does not begin to cool off until 21.00 we just have not got the energy to make the effort. 

So.......these little creatures have been our entertainment this summer.

 Yes John (and Jean-Jacque) guard them like they are family. Remember the carry on when the kestrels were nesting!! I often say to John "who were you talking to?" and he says "only the rabbit". There are 3/5 who live in the garden. We have never seen 5 together so we don't know if it is 3 in the front and 2 in the back or it is just the same ones moving about. They are not afraid of us and we can walk within 2 metres and they just carry on with their own business. If occasionally they do become anxious they lay their ears down and stay perfectly still so that they are "invisible"! Under non drought conditions they graze on the weeds in the "lawn" but even now they don't eat my plants (well, virtually never).

As you can tell they have given us much pleasure and as we always say it is an immense pleasure for us to share our lives with the wildlife. Of course I remain anxious that they will breed (5 is enough thank you). I was wondering if there is a contraceptive that you can feed to rabbits like there is for pidgeons. May be a niche in the market?

The Drought

 Officially it is the worst drought since 1959. Ironically it is not the lack of water which is so difficult to deal with it's the incessant high temperatures. Around 7am it is pleasant enough to be out in the garden watering the few plants that I am trying to save. However the temperatures rise very rapidly and we have to retreat indoors until around 9.30pm when it is just safe to reappear. Of course there is a small window between 12.00 and 12.30pm when we enjoy a beer in the shade of the alley. This regime is so boring!! Yes we ought to do some things indoors but we find the heat so energy sapping that we have no inclination to do anything except read. I realise that there are many people who would give their eye teeth to have these conditions for their fortnight's holiday but we have lived with this situation since May and it ceases to be pleasurable. The weather forecast foresees 40C for the next few days and then a return to the 30+ C add infinitum, although they do forecast some thundery showers for the weekend. However we are so cynical that we believe they will have fizzled out by then, which is what usually happens. Never fear we have no intention of returning to the UK!

These were Daylilies !

You will be pleased to note some good news, the vines are loving it. Apparently 50% of local vines were destroyed in a 10 minute hail storm earlier in the year but we expect a great vintage. As you know us gardeners are ever the optimists (as they say on Gardeners Question Time "onwards and upwards") and I have been studying the bulb catalogues for my Spring Flowering order.