August days

Bonjour

A round up of our French life over the last week or so of August, which has included the sedum coming in to flower which is heaven for the bees and butterflies.

After a week of temperatures in the early 40°Cs when no matter how efficient we were with the shutter and window routine the house heated up, things have changed completely. Last week the pool water reached 30°C and a late afternoon refreshing swim was a little akin to a tepid bath! A very first world problem as I appreciate that we are enormously lucky to have such a facility in the garden. Plants withered and the risk of further wildfires grew. Then over one weekend the temperatures dropped by 20°C, torrential rain arrived on Saturday along with thunder and lightning, much needed water for everyone. The trees have been so stressed by the lack of water that the garden now looks like it is in mid-autumn, as trees desperately shed leaves to survive. The sky was grey, there was an autumnal feel to the early mornings but an opportunity to get back to some of the jobs that high temperatures preclude you from doing. Logs need moving and leaves clearing, there are always painting jobs and finally a bit of gardening.

Things have been quite quiet, so there is not much to report. It was too hot to do much other than find a cool spot or go for a swim. Making jam and chutney was not ideal in the heat, but fruit needed dealing with, done in small batches to avoid prolonged time by the cooker! Bear, our mountain dog, had to go out very early in the morning for a walk and it was too uncomfortable for us to even eat outside in the evening. The air was so hot, it was still 32°C at bedtime! The cats were often found stretched out in dark places, on tiled floors but also weirdly at times on warm jumpers!

One of the highlights (if it was that) of late August was the increase in our frog population. One day there was one, the next 2 and then the next day 4! It looked like a little frog family from the sizes. We tried relocating them to the copse but obviously as soon as our backs were turned they hopped back to the pool. We popped up one evening last week and saw two of them on the pool steps catching flies – they looked very content and at home! You would think the water was unsuitable but they seem to be fine, one has definitely been with us for a month now. It is time we found out what we should do as I am not sure we want find hundreds of frogs in the pool! I had read that if you take them too far, they try to get back, so further research is needed. Much as they are very cute and beautiful to watch swimming, our pool is not great for them with the salt and chlorine, but also it is just not an ideal situation. Operation frog continues…

The other highlight involved tiled floors. We dropped my son off at a rather lovely old chateau for a retreat recently. What an amazing place it must once have been and the floors in the entrance hall, rooms and corridors – just gorgeous. I have complete floor envy as I love old tiles.

A short post to bring August to a close, but it will be followed by a renovation update focussed on mirrors, with a bit of history too. I will also be adding another foodie post – this time enjoying the abundance of tomatoes. I have been making soups and tomato sauces for the freezer and chutneys to add to the collection. More on that in the coming days.

Until then, have an enjoyable time.

A bientôt

Ali xx