September on the way.

After a week of almost 40c heat, the rain started. It rained cats and dogs for three days, almost non-stop. We were trapped indoors, not even a break long enough to go for a quick walk using an umbrella. As a result the garden is a jungle, weeds everywhere again in the courtyard, groan groan. Back to normal again now, with cool nights and beautiful warm days.

The garden is still producing - the roses are magnificent, they love the rain. Our neighbours all around us are trying to give away some of their huge harvest of stone fruit - trouble is, everyone has supplies at the same time.
Every time I pick beans, there are more the next day. John groans when I bring a bowl of beans again from the garden. Now we have heaps of cherry tomatoes, so starting to work our way through them. Salad is finished, and probably the last few potatoes unless some are hiding as they often do.
What a season this has been, we have not had to buy fruit and vegetables at all this summer, except in the first few weeks after we arrived. It has been incredible.l
The sun is going down a little bit earlier, and its still slightly dark when John gets up around 6.30 to look at the internet. I don't we will be eating outside in the evening for much longer, but enjoying doing so while we can.
Being trapped indoors for some days meant we both got lots of work done on our computers. I managed to do a great deal of research reading and making notes, sometimes with the help of a friend for translation. John was writing, and happy with all the work he managed.
I had my book group lunch last week, at a country auberge sitting outside on a terrace looking over rolling green hills, in a tiny little stone village. The French countryside is dotted with beautiful small villages, aged stone houses, 10th and 11th century churches, and lots of lots of flowers this summer.
Neighbours call in from time to time, and we do the same to friends around us.
Sunday is the day for the grand "puce" or flea markets around the villages. Yesterday we went to two and bought some DVDs and very old postcards which tell a story in themselves. We enjoyed our drive through the countryside, I never get tired of the beauty of our surroundings here. On the way back we stopped for lunch at an auberge, a very pleasant end to our outing.
A local farmer has moved some young rams into the orchard opposite our window, they are madly eating the blackberries as far as I can see. They will probably jump over the wall and cause a chase down the road (this is a frequent happening and amuses us greatly).
Our goods and chattels have been delivered to our new home in Tallong, and we will be setting off in six weeks time to return and settle in to our new surroundings. We are looking forward to it very much. So much to do, but hopefully it will be lots of fun.
Well, better go out and pick some more of those dratted beans!