Phew !

Within the last 10 days – it’s gone from:

….. 22 degrees to 32+ air temperature

….. 22 degrees to 29 degrees – pool temperature

….. Closed patio doors to them being open 24 X 7 and as I write this at 4.30am, it's till 27 or 81 degrees!

….. Fans on 24 X 7

….. Mad, scatty cats dashing everywhere to quiet, listless moggies desperately hunting shade

….. no mosquitos and few wasps to loads of both – everybody’s itching with the former and ducking for cover with the latter

….. green green grass on the terraces to a brown stubble

Yes – the long awaited summer weather has arrived and about time too although one of the problems we’ve had is that with no gradual build-up to the hot sunny days and overbearing humid, sticky nights, it all seems a bit of a shock.

From people gathering round the hot plates at BBQs to keep warm, we’re now all gathering round the ice coolers and we’re still talking about the weather and, we’re still complaining.

It’s got so bad that I’ve had a beer. At a BBQ last Sunday, faced with the choice between chilled Rosé and an ice-cold can of beer, I chose the latter which is most unlike me, having a sophisticated, educated palate for fine wines and all! Still, it hit the spot as they say.

Thankfully the weather has picked up for the arrival of my brother, our cousin and her husband later this week. I had feared wrapping up when we ventured out, trying to find somewhere relatively sheltered but now we’ll be able to sit out on the terrace at The Midi all afternoon and eat, drink and be tanned – all in one.

The other benefit of course, is that it’s just far, far too hot to do any work outside, well gardening type work that is. Within minutes, the sweat is pouring off me and the pool beckons and that’s it for the afternoon. I’ve even been taking Shadow down to the river for a cool-down. I normally have to push him in to get him wet, but these days as soon as he sees the water, in he goes, swimming around quite happily. The trouble comes when he heads for the earth in the fields adjacent to the river. Why do dogs have this need to roll in dirt when they’re wet and then come into the house and spread it all around? Mutts!

Still, we haven't reached the blistering 43 degrees it hit last year on Corsica - thank goodness. 43 degrees - I mean that's something like 110 in old money !