This photo was taken (not by me) in our garden on Tuesday afternoon at about 4:30pm. This was the height of the latest heatwave and I have to confess to being slumped on a sofa, in front of a fan blowing air over 3 5 litre cannisters of ice. The weather was uncomfortable, the Heath Robinson air con worked!
I finally went outside at about 10pm to lock the chickens away and do a bit of watering, as well as my regular stroll to the top of the hill in front of the house. I was rewarded by a lovely sunset.
Today that all seems like a distant memory, with rain, soft, gentle, wet rain, and much cooler temperatures. It won't last but today we are enjoying the change!
Yesterday we were in Chinon for dinner. Next Sunday morning, the town will be the focus of the cycling world as the Tour de France sets off from there, for its ninth stage, heading south towards Chateauroux. Naturally we will go along and see the spectacle, although how much there is to really see will be interesting. We saw a stage finish once in Tours, and it was 2 to 3 hours of standing around for 10 seconds of whoosh! The town is festooned with yellow bunting, flags and other decorations, and a line painted on the road for the official start line when the four jerseys line up behind the lead car. The real start is about 10 kilometres out of town, but it is all about the spectacle in town. One of the pharmacies had a suitable window display.
On Thursday morning, a bunch of us braved the metal convection oven that is the Comité des Fêtes storage barn to crack on with the float for the Comice. My illness and successive heatwaves had slowed progress considerably, but we are on a deadline and fortunately a strong team of 7 were able to do all the panels that were prepared. I have checked the photo and I'm not giving away any secrets when I show our admirable team at work.
One more session is all we need to get the panels finished!
A combination of heatwaves and the arrival of a new computer have encouraged me to deal with a trail camera - down in the corner where the Meadow meets the Plantation. I was delighted to see that the hare uses this corner quite a bit, or was using it in March anyway!
It is very much an area where deer like to hang out - it provides cover and food and yet also allows a good view in the "vulnerable" directions. This stag had a pretty impressive rack of horn in April and used his antlers to trash the trees and greenery a bit. They are a menace when you have young or vulnerable trees, it has to be said!
By June, the results of a previous rutting season were around. When very tiny, the fauns are stashed in long grass or cereal crops, but as they grow, they follow Mum around learning to feed themselves, and being left in slightly more interesting places, like among the trees that edge the Meadow. These were learning to feed.
There is a water source nearby, which is also an attraction for the deer at the moment. Some of the ponds are looking very dry, but two are fed by tiny springs that don't seem to fail, and keep the local wildlife going.
Next week may be all about the Tour, depending on the next bout of heatwaves and the speed of my internet connection (we will soon go over to fibre, but there are Things to be Done before that can happen), so may be a day late. All very conditional I know! Anyway, have a good week!
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