The daughter and her friends arrived on a perfect sunny day, with the temperature floating around in the mid-20’s, and for only the second time this year, it was warm enough to dine on the patio. During their 9-day stay we ate out in the garden every evening (despite the mosquitoes), and only experienced one rainy episode – albeit a violent one – lasting for about half an hour and turning the roads into temporary waterways and our bathroom and hall into an ankle-deep paddling pool, courtesy of the bathroom Velux.

By the time we sadly delivered them back to Poitiers airport yesterday, a hot morning had developed into an unpleasantly humid afternoon, and the mercury in town indicated a blistering 39° C.  During the night a son et lumière in the guise of a cracking thunderstorm brought welcome relief, except for our Viszla, Tally, who doesn’t do thunder claps at all, and clambered into our bed and tried to hide beneath my pillow.

Considering just how unpredictable and unseasonal the weather has been so far this year, our guests got their timing absolutely right. Today is much cooler, and it’s just beginning to drizzle, so we certainly will not be dining al fresco.