The Heat Goes On*

It still hasn't rained.

I know, as someone who lived through a couple of 7 year droughts, that about 3 weeks without rain isn't a record breaker. What one has to remember though, is that in France - especially this part of France - a drop of rain is never that far away. It seems unreal that at the beginning of the cherry crop we were worrying about the rain spoiling our cherries, and here we are - cherries still on trees, worrying about heat stress.

It's been hot, too - as Susan said, the thermometer in the car was reading well over 40 the other day. That's 104 in the old money. Far too hot to be doing stuff, but it doesn't seem to have stopped us completely. This week we have been shifting render off walls, taking the rubble to the dechetterie, measuring floors for tiles, remeasuring, using formulae for calculating floor space (Heron of Alexandria anyone?), buying tiles.

10.00 at night and Susan is watering the veggies

And watering the garden.

We have carried so much water. It's because of the drought, you know - and I think that's where came in....

Simon

*I was going to make a long and complicated joke about "a hit by Sunny** and Cher" but I ran out of steam

** I know....

You don't often see one of them!

A miscellany of photos:

The top photo was taken yesterday afternoon on our way back from le Blanc. Just outside Tournon St Martin this farmer had managed to set his baler (and much of his straw field) alight.

The second photo is my legs. On Tuesday we bought an échafaudage at BricoDepot to help me reach unfeasible heights. Unfeasible, but I needed unnerving, so it was back up the extension ladder to really finish the job.

The third photo is of fruit boxes. Jus and Debs are English, spent most of last year living in Canberra, and own a house in Preuilly. In the grenier of their Preuilly house is a vast collection of fruit boxes they have offered to us for storing apples. On Wednesday they delivered a couple of stacks of boxes and stayed for a cherry juice.

Simon

Keeping Cool in the Fôret de Preuilly

It was 41°C in our front courtyard yesterday at about 3pm. The day before we went to the menuiserie (joinery) to pay the deposit on our new staircase and thought how lovely and cool the secretary's office was. She showed us the thermometer and it was reading 29°C! These things are clearly relative.

A European Wall Lizard Podarcis muralis
(Lézard des murailles) on a mossy tree root.
Even the lizards were seeking the shade.

The Fôret de Preuilly, with its promise of heavy shade from chêne et chataignier (oak and chestnut), is a popular spot in this hot weather, as we discovered when we visited a couple of days ago (see yesterday's picture). A class from the Ecole Maternelle (to judge by the ages of the kids) was there, probably having been building shelters in the woods from fallen branches and bracken, and now reappearing with teachers and parents, to exclaim at the grosse grenouille (big fat frog) in the étang and shout 'vive la France' in unison for the photo call.

Une plus petite grenouille.
Probably Pool Frog Pelophylax lessonae
(Grenouille de Lessona) in the Green Frog group

There were at least half a dozen other cars in the car park. People came and went after having a snack in the shade and a short walk. We just walked around the étang de Ribaloche, at the car park, but since it was swarming with dragonflies of about 8 different species, it took us quite a long time to get round, photographing obliging specimens along the way.

A sizeable carp, cruising through the water weed
in the shallow étang.

The unmistakable male Broad Scarlet dragonfly
Crocothemis erythraea (la Libellule écarlate).

A Four-Spotted Chaser
Libellula quadrimaculata (la Libellule à quatre taches)
with the strong wing markings of form praenubila

Susan

Events in and Around Preuilly for July 2009

Summer in the Forêt de Preuilly

1 July - 31 August - Musée de la Poterne
Open from 2.30pm to 6.30pm every day except Monday

Friday 3 - Boussay - Gospel concert
Parc de chateau, 8.30. 10€

Saturday 4 – Fête – Comité des Fêtes

Saturday 4 – Vente de Bulbes – Place des Halles
Sale of saffron bulbs in the market place.

Saturday 4 - Barrou - 5ème Festival des Barroudeurs
Music festival in Barrou: African Percussion, Pop Rock, Chanson Française and Blues
Starts at 8pm, entry 5€, restauration sur place

Sunday 5 – Sélection Régionales de Trompes de Chasse – au plan d'eau
Début des sélections 09h; messe de St Hubert 11h30; vin d'honneur12h30; poursuite des sélections 14h; coupe de la région.
Village exposants; artistes locaux et régionaux; restauration froide ou chaude sur place; parking gratuit; entrée gratuite.
Hunting horns regional finals – at the recreation ground
Competition starts at 9.00 am; mass for St Hubert (the patron saint of hunters) 11.30 am; drinks reception 12.30 pm; competition continues 2.00 pm; regional cup.
Village exhibits; local and regional artists; hot or cold food on site; free parking; free entry.

Saturday 11 – Ecole de Musique
Music school.

Monday 13 – Retraite aux Flambeaux, Feu d'artifice et Bal Populaire
Parade with flaming torches, fireworks and dance.

Tuesday 14 – Concours de pêche – La Brême
Fishing competition.

Tuesday 14 – Fête Nationale
Bastille Day, a public holiday.

Wednesday 15 - Guided walk through Preuilly sur Claise
10h at the the tourist office, Grande rue

Saturday 18 – Concours de pétanque, ouvert à tous
French bowls competition, open to all.

Saturday 18 Dîner Concert
Town Dinner, with JLD Jazz Quintet 8.00pm
22€ , reservations essential. Tel: 02.47.94.61.07

Sunday 26 - La Celle-Guénand - Brocants De La Fete Des Metiers
Flea Market and local artists and artisans


Market days in Preuilly are Thursdays and Saturdays. The market is held in Place des Halles in the morning.

On Saturday nights there is a pizza van in Place des Halles.

Wildlife to look out for this month: Stag Beetles, Violet Carpenter Bees, Darter dragonflies, Skipper butterflies, Western Green Lizards, Gendarme Bug nymphs.



Wildflowers to look out for this month: Mueller's Helleborine orchid (above), Greater Knapweed.