With almost all of France now in the ‘red zone’, it wasn’t surprising to hear that a hosepipe ban has been announced for our bit of the country. Well, not a total ban exactly, we are allowed to to water the parched plants before 8 a.m. which I assume is because the ground is cooler then so less evaporation. Saving every drop of this precious liquid has become my mission; every shower has a bucket in it and there are bowls in the sinks so nothing is wasted. Of course, it hasn’t escaped my notice that we have a huge body of water in the back garden but that comes under the ‘essential cooling off’ dictate as far as I’m concerned.
The pool has been the star attraction all week as my little apartment has been busy hosting guests. My former business partner, Alison, popped across the Channel for a few days of R&R and a siesta or two on the sun loungers and having not seen each other since the pre-Covid days, it was wonderful catching up with her although judging by how tired she was, I don’t miss those days of dog training. Even though she was only here for four days, we managed to squeeze in a bit of sight-seeing – a guided tour of the old homestead at L’Horte and then a trip to la citié in Carcassonne. I have to admit I tend to avoid the place during the tourist season as the tiny cobbled streets are packed with sweaty bodies and the risk of being poked in the eye by a camera lens likens the whole experience to fly-swatting but I did want Alison to make the most of her visit. Walking the ramparts that surround la citié was a first for me and will be the last, I do not do heights well and spent the entire walk-around gripping onto any railing I could find and my eyes focused straight ahead. The following morning I could barely move my shoulders because my muscles had seized up in fear. Still, Alison enjoyed herself tremendously taking photos and peering over the parapets even if, like me, she started to feel a little wobbly by the end.
Having said goodbye to one old friend, two more arrived the next day in the shape of Gavin and Ann-Marie. Oh, and my brother Simon plus wife Alba too. Gavin and Ann-Marie live about an hour away from us in another little village but theirs doesn’t party like ours does. Simon and his wife Alba joined us for Friday Night is Bistro Night along with the usual Rouffiac crowd and a drunken evening was shared by all. Since Simon and Gavin have known each other for fifty odd years and me by association, the chatter flowed as much as the beer did. I think we closed down the bar that night. And it wasn’t just the local nightlife they wanted to partake in, the pool provided much needed relief from hangovers and the heat.
I haven’t had a chance to do any writing of The Book recently what with all the comings and goings and probably won’t for the next few weeks as my sister and her entourage arrive on Wednesday. As was the tradition at L’Horte, August is reserved for family – I only hope we can get the downstairs bathroom finished before they land otherwise they will all have to share the only one in the main house. I can’t see anyone else getting up before dawn to wage battle with the hose, clean the pool filters out and tidy up after the woofers but it’ll be fun to have everyone here. I suppose Arry and I better reserve a sun lounger…….
“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Widow plus woofs 
Divine + envy xxxxc
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