No let up in the heat!

Nearby Gite Rural

Sunday 30^th June Happily Tim seems fine this morning. He’s been out for two walks already, one around the neighbouring fields and it is only 10.30. No hesitation on eating his breakfast biscuits, either. The forecast is for 30 degrees today, so I may decamp downstairs into the mill room where it is so much cooler. We feel trapped by such oppressive heat; no trips out, no pcs; thank goodness for the pool! (13 lengths now plus lots of fooling/floating around.

Monday, 1^st July. We took a late walk over the fields yesterday evening. Given several glasses of red wine, wellingtons -in case the grass is wet or the ground soggy or we might disturb a snake – rare but has happened - and the sloping ground, I staggered and stumbled as Tim tugged me up the hill. When I unclipped his lead, he shot off like a bullet, running in circles and that made me laugh more. Bill was ashamed of me, but I couldn’t stop laughing, though I admit I felt rather blah this morning when I woke up. Even Tim was not disposed to go for an early morning ramble around the lake until 10.30am when Bill returned with the weekly grocery shop. A quiet day was had by all.

Tuesday 2^nd July A cooler day and initially we just sat back and made the most of it. Temperature a more comfortable 29 degrees and a cloudy morning which was a boon. Lunch outside on the balcony, dinner outside on the bolly and only 1 bottle of wine with our meal. We’ve trimmed the greenery outside the gate and thinned out the laurel hedge beside the pound in order to allow more light into the mill room – and improve the view from David’s desk!

Wednesday 3^rd July Now Bill has the unenviable task of getting all the dead branches to the big bonfire. I’m staying indoors with Tim – who shows very good sense by coming indoors when the sun gets too strong – and will be working on my novel. We’ve had our bounce around the lake, discovered the deer ((or something) have re-opened their pathway across the pound and into the field, sunbathed for twenty minutes and when we started to perspire while simply breathing, came indoors. It is 9.30am. Writing about howling storms in the Hebrides while sitting here takes a fair bit of imagination!