We have been back in France for nearly a month, waking up to brilliant blue skies – and therefore ground frosts, every day bar two. Those days we hoped the cloud would bring much needed rain. So far only a sprinkle and a light snow flurry.
Some of the local farmers have taken the cold as the opportunity to burn off their fields, patches of black interspersed in the rich reds, golds and browns of those vines which have yet to drop their leaves.
Our landlord arrived randomly on Friday to set alight the big pile of unwanted wood and brush he has left on the building land next to us for 18 months. He tried this last winter and failed. This time he succeeded. Several hours later after his repeated trips around it with a hose to restrict it, and then on it to put it out, he finally realised that putting a fire out is not as easy as starting it. Add to that he picked the day before a the Mistral was predicted to blow again, with gusts over 50mph!
Just as it was getting dark he came to us asking for more hose and to use our water supply as his tanks had run out. We are on a water meter – but you cant refuse your landlord!
He and Brian cobbled something together and he left soon after, hopefully without boosting our bill too much. We will never know as so far we have only paid for the service as the supplier doesn’t seem to know where the meter is!
This is life in the south of France – a bit hit and miss at times, but you have a good giggle with your friends over a glass of wine relating the stories – c’est la vie!!