Far too early for a gin and tonic….

After last nights heavy rains we woke to a dreary and dull day. The sky brightened slowly and by lunch-time there was almost the promise of some sunshine.

Then a great darkness welled up with billowing black clouds rolling over the horizon until they filled the huge expanse of sky. As the clouds grew heavy and lower it seemed that night had come rushing in. Rain, predictably, swiftly followed and was in turn followed by rolling thunder and flashing streaks of clashing lightning. As the noise of rain and thunder rose in volume and the horizon vanished in a thick veil of icy water I decided that grass cutting was off the agenda for the the time being. While I stood watching the light and sound show I saw that the rain had changed to ice and the hail-stones were getting bigger and bigger.

The beautifully shaped ice crashed and bounced over the garden in chunks that would go very nicely with a ‘little something’. It was a real pity that it was far too early in the day for a gin and tonic.

This was a spectacular welcome back to Bon Abri after our quick trip back to the UK. This brief visit gave us an opportunity to get a ‘fix’ from a few of our favourite things; live music (‘Less is More’ in this case),

beer (London Pride) and photography – bliss. Our return to Bon Abri made use of the ferry running from Dover to Dunkirk.

This was a route that I had not travelled before and with the flat calm and a bright sun rising from the sea it made a lovely change.

Once back in Puymangou all was not well. The rabbits had been very busy and my entire crop of brassicas and aubergines were gone. Most of the tomatoes, lettuce and legumes had been rendered as stumps. The language that followed this discovery will not be repeated in this family-friendly blog. On the other hand plenty of interesting things are growing elsewhere in Bon Abri with cornflowers,

roses and irises making bold statements. More subdued but just as welcome are the fruits that are appearing, cherries (ripe and red and already sampled in a cake and a pie), quince,

plums, kiwi,

figs and pomegranate are all swelling nicely.

Website at http://www.bonabri-Puymangou.com