Fruit, roses, etc

Fruit, Fruit, Fruit,.....
The fruit season is now in full swing. Even the strawberries, which were first, are still going strong although the markets haven't yet started offering several kilos for a few euros for jam making. The cherries, which were second are also still around and the village man who sells his own stuff opposite the Mairie is selling a white variety for a euro a kilo. Apricots the size of peaches are plentiful and the peaches themselves are now fully ripe. Add the Charentais melons to that lot and there really is a cornucopia of fruit. Jam making is definitely just around the corner.

Rose Identified
I gave a rose to friends Steve and Jo several years ago to plant by their pool and it has bloomed magnificently and repeatedly. However, I had forgotten which variety it was although I knew whom I bought it from, a man in the Nyons market. I've now tracked down the name: it's Pegasus. I shall get one for myself if I can find one.

Watering
Watering is now a constant chore with the weather consistently in the 30s. As Steve and Jo are away there is their garden to look after too, as well as my own, although there is Hallie to help with the former. Two of my clematises still haven't bloomed so I have yet to discover whether the colour it said on the ticket (blue in each case) is actually the colour they are; it isn't always the case with flowers bought in the market.

Eating Outside
Eating out side is always one of the big pleasures here at this time of the year, morning noon and night. Had Hallie round for a meal on Sunday and we ate on the balcony around 9.00 in the evening. Lent Hallie my DVDs of The Jewel in the Crown and those are now occupying a large part of her time.

Translation
My first success with translation work apart from the guided tour of Mollans. Going to pick up some Viognier which I had heard they had in bag-in-box at the Rieu Frais vineyard in St Jalle, I also picked up the Ehnglish translation of their brochure. The woman who gave it to me said to let her know if there were any mistakes. Well, it was a brave effort but trying to make changes was a hopeless job; it was easier to translate from the French again, which I duly did. Took to the vineyard and said they could have it for free as long as they acknowledged my translation work. They were very grateful and insisted I take a couple of bottles of wine: a Viognier and a Cabernet sauvignon.

Rieu Frais is a good example of a vineyard that produces very good wine but is outside the AOC area and so has to classify all its wines as Vin de Table. It really makes even more of a nonsense of the AOC system.