Summery Points

Summer Firsts, Etc
It's felt like summer already for the last couple of weeks, with afternoon temperatures consistently in the 20s; today it was 26 degrees in the sun and tomorrow is predicted to be warmer. Now there is more evidence. Shopping at the local supermarket on Monday I found the first local asparagus and the first local strawberries. Both are quite expensive at the moment but they won't be for long and it will soon be asparagus omelettes, soup and risottos several times a week. Also, on my way to the supermarket I saw the first poppy in bloom by the wayside; the euphorbia which looks so good against poppies has already been showing for several weeks. Do people still write to The Times reporting the first cuckoo?

And it's blossom time. The almond blossom has now been supplemented by cherry, peach and plum blossom. The orchards around Beaumont de Ventoux where I went for a play reading last Sunday are a blaze of white. I took my camera and have got some reasonable shots but still can't get the “killer” picture I want. Maybe I'll drive around one day soon and see if I kind somewhere that will give me the angle and context I need.

The cross-beams in my bedroom are now all stripped of paint and stained, all 64 of them. Feels like time for a celebration! Just a little matter of stripping the ugly wallpaper off the walls and finding out what the wall surface underneath is like. I've started and the surface so far doesn't look too bad. I'll probably need a bag or two of Polyfilla but that should be all. Then, painting.............

I've been asked to help friend Michèle organise a boules tournament for the village. The idea is to get more people playing regularly via a fun tournament. The best idea I've been able to come up with so far to attract the numbers is that the mayor should play wearing just a nappy and sucking a lollipop.........; not sure how that will go down. Daniel and Michèle came round to eat this evening and we discussed the tournament. Daniel suggested a formula that would be ideal in giving everyone the maximum playing time but it's very complicated and I don't think it will be practical for that reason. Daniel thinks he can organise it all and play on the day and that looks unrealistic to me. But trying to persuade an academic that complexity is to be avoided is a losing game. Anyway, everybody enjoyed the meal and Daniel and Michèle awarded me three Michelin stars for that classic French dish, shepherd's pie.

I also got around to doing something I've been meaning to do for some time: storing goat cheeses in olive oil. The summer savoury (sarriette) in my little herb patch at the front had produced enough leaves for me to use so I got some soft goat's cheeses, pressed summer savoury leaves into them and then put them in a jar and covered them with olive oil. They should be good in a few weeks. I think I've mentioned before that summer savoury is a great herb and grows in England but I've never seen it on sale in England and don't know anybody who has grown it; Heaven knows why.