Fantastic last six weeks: largely hot and dry. Hottest late Sept days for 67 years or somesuch. Twenty-eight degrees during the last week..
In fact, it’s now October 1 — a couple of weeks since I wrote the par above — and only just turning cooler. We’ve had a succession of short-stay lodgers. First was Carolina (Lola), a German lady whose daughter works for Cambridge University Press and who came for dinner the first night. Lovely, trendy, young-dressing lady whose husband was a carpenter and ran a local business that has been in the family for generations. Then came Maria, from Spain. A warm and sociable traveller from Spain. Had worked in Ireland, teaches in France, writes, translates. A keen decorator and house-improver, empathetic to our ways. And then Christian, left today. A very friendly and very polite man from Dijon. Owns 14 bikes. Works in quality control for a French electromechanical manufacturer.