Well after a couple of terrible weeks for weather things seem to be on the mend and today it’s a lovely sunny day. Not as hot as a June day should be, perhaps, but after two weeks of rain, clouds, wind and storms it’s good enough.

I did feel sorry for the people who stayed in one of our gites and went home yesterday – truly the least fortunate time for a fortnight holiday here in the last five years! My brother came over five years ago and the same happened – continuous torrential rain. He hasn’t been back since.

Having had a long hot April and then intermittent sunshine and rain ever since has done wonders for the garden, which is now very ’show-garden’ like. Unfortunately the grass has grown at the same rate, and with the tractor being in the repair shop for ages, yesterday was my first proper mowing day for ages – every time there was no-one in the gites I rushed about in another bit of ‘meadow that is supposed to be lawn’ trying to make us presentable.

Every now and again we spot a deer down in the field, but most of the grass is so long they can walk around unseen. And as for reaching our cherry trees, 100 metres from the house through meadow up to your waist – weel it was too difficult for me so I send the children. Who promptly disappeared in the undergrowth, returning trimphantly an hour later with a great bag full of over-ripe cherries.

We were on the point of sending out a search party, but I think the amount of cherry juice across their faces and clothes gave us a clue why they had taken so long. Tomorrow’s mission – find the strawberry bed!

I did optimistically ask Mrs B whether we could charge people 5 euros to come and wander around the garden, and then sell them exorbitantly priced cream teas afterwards, but apparently there are rules and regulations concerning such things. Not to mention forms to fill in, taxes to pay, and enormous security risks if some errant three year old throws himself in a patch of brambles.

Also she thought that people sunning themselves by the swimming pool might not take kindly to a minibus full of foreigners turning up to peer at them. So much for that cunning plan.

Ever since we first arrived I have gallantly kept a carefully mown path clear around the border of the property – and a lovely walk it makes too. For the first couple of years I tried to market it as a cross-country jogging course. Then for the next couple of years as a pleasant pre-dinner walk. Now I’ve given up bothering. In five years I don’t think anyone has actually walked, ran, or anything else around my track.

But I continue to keep it clear, in the forelorn hope that one day some adventurous or bored soul will set out to brave the snakes, the deer and the ragondin, and reap the enormous reward of gathering plenty of free cherries / apples / blackberries en-route, according to the season.