Vendredi le 22 Aout

 All sorts of little relaxed things today..washing, popping into Saint Junien for fuel then bread, milk, yoghurt and..fresh figs !!♥️

Today's salad was good..with the figs, yellow "Tomate Ananas"(pineapple tomato..very sweet) from a neighbour's garden, strawberries from in front of the house, Romanescu broccoli sprigs from the garden, red peppers and thinly sliced courgettes for colour...add a dash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil ...

In the afternoon we went upriver to Le Moulin de la Mie near Aixe sur Vienne..a brocante in an old mill..I must research the history of the building...

And I bought....Asterix in French!!!!

Jeudi le 21 Aout

 A day in which we do a lot of small things!

Washing...racked indoors just in case it rained..it didn't!

The water butt set-up was finished, plants watered, harvesting done . Then the tractor driven back up to the Lavoire to fill the two waterbutts on the trailer.

More tomatoes went through the Moulin à Legumes..and this afternoon were slowly reduced over a low flame.

Watched stage three of the T dL,  and both of us falling asleep watching it despite the good racing!!
 View from the race coverage camera in the helicopter.

Romanescu cauliflower 

Tonight we went to the football again!! A home game..

Mercredi Le 20 Aout

 Early start this morning!

Through falling yellow leaves and mist to the market at Piégut-Plouviers.

The small town is absolutely full of market stalls and people. We had a lovely morning, talking to people (yes, I managed a bit!) made a contact with a potter ..then found later that we have friends in common!

Bought some roast nuts coated in praline...had café allongé in a sports bar and people watched as the sun burnt off the very autumnal mist 

Discovered brocante.....

And bought a handmade bag to carry my drawing book..it has a popper closure, I'll add a buckle when I return to Scotland.

Then home for lunch and a rest and watching the Tour de Limousin, stage two, on the TV!!  Watching the helicopter shots you could see that despite the good tree cover there are many trees that appear to be dying.

With thunder in the direction of Limoges (and we learnt later flooding and trees down) we went to the allotment and I helped a little with the job of setting up a new water butt before any rain. 

Looking ahead (the white dot on the skyline is a water tower) you can see the rain coming down!!

And to the left..

 

And to the right...

Contrasting skies.

The nicely dried onion crop came back to the house, not wanting them to get wet

An apple tree branch had just broken, apparently due to the stress of the drought.

There has been a little shower...but I'm not leaving the velux window open...just in case!!

Mardi le 19 Aout

 This morning was much fresher. And much was achieved today.

My friend cleared the accumulation of leaves around his bathroom velux window by standing on a ladder with his shoulders out of the window and using a paint roller on a long handle!! Quite a job.

Then he did the garden watering.

I carried on as instructed and tried more drawing. I'm not happy with it, but it is the practice more than the results.

His son #1 called round late this morning to borrow drill...as children do!! Good to meet him too.  Then we could go out for today's shopping...fruit, bread, cheese, and a Moulin à legumes... traditional style...

We found the Tour de Limousin on French free TV!! Nouvelle Aquitaine channel...live, no adverts and of course commentary in French which I could (mostly) follow!

Then to the allotment to help rig up another waterbutt ready for the hoped for rain and water and harvest.

Sweetcorn for supper and tomatoes for passata. Which, we decided needed a more fleshy variety....but the result can be cooked down a little.

Bonne nuit !! xx

Lundi le 18 Aout

 A quietly busy day. Friend charged the tractor's battery while we went for a little shopping for things and had lunch in a vegetarian café on part of the Limoges North commercial area..Eat Vert I think it was called.. brilliant and we will be returning..not expensive and quality food.

He bought a machine..hand driven..to make some passata from the tomato crop.

Then back for him to get the bins up to the lavoire with the tractor for water and for me to get drawing.

I'm trying to draw..and identify..the plant.

This is the lane past his house which faces the wall of the big converted barn.

Then out to Aldi in Saint Junien for fresh fruit and bread..and ice cream to go with the cooked apples and blackberries from his allotment!

My back is still protesting after the long drive on Sunday...some anti inflammatory gel and a rest sorted that...but looking back I haven't travelled in a car since the end of May!! 

Dimanche Le 17 Aout #2

 After lunch , a walk around La Borne village.

And a visit to a small museum/gallery in a beautiful little old church 

The big bowl may be related to vinegar production, but most of the usual historical display wasn't out

These were described as Fountains ...but the heads are lids ( I have read elsewhere a description of the exhibition) and there is a hole at the foot.. possibly for a tap..it could be a Vinaigriere? 

Beautiful sculpted hands by a different maker

Older artisanal work not officially on display!

But still beautiful 

This is a roof finial

And a highly decorated jar.

Then a long drive back... slightly longer but a faster road, but starting at 3pm there was far more traffic than the morning. However nothing to the amount of traffic streaming north at the end of their holidays!

We had a stop on an Aire...much needed shade in the middle of a parched prairie of stunted sunflowers and stubble. 

We passed some irrigation pools..with nothing but a little vegetation in the bottom...and great rivers reduced to not much more than a trickle...

There may be rain this week...which would be good, at long last. Of course the 4 day cycling race Tour de Limoges starts on Tuesday....