From temperate to dry ….

Since our last Blog Post, in June, we have very little rain - and I am writing this Post in the early afternoon, with the temperature heading once again into the low 40’s. The advice to people is not to go out in daytime (designated 8.00am - 8.00pm) if it can be avoided. It feels strange to have another form of ‘lock-down’.

​But in planning this Post I was going to mention that this is the first Summer since the start of the pandemic that the community fetes have started up again, and the music evenings held by the wine domains  -  and in Albi there are evening concerts around the city. It is a good feeling that these are being held once again …. and people’s enthusiasm is plain to see:

However, the last couple of weeks have seen regulations preventing restaurants opening their terraces - so, just as sections of the tourism industry are free of COVID constraints, they are having to cope with other forms of limitations on their business. And when temperatures do rise this high, tourists tend to limit sightseeing and travelling around. But it has been interesting to see how ingeneous some of the businesses can be - with arranging shade, changing opening hours and adjusting menus. 

Outside the tourism industry, other businesses are having to deal with the heat and consequent drought: the vineyards are of course susceptible - but they had plenty of rain in late May and early June and are surviving, although they will need some rain soon. Another factor relating to drought is a curiously positive one - in that the heat prevents various vine diseases. So, the prospect is that, if some rain falls in the next few weeks, the vines may survive, although producing lower yields.

As I write this, a ‘squadron’ of swallows has dived down towards the big pond, skimming the water with their beaks open - up and around and another dive along the water, like jet fighters and so fast it is impossible to photograph!

Back to the drought and agriculture: while the vineyards may be ‘hanging on’ at the moment, it is a tough call for vegetable and fruit growers. Many of the farms have their own ponds and irrigation systems, but these are starting to dry up and there are signs that even watering is not enough to prevent scorching when temperatures are this high for so many hours of the day; and even if there is some rain, it may be too late for certain crops:

And what about ‘closer to home’ - the commune, house and garden?
As we have mentioned in other Posts, we are fortunate to have a well that rarely runs dry. The other day our immediate neighbour explained that there is a good water-source running under the ground (he referred to it as ‘a river’!) and each house in the commune has its own well - and ours is particularly deep (when we sank a new pump into it, we had to lower the pump some 20 metres, so we can vouch for that). So, at the moment our well has not run dry and the flow is good:

- so, we are able to water the plants around the house and it also allows us to water our few raised vegetable beds. Our ‘potager/vegetable bed’ down the bottom of the garden we have abandoned this year - it is not possible to run the amount of water needed to keep it going. But the raised beds have supplied us with salad crops (not tomatoes, unfortunately - although some kind neighbours have given us some large boxes of those huge, fleshy, sweet and scented tomatoes - the ones that are so good that you can just slice them and have tomato sandwiches! But there are some other vegetable in the raised beds - New Zealand spinach, that last nover the Winter and that you cut as needed and it regrows; and there is cavalo nero, chard, broccoli and, we hope it will make it, some Winter picking cabbage …. which is great stuff - again, you pick as needed and it lasts the Winter and then, in early Spring, it starts producing purple sprouting broccoli. The raised beds are not a huge area, so they are pretty crowded out at the moment!

The big pond still has plenty of water, as it is deep (3 metres) - but of course the level is  reducing quite fast now - the frogs are still there, and plenty of ‘pond life’ and in the early morning and evening we see the big carp swishing along the edges, hoovering up vegetation and insects.
​Many of our shrubs and large grasses are now really feeling the drought - but they tend to prove remarkably resilient and, unless this carries on for a substantially longer period, they do recover. Some of the shrubs and small trees are, remarkably, managing to produce some lovely flowers:

But it is the wisteria that continues to amaze us - it just takes no notice of the weather conditions and does not get watered …. and yet it has not stopped flowering since May. I have come to the conclusion that there is a ruthless quality about wisteria. In my ignorance (and I have plenty) I had thought of wisteria as ‘delicate’, when it is no such thing - it is merciless, just carrying on growing, its tendrils throttling drought-stricken nearby plants and bushes and if it were not continually pruned would, I am sure, simply envelop the house and then the whole garden. It’s pretty though, which has always been its excuse:

On a more serious note, it is a worrying time for the birds. We are fortunate in this garden, as we have the big pond, the well and we place various water sources around the garden that they can easily reach. There is also plenty of cover for them - because they need to shelter and hide in greenery before going to reach the water, darting to and fro, ever watchful. 

We have noticed this year that there does not seem to be any bats at all. Usually, at this time of year, just past sunset, the bats are out in number, fluttering down the walkways around the house and in amongst the big mulberry tree. We need to find out what has happened. By contrast we seem to have a considerable increase in butterflies, including some varieties we don’t think we have spotted before.

​So, who knows what the next month will bring - some rain we hope ….. not great storms and torrential rain, but some good, pervasive rain a few times each week - preferably falling during the night!

We will let less time elapse before the next Blog Post and in the meantime if you are reading this (and even if you are not), we wish you and yours peace and safety.