July 2026

 July was hot - very hot! However we have had a great month, enjoying visits from Lucy, Andy and Leo, then Dan and Jess with Siena, Rafael and Quya as well. We all had lots of fun in the garden and pool and most meals outside. We went for local walks in the mornings when it was cooler, but otherwise enjoyed staying around the house and garden. The house stays cool at around 25 deg so was very comfortable even when over 35 deg outside. The pool was a lovely 28 deg - refreshing enough!

Here are just a few photos of the month

June 2026

 June has got hotter and hotter! Its been hot all over Europe as anyone reading this will know!! 
We aim to get all our jobs done in the morning and then try to keep cool indoors. The pool is lovely for a quick cool down and the thick house wall help keep some of the heat out. We open windows and shutters and night then close up in the morning as soon as the outside temperature goes up.

The veggie patch is needing a lot of water but has started to produce - green beans and courgettes so far. The grass is getting brown and dry already. All round the farmers have been harvesting as the wheat is ready early. We had a storm and a downpour on Sunday evening. Its a little less hot this week, but very hot again after the weekend!

Lucy, Andy and Leo are on their way to see us as I write this! We are looking forward to seeing them

Here are some photos of the month

May 2026

 I went back to England for a week at the beginning of May to catch up with the family, then flew back with Dad and Jenny, Clive and Sue -  they had come over from Australia to see us all.

Their visit co-incided with some wet, cold and windy weather, but we still got out to explore and it picked up for the second half of the week. 
We had some nice outings - including a visit to Camon rose festival, which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare with so many people there and very little space to park.  Mirepoix and Lac Montbel were lovely though, as was Carla Bayle the next day.

Heatwave weather returned towards the end of the month so it was nice to be grateful for the pool instead of the central heating!

Here are some photos from the month

April 2026

 

April has brought some lovely warm weather as well as quite a few showers. Countryside and garden are very green and lush. Its also planting time for the vegetables so Dave has been busy with that.

We havent needed to heat the house for several weeks now and have been eating outside most evenings. I love this time of year, before it gets too hot and dry.

Here are some photos of the month

We also enjoyed a holiday in the middle of April. We drove through the Pyrenees and down the coast of Spain to Seville and Cordoba, with overnight stops on the way at Denia and an interesting little place near Almeria called La Almadraba de Monteleva. We visited a Westen film set in the Tabernas dessert before visiting Judith and Henri (Jess's Mum and Dad) at their golf course home near Malaga.

Seville was beautiful and interesting, but already very busy. Cordoba was lovely as well. We had wonderful weather for sight seeing - sunny and not too hot. On the way home we booked a little apartment overlooking the beach at Sant Salvador.We drove over 2000 miles in the BMW - a great road trip! 

Here are a few photos of the trip..

Spain holiday

March 2026

 We were in England for the first week of March. It was lovely to catch up with the family and we enjoyed some good weather as well.. 

We also had a good spell of warm weather back here at home for a while so were able to spend some time in the garden preparing the veggie patch for planting. We have covered most of it with mulch and Dave has planted the onions. The tomato plants are still being nurtured in pots indoors for now.

It has turned very cold again here since Friday. There is more fresh snow on the mountais, and more to come over the next couple of days. Most of the ski resorts are closing now, but they have had a good season this year. 

The weather is looking warm and sunny again for the Easter weekend, so looking forward to that!

Here are some photos of the month

February 2026

 A very mixed month of very wet, windy and cold days, followed by some warm sunshine this last week. Up to 25 deg, so warm enough for a few lunches outside - and a few bike rides. Needless to say, we took our photos here on sunny days!!

Our photos

January 2026

 We have had some very mixed weather in January - cold and icy, sunny, rain, rain and more rain!!
Our photos mostly show the sunny days, but it hasn't always been like that! The fields are waterlogged and the ditches running full. There is a good covering of snow on the mountains though, so a good year for winter sports

Our photos