Flaming June

Can't believe this damned weather. Mid June, almost the longest day and it must be the wettest month for ages out here in France. Probably ever. Down south they've had terrible flash floods with cars and people being washed down streets that have suddenly transformed into fast-flowing rivers. Been quite a few deaths apparently. Luckily we haven't had it so bad up here in the Limousin but it's certainly been wet. Had a couple of torrential downpours a few days back. Rained solidly for hours on end. Proper stair-rod stuff. Turned chilly as well. Had to re-light the kitchen stove - in June! But at least we don't get floods up here in the hills. Water gushes off down the valley and drains into that pretty little stream I recently painted. Only it's now a roaring river that's turned brown, burst its banks in places and dragged a whole heap of driftwood off and away.

Er..., when I say we don't get floods up here, it's not strictly true. Every time it seriously rains, our downstairs ends up looking like a lake. Been that way since the workmen installed the hamlet's new water meter system. To do ours, they removed the old internal water meter, drilled a hole through the outside wall and connected us up to the new system via a new external meter. Would have been fine if the connection was above ground level and they'd sealed the hole. But it wasn't. And they didn't. So I guess I'm going to have to go and have a word with the mayor... who doesn't speak English and never really understands my garbled French. Might have to go along with a few photos and diagrams. Ah well, c'est la vie.