Is your neighbour’s name by any chance Dracula?
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A friend of mine has chooks and ducks, some of them have names some do not. The ones with names, never get eaten. 
Apart from animal raids of course. 
Yes I do, after having 3 boys and male cats I enjoy naming them 
. They tend to have lovely old names. Our original 3 were red, Sussex and black, called Clementine, Mabel and Matilda. Since then if we have another of the same sort they have had thoses names. I drove all the way to Bergerac this morning for 8am. No sign of the lady, no reply to texts or call, then she messaged to say it is tomorrow 
. My bad on the dates!!! It does leave me with a name problem as they are rescue they are all going to be red / brown I imagine, but I can’t have 6 Clementines
They are teasing me!!!
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Even the ones called Kiev, hunters, chasseur?
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…and Marengo, Maryland and Masala…
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The one in the ceiling is on 24. In the kitchen it is 18 or so. Outside it is 32 at the moment. We have one aircon upstairs that serves two bedrooms with the door between kept open. But we’re still finding it somewhat too warm for sleeping well. I did sleep through the dramatic storm on Thursday evening though. I use a headband with speakers and I choose music or a story so that helps me to sleep.
@toryroo - just looked up on the internet for old fashioned names and there are some lovely ones like Cora, Florence, Winnie, Clara, Adeline, Hattie, Mattie just to name a few. But what a bummer you getting the date wrong - no Sunday lie-in for you then 
The trouble I’ve found is that some of the names I think of as really old-fashioned are back in vogue. A friend of ours is in despair about his grandkids’ names. 
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https://get.nomi.baby/blog/cycle-100-ans-prenoms
I don’t know if this is specific to France, but there is a cycle of first names.
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The grass in the fields around our house has completely stopped growing and has gone almost white in colour, just like it does in my garden. I’ve never seen this happen before. There’s usually some green. The livestock farmers are now having to feed their animals with what would normally be winter feed to keep them from starving. This prolonged dry and scorching weather, almost 8 weeks now for us, is causing real issues for the farmers.
Edit: I also noticed yesterday that the soil substrate is also probably breaking up as the grass roots break down. It’s creating clouds of dust when the wind blows.
I think there are going to be a lot of properties start to show subsidence issues soon if this carries on and even more insurance claims, some of which are still being sorted out since the last big heatwave.
We’re lucky here in that respect as we’re on solid granite that’s only feet below the surface whereas in the valley it’s very different.
I don’t know about granite but whatever I am on it’s bloody hard to dig in and I never cease to be amazed that trees and bushes grow at all.
I went out for a drive yesterday, the crops are really suffering, the rape is burn off not by spraying, sunflowers 2’ tall and in seed the birds are enjoying the seeds, maïs hardly higher than 3’8´´ in flower. There’s an arrêté préfectoral stopping farmers using their combine harvesters during the day and can only use them after 8 in the evening.
Food prices are going to be high this winter. It makes realize how famine in Europe was a constant worry years ago.
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Round us, some 30 years ago, 27 farmers got together to dig a huge reservoir and have the water piped to their land. Because of that, they are still able to water their crops. So they are doing ok.
Virtually every farm, every valley round here has reservoirs. We have heavy rainfall in winter and the farmer recognise the importance of water management. I’m just surprised they water during the day. I would have thought night-time would be better.
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I am wearing trousers and a long sleeved top!
Why??
It’s about 19 degrees and slightly overcast here in Oxfordshire.
Since there was talk of farming issues, the wheat crop has over-dried around here, and although much has been harvested, I suspect farmers will make less from it than they need. Grass on verges and borders here is white and crunchy, and plants are wilting. Despite this, we still have local springs running over the roads in places.
Chilly and windy up here in the north, it feels like 18°C 
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Sounds like the place I want to be..where exactly if I may ask?
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