And blows out mint leaves 
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Interestingly, I wondered about putting a couple of leaves in this evening when I fill the top with ice. 
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When I was in wooden minesweepers in the Andrew, unfortunately during the Six Days War, 1967, we spent 14 months trolling around the Straits of Hormuz, always a flashpoint, and we often got fired upon by Arab dhows, disguised as fishing boats. I digress. Often, the temperature topped over 50 degrees in this region. We actually were encouraged to sunbathe on the upper deck, in order to get “ bronzy for leave!” Imagine the thrill when we eventually flew back to Noddyland, walking into the local pub on Christmas Eve, sleeves rolled up ( bloody freezing cccold!) shirt neck open and feeling like an Adonis! That’s how I “ trapped” my future wife. We have been married for 57 years now, and I am still sunburnt!
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Do any of you grow cucumbers in France, I grow them here in UK and never have a problem but this year is a bust! Plenty of growth, loads of female flowers, fruit will set but just won’t mature. I’m thinking it’s possibly heat related?, there’s plenty of pollinators about so I don’t think it’s that. Thought I’d ask on here because your in a much hotter climate.
I don’t know about cucumbers but my courgettes are dismal.
We’re getting cooler temperatures at the weekend so hopefully things will perk up, normally I’m delivering cucumbers and courgette to all the neighbours.
I planted 4 and 3 are just sat there with one leaf (they looked OK when they went in, maybe slightly stressed from being in the pot too long). One is kind of working, growing but all I’ve had is this:
I killed my courgette plants, there are 2 things in the ground, with an irrigation drip but not growing. I didn’t label them so not sure what a they are, maybe courgettes or pumpkins?? I think nothing had a chance to get established before the heat. Talking to locals the other day and we have all worked on the wait until after the ice saints in mid May but that doesn’t work anymore and we should be planting everything in April (early was mentioned) and cover if there are any late frosts.
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I’ve had 2 pathetic things from 2 plants, they’re both growing like mad, loads of flowers both male & female, but nothing gets beyond a finger nail long. I’ll give the until it gets cooler and if nothing doing, in the compost bin they go. Nothing is growing the same this year.
Flowers not setting in very hot weather can be caused by pollen drying out before the 
and other insects can get to it. So poor pollination.
My climbing French beans aren’t great either. Covered in flowers and bees but not many pods.
Same for me, but I planted 2 varieties and the taller ones with white flowers are doing ok, the dwarf ones with purple flowers, nothing happening.
While I was chatting to Hannes outside we spotted a big rat run along the dry bed of the bottom pond, away from the direction of the house. Has the heat got anything to do with that?
Probably looking for a drink like the black ants marching up my house wall and along the raised terrace last week, they never did that before. My daughter has a herd of deer in her garden and woods. that wander around the neighbourhood and all the folks who live there put out buckets of water for them to drink from. Every living thing needs water and at least your rat wasn’t trying to get in the house.
Yes, and he was going in the wrong direction for water, the top pond is the other way and always full, of course he might find someone swimming in it.
Lady rat??
Certainly not, I’m a gentleman rat. 
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the labour minister, has said France will need to adopt cultural changes to help obviate the hot weather. So, are the French ready to have lunch at 3pm, and dinner at 10?
On the way to the vet clinic again to pick up my poor cat under the vault of that bloody blazing sun, and on the way back saw heavy turbulent clouds churning in the sky. Tonight, I can hear constant rumbling in the far far distance. Word has it that violent storms are forming, all over the place, but where?
Aha! Mine’s on its way, and it sounds ominous!
Like something out of Mordor.
The whole of the Garonne valley is full of smog from the wild fires beyond Bordeaux - 120 kilometres away. The smoke is creeping ahead of a thunder storm, bringing a sharp acrid smell and curling round houses and between trees so that everything is blurred and muted to shades of grey.
It feels like the end of times.
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I’ve just got in from a nearby village party. All was well then we saw lightning then a wind from the west started (we are directly west of Cap Ferret) proper fire smell, maybe 90-100km from the fires. A few drops killed the party, now home, no rain, no wind but a lingering smoke smell.
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