I’ve just seen it on the news. I didn’t realise it was as bad as it was. Frightening and, for those effected, distressing. Makes me fearful as there are still warnings in force for tonight.
That is so tough! We had an Airedale who was terrified of thunderstorms. We used to sit with her in the utility room with the washing machine and the tumble dryer going to try and blot out the noise - that and fireworks.
A Lemon Setter, lovely. My late Blue Belton was not bothered by storms but I had a Breton Spaniel once who would climb the walls (literally, he would go to a corner of the room and try desperately to climb) at the lightning, though not the thunder, he was deaf. We had to join him in the living room with all doors and shutters closed and the lights on to prevent him seeing the flashes leaking through the shutter gaps. A later dog, a Greyhound/Saluki Lurcher, didn’t mind the lightning but hated the thunder. The tactic there was to turn up the radio/tv as loud as possible.
Our current Beaucie/Dobie X Jules does not seem bothered but he has started to join me on the bed during the night recently. 
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Temperature currently 17°. A few days ago it was 38°.
Even with sweater and long-sleeved T-shirt I am cold. I have put the radiator on in my study!
I think I have been in SW France too long and my blood has thinned. 
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I’m dreaming of 17 
just back from a rather hot 3hr hike - registered 32 and currently 27 degrees here in 34, but nice in the shade 
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Just to update my eye test experience - walked into a random optician in Irun & had an eye test immediately.
The optician spoke english, all the testing kit was up-to-date & I left with a new prescription a little later for a fee of 25€.
I can now pop in to my local shop & order a pair or two.
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Did you mean to post this under weather warnings Mark? (Should have gone to Specsavers!) 
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Yes. It follows on from my post in this thread from 15 days ago.
You know how some threads weave about!
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The heat of last summer and a few beyond that, prompted me then to get the nearest thing to air conditioning I could find, which was a large floor mounted fan with a drawer in its base which could be filled with water with ice added if needed, and a remote which can be operated from bed.
Proper room air conditioning units were too noisy.
It has time control, various fan speeds and you could ask it to push air through the iced water if it got too hot.
Don’t need it this time round! Although oven-hot outside during the day I’m finding the evenings so far to be unusually cool. A constant breeze may be helping. This roughly in the middle of Charente Maritime.
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I must be very close to you and over the last few years we’ve noticed the increase in the amount of wind we get, not sure I’d describe the evenings as ‘cool’ though.
Cool for me is when I can get into bed without a sweaty brow.
I keep my bedroom window and door firmly shut throughout the day, then open the window, but not the door, wide about an hour before bed. By the time I get in it is lovely and cool in there to get me easily to sleep. 
May and September more like 
took the ‘toy’ (classic saab) for a spin yesterday early evening, balmy 28C top down, was a cool ride.
coming home after midnight it was a bit nippy, so top went up. Nights are def. cool around
us - Pressignac/Charente.
Not a chance I would go out with the top down in the daytime…
I love old Saabs.
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It’s roasting here just north of Toulouse. Not much cooler at night as our green belt has been shrinking. I remember when you could feel the cool transition cycling sometimes as the urban environment reduced. Now I don’t notice anymore although nice tarmac road outside…
I’m grateful we picked the Morvan for our home - a high of around 29 today and presently 25 in the living room. Tomorrow will be hotter, but I feel a lot of sympathy for everyone already in even higher temperatures.
*Edit. Having just written that, I’ve been upstairs and it’s 28 in our bedroom (make your own jokes!).
Welcome home.
Tomorrow and Tuesday a bit further north (chez moi) it’s forecast 38c. Temperatures to drop considerably in the evening. I may setup my office in the cellar. 
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