Why dahlias?

Ste Hyacinthe
Yesterday's weather: cooler but sunny

Happy birthday to Joe, holidaying in Crete at the moment.

I'm alone this morning. Jon has gone to Toulouse airport to collect our friend who will be staying for a few days. Unfortunately the weather forecast isn't brilliant. No rain but not particularly warm either. In fact, I thought I detected a sheen of frost on the car windscreen when I peered out at 7am - I do hope not. None of the plants seem to have suffered. Meanwhile, I am waiting here hoping that the chalet will be delivered at last. The delivery company promised to telephone before delivering but said that it would be by the end of this week. So, it's Friday and they don't deliver on Saturdays..... I'm still waiting.

My young friend appeared again yesterday afternoon with a huge bunch of dahlias from her mother's garden. I do hope she asked her mother's permission first! They are just beautiful and it was such a co-incidence that Jon and I had just been talking about dahlias on our way to Brive yesterday morning. We have noticed that many potagers here have a row or two of dahlias growing amongst the vegetables and we wonder if they are particularly good for seeing off any potential pests? We will have to look that up in a book of country folklore or some such book. I know that growing marigolds in a vegetable plot is good for attracting black fly but I haven't read anything about dahlias.

The main reason for her visit, she said, was to check whether Jazz had returned after her three day absence. She had taken it upon herself to tell all the neighbours that she was missing and wanted an update. Luckily I was able to reassure her and she said she would go and tell them all not to worry.

She also asked if we had lost any other cats or if we just had the three as two beautiful white cats had been hit by a car recently. I am so glad it wasn't ours but I do feel for the person who lost them. I wonder if they may have been strays as in recent years we have seen a couple of little white strays cats in the area.

Young Swanne loves to come and ring all our wind chimes. We have three around which can be quite annoying on a windy night but at the same time strangely soothing. Swanne just loves them all and has to make a tour of the garden in order to check them all out. We'll miss them when they return home at the end of August.