So unpredictable

St Toussaint

A week ago we were basking in glorious sunshine, t-shirts and shorts, lunch in the garden, all the windows open.

Now it's cosy by the log fire, dodging showers and even (we just couldn't believe it) SNOW this week. Luckily the snow only lasted for as long as it took for the air to warm up a little.

Fortunately, the day before the white stuff came down, I had wrapped up the delicate plants in their winter coats. Two days later (yesterday) the temperature was back up to the 'teens' and feeling very mild indeed. It's just very unpredictable.

We're quite glad that we're having some rain really. It's been a long time since we had any decent amount and the ground will need it over winter and so will the reservoirs.

Today is All Saint's Day. It's the day for putting huge pots of chrysanthemums on the graves of the departed. Shops have been full of them all week but we didn't like to buy them for the garden. Well not yet. Apparently next week they will all be half price - a bit like red roses in England the day after Valentine's Day! Then I will go in search of some to brighten up the patio until the bulbs start coming through.

Today is also a public holiday in France. The first of two in November - Armistice day being the second. I'm sure there are many who are extremely disappointed that this one falls on a Saturday this year as it doesn't give them an extra day off work. It hasn't stopped people from travelling away from home for the weekend though, and the roads have been quite busy. I expect they are all travelling back to their birth villages so that they can place the aforementioned pot plants on the correct graves.