Great weather in England, only drizzle!

That kind lady decorator has laid out my wet weather gear for tomorrow. Personally I believe that the snorkel is a step too far, unless she has something particularly dastardly in mind for me tonight, but I will go with the flow.

As you will have guessed from my first sentence, and my dire predictions about the weather in England, rain is forecast today, but, joy of joys, it is only light rain, so my cup runneth over! Drizzle she says, actually savouring the word, as the precipitation set in last night.

I shall therefore only need minimal protection against the elements today, Wellington boots, light sou wester, and industrial strength umbrella.  The good news is I can leave my galoshes at the Thatched Inn at Croyde, our home for a few days because, after all its only drizzle as my picture today demonstrates.

The Thatched Inn at Croyde basking in the soft summer drizzle

Temperatures are predicted to be as high as 18 degrees centigrade, so I will not be the onerous task of carrying the sun cream that would have been required had the reports about the glorious weather from my friends in UK been accurate, I will not name names but Simon Barrett must be feeling uncomfortable as he reads this.

Our first excursion onto the North Devon Coastal Path will no doubt be ruined by the combination of the elements and the poor animals that must accompany us. My only solace is the dream that Banjo the evil giant cocker spaniel will fall to his death in fortunate circumstances, fortunate for me that is.

I am missing my friends already in the south of France, Wayne many hats Brown at fr2day, Mice Hardacre with 2 k’s, at angloinfo, Mr Thornton Allan at creative village the Wing Commander, all seem a considerable distance away as I sit in a cold pub attempting to avoid hypothermia.

We meet some university students who are great fun and seem to enjoy the fatherly insight that I am able to provide, their consumption of snakebites, that peculiar mixture of beer, cider, blackcurrant and in their case sambooka (is that how you spell it?) is formidable and as I remember well when I was that age, the ability to communicate sensibly reduces with every one consumed.

They invite us to he beach today, but the invitation does not have the same ring to it as it would if the invitation had been to the beach at Cannes or Juan Les Pins. I do not think it will be possible to have an exquisitely cooked dorade provencale whilst sitting in the shade with drinking a Provencal gris with view of the sun soaked sparkling Mediterranean, it will probably involve hot dogs  or dread the thought Cornish pasies or the like garnished in the sand that the gale force wind is blowing up the beach, accompanied by cans of strongbow.

Talking of rose wine (gris is a rose for the uninitiated) I now understand why nobody k it here, because the only ones available are truly disgusting.  The best rose’s are Provencal and a slightly orange colour, But the real problem is that you need sunshine to be able to drink them!

I hear from Wing Commander Spensley, in charge of our house in Valbonne whilst we are freezing in Devon, 32 degrees would seem very welcome here, but I do sympathise with him, when the pool contents are at 28 degrees, it is a tricky job trying to keep the swimming pool crystal clear.

Chris France       

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