Spikecollie

In response to Feb1991 - a healthy lifestyle will always help you no matter what stage you are at with what you have got. You'll feel better and that alone can give you the motivation for all sorts of other things. I've had 'flu too, I got the H5N1 jobby back in whenever it was - yes it felt like the grim reaper was knocking at the door but I hadn't got the energy to answer! I firmly believe that the better you maintain your body, the better it responds to anything that attacks it. I've had a nasty throat infection this week, I thought it was the start of 'flu but it just stayed put. I respected my body, walked with my dog instead of our normal running and it has passed. The current outbreak is really nothing novel at all. A country whose people - and I have seen it for myself - that, in the words of one of my ex-colleagues who was an expert in Chinese culture "eat anything that moves" is always going to be extra-vulnerable to infections that can jump the species gap. The virus will peak then trough like all these things do and as epidemiologists have already pointed out, the mortality rate is very very much lower than that for normal seasonal 'flu. Even though I'm healthy, I now always have my vaccine!

I just did a status update but thought it really deserved to go here. A house just down the road has Forsythia in full bloom and I heard my first cuckoo today... Bizarre, even for here in the middle of France...

We were woken up by what became big storms at 0400 this morning. They went on for nearly two hours - great excuse for a Sunday lie in!

We had some great storms yesterday morning here in Creuse, round about 07h30! We decided to camp for what will probably be our last weekend of the season. Excellent choice as after the storms cleared it was nearly 30c yesterday and Friday was similar. Just the very strong winds that are a bit annoying. Looks like more flashes and bangs this afternoon to round things off..

Some pretty intense rainfall over the IOM and the north of Eire. Some strikes showing up in the south of the UK.

Storms on Sunday?

Sorry! I have family and friends down there and we get the same here. Love you...I hope you do too. Mylo and me do....

Your dog photo is ACE...

I love these cool mornings. Get up at 07h30 to take Mylo for a nice cool walk - I'm on sick leave for a week with a merdy virus so able to appreciate it all - then 34c for the afternoon and we hide inside and/or go to the stream (what's left of it as no rain here for weeks) or use the watering can!

No idea. Technically we don't get hurricanes in "our side of the woods", so the universe knows (I don't use the g word anymore). Is it hitting the US first?

Not just a storm viewer fest, though, people have died.

As I said earlier in the Spain weather thread, this is nothing unusual for septembre. It's a "gota fria". We've got the opposite here in Limousin - making my roquette seeds sprout and the hose has been left out - searingly hot for septembre. 34c yesterday (max on the village thermometre), could get to 40c in my sheltered abode. Just when the warmer clothes were got out too! Mylo already chilling in the shade and water play bucket about to be refilled. Our biggest worry is the lack of water. No sig rain for freakin' months. Storms progged for next week - but we have a storm shield in our valley. We get the fireworks - a great display over the hills - but no rain.

Crikey, you have to search for this but....https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49696760

Just posted https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-49705693/spanish-floods-family-trapped-in-attic The "gota fria" - not climate change, just normal weather. Chill...people die in floods. We get used to it but hate the loss of life...RIP

Anyone down there? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-49705693/spanish-floods-family-trapped-in-attic Got caught in a "gota fria" once or twice - some of you know the trapped in car park with exploding sewer story.

Yey guys! 34c here in Limousin but you are doing well. Too hot for doing nothing. Good job it's dimanche. Love you all...

Mai and septembre can get crazy down there, storm wise. The weather up here is bonkers too for the month but nothing unknown. It's just the drought that is bothering everyone - no significant rain for freaking months. I'd love a storm - we've been starved this summer/spring/autumn WTF it is!

The drought goes on here. 30c again today and no significant rain progged. The recuperated rainwater has long run out and I water my newbies like lettuce and radish babies by hand with the watering can. Tonight is bonanza night as i'm getting the hose out to do everything, but it's a once a week luxury. You can only use the hose between 08hoo and 20h00. On the plus side, veggie crops have been amazing with copious quantities of beans, lettuce, tomatoes and soft fruit. Potatoes have been superb too and the odd fish and chips with them roasted has been divine.The strawbs are still going for it - universe knows how, but they are! Tree fruit like apples and pears are less plentiful than last year but the early croppers have been frozen already. We haven't had to buy fruit and veg for months now - we just eat what's there, s Thinking of publishing a pag bol and curry just gets added beans and tomatoes! Thinking of publishing a bizarre drought recipe book. OH is in the UK for 10 days to visit family (Mum in law's lymphoma looks like it's back, balls on that, but she's coping admirably at 86) and sort the house out for autumn. Hopefully said house will be on the market for selling after Christmas. We've been keeping amazingly fit with me running almost every day after work with Mylo and long, long cycle rideson my days off (without Mylo but he gets his walk before). We have to time the runs in the heat before it gets too dark but as it cools down. A bientôt folks - hope you profit from the settled weather period too. I've attached a little photo of us cooling down!

Hot, Lauren! The problem is that the night time temperatures are not going below about 25c. It was 33c inside yesterday evening and our stone house holds the heat like a storage heater. You just drip and drink water all day at work and play - I tried a run yesterday evening at about 20h00 but decided to stick to cycling and playing in the water with Mylo...

Good Lord you should take up creative writing! You even have me drooling at those last few words...

Nothing significant progged for Toulouse next week other than scorching heat although that can change quickly and locally. http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-france/toulouse/31000 Whatever happens you'll be well looked after and any delay/cancellation is for your safety. As they say - sit back, relax and enjoy your short flight...

Well it's another beautiful clear blue sky day here. Mylo and I didn't emerge from our beds until 09h00 (we're normally up at 06h00) as we were storm watching so late. We didn't get anything directly over head, but the strobe effects in the distance were, as usual, stunning. We also got some useful rain which made my decision last night not to water the crops a good one. Looking at Lightning Maps it seems, as usual again, that flatland (as we call the plateau that descends to the sea between here and the Charente coast) got most of the activity. Some super photos.

But wouldn't you love our storms! Now - all that will stop after Brexit you know. Now more Channel storm crossings free of charge and since I'm the first to have thought of it, that's my business - storm imports! Sod that - free of charge for the fun of it.

The only time I've had a supercell smash job was in the Aire Valley, Yorkshir,e in 2015. I always thought it would be here in France, but no...

The little crop that's of interest to me is just coming in from Golfe de Gascoigne. Maybe something, maybe nothing for us.I just had a last,before bed walk with Mylo and the backlit upper level convection cloud was amazing against the sunset. Nice and cool too, a mere 24c. Looks like those little storms are just about making it across the channel...