Rain - Sun - Rain

We left for St. André on the evening of 12 June under cloudy skies. By the time we reached Cluny we decided to stop for a pizza at La Petite Auberge. Just after ordering the heavens opened and it chucked it down. It was still raining when we had finished and we had to rush to the car. We were quite cold when we got inside which is a rare feeling recently as the weather has been so hot.

On Saturday though the weather was lovely and hot and sunny. After breakfast from the bakers we decided to go off to Macon to do some shopping. We first stopped at Decathlon to get a bike we had bought for Agnès mended. We got it in a second hand shop in Geneva for 20chf and even though the back inner tube was punctured it is still a great bike for under 30euros.

We returned to the house for lunch and in the afternoon we did some garden chores. I planted two roses that I had bought using vouchers that Stu and Mel gave me for my birthday. I bought two half price roses for 10euros each which is a bargain. The first I planted in a big tub round the back. It is Pierre de Ronsard which is one of my favorites. I have one outside the front door in Peron that my parents bought me and this way when we leave Peron I won't be sad as I will have another established one at St. André. The other rose is a simple red flowered one that is named after a famous french news reader called Patrick Poive d'Arvor. I put it in a gap between two shrubs along the wall in the front garden. The back border also seems to be doing better particularly the coreopsis which has grown a lot and is flowering well. The hemerocallis at the front of the house are also in full bloom and make the house look particularly pretty I think.

When the mobile butcher came round at 16h Agnès and I wandered over the road and purchased two of his finest steaks. What luxury it is to have steaks come to us! We barbecued them in the evening and they were delicious- the barbecue meister got the fire just right. The evening was so lovely and clement that we were all sitting outside until gone 21h.

Sunday morning started warm and sunny and after breakfasting outside we went off to St. Vincent des près brocante. We have been twice before once in sweltering heat and once in freezing cold. This time it was more the former but unfortunately the brocante was not great.

So we went off to the brocante at St. Bonnet which was a bit better. I found Agnès a lovely vintage dress for 5euros which she is thrilled with. When she tried it on all the old ladies on the stand were cooing at how lovely she looked and remarked that the dress could have been made for her. Actually I must agree the dress is a perfect fit.

With the clouds increasing and spots of rain arriving we packed up and left just before midday.