Category Archives: Weather

Can Spring be far Behind?

Posted on 12/03/2017 by

The literary-minded will notice that the title is a quotation from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’, written in 1819 while the poet was staying in Florence. The poem can be interpreted in various ways, the most simplistic … Continue reading →

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2017 Preview and 2016 Weather Roundup

Posted on 08/01/2017 by

Bonne année, Meilleurs Vœux. Wishing you a happy and peaceful year and a better one for the world in general. Welcome to Life on La Lune 2017. This is a particularly special year for me and the SF (Statistics Freak … Continue reading →

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2016 Summer Weather in SW France: the Verdict

Posted on 10/10/2016 by

Yesterday, we did one of our favourite walks. It takes in the ruined Château de Labro, and goes up and down the wooded slopes of the secluded Seye Valley. We walked under luminous blue skies with barely a cloud. There … Continue reading →

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Drought in Southwest France

Posted on 07/09/2016 by

  We spent the first six months of this year complaining that we had too much rain. Now we’re complaining that we are having too little. It has barely rained for about six weeks and the weather has been dry, … Continue reading →

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Summer Arrives at Last in SW France

Posted on 18/07/2016 by

  C’est l’été and the weather has finally caught up with the calendar. We’ve had wall-to-wall blue skies and hot sunshine for the past few days. This was a particularly good thing this weekend, since we sang in a concert … Continue reading →

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Badgers in the Bush?

Posted on 10/04/2016 by

Like most people, we have a part of our garden of which we are less than proud. It’s where we dump grass cuttings, leaves and other garden rubbish that we don’t put in the compost bins. Fortunately, it’s shielded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Where Have All the Small Birds Gone?

Posted on 06/03/2016 by

Yesterday, we stopped by our retired farmer neighbour’s place for a chat. We remarked that it would be only a matter of weeks before the cuckoo, the first of the migratory birds, arrives. We love hearing that piping sound, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Unwintry Winter

Posted on 07/02/2016 by

I took this shot of a red squirrel four years ago, in February 2012, when we had two weeks of temperatures well below zero and snow as well. Our lane was like an ice-rink, it took 10 minutes to warm … Continue reading →

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Bonne Année and December’s Weather

Posted on 05/01/2016 by

First, bonne année to everyone. I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas. We are having a dry January – no, not the weather, which is the opposite. Rather, we’re not imbibing any alcohol, except the odd glass if … Continue reading →

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Sunflowers in November

Posted on 03/12/2015 by

There’s a French expression, “C’est un vrai temps de Toussaint” (it’s real All Saints’ Day weather). This means that the weather on November 1st is cold, damp, murky and unpleasant. And it often is. This year bucked the trend and … Continue reading →

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When the Weather is Springlike in Autumn

Posted on 06/11/2015 by

I’m in the throes of the literary lunacy called National Novel Writing Month, and creating my second Corsica novel. This is not an easy task and it is made doubly difficult by the phenomenally warm weather we have experienced during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

SW France Summer Weather 2015

Posted on 07/10/2015 by

We had a great holiday on Corsica a couple of weeks ago. And it was a good thing we went then, because we had nice weather for the most part. One week later and it would have been quite different: … Continue reading →

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Preparing for Winter

Posted on 09/09/2015 by

This might seem a little premature. After all, we’re only in early September and it’s still summer officially. But heating these old stone houses has to be taken very seriously. The summers can be blisteringly hot here in SW France, … Continue reading →

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Weathering the Storm

Posted on 03/09/2015 by

  August went out like a lion with one of the most damaging storms we have experienced for several years. The thunder and lightning were not especially violent, but the wind was, gusting up to 150 kph in places. We … Continue reading →

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Drought and Southwest France Weather July 2015

Posted on 02/08/2015 by

I have been reminded yet again this summer of how tough life must have been for the people who lived in our house up until the 1960s, when mains water was installed. Our property has two citernes (water-collecting cisterns) and … Continue reading →

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Teysseroles Fête and SW France Weather June 2015

Posted on 05/07/2015 by

We scanned the weather forecast nervously during the 10 days leading up to our annual fête at Teysseroles, the 15th-century chapel we are helping to restore. The last thing we wanted was to have to put up a marquee, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Places, Teysseroles chapel, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Unwanted Visitors and SW France Weather May 2015

Posted on 06/06/2015 by

I stepped off the plane at Toulouse on Wednesday evening into a different season. During a brief business visit to London, it was chilly and blustery. Back in SW France, summer had suddenly arrived with temperatures well into the thirties … Continue reading →

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Countless May Holidays and SW France Weather April 2015

Posted on 05/05/2015 by

  May in France is a month when you can’t move for public holidays. There’s one a week: two historical and two religious. Then the next one isn’t until 14th July, la fête nationale. We were talking about it at … Continue reading →

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Cuckoos, Birdsong and SW France Weather March 2015

Posted on 05/04/2015 by

  Bonnes Pâques à tout le monde. I had hoped to report the cuckoo’s arrival, but it’s dragging its heels (or whatever cuckoos have) this year. A friend 10 km to the south said it had arrived over a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Flood of the Century in Southwest France, 3-4 March 1930

Posted on 03/03/2015 by

  On Saturday 1st March 1930, 85 years ago, torrential rain started to fall on already saturated ground in Southwest France. Unseasonably high temperatures brought by southerly winds rapidly melted the thick mantle of snow that had fallen in late … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Signs of Spring and Southwest France Weather February 2015

Posted on 01/03/2015 by

 The SF (Statistics Freak to the uninitiated) tells me that winter runs from November to February. Personally, I feel it’s longer than that, but it’s better not to argue with the expert. Even so, by the end of February, I … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Woodpeckers and Weather: January 2015 in Southwest France

Posted on 02/02/2015 by

  This is the acrobatic great spotted woodpecker that manages to cling onto the fat balls we hang out during cold weather (the red splodge on its head marks it out as a male). We haven’t seen this for several years, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Southwest France Weather Roundup for 2014

Posted on 01/01/2015 by

  First of all, Happy New Year, Bonne Année. And a big thank you to the more than 45,000 visitors who came to my blog last year. The SF (Statistics Freak) has been slaving over a hot computer today so … Continue reading →

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Flies and Weather in SW France November 2014

Posted on 01/12/2014 by

  This year should be christened “The Year of the Fly.” It has been exceptionally mild and an unfortunate result is a mass invasion by flies. We are not the only ones to suffer, although I wondered if something had … Continue reading →

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Weather for Walks: October 2014 Weather in SW France

Posted on 04/11/2014 by

  We took advantage of the continuing spell of glorious weather last weekend to do one of our favourite walks, along part of the Viaur Valley. I mentioned this in my previous post. It’s a walk that’s best done on … Continue reading →

Posted in Aveyron, Places, Walking in France, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

5 Reasons why Autumn is the Best Season

Posted on 31/10/2014 by

  Not least because of the luminous wall-to-wall blue skies we have enjoyed here for almost two months. Every season has its charms, even winter, although by the end of February they’re well hidden. But for me, autumn is a … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Walking in France, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Monet and SW France Weather Summer 2014

Posted on 05/10/2014 by

  The image above is of Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny in Normandy, inspiration for many of his paintings. We recently spent a night in the village of Giverny on our way up to the UK. Needless to say, I … Continue reading →

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Weather in Southwest France August 2014

Posted on 04/09/2014 by

We are currently enjoying a glorious Indian summer with wall-to-wall blue skies and sunshine. And what better way to illustrate it than with a photo of our hoopoe friends, who will shortly be departing – more of them below. What … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

French Summer Markets and Weather in SW France July 2014

Posted on 03/08/2014 by

  French markets come into their own at this time of year. The difference between summer and winter couldn’t be more marked. In the winter, a few brave souls stamp their feet and try to stop their produce freezing while … Continue reading →

Posted in Aveyron, Places, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Wildlife and Weather: June 2014 Update

Posted on 08/07/2014 by

Visitors who are used to the constant hum of city life sometimes ask us, “Don’t you find it a bit quiet here?” The answer is no. I’ve never been a city-dweller by temperament and much prefer la France profonde. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments