Tag Archives: climate

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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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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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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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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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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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 →

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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 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

First Cuckoo and Weather in Southwest France March 2014

Posted on 04/04/2014 by

Today we heard a cuckoo for the first time this year. It’s late: normally we hear one on 29th March +/- three days. And it’s a full week after some friends who live 15 km south of us told us … Continue reading →

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SW France Weather February 2014 and Verdict on 2013

Posted on 05/03/2014 by

This month, I have asked the SF (Statistics Freak; aka my husband) to write the weather post, since it’s he who collects all the statistics. I’ve also asked him to look back over 2013 as a whole and make some … Continue reading →

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2013 Weather Roundup for Southwest France

Posted on 06/01/2014 by

The spell of mild weather that we enjoyed throughout most of December has continued into January. This doesn’t mean that the weather is good; simply that it’s not cold. On Saturday night, we had a howling gale, torrential rain and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aveyron, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Southwest France Weather November 2013

Posted on 02/12/2013 by

Posting up the monthly weather stats is becoming a rather depressing task this year. It looks as if even the little fellow in the photo above can’t stand any more. November continued the trend – broken only by July and … Continue reading →

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Southwest France Weather October 2013

Posted on 03/11/2013 by

The clocks went back last weekend and now it’s dark by 6.00 pm. Instead of taking an apéritif on a bench in the setting sun, we now sit by the wood burner. The squirrels are vying with us to harvest … Continue reading →

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Weather in SW France: Verdict on Summer 2013

Posted on 06/10/2013 by

It was short. Autumn arrived early this year after a summer that lasted effectively only two months. September did not distinguish itself weather-wise. In fact, as you’ll see below, it was the second worst in 16 years.

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SW France Weather June 2013 & Garden Pix

Posted on 04/07/2013 by

‘What can I say about the weather down here in [month] that is repeatable in polite company?’ About which month did I write this? Answer: May. About which other months in 2013 could I have written it? Answer: January, February, … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Gardening, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Weather in Southwest France: Verdict on Winter 2012-13

Posted on 04/03/2013 by

I could sum up this winter’s weather in one word. But it’s not repeatable in polite company, so I’ll try to do it in a more measured way. The SF (Statistics Freak – my husband) is the brains behind the … Continue reading →

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Monthly Météo: Weather in SW France January 2013

Posted on 04/02/2013 by

“Is France weather getting worse?” This was a search term someone used to land on my blog today. Given how dreary the weather has been since New Year, you could be forgiven for asking that. In fact, I almost didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Snow Again…

Posted on 20/01/2013 by

This is starting not to be funny. Yesterday it rained and the snow had almost melted completely when we went to bed. By the time we woke up it had all come back; as much as before, if not more. … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Snowed In – Again

Posted on 16/01/2013 by

All those people who think that, because we live in the south of France we must enjoy balmy weather all year round, please study the photo above carefully. This is how it was around 10h00 today. It didn’t stop all … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments