Since the last time we visited, Western France had its 4-5 days of blistering hot weather.

Many parts of the world, and many parts of southern France have struggled with abnormally hot temperatures for much of the summer, but honestly, we can’t complain. Temperatures for most of July & August likely averaged in the 23-26˚C range (quite reasonable), but we did have a spell of 36-37˚C weather the week before last.

It means sleeping above the covers, with the fan running all night, and keeping the shutters closed for most of the day. It’s remarkable what a difference it makes.

The one thing I miss about home at times like that is the absence of standardized screens on all the windows, allowing a cool breeze to come through all night. We have makeshift screens on some of the windows, but they’re not entirely bug-proof!