Damp, damper, dampest

We've gone into a rainy period. May May showers bring June flowers, that's what I have to say about it. Nearly 40 mm of precipitation (rain and some hail) have fallen since last Wednesday.

The lilac has about finished flowering, and the rain
is steadily knocking all the blossoms off.

It's a good thing we got some of the planting done. Now the ground is so soggy that it will be hard to get the last plants set out. We have bell peppers in little pots still, as well as some tomatoes. Fortunately, we planted a lot of seeds (greens, squash, beans, and corn) last week.

Here are some more of those véronique flowers.
They are all around the vineyard.

The good news is that the weather is warm despite the rain. It's not unpleasant for people and dogs, and it hasn't put much of a crimp in our walking schedule. Then again, the bad news is that the weather is warm and damp. Plants, especially tomato plants, hate that. They develop mildew. The leave can turn black and droop.

A buttercup in the back yard

The weather forecast says to expect thunder showers in Saint-Aignan this afternoon, and heavy rains over night. It doesn't get any better: they say to expect thunder showers Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday too. Maybe we should build a structure with a retractable roof over the vegetable garden. Or a big greenhouse, I guess. Hey, what about an ark?

My neighbor calls these « ces petits artichauts ».

I got a call Saturday from an Australian couple who are spending a week in a gîte in the area. I invited them over for an apéritif Wednesday evening. I'm hoping the rain will hold off that evening. They want to see the garden and meet us, after reading our blogs. I feel bad that they are having rainy weather for their stay. They want to see châteaux and shop in the markets.

A vineyard scene

Maybe this rainy weather is well timed for the vineyard. The grapevines probably need water after the two-month dry spell we had starting in mid-February. And there aren't yet any grapes out there that might catch mold and mildew from all the dampness.