Hot and muggy turns stormy

I woke up during a really strong thunderstorm this morning. There was sharp lightning, loud claps of thunder, strong wind, and heavy rain. Windows had to be closed. Rain beat in under the garage door and the sliding glass door on the little front porch, so there were puddles.

The artichokes like it.

It's still raining but the storm has moved off to the east or north. Cool air is flooding into the house because I've re-opened the windows. It's muggy, though. One tree blew over. Fortunately, it's a plum tree in a clay pot. I'll be able to set it upright again when the rain stops.

The daisies like it.

Yesterday was hot but the sun went behind clouds in the afternoon and there was a brief shower. The temperature got up to 90ºF early in the afternoon but then cooled down as the afternoon wore on. All this is good for the vegetable garden, which loves the hot, humid weather. And it's a good thing it does, because we are supposed to have more next week.

The courgette/zucchini plants love it.

Okay, so there's the weather report. Not much else going on. Wimbledon. Resting up from our busy week. I still want to post about the mushroom cellar and limestone quarry tours in Bourré.

The gardens at Chenonceau looked pretty happy.

And we toured the château de Chenonceau Wednesday afternoon. It had been several years since I'd been there.

Chenonceau floors under my feet

But for now, I think I'll just enjoy the last of the rain and have another cup of tea. Oh, I forgot to mention that a bat flew into the upstairs room in the middle of the night. Walt heard it flying. It was when he turned on the light that I woke up. W. was trying to chase it out a window...

P.S. Cheryl, welcome back!