La fin de l'été

So this weekend summer ends. Astronomical summer, I mean. The equinox, the moment when summer becomes autumn, will happen Monday morning. That's in central European Time, which is the time zone France is in. Key words for this summer from my point of view have been: drought, heat, loo, home improvement, upheaval, medical procedures, hurricane, paperwork, confusion, administrative tangles, residence cards, tomatoes, zucchini.

Here are Natasha, the sheltie, and Bertie, the black cat, enjoying summer weather together on the terrace. They're pals.

It's funny that so much stuff is ending over the course of one or two days. A new season begins on Monday. It's supposed to turn cooler and rain. Not just tonight, tomorrow, and Monday, the rain, but for the next ten days, according to forecasts. That might put an end to the tomato harvest, but the long-suffering kale will enjoy it. On Monday we'll go pick up our new titres de séjour, and kick off new decade of legal residence in France.

Toasted

And now the grass will get greener. I'm tired of hot, dry and dusty. We've been under water restrictions for weeks and weeks now. We water only a few potted plants, mostly with water that has been used for washing vegetables in the kitchen, and Walt waters the vegetable garden sparingly. All in all, I'll be glad when this summer is over. I'll spend the first month of autumn preparing for my trip to North Carolina and enjoying time spent there — as long as the weather cooperates.