Deux couchers de soleil

Summer is back, and none too soon. Last year we had a spell of warm-verging-on-hot weather that lasted from July 1 until mid-September. This year, we are just coming out of a July cold snap with rainy days that lasted from July 4 to July 14. It's finally over.

 

Two shots of yesterday's sunset over the vineyard

It's nice to have to wear not much more than a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. It's nice to have the pretty sunrises and sunsets back again. It's nice to be able to sit out on the terrace in the afternoon and evening. Around here, we love summer.

 

 Another recent but very different sunset from the same vantage point

The vegetable garden is soaking up the sunshine. All the plants are well-watered for the time being, because we've had a lot of rain — 40 mm / 1½ in. — since July 4. The high temperature around here is supposed to be about 86ºF / 30ºC this afternoon. En été, mieux vaut suer que trembler... (In summertime, it's better to sweat than to shiver.)

Du raisin, il y en a

Day one of the diet. I won't be eating any grapes. Or any other fruit or vegetable. No milk or soft cheese. No bread on this diet. I have quince, raspberry, and apple jelly in the fridge, but if I can't have any on bread or in yogurt (interdit !), how would I eat it?

Ce n'est pas la fin du monde, après tout. Here are some photos of the state of the grapes in July. There are a lot of them and they are really growing fast.

We've had a lot of rain to plump the grapes up, and we're expecting more next weekend. Saturday looks like a very rainy day. Of course. That's when we have friends coming over. I guess we'll have an indoor pizza party.

By then, I'll be recovered and I'll be back on my regular diet. There will be much cheese and many vegetables, not to mention things like ham, chicken, and sausage, on the pizzas. You can tell what I'm looking forward to right now. And it won't take place in a hospital.

Bleu, blanc, rouge

Happy Bastille Day. Or as it's called in France, le 14 juillet. The U.S. flag is called "the red, white and blue," and the flag that symbolizes France has the same colors but in a different order: blue, white and red — bleu, blanc, rouge.

Bleu

Blanc

Rouge

The sun is out this morning and even the prospect of a restricted diet for three days and a hospital visit isn't getting me down. By Friday, it will all be over. Time to go out with the dog. We had good friends over for a nice Sunday dinner yesterday, and we have other friends coming over for a pizza extravaganza next Saturday. That frames things nicely.

Dieting

I have to go on a special diet this week. It's for medical reasons. The diet lasts only three days. I'll be able to return to my normal diet on Friday.

Here's the diet, as prescribed by my doctor:

In case you don't read French, here's the translation:

LOW-RESIDUE DIET

TO BE FOLLOWED FOR 48 HOURS BEFORE THE EXAMINATION

Allowed foods

• Grilled meats, roasts, ham, offal (liver, brain, kidneys)
• Grilled or poached fish
• Eggs other than fried
• Rice, pasta, semolina (couscous), flour, tapioca, cornstarch
• Clear broth with no added vegetables, vermicelli
• Fruit syrups, fruit juices without pulp, fruit jellies, applesauce, quince puree
• Hard cheeses (Saint Nectaire, Cantal, Gruyere)
• Melba toast, uncooked butter or oil

Foods to avoid

• Fried meats, fried fish
• Vegetables, whether raw or cooked
• Fruit, whether raw or cooked
• Milk, dairy products, soft cheeses
• Bread

As it happens, the bread lady is on vacation this coming week, so I won't have to worry about that last forbidden food. I think I'll make it through the week. I think the diet is very interesting. Any of you have a colonoscopy recently? Did you have to go on a similar diet?