Sunset, moonset

It wasn't quite as hot yesterday as the day before, but it was more humid. I took a couple of photos of the sunset from our upstairs windows. I think they give the feeling of the day. The loft space was blazing hot.

This morning, Tasha woke me up at 5:01 with a couple shrill barks. She was ready to go outside and then have her breakfast. The moon was spectacular, but it was still dark, so the photo is "noisier" than I would like. I'll post it anyway.

So the heat wave continues. I just looked at Accuweather for Saint-Aignan. The "historical average" high temperature for this time of year is 76ºF. The actual high temperature reported by Accuweather for Saint-Aignan on Thursday 6 July was 97º. They haven't reported yesterday's high temperature yet.

Super-chaud

It's not quite as hot this morning as it was yesterday morning, but the house is getting hotter and hotter. When it's hot like this, what we have to do is get up really early in the morning and open all the doors and windows to let cooler morning air come inside. Most years, we only have to worry about this half-a-dozen times or so.

If we leave the windows open overnight — without screens — we risk getting a lot of insects, including giant moths, and other animals like bats in the house. It's happened to us many times over past hot summers. It's not fun trying to sleep in a room in which a bat is flying around.

Right now, at 6:30, the air in the house is about 5ºF warmer than the outdoor air. For the record, our outdoor thermometer, which is in a shaded, protected spot on the north side of the house, read 33.3ºC at the peak of the afternoon heat yesterday. That's about 92ºF.

I keep losing internet access on our ADSL modem this morning. I wonder if that has to do with the heat. I'll try to post this now before the connection dies again. These are photos I took out on my walk with Natasha yesterday, between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.

Bedtime

I'll just post a photo of the king's bedroom at Chambord, because I wish I could be in bed asleep right now. Tasha the Shetland puppy won't have it, though. She wants her breakfast at 5:00 a.m. and barks until she gets it. I'm sure Louis XIV would have had staff to deal with such details when he was sleeping at Chambord in the 17th century.

Also, it's pretty hot this morning. Our low temperature is higher than our high temperatures were just a few days ago. This mini-heatwave is supposed to last through Sunday.

Today I have to decide how to get the Peugeot over to Dominique's garage. I think I'm going to have it towed rather than try to drive it. What if it broke down completely on the narrow Saint-Aignan bridge? It would hold up traffic for a while. Towing is smarter and safer. And it's included under my car insurance.

Chambord... encore

As I mentioned in a comment yesterday, I think we have decided to get the Peugeot repaired and keep the car. Walt says we don't need to go out looking for another car to buy right now. And it really is practical to have two cars. We're spoiled.

Also, since I've learned that the Peugeot, despite being 17 years old, has a book value of more than 2,500 euros, I feel better about spending some money on it. We can always decided to sell it or trade it in later.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of furnished and decorated rooms in the Château de Chambord, including a couple of details. I took them more than two weeks ago.

Our weather has turned hot again — the local weather has been a real rollercoaster ride this year, with repeated hot spells and then rainy, chilly interludes. We never know what to expect from one week to the next.

The most remarkable thing this year is how dry it is and has been. Last year, we had torrential rains and flooding in May and June, but not this year.