I have just returned from a few days in the UK, visiting my parents. Britain is not having the best of summers to put it mildly. Nor, for that matter is most of France, where the trend is generally cold and wet.
But we live in the area called the 'demi-lune' by the French because of the persistent crescent (demi-lune = half-moon) of good weather to be found along France's Eastern Mediterranean coast and hinterland - running from the mouth of the Rhone to the Italian border.
On the other hand, just to the South and East, in Italy, Greece and Central Europe a heat wave is under way with temperatures regularly in the mid-40s (Celsius)!
We seem to be straddling the two weather systems. Summer is cooler than we're used to, but that's too say that its dry with the odd cloud, cool in the evenings and daytime temperatures generally reaching about 30 degrees C (85F). Actually very pleasant.
As I drove back home through Avignon the sun was setting. These two pictures sum up the sense of relief to be back from soggy old Blighty!
I got up at dawn yesterday to go and photograph the sun's first rays as they hit the sunflowers growing near Tarrascon, about 15km south from our place, between Avignon and Arles.
The low angle of the first sun rays makes the light amazing - causing the sunflowers to glow.
And if any body doubts that sunflowers face the sun, they definitely face East to greet the rising sun as is shown here.
