July The Sunflower Month

It's July, very hot and the sunflower field's are in full bloom everywhere. A favourite time of year as the partridges have chicks, hares - leverets, but due to the heat, this also means lots of watering.

Our  herbs are doing well, the garden veg patch (potager) has beetroot, tomatoes, chard, peppers and rhubarb.

Park in Toulouse

We spent a few days in Toulouse and got a sense of the city, the food and the café culture.  What a great place to visit for fabulous food, museums and the space centre.  The Natural History museum is well worth a visit.

Producers market Mazamet

Fresh produce

We had lots of guests who spent time visiting Albi, Cordes sur ciel and local markets.  The producers markets were so successful last year that they have been extended through June to September this year.  We have been a few times and really enjoy eating outdoors on the long tables, with around 300 people all enjoying good food and wine.  It's even better with friends.  Our guests have visited in the past and said it was a highlight of their holiday.

Driving in France this month means meeting tractors and combine harvesters on the roads being harvest time for wheat, beans and of course, pink garlic.

The pool is getting lots of use and after four years we finally fully understand how to keep it in the best condition.  The pool robot is great at keeping the pool free of debris and the water is crystal clear and cooling.

Mmmmmm

We visited a new local restaurant in Lautrec "La Ferme dans L'Assiette. very friendly, good food and excellent value.  You can eat inside or sit in the large outdoor patio.  Always has Soupe à l'ail Rose de Lautrec, worth tasting at least once in the Tarn.  We had gazpacho soup and salad, followed by a tender chicken and rice main course flavoured with coconut and coriander.  The kids enjoyed artisanal lemonade and dad a cold  beer.

La Ferme au Village

Amazingly open everyday 7am to 10 pm. web site  http://www.lafermeauvillage.fr

Castres fireworks

It's Bastille day: 14th July, we have seen fabulous fireworks in Carcassonne, had fun watching in Lautrec,  this year we went to Castres and enjoyed a thirty plus minute show, choreographed to music.  Everyone enjoyed the spectacle. and we even got home at a reasonable time!

A warm, but breezy day on the beach at Gruissan plage was welcome and we had a great meal at Les Chalets restaurant.  We finished the month with our village Fete, a three day affair visited with our gîte guests who had a great time, joining in with the eating, drinking, listening to music and dancing.

We arrived Saturday evening for a  meal with copious amounts of Rose wine...and water.  The night before being quite alcoholic.  Luckily our kids are at summer camp, enjoying drone flying, remote controlled cars, games, swimming and the outdoor life.  A favorite pastime for two of the kids is horse and pony riding and looking after animals on a farm.  I think our youngest will try to smuggle back a rabbit...

We are well into the season, with apéro's every week on the terrace, for guests to meet each other while sampling local wine and home cooked nibbles. Bonne appétit.

Apéro on the terrace

 This month we have temperatures in the upper thirties.   Next month 37- 40 degrees phew!