The scent of Provence

It has been very hot over the past couple of days, peaking here at 34 deg C in the shade yesterday, some 6 degrees cooler than down at P&K's apparently! The Scottish lady & her son who came to see the house on Tuesday returned yesterday for a second visit and are smitten by the place, especially now that they have seen the views (it was clagged in on Tuesday)! We'll have to see if they now make an offer.

Today, I headed over to Chalabre in the Aude to meet up with Pat for some VTT action. It was a cracking circuit in slightly cooler conditions to yesterday (thank goodness), 20kms with 300m of ascent, including short sections of quiet roads, some forest track, narrow singletrack and a cracking final, technical but thankfully doable descent through woods and scrubland. It was a blast and I am pleased with how I rode it. But the overwhelming sensation today was that hot pine smell that is so reminiscent of Provence and the coastal areas of France. Wonderful! Stats for the ride on the usual site.

Pat joined me after the ride to view a wonderful property in Fougax near Belesta that we will probably be renting for the winter. It's an amazing area with loads of top quality mountain bike circuits and runs plus an excellent base for some winter roadie riding. Plus, the Mont d'Olmes ski resort is just a short drive down the road and the coast is but an hour and a half away. After the visit, we had a lovely light lunch in a little spot just outside of Fougax. A wonderful day all round.

Tomorrow, we are fetching the Astra from the garage in St G and handing over far too much money for the privilege. But hopefully she will now be running like a dream and won't give us any further problems!