Current situation
What an interesting day to be starting this blog! Here's a snapshot of the temperature on the patio, in full sun, at almost 2PM: It peaked at exactly 43°C (=109F) an hour earlier. This is officially the hottest it's been this year. Let's hope we don't break that record any time soon. The drought has been really bad lately. It doesn't look too bad from a distance, but up close, certain areas of the yard are clearly suffering. The grass feels like straw. I've noticed there are way less insects around than usual, which in turn isn't good for the birds and hedgehogs that feed on them. There was an announcement in the news a few hours ago: the minister of environment is forbidding to water the lawn, or anything for that matter, including washing cars and basically wasting tap water. This ban goes into action as of tomorrow. It's unclear yet how exactly they are going to check every house and garden. But apparently, people who get caug...