Tuesday talking point

It’s said, not without foundation, that the English talk a great deal about the weather. When you first move to France, if your French is sketchy, you can find yourself talking to your French neighbours about nothing else. Today, I thought I’d talk about the weather, specifically April weather, since that is the month we’re in.

                                                 

This photo, of orange tulips and white daffodils, was taken last April (2007) when the sun shone for most of the month and temperatures went up to 30 degrees C on our patio. This April, the same planting has produced one daffodil head (two flowers) and half a dozen or so tiny (6 inches!) tulips which haven’t even opened yet. And this pattern has been repeated, to a greater or lesser degree, all over the garden.

Needless, to say, for those of us living in the Orne, (and elsewhere, I know) the April weather has reverted to the usual mix of sunshine and showers, interspersed with snow and frosts. And the temperature has rarely gone above 12 degrees C. Yes, we’ve had a few lovely, balmy days and thought that spring was really here at last. But, too often it seems, the following days have brought rain and a drop in temperature.

Last year’s summer was dreadful! Can we hope that a more usual April will usher in a better summer this year?