Thunder, eh?

We'd been looking forward to lunch here yesterday with four friends from the Hérault.  In view of the forecast thundery rain all day, we took the decision on Monday to cancel rather than inflict on them three hours of driving in the rain on what is a pretty rotten motorway even in good conditions.  There was a spectacular storm in the early hours of Wednesday, but far enough to our north to be inaudible.  Towards dawn, the lightning was still flashing more or less constantly, but our sky was clear and starry. 

The weather during the day was fine and warm, dammit, so we could have had the planned lunch party after all.  Instead, we had our midday apéritif under the plane trees of the Promenade, and lunched quietly at home with a pleasant breeze from the open windows.  The other four in the planned party got together for lunch and a post-prandial walk in Bouzigues.  So absent friends were toasted in both places, as was the better health of Météo France.  We had our afternoon stroll à deux, calling on Beverly for a briefing on local matters.

But  it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good (or in this instance, a chronically sick weather forecast).  Vast amounts of laundry dried on the outside line on the roof terrace, which it wouldn't have had we left it until today, which is dull and drizzly.  In any case, floor scrubbing etc were sweaty enough activities for one day, so it's as well we broke the back of the laundry yesterday.  Forecast for this morning?  Thundery rain: wrong again. It has turned midday, and the sky is brightening.  In case the Clerk of the Weather is listening, this is not a complaint, merely an observation.