As I write this I can hear the rain beating down on the streets and on our terrace , the deep gutter outside our front door is as big as many a river.

This is not the sort of weather we expected or have gotten used to out here and I am seriously concerned about my capacity to withstand its Grotesque persistence.

With the exception of two or maybe three sunny dry days this pattern has been set for the last month .
There are, the weather people tell us reasons for this Unbelievable weather , the Marin , the soft west wind which comes to us from the Mediterranean has become set and trapped by the Massive Central.
Normally when this Bizarre pattern sets in, the Tramontane, from the Pyrenees , our more prevailing wind , gives this a short sharp thunderstorm and sends it packing back to Corsica.
For some unknown reason this has not happened this year.
This – the locals tell us- is Unprecedented.

We are just back from a weekend in Nimes , a marvellous Roman city, (I will post some pictures when I dry out ) and while there I mentioned to one shopkeeper that we were having wretched weather , ( Nimes is also in the Languedoc and suffering from the same weather as we are ) I was filled with nostalgia when she gave me the classic Irish shopkeepers answer , the French equivalent of “Ah but sure at least there is no cold in it “.
True but no excuse.

Today for the first time our long-range forecast is giving a break to the stranglehold of the Marin , the Tramontane is gathering its forces together and is going to send it packing in the next two days.
After the victory we are promised bright sunny weather.
If anyone complains about the cold to me they will get the classic Irish answer ;
” Ah sure at least ’tis dry ”