Success!

This rhododendron was planted in bud and produced beautiful flowers that year but none in the subsequent 5? years, despite being dressed with slow release ericaceous plant food, until now! It's got three flowers! I guess it's because I planted it to fill a hole in deep shade. In another 20 years it will, hopefully, complement the adjacent huge beautiful pink one. 

In France, to avoid the floods in Nemours the ladies had a shorter ride to stay near Fontainebleau with the uncle of the friend who visited them last night. This means that tomorrow's  étape will be 125km (without a Garmin) across the forest of Fontainebleau and then along the valley of the Yonne to rejoin their planned route in Auxerre: six more days to go!