Another stinker

Up at 5 to get my 5k walk in before sun up. Then garden tasks and cleaning the swimming pool-ette. Finally the algae seems under control with the new pump, an algae clearer and lots of bicarbonate of soda. Coffee with friends and then back up into the high beech woods to escape the roaring heat. We did a different circuit up to 1450m.

Later the last night of the Olympics and poor peeps air con - cheap white wine with beaucoup ghiaccio. It gives the impression of helping. The long hot 20+ tropical night dominated by fans whirring, crickets chirring and Timothy West lulling me to sleep with his delightful readings of Anthony Trollope.

Who’dve thought?

No let up in sight. Some veg are remarkably resilient - borlotti beans, chickpeas, cabbage, broccoli, sweetcorn, beetroot, carrots, peppers, aubergine. Others really struggle or just give up the ghost and become ghosts.

Extra of cardoons before sunrise

Competition: what 19th century sculpture do these gnarly beech trees remind me of?