Incessant rain……..

………and thunderstorms which began in earnest yesterday afternoon.
The heavens simply emptied their payloads with accompanying pyrotechnics!
At one point during the evening I opened the back door to listen and watch. The frog was very happy hopping about with several juicy slugs in his sights!
The lightning at that point was what I call “sheet lightning”.It was jumping from clouds to clouds instead of earthing itself. Quite a spectacle.
Here’s a definition
” It happens when a charge builds up inside a cloud and then flows from one cloud to another, as opposed to the fork lightning electrical charge which zigzags down to the ground”
Of course we were snug warm and dry..
It rained incessantly and heavily most of the night.
This morning as we drove to church it was torrential and running like rivers down the overflowing gutters at the side of the roads, so that we could see the cars in front send up great fountains as they drove onwards.
Cars heading towards us coming through the curtain of water with their headlights shining in the gloom!
Leaves were whirling about and lots of them across pavements and the roads.
Right now at 3;15pm there seems to be a lull in the proceedings, but I am not holding my breath!
I have a little video to watch on my iPad in awhile. My friend Thierry (who also hosts our French conversation group) has sent me his latest presentation. He gives these to various large groups, consisting of those mostly being the Alliance Française and Anglo-French Societies.
In the past I went with two others to the Anglo-French one in Birmingham, whenever he was giving one of his talks. And they were by far the most popular, it has to be said,
It consists of a video presentation of the subject he has chosen, with questions and interactions afterwards.
Anything from be it the vagaries if the French language, a historical figure, or a particular region of France, all in French.
For this one, he did lots of research, part of it in a trip to Germany. The subject is about his two uncles from Grenoble, who joined the French Résistance during WWII. One of whom survived being incarcerated in 3 different concentration camps.
They were young men one only 16 at the time.
The one who survived was given the Légion d’Honneur.
We have had the lamps on since 2:00pm as it is so dull outside, and one of those days which makes you feel like hunkering down and staying cosy.
In my book at least!