Rustic

Good news: as of 8 pm this evening, the fire is "fixé". I've never actually understood exactly what this frequently used term means in the context of a forest fire, so I've just looked it up. It means the fire is no longer advancing forwards. But it could still be spreading sideways, so the next task is to control the edges by putting out the flames there. Once that's done it's "maîtrisé", ie controlled. But not yet put out! It then needs to be circumscribed, and finally all the hot spots need to be thoroughly soaked. So the pompiers will be here for a good few days yet. They are taking advantage of a relatively calm day to attack the worst spots.

Today, then, we've still had the helicopters and at times a Canadair or two to soak the hot spots on the ridge that was burning yesterday -- there were still glowing flames after dark last night, and lazy curls of smoke this morning. Fingers crossed they have done the job. Our main road is open again, and some people who were evacuated have been able to go home. The images are devastating. It's hard to fathom how small winemakers and other local producers will be able to pick themselves up from this. And there have been so many large fires this summer that the whole Corbières appellation could be compromised, unable to fulfil orders. Even when vines have not actually burned, nobody wants smoke-flavoured wine. And many people have lost tractors and other machinery.

I had an excess of lively starter left from the bread I made a couple of days ago, so I made a rustic loaf of wheat and rye, with a touch of rhododendron honey from Italy. I let it bulk ferment for a bit too long in a warm room, so instead of refrigerating it overnight as I normally do, I shaped it, gave it an hour to prove, and then baked it. It's turned out OK; we've just had some with pâté. And since the oven was on blasting out heat, I made a clafoutis with the reines claudes (greengages ) that I bought at the market yesterday and popped it in with the bread. That was delicious too.