Weather report

Yesterday was grey and drizzly, and according to the forecast today was going to be more of the same. During the night I woke to the sound of rumbling thunder and heavy rain drumming on the roof. Swiftly followed by the meowing of a wet cat jumping onto the bed for comfort.

So it was a surprise to wake up and find the the storm had rolled off to the Pyrenees, and the sky was bright blue shot through with streaks of white cloud. We decided to make the most of it by going to the coast. So we headed for Peyriac de Mer, where there's a boardwalk around the lagoon.

There were a lot of people out enjoying the sunshine, and so did we till we somehow managed to lose each other despite being on a well-marked path with good views all around. We individually spent half an hour looking for each other -- I got fed up first and walked back to the car, where S found me five minutes later. I blame myself for being so busy taking photos that I didn't notice which way S had gone.

On the way home we stopped in Narbonne for coffee with J&B. Our weather was still gorgeous, but we were surrounded by massed grey clouds gradually encroaching on the blue. By the time we left it was after six and the light was magnificent, so at my insistence we detoured via Fontfroide instead of driving along the boring main road.

I really haven't done justice to the light and colours here, the sunlit vines contrasting sharply with the grey-blue storm clouds -- it was one of those views where you have to be there to appreciate it properly. Large is better. The castle on the left is for sale, so if you have six million euros or so to spare, it can be yours. Magnificent views are guaranteed, but there might be some fixing up to do.