Weather, fish and fowl and tourists

The summer seems to be drawing to a premature close. Already there is a hint of autumn in the air. The other morning I saw a group of swallows, adults and youngsters, gathering on the telephone wires along the road as if conducting a dress rehearsal for their future departure, something they don't usually do for some weeks yet.

 The farmers are already ploughing in the stubble left following the corn harvest which happened in July, a month earlier than usual. Ever since the summer arrived early everything has seemed to be four weeks in advance. Blackberries aand elderberries appeared in the hedgerows weeks ago and the main sunflower crop is now over.Only the huge brown seed heads now remain in many fields.

 July saw the end of the hot dry weather and the last three weeks have been wet and unsettled with lower temperatures than usual.We normally experience the stifling heat, les grandes chaleurs, until the end of August.Traditionally the heat begins to break after the Assomption on the 15th August.

 The weather seems to have affected the birdlife too. Orioles,whose fruity whistle can usually be heard in the woods opposite our house, seem to have disappeared earlier than usual although strangely, the number of hoopoes seems to have increased. Two or three pairs of birds frequent the fields and gardens around most villages.Our lawn,which is now green again after the rain, attracts a particular individual on a daily basis.He scours the area for grubs and worms, his crest proudly erect like some ancient Roman warrior.

 A friend who lives deeper in the Charente, in the foothills rising towards the Charente-Limousine, has been fortunate to see red-backed shrikes on several occasions recently. They seem now to be less frequent around here probably due to the change in farming practices which seems to have driven them eastwards towards the edge of the Massif Central. The spread of the vineyards,sunflower and maize fields has meant that fewer farmers keep cattle and sheep and so the shrike, which feed on the insects that plague the animals in the summer months, have moved on to the upland areas where animals are still kept.

 Following the heavy rains the river has resumed its normal flow and consequently the fising has improved. I recently caught a nice barbel in very good condition from one of my favourite swims at La Touche. I saw several large river carp cruising among the lily pads in the gin clear water.These fish are cunning,wary creatures, easily spooked and far harder to catch than their cousins in lakes and ponds. Earlier on in the season we had several big leather and mirror carp from a beautiful lake in the Haute Charente. I must try to catch one of these river monsters though, perhaps in the autumn when the water is more coloured.

 I have been surprised by the number of British visitors in the area despite the exchange rate and the fact that our guests have told us that they find France very expensive. My daughter and her husband were recently charged 8 euros 50 for a glass of rosé wine at a seaside bar on the Ile de Ré. But then again, the island has become the St.Tropez of the Atlantic coast and attracts thousands of tourists each summer. Obviously, the locals know that they have to milk les vacanciers when they can. The annual influx of wealthy second home owners, many of them Parisians, who enjoy le chic of holidaying alongside les vedettes de la télé and other celebrities can also be a curse as well as a blessing for the locals. Many of them of them are discovering that they are being priced out of the housing market and are subject to higher taxes and prices.

 Strangely though, locals in this area seem to be more tolerant of Brits, second home owners and residents, than they are of les Parisiens, possibly because they accept that les Anglais ( the French tend not to differentiate between Scots, Welsh and English ) perhaps contribute more to the local economy.

 My neighbour, Mme Rossignol, told me of some Parisiens who made themselves very unpopular locally by complaining to the local Mairie about a neighbour's cockerel who woke them each morning with its crowing. For good measure they included his fumier - from which the bird presumably crowed and which also offended their sensibilities!

 'Mais vous, les Anglais, vous acceptez tout ça. Après tout ça fait partie de la vie de la campagne n'est-ce pas?

Perhaps it's the Gallic charm that enchants us.