Phew! Hot again today. It has been the most glorious week - hardly a cloud in the sky.
I have put the bike back together but haven't had a chance to go out and anyway, it was too hot to cycle in the late afternoon which was the only time of day that I had an opportunity. It is four o'clock siesta weather, not four o'clock cycle weather.
Instead I was taken out to lunch by Denis and Grainne, who are over from Dublin for a few days. The occasion was my birthday, which in fact isn't until next weekend - but they will have left by then and they insisted, which was extremely lovely of them.
We went to Domaine Gayda and sat on the terrace and marvelled at the spectacular view - no matter how many times I have seen it, and it is many many times, it still takes my breath away.
It was all very civilised. I was driving because I had guests there who had been to a VinEcole tasting and I needed to bring them back to Carcassonne. So even with a birthday lunch there was still an element of work to be done.
There is a busy weekend ahead with changeovers for all three rooms so I better get some sleep - I'm not getting any younger you know.
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Friday, 14 August 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
Excited
It was very hot again today - but then we are in summer in the South of France and we would all be complaining if it wasn't hot - so I shall stop writing about it - but it was hot, 36 degrees by most estimates.
It didn't stop the crazy English guy (me) and the crazy Irish guy (Patrick) going out on our bikes this afternoon for a pretty full-on 90 minute cycle. Today we headed west out of Carcassonne before cutting back across country to meet the canal and then back along the towpath. We are always looking for new routes, especially those that avoid the traffic and the main roads. By heading west first we had to endure the headwind on our outward journey rather than when we have turned for home, which is a damn sight easier to cope with.
It was probably way too hot to be doing such things but then the Tour de France boys will be setting off at the weekend and they will make us look like the complete amateurs that we are.
This morning was mostly about ironing - what else is there to say - it has to be done and it was done but there is still more as a result of the very busy week just gone.
My American guests also checked out early because they were worried about driving their hire car back to Montpellier and finding the airport all on the same day. It is of course entirely up to them and just means that I have their washing already done and hung up to dry (more ironing) and one less breakfast to do in the morning.
More importantly, I am almost besides myself with excitement this week at the thought of Debrah arriving here on Friday with Christian and Amy arriving on Wednesday. After a very busy month here running the business it will be fabulous to see everyone and get away for a week. I would like to think that I won't have to get up to make a breakfast, that the kids might spontaneously do that - but I am not kidding myself at all and I know I will be up making a breakfast tray for Debrah - after all she deserves it just as much as I do.
It didn't stop the crazy English guy (me) and the crazy Irish guy (Patrick) going out on our bikes this afternoon for a pretty full-on 90 minute cycle. Today we headed west out of Carcassonne before cutting back across country to meet the canal and then back along the towpath. We are always looking for new routes, especially those that avoid the traffic and the main roads. By heading west first we had to endure the headwind on our outward journey rather than when we have turned for home, which is a damn sight easier to cope with.
It was probably way too hot to be doing such things but then the Tour de France boys will be setting off at the weekend and they will make us look like the complete amateurs that we are.
This morning was mostly about ironing - what else is there to say - it has to be done and it was done but there is still more as a result of the very busy week just gone.
My American guests also checked out early because they were worried about driving their hire car back to Montpellier and finding the airport all on the same day. It is of course entirely up to them and just means that I have their washing already done and hung up to dry (more ironing) and one less breakfast to do in the morning.
More importantly, I am almost besides myself with excitement this week at the thought of Debrah arriving here on Friday with Christian and Amy arriving on Wednesday. After a very busy month here running the business it will be fabulous to see everyone and get away for a week. I would like to think that I won't have to get up to make a breakfast, that the kids might spontaneously do that - but I am not kidding myself at all and I know I will be up making a breakfast tray for Debrah - after all she deserves it just as much as I do.
Friday, 8 August 2008
Comings and Goings
Debrah arrived on Wednesday, two days earlier than planned - hurrah. The project she was scheduled to work on, in London, was postponed, so she dived through the window of opportunity that presented itself, before anyone could close it.
She was shocked by the 15 degree temperature change either side of an hour and a half flight. Although I had warned her how hot it was here, she was still taken aback as she stepped onto the tarmac at Carcassonne airport - so no, I wasn't exaggerating.
Thankfully, the air temperature has dropped off to a more respectable level and we can all get on with jobs without sweating on everything.
The boys from Valencia left yesterday and my new guests from Grimsby (twinned with Valencia?, probably not) arrived this morning. The good thing is that wherever they come from, they all seem genuinely happy to be here - which is of course just fabulous from my perspective.
After Debrah had spent all day yesterday doing 'real work' avoidance (going to the market, arranging flowers, cooking lunch etc) we did a bit of real work on updating our website, before going out for a quiet supper at La Roulotte. We send loads of our guests to this restaurant but don't get to go there ourselves very often so it made for a nice change.
It ended as a not so quiet night because Denis was also eating there and so we got together and came back for a nightcap and we both felt a little jaded this morning as a result.
It didn't stop me delivering breakfast on time and it didn't stop Denis getting hold of my scaffolding and cleaning the archway roof, which was full of cobwebs and general dirt - looks fabulous now that it is clean and probably doesn't need the coat of paint that we thought it might. Good to see everyone chipping in with a bit of work on the building too.
She was shocked by the 15 degree temperature change either side of an hour and a half flight. Although I had warned her how hot it was here, she was still taken aback as she stepped onto the tarmac at Carcassonne airport - so no, I wasn't exaggerating.
Thankfully, the air temperature has dropped off to a more respectable level and we can all get on with jobs without sweating on everything.
The boys from Valencia left yesterday and my new guests from Grimsby (twinned with Valencia?, probably not) arrived this morning. The good thing is that wherever they come from, they all seem genuinely happy to be here - which is of course just fabulous from my perspective.
After Debrah had spent all day yesterday doing 'real work' avoidance (going to the market, arranging flowers, cooking lunch etc) we did a bit of real work on updating our website, before going out for a quiet supper at La Roulotte. We send loads of our guests to this restaurant but don't get to go there ourselves very often so it made for a nice change.
It ended as a not so quiet night because Denis was also eating there and so we got together and came back for a nightcap and we both felt a little jaded this morning as a result.
It didn't stop me delivering breakfast on time and it didn't stop Denis getting hold of my scaffolding and cleaning the archway roof, which was full of cobwebs and general dirt - looks fabulous now that it is clean and probably doesn't need the coat of paint that we thought it might. Good to see everyone chipping in with a bit of work on the building too.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
The heat is on
If it was hot yesterday, then I am not sure how to describe today's heat. I spent the morning doing jobs in the appartment - it was a bit sweaty and uncomfortable but bearable. When I finally stepped outside after lunch I was hit by a wall of air at least 10 degrees hotter than inside - makes me realise how well these old stone houses insulate against the summer sun.
If you were in direct sunlight and stopped moving for 30 seconds you would suddenly say "Ow" as the sun started to burn. The breeze was of little relief as you could feel the heat of the air moving across you - at least it masked the burning feeling. The temperature guage outside the pharmacy in the square is known for being a few degrees optimistic with it's assessment - this afternoon it was showing 42 degrees - optimistic or not, that's hot.
I collected new guests from the airport this afternoon. Plenty of people were getting off the London flight in sweaters and jackets - which shows what the weather was like in London. There were a few people were finding the temperature here a bit of a shock.
Nobody's temperature was helped by the baggage conveyor belt breaking down. Everyone was inside the arrivals hall, having passed through customs, but all the bags were on the other side of the windows because the conveyor belt wouldn't work. They wouldn't let people back past customs to manually pick up their bags and tempers started to fray.
Eventually, in a truly comedic French method, the baggage handlers just manually pushed the bags through the hole in the wall for people to claim them one at a time on the other side, thus satisfying all demarcation and customs rules. Jacques Tati would not have been out of place.
There are only six flights a day in summer into Carcassonne airport and the ground staff have to be waken from their slumbers each time a flight comes in. You'd think the least they could do was check that everything was operational during the vacant hours between bouts of real work - and to think they went on strike recently because they weren't paid enough for sleeping all day.
Maybe I am being unkind - perhaps it was just the heat affecting the internal workings of the machines. I overheard someone saying that the car park ticket machines weren't operating either so how were they going to get out of the car park? - I turned to look at the exit barriers and sure enough they were lifted in the permanently open position - no car parking revenue today either at the airport then. Not a good day to be airport general manager.
My new guests were just glad to be out of the UK and driving about in the sunshine in an open top car. The younger of the two teaches mediaeval history and was all for running up to La Cité the minute she arrived - that's known as 'being a bit London'. It's been there for a thousand years - it will still be there tomorrow - take your time - after all you are here for ten days.
The heat will slow her down.
Suddenly at seven o'clock the sky went black and the thunder thundered and the lightning flashed and enormous great big fat raindrops started falling one at a time and then a few more and then all together in a massive thunderstorm. It felt good. It smelled of hot wet sunny stone and earth. It instantly cooled everything - but only for a moment.
The sweat is still dripping from my arms as I type this - not a pleasant thought I know, but the reality.
Personally I'm OK with it. I have spent so many years in dull, cold grey English weather conditions that a few days of extra-ordinarily hot weather is not going to start me complaining about it - comment on it, yes - but complain, no.
Some like it hot.
If you were in direct sunlight and stopped moving for 30 seconds you would suddenly say "Ow" as the sun started to burn. The breeze was of little relief as you could feel the heat of the air moving across you - at least it masked the burning feeling. The temperature guage outside the pharmacy in the square is known for being a few degrees optimistic with it's assessment - this afternoon it was showing 42 degrees - optimistic or not, that's hot.
I collected new guests from the airport this afternoon. Plenty of people were getting off the London flight in sweaters and jackets - which shows what the weather was like in London. There were a few people were finding the temperature here a bit of a shock.
Nobody's temperature was helped by the baggage conveyor belt breaking down. Everyone was inside the arrivals hall, having passed through customs, but all the bags were on the other side of the windows because the conveyor belt wouldn't work. They wouldn't let people back past customs to manually pick up their bags and tempers started to fray.
Eventually, in a truly comedic French method, the baggage handlers just manually pushed the bags through the hole in the wall for people to claim them one at a time on the other side, thus satisfying all demarcation and customs rules. Jacques Tati would not have been out of place.
There are only six flights a day in summer into Carcassonne airport and the ground staff have to be waken from their slumbers each time a flight comes in. You'd think the least they could do was check that everything was operational during the vacant hours between bouts of real work - and to think they went on strike recently because they weren't paid enough for sleeping all day.
Maybe I am being unkind - perhaps it was just the heat affecting the internal workings of the machines. I overheard someone saying that the car park ticket machines weren't operating either so how were they going to get out of the car park? - I turned to look at the exit barriers and sure enough they were lifted in the permanently open position - no car parking revenue today either at the airport then. Not a good day to be airport general manager.
My new guests were just glad to be out of the UK and driving about in the sunshine in an open top car. The younger of the two teaches mediaeval history and was all for running up to La Cité the minute she arrived - that's known as 'being a bit London'. It's been there for a thousand years - it will still be there tomorrow - take your time - after all you are here for ten days.
The heat will slow her down.
Suddenly at seven o'clock the sky went black and the thunder thundered and the lightning flashed and enormous great big fat raindrops started falling one at a time and then a few more and then all together in a massive thunderstorm. It felt good. It smelled of hot wet sunny stone and earth. It instantly cooled everything - but only for a moment.
The sweat is still dripping from my arms as I type this - not a pleasant thought I know, but the reality.
Personally I'm OK with it. I have spent so many years in dull, cold grey English weather conditions that a few days of extra-ordinarily hot weather is not going to start me complaining about it - comment on it, yes - but complain, no.
Some like it hot.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Too hot to handle
It's officially quiet in Carcassonne - virtually everyone French has gone to park on an autoroute heading for the beach.
It's also officially damn hot and many an example of a burnt Englishman has been seen trudging around - when will we ever learn about sitting in the Mediterranean sun?
I am very pleased that my English guests, who have been here for a week, don't seem to have had any ill effects from spending each of the last two days out on the bikes all day - the beauty of the canal towpath is that it is both flat and shaded for most of the time. There might be some aching muscles by tomorrow though as they readily admitted they hadn't done much cycling recently!
Sadly they are off in the morning and when I popped in this evening, to check if they needed anything, they were in the middle of packing, which for some reason made me feel rather sad that they were going. I hope to see Phil and Margaret again, but who knows in this business.
It is so hot that I am down to wearing one piece of clothing during the day whilst at home working on my own - in case you haven't worked it out I am referring to my shorts. Of course when I go out or when guests ring the doorbell I will rapidly find my shirt - there are standards to maintain after all.
My first Spanish guests arrived this evening for a three night stay - and a lovely couple of boys they are too. They are following, or rather just beginning, a pattern that is emerging of my first non-english speaking national guests being a touch gay. Pieter and Nico were my first Belgian guests back in April - lovely collection of pastel sweaters.
It was a strange week last week. I was dreadfully distracted by completely losing my temper. Maybe I over-reacted but it didn't do me any good and now that the anger has subsided I can look back at it with a more reasoned thought process. What is clear is that losing one's temper doesn't solve a problem but just makes it worse - that's easy to say now because for three days all I could do was pace about muttering to myself in a slightly deranged way and all through the night too ( I couldn't sleep) - it stopped me getting on with running this place to the point where I was no longer in control but catching up and just getting things done all the time - I think the guests didn't have a clue but internally I was a mess for five days.
You'd think that at my age you would learn to deal with unexpected events and setbacks and take them in your stride - if only that were the case. Anyway - all seems sorted out now, although it isn't because there is a profound sense of being let down on my side and I suspect there are feelings elsewhere being equally masked. Just when you think it's all going well..!
It hasn't helped that Debrah wasn't here for the last week because her presence may have helped to calm me down - it's always the same, the longer we spend together 24 hours a day, the harder it is for us to be apart the immediate following week - so it has proved to be this week. I have felt a bit lonely without Debrah this week and we really need to find a solution to our disparate lives
So it was I found myself going through an old box of CD's that hasn't seen the light of day for several years and spending an afternoon at the ironing board listening and dancing to the clubtastic sounds of Faithless and the mellower but wierder Orb - brought back lots of happy memories, which is a good thing.
We like good things.
It's also officially damn hot and many an example of a burnt Englishman has been seen trudging around - when will we ever learn about sitting in the Mediterranean sun?
I am very pleased that my English guests, who have been here for a week, don't seem to have had any ill effects from spending each of the last two days out on the bikes all day - the beauty of the canal towpath is that it is both flat and shaded for most of the time. There might be some aching muscles by tomorrow though as they readily admitted they hadn't done much cycling recently!
Sadly they are off in the morning and when I popped in this evening, to check if they needed anything, they were in the middle of packing, which for some reason made me feel rather sad that they were going. I hope to see Phil and Margaret again, but who knows in this business.
It is so hot that I am down to wearing one piece of clothing during the day whilst at home working on my own - in case you haven't worked it out I am referring to my shorts. Of course when I go out or when guests ring the doorbell I will rapidly find my shirt - there are standards to maintain after all.
My first Spanish guests arrived this evening for a three night stay - and a lovely couple of boys they are too. They are following, or rather just beginning, a pattern that is emerging of my first non-english speaking national guests being a touch gay. Pieter and Nico were my first Belgian guests back in April - lovely collection of pastel sweaters.
It was a strange week last week. I was dreadfully distracted by completely losing my temper. Maybe I over-reacted but it didn't do me any good and now that the anger has subsided I can look back at it with a more reasoned thought process. What is clear is that losing one's temper doesn't solve a problem but just makes it worse - that's easy to say now because for three days all I could do was pace about muttering to myself in a slightly deranged way and all through the night too ( I couldn't sleep) - it stopped me getting on with running this place to the point where I was no longer in control but catching up and just getting things done all the time - I think the guests didn't have a clue but internally I was a mess for five days.
You'd think that at my age you would learn to deal with unexpected events and setbacks and take them in your stride - if only that were the case. Anyway - all seems sorted out now, although it isn't because there is a profound sense of being let down on my side and I suspect there are feelings elsewhere being equally masked. Just when you think it's all going well..!
It hasn't helped that Debrah wasn't here for the last week because her presence may have helped to calm me down - it's always the same, the longer we spend together 24 hours a day, the harder it is for us to be apart the immediate following week - so it has proved to be this week. I have felt a bit lonely without Debrah this week and we really need to find a solution to our disparate lives
So it was I found myself going through an old box of CD's that hasn't seen the light of day for several years and spending an afternoon at the ironing board listening and dancing to the clubtastic sounds of Faithless and the mellower but wierder Orb - brought back lots of happy memories, which is a good thing.
We like good things.
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