Of Gardening In 100 Degree Weather In The Auvergne

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Summer 2015: Nothing but blue skies in the Auvergne 

Parched fields behind our house

The sunflowers that were in full bloom a week ago, are dropping their heads

Cows huddling together in the heat

Most days are spent under the linden tree, under the orange umbrella. Notice the dust under the table, where normally grass grows.

No matter the heat, the garden needs tending.

There are weeds to be pulled.

New vines to water.

The jasmine I planted last year seems to thrive in the heat.

The shade garden I planted last year has miraculously survived 

With constant watering, I am able to keep most flowers in bloom

Mr. Pardon installed a drip irrigation system to help me keep up with all the watering.

I am very thankful, and so are the plants.

In the warm breeze, the laundry dries in record time.

Today, it is a bit cooler, so Mr. Pardon Me has decided to start on one of the projects on this summer's list: tile the roof of the wood shed he built last year.

It seemed simple at first, until he realized that it was a bit more complicated to have all the clay tiles fit together perfectly.  But he is making progress.

Mercifully, in the evening, the temperature drops and a cool breeze helps us sleep.

If the summer of 2014 here in the Auvergne was one of the wettest in recent memory, this summer will be remembered for a lack of rain.  All the neighbors are talking about 'la canicule', the period of intense heat that has already lasted for a few weeks here.  Yesterday, the thermostat reached 100 degrees by mid afternoon. It was the warmest day yet.
The otherwise green fields in this region of France are totally dried out, the trees are starting to lose their leaves.  The sunflowers I photographed at their peak last week are dropping their heads, which normally happens at the end of August.
Relief from the heat should come over the week-end, when a series of strong storms is expected to roll in.
In the meantime, the windows of the house are wide open and I am spending hours keeping the flowers in the garden alive by watering.  Seeing how long it took every day, my husband was kind enough to install a drip irrigation system throughout the flowerbeds.  I think we may be the only ones near and wide here with such a system.  We may not need it again soon.  The Auvergne is more known for its periods of rain than for extended periods of heat.


What am I missing in Carroll Gardens?  How has the summer been so far?