Saturday 18th August

And it’s getting hotter.  Not that I really find it too much of a problem.  Believe me, travelling with long trousers, jacket, shoes and socks and a heavy briefcase on London’s overcrowded tubes is mugginess personified.  At least out here one is dressed appropriately, shorts, light shirt and of course no socks; I stupidly packed at least 6 pairs which will remain stubbornly unpacked for the duration.  And we have learnt quickly to keep the house cool.  Downstairs is tiled throughout, and we have dark voile panels and heavy dark curtains, and even without a fan on it is cool and bearable during the heat of the day.  You also learn to get up quite early and do odd jobs and housework before the sun really gets up.  Then a bout of relative inactivity in the afternoon,(writing, writing, writing) shopping if the store is air-conditioned and then a shower and out for a drink about seven or eight, eating round nine.  And if you really want to sunbathe you can, we have a nice terrace and there is always the lake at Lougratte, or just sitting in the square, where you can happily while away an hour or two just watching the world go by.  The temperature, normally in the mid to high thirties is threatening to go above forty this afternoon.  So, if you are stuck in the tube, or in a hot airless office, spare a thought for pour moi, down in the Dordogne, sipping my demi boissons of Leffe.