… about the drive down to Liz and Terry’s is the view from the birdwatching site just outside St Gervais d’Auvergne.

Although of course it’s always the same view, the different weather and lighting conditions make it seem totally different each time I drive by.

Although the snow has all-but-gone around here and even the Puy-de-Dome is bare, the Mont Dore and the Puy de Sancy are still plastered with the white stuff and look quite impressive.

This morning I had a lie-in until about 10:30, but I reckoned I needed it, being awoken by a torrential downpour at about 05:00.

So after a leisurely breakfast (I’m on holiday, remember) I bit the bullet, donned the chemical suit, the gas mask and the rubber gloves and cleaned the fridge. The fridge hadn’t been switched on for a few weeks (firstly as an electricity economy measure and secondly, who needs a fridge in this weather?) and was looking like it hadn’t been switched on for a couple of decades.

After lunch I read a book for a while and then went off to Liz and Terry’s as they had invited me round for the evening, which was nice of them. What was even nicer was never mind the vegan chocolate cake – Liz had baked me a vegan Christmas cake complete with icing. That was ever so nice of her and I am well-impressed.

And to tell you about the weather today, and how perverse it is. All day we have had heavy grey clinging cloud that has cut down once more the electricity I have available. But onn the way home tonight the skies were perfectly clear, thousands of stars, lovely bright conditions.

Why can’t we have this weather in the daytime? It’s about 4 or 5 times now that this has happened while I am in “energy saving” mode due to the overcast conditions since November 26th.

And you just watch tomorrow – as soon as the sun rises over the valley across the way, the clouds will close right in and I’ll be struggling again. It’s really getting on my nerves.

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