Most important room in the house.

This is our 'auvent', which I always think of as the 'most important room in the house'. It's where we sit and drink our pre-supper aperitives when it's too hot to be outside, and it's where we eat in the evenings.

As you can see, I didn't bother to tidy-up before I took the photo; this is how messy it usually is.

The outdoor fridge looks after the white and pink wines, the beers, ciders, and usually a few bottles of Elderflower Champagne. I don't know what happened this year, but those bottles in the wicker basket contain what should have been a part of my supply of Elderflower Champagne; but something went wrong. The opaque liquid had no fizz and was thick like syrup. I've never failed before, but this 2023 failure is quite spectacular. All will be thrown away. I think I must have forgotten to add something; probably the white wine vinegar.

We are having plenty of evening storms at the moment, and this is the perfect spot to witness the drama. It's lovely to sit under a watertight roof and admire all the sights and sounds of a really good storm.

If the evening temperature is around 25 C we take our aperitives outside, in the shade of the Quince tree. Billy then shows-off in front of us by running up and down, jumping in the air, and performing spectacular turns. He now does this every night. He is so happy back here in his native country.