In The Bleak Midwinter

As Storm Goretti hits the north of France and Britain, bringing huge snow falls and dangerous winds, in the south of France, we are just recovering from a prolonged period of bitterly cold weather . For day after day a cold wind has blown , while temperatures dropped to -3C which is pretty bad for an area that is so close to the Mediterranean. Too cold and dry for us to see snow, but the ice has been spectacular.

A Waterfall of ice on the way to town.

Our property lies below a spring line, so many sources ( or springs) rise here. Some have been capped to provide water for the village, and their old courses are marked by narrow , dry stony passages. Our neighbouring agriculteur( grower) no longer uses his source, and this often overflows onto the path where we like to walk. At this point we had to take great care , for it had become solid ice.

Take care!

Our own spring is so strong this year that it has not only overfilled our enormous water storage tank, but it continues to surge . We have redirected it towards the pond , where the fish swim happily in the water which is kept fresh and free of ice. However, where the water has splashed up, great banks of ice have formed.

Yesterday , temperatures began to rise slightly, and the thaw began. A tiny amount of precipitation was forecast, and this fell as snow, but it did not lie. We rarely have snow here, but when we do, it is ravishingly beautiful.

2010

But as the ice melts in our fountain, and temperatures rise slightly, I look upon the storms and snow to our north and confess that I feel a degree of relief.