France

[Nicos]

...I did wonder if that was you!!!

[roitelet]

OMG hail stones the size of golf balls!!!!!!!!

[BertieFox]

Hail here too, but thankfully not so large! Worrying that we are predicted gusts of 83 kph in the storms this afternoon; down go all those carefully tied up beans and tomatoes! Still, a good year for 'English' crops like broad beans, of which we now have a surfeit. Worst concern at the moment is that our female kiwi is smothered in flowers but the male plant died. Despite a search around 40 km for a potential male plant in flower, all dead ends, we can't even hand pollinate. Why do the male kiwis give up the ghost so easily when the females thrive?

[Martin H]

Why do the male kiwis give up the ghost so easily when the females thrive?

Maybe they suffer from nagging?

[scarey55]

32° in the shade here at the moment, too hot to be in the garden and we're having to leave walking the dogs until after 8 because it is so hot.
Thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow so we'll probably have hailstones then

[Jardiniere]

Really hot here too....has my first afternoon nap of the year yesterday. Been watching the weather forecast but I think we are going to just miss the storms - we were in the Medoc last week and they have had massive storms yesterday. Too hot to properly garden but I did manage to grub up my feves as they had virtually finished but have a few to freeze.

[Nicos]

Looks like the area north of Paris had a bit of 'weather today!!!...

Les orages font rage sur MSN Vidéo

[Nicos]

Looks like roitelet got some of that!!!...any damage??

[roitelet]

No, it didn't last long and wasn't actually very heavy and turned it rain quickly.

[datz]

Only just discovered this thread! Hot weather returned to us again yesterday. I think from now on it will be gardening in the mornings only. Some storms forecast for a few days time, like everyone else it's the hail I dread. Shredded a load of stuff in May last year.

[BertieFox]

Weather really hot and sunny again here in Pays de la Loire. Mornings still rather cool with a heavy dew. We suffered blight on the potatoes after last Saturday's rain but having sprayed the toms with Bordeaux mix and a week of sunshine, they seem safe now. (Just very blue!)

I have loads of red cabbage, sprouts and other brassicas in pots waiting to go out, but the ground is too dry to get them established without lots of watering. I think showers are forecast for next weekend so will wait until then.

Having to do lots of watering at present with the greenhouses and pots. Luckily we live on the spring line and have a really good well.

[datz]

Hot and sunny, around 28C due to peak at 30C today, then storms forecast late afternoon, most of the night and tomorrow. I sprayed my toms and potatoes yesterday, hope I'm not too late! Thinking about putting some protection over some of the plantain case of hail.

[datz]

Thick mist this morning and a coolish 15C and a high of 25C predicted. Though it maybe low cloud due to our altitude. The thunderstorms forecast for yesterday failed to arrive, more forecast for today though!

[roitelet]

It's RAINING!!!!!! The first we have had for 16 days, yippee!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tomatoking]

Our first rain here in Brittany for a while, not really enough but more is forecast over the next few days, need the water butts filled!