At 10:00 am this morning in Moab, it was already 80 degrees F, and I found myself retreating to the shadier patches of the yard to do necessary weeding. I also recently read that Great Britain is having the warmest April since the 1600's, and there are fears of a repeat of the 2003 heat wave in Europe that caused more than 30,000 heat-related deaths. 
France has a much higher "muggetry index" than the single digit humidity of Utah could ever imagine. If there is a heat wave, there won't be enough cold showers, cold beer, cool breezes and hanging branches to make us feel comfortable. Thus our thoughts turn away from shutter colors to decks and terraces. A heat wave will no doubt hasten our goal for a rooftop terrace.
Click on the photo of the patchwork of rooftops and you'll be able to pick out a few rooftop decks. The French are masters at turning even tiny spaces into secret places. They are basically cutaways from the roofline, and are hidden from ground level. A south-facing deck may not be tolerable on a summer afternoon without a market umbrella, but glorious on a sunny winter day.
Our friends, Alan and Eileen, who are soon to be our neighbors across the street in Leran, have a terrace over their garage looking out over the river to the Chateau. I neglected to take a photo when we stayed there this winter, but nothing is quite as friendly under the low winter sun. I hope to spend a few evenings getting to know this terrace alot better over the coming summer.
When I am brave enough, I will include photos of the "petite cour" or tiny courtyard outside our kitchen at 14 Rue du Four in Leran. Right now it is dingy, uninviting, pitiful; but, nevertheless, it is outside space. It is tiny, about 9' X 15', enough for a table and chairs, some potted plants perhaps. The courtyard is surrounded on three sides by our neighbors' houses, so we wonder how much sun it will receive. This may be a blessing in disguise. But first, we will need to transform this space into a place where we will want to retreat.
1 comment:
The scenery in your pictures gives me such a sense of "peace and quiet"...as if the pace of life is slower and more in tune with our "human rhythms". Your pictures give me "respite" from my daily life and I am very appreciative! Luke loves the mountains in the distance!
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