aixcentric

The one good thing about all this rain in Aix, said the local TV news, is the unusually lush green vegetation and the superb swathes of poppies in the fields right now.

According to Meteo France, Pays d’Aix has had nearly 30cm of rain in the last 3 months, something not seen since records began 60 years ago.  It’s double the normal amount with 31 days of rain.

However, even this isn’t going to make up for the extended drought of 2017 when May-November had only 30% of normal rainfall; there will still be a -13% deficit.

Photo: Patrick Douleyne

But help may be at hand from the Alps where La Provence reported on May 25 that ‘la neige ne veut pas partir’!

Of the 113 mountain passes in France, 23 were still blocked.  Snow-plough drivers were using photos taken during the summer months to give them reference points to keep them on the twisting roads blanketed by snow.

We were surprised to see Lac Serre-Poncon, the huge dam in the Alps, practically empty when we drove past in April.  It was possible to see the outlines of the flooded village, the old train tracks and also walk over to the little church on what was an island.  Apparently the dam has been emptied out in readiness for all that snow to melt.

I wonder what the summer will bring?