>After the thunderstorm / Après l’orage

>

The sky above the garden this evening. /  Le ciel au-dessus du jardin ce soir.

We had thunderstorms yesterday and the night before, but not enough rain for the garden, and it hasn’t really cleared the air properly.  /  On a eu des orages hier et la veille, mais il n’a pas plu assez pour le jardin.

So this evening we had Campari sodas and then barbecued sardines while we watered. / Donc, ce soir on a pris des Camparis et puis des sardines grillées pendant qu’on arrosait.

The tomatoes are still ripening very slowly – last year in August we were picking at least 1 kilo a day, but today there were none ready to pick.  It’s very strange, since we have had so much sun.

>More vine leaves … and aubergines at last!

>Today was market day and the fish stall had some lovely sardines. Following an idea I’d had from a Turkish cooking website – here – we wrapped them in vine leaves, after cleaning and gutting them.

Lo Jardinèr grilled them on the barbecue he’s constructed this week:

There was a wonderful ‘viney’ smokey smell when they were cooking and once they were done they had the taste of vines as well as the flavour of sardines. One of the best and simplest ways of cooking them, I think. The leaves get burnt, so you don’t eat them, but when you open the parcel the skin of the fish comes off leaving the delicious fish inside.

We’ve had lots of flowers on our aubergine plants

. . . . . . .

and now we’ve got aubergines at last!