When we were deciding where to book our holiday this year (at the very last minute!), we thought that we ought to try for somewhere a little cooler than our usual destinations of Portugal or Spain. We didn't think that Cathy (Liam's gran) would be able to cope with temperatures above the mid-20s centigrade, and we thought that Normandy would be just ideal.

We had two weeks of temperatures in the mid- to high-30s centigrade--punctuated by some dramatic thunderstorms and downpours (luckily the thunder and rain happened overnight). To escape the heat, we retreated to the air conditioned car and explored the Normandy countryside. On this, the second full day of our holiday, we ventured to the nearby village of Saint Fraimbault, where we took some refreshments at the lakeside cafe before all four of us hired a pedalo for 30 minutes to escape the stifling heat of the land. On our way back to the cottage we passed an old garage where these 2CVs were quietly rotting away. After dinner, Liam and I drove back out and had a wander, and I took lots of photos of these old cars--much to the amusement of the local residents, and much to Liam's embarrassment when we were asked--in French, naturallmente--what I was doing.

My French is getting better . . . now I can ask for two glasses of Muscadet (baby steps!).