Return to Valgo, food and sun

Have just bid a tearful farewell to the folks (and Juan – double whammy) after their week in Vaulnaveys, Juan dropping them at Geneva airport on his way back to Yverdon. Am now distracting myself with a speedy house-clean, thanks to the mighty e-cloth (am I the last person on the planet to discover its time-saving technology?).

I had met Mum and Dad at Geneva, having spent a couple of days doing a glacier walk across the Trift glacier (see pics of hike here).

After 24 hours of all-too-familiar sloshing cold rain, Mum and Dad ended up having a blast of typical French summer sun which Dad couldn't get enough of. The highlight was 36 hours in the Valgaudamar valley, based at the Ban de l’Ours hotel at Lubac:

Dad and I did lovely walks:

... while Mum painted.  We had lunch at shady picnic spots adjacent to streams. On the way home we braved the Col du Noyer to have views over the southern Ecrins and Champsaur:

Back at Vaulnaveys we sought out shade in the garden:

... read (a lot):

... made some excruciating marks on paper:

... played piano duets and Dieupart sonatas, had fun in the stream by the house (the lengths some people go to, to avoid getting their feet wet!):

... picnicked and swam at Lac Pierre Châtel:

... ate tried and tested favourites:

... and then threw caution to the wind and lunched at the Terrasses at Uriage (stressful for some!):

Mum spent an excessive amount if time slaving over a repair to a beach mat, with very satisfying results:

The mat has acquired the status of a valuable antique.

The house is now strangely quiet and empty. The heat continues and only mad dogs and Englishmen are abroad. The weather is set for at least the next week, so the garden will continue to burn to a crisp – and the tomatoes to produce their delicious crop.