A Move in the Middle of la Canicule

“La Canicule” is French for “heat wave,” and that is exactly what we’ve had. This afternoon (Saturday, July 4; oddly enough, in France July 4th is just another day) it’s about 82F with some rain and thunder showers. That’s the coolest afternoon we’ve had in a week, and it’s going to stay in the mid- to high-80s for a week. Last Tuesday it was 102F here; broke a record for the day.

I find it humorous that the French word for heat wave is pronounced “can-i-cool.” Should be “canihot” or something.

The heat caused us to curtailed our activities some, but we moved in the middle of la canicule. Our stay in the cottage came to an end when we moved into our house-sit. We’ll be here until August 31, and I can tell you, this will be a nice stay. This is a beautiful house, in a beautiful village. We’re only ten minutes away from Bois-le-Roi, where we’ve lived for the last seven weeks, so we’ll still be going there for the great cheese and boulangerie.

Here’s the front of our new residence. The house was built in 1923 and seriously remodeled when the current owners moved in eight years ago. You can’t see the remodel from the front; the entire first floor back wall was removed and the kitchen expanded and a living area added.

And the view from our bedroom. We love the window flowers – they’re everywhere.

As the weather is starting to moderate a bit, we’ll get back to our ambles and rambles – a week from tomorrow we go to Lyon with Mary and Gilles – and I’ll be a bit better about posting.

Addendum: More Information on Canicule

Gilles provided me with more information about how the French came to call a heat wave “canicule.” Canicule derives from the Latin, canicula, which translates as “little dog.” Canicula is also an alternative name for the constellation canis major (“big dog”). That constellation has, for centuries and in many cultures, been associated with the hottest days of summer. Hence: canicule – heat wave. Thank you, Gilles!

P.S. Don’t ask me how the meaning went from canicula – little dog – to canis major – big dog. I don’t know. Maybe the little dog grew up.