Bluster

The local cousin of the Mistral is called the Vent d'Autan. It's blowing hard now. It runs in multiples of 3 days. I think today is day 4 so I guess we have two (or five, or ....) days to go. According to my Petit Robert, Autan is a Provençal word derived from the Latin altanus "vent de la haute mer" and means the stormy wind that blows from the south or the south-west. Our neighbours say that it brings sand from the Sahara. True or not, I don't know, but it certainly leaves the car even dirtier than before.

And it has set off the pool alarm several times, including the middle of last night. The electronics are supposed to be clever enough to tell the difference between a wind and a child, but maybe our alarm is just thick. We've tried turning it off but the b**** keeps turning itself on again. Next time, the battery comes out.

I can hear thunder now and it's started to rain.

Lowri has gone to have her hair done this morning. The children disapprove. They want her to grow it longer, but every time she goes to the hairdresser he cuts it again.