The onset of the drought. Ranchot to Choissey

Even in the early morning the sun was making its intentions for the day quite clear.  The colour of the vegetation seemed to change before our eyes as the sun soared, crisping everything in it's wake.  

We forced ourselves to stop for a walk around Dole but the whole town seemed lethargic, even for a Friday afternoon and given that is was well past lunchtime and it was difficult to muster any enthusiasm for any activity except perhaps for sitting in the shade with an icy drink in our hand.

Suitably enthused we set off once again in the boat in search of shade and said beverage, arriving in Choissey just as the trees near the mooring began to provide their late afternoon dapple.

Tomorrow apparently it will rain, or if it doesn't then it will look as though it is going to.

Either way there will be respite.  It's been a strange summer, as though there is nought but weather to talk about, if one ignore the outages on the canals, but they have been mostly the result of flood or now the is news of drought in the canals ahead.