Emergency shopping

A lack of proper planning on my part: although I did a little bit of (salad) shopping yesterday, I failed to realise I'd run out of evening cooked main courses after tonight, so I'd need to cook something Tuesday morning (evening cooking only adding to indoor heat, so a really bad idea).

So, darn it, I just had to ride down into Die this morning. In any case, I wanted to test ride the 'firmware upgrade' on the Bosch e-bike system, so as well as going via the Col de Romeyer, I diverted off the Col de Rousset road into Die, via the track that follows the contours round the hill and drops down to le Gros Chêne, affording lovely views of the Drôme valley.

Post ride report: sausages bought to cook tomorrow morning, and the upgraded power delivery wotsits from Bosch seemed to work very well.

The normal routine...

There's more 'canicule' forecast now for a few days – I've lost count of how many episodes we've officially had here now, but the designation feels somewhat academic, as the daytimes have been hot (mid-high 30s) and the early mornings fresher (high teens) since I've been here. The result is that I do stuff in the mornings (cooking, watering, riding) having and cool the house down, then shut everything up and hide in the cool, maybe with a bit of siesta after my salad lunch. It's quite a nice routine, I must admit!

Anyway, this morning was just some garden watering, to chivvy along the blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes that have suffered in the drought, and then a ride to Sainte Croix and then via the track around to Vachères-en-Quint. And very lovely it was too!

A little loop

With it being a summer Saturday, Die market will be absolutely heaving with tourists (and I don't blame them... it's one of the attractions of Die!), so with the morning being cool again (it was 15C at 7am), I did a little local loop to Craponne and almost-Châtillon, with the return via St Roman and Laval d'Aix. I chose the route not just because I know it's pretty, but because the D93 main road gets quite busy with holiday traffic on August Saturdays, so as I'm in pootling mode, I wanted to avoid it. A happy choice on a day like today, hence how many photos I took.