Day 3302 (Tuesday) 23rd June 2026

This is Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu

and this is Haut de Cagnes. 

We had a bit of excitement yesterday evening when a yacht in the bay caught on fire. Huw went down to have a look and took this photo and short video. I feel very sad for the owner of the boat but at least it was empty and the pompiers soon put it out.

It was really hot this morning and Huw took this photo of the thermometer at 9am this morning. 30 degrees.

Despite the heat we went into Nice for our weekly kebab in the park. The water sprinklers are back on and these kids were squealing with delight jumping in and out of it.

Huw found this article this morning online… 

Heatwave: tropical nights continue, already 25 degrees at dawn in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions… Follow our live coverage.

The heatwave in France shows no signs of abating this Tuesday, June 23, and heat records could be broken again today. Here's the latest.

After record temperatures on Monday and heat-related deaths, the exceptional heatwave hitting France is spreading further on Tuesday in the Northwest, with more than half of the country on red alert, a level never before reached.

In the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var,temperatures remain around 36 degrees during the day and with nights that are still warmer , where the mercury generally does not fall below 25 degrees.

Five more departments – Calvados, Eure, Manche, Seine-Maritime, and Somme – moved to the highest alert level defined by Météo-France at midday. With a total of 54 departments under red heatwave warnings and 35 others under orange, more than 90% of the French population is exposed to extreme and exceptional heat.

Heatwave warnings will be maintained at least until Wednesday for all the departments concerned, the organisation indicated in its 06:00 bulletin on Tuesday, which warns of a possible extension of the red alert from Wednesday for some departments currently in orange.

Several major cities broke all-time temperature records on Monday: 40.9°C in Angers (Maine-et-Loire), 42°C in Saintes (Charente-Maritime), and 41.9°C in Bordeaux (Gironde). The highest temperature of the day was recorded in Châteaumeillant (Cher) at 43.3°C.

A peak of 41°C is expected on Tuesday in the Breton capital.

The 25 most beautiful French words 

Many people consider French to be one of the most beautiful languages in the world. But what are some of the most beautiful French words?

It turns out that while the French have a lot of opinions about many different topics, favourite words doesn’t seem to be among the most popular. Of course, this is all a matter of opinion anyway.

So, here’s our list of 25 beautiful French words 

The 25 most Beautiful French Words

azur(e) – azure (blue.)

_ brouillard _ - fog.

_ céleste _ - celestial.

_ coquelicot _ - poppy.

_ crepuscule _ – twilight. 

_ croquette _ – croquette. A small ball of fried dough stuffed with something (meat, cheese, etc.

croustille/croustillant(e) – to crunch when eating/crunchy/crusty.

émerveiller/émerveillé(e)(s) – to fill someone with wonder/to be filled with wonder.

_ ensorceler _ – to enchant /cast a spell on someone.

évanescent(e) – evanescent.

exquis(e) - exquisite.

_ flâner – to stroll.

_ flèche – an arrow.

_ flic-floc - An onomatopoeia for the sound of rain drops hitting a hard surface.

_ glace – ice/ice cream/mirror.

gourmand(e) - someone who loves to eat. Really insist on the “our” sound, it’s like opening your mouth to eat and savour something.

_ jaspiner _ – to chatter/gossip/gab.

_ lisse _ – smooth.

_ luciole _ – firefly/lightning bug.

_ plume _– feather/quill pen.

_ pourpre – crimson (purplish red.)

_ rouge _ - red.

_ saperlipopette _ – goodness me. An old-fashioned exclamation that could roughly translate to “Oh my goodness!” or “Oh my stars!”  It’s a fun word to say and considered very cute today.

_ tristesse  – sadness.

_ velours  – velvet. This word is beautiful but also a faux-ami. It was borrowed into English to make the synthetic, inexpensive fabric velour seem more luxurious. Interestingly, there is no one-word equivalent of “velour” in French; it’s usually called velours maille.

My favourite French words are pamplemousse – grapefruit, papillon – butterfly and poubelle – bin.

This was Badger yesterday evening stretching out trying to cool down.