Our tarp proved itself yet again today as we found ourselves riding through a series of rainstorms in southern France. It was only our first day back on the road after three weeks working with Patricia and Bert in the Ardeche and by lunchtime we were already missing their wonderful home. Just minutes after we sat down at a picnic table the rain started to pour down so we rushed to put up the tarp and then huddled under it, eating our ham and cheese sandwiches and watching the lightening in the distance. If we didn’t have the tarp we would have been soaked through, not to mention hungry! After an hour or so, and with no sign of the clouds clearing over our heads, we decided to make a break for it, hoping to reach some blue skies off in the distance. It wasn’t to be. We pedalled through the drizzle for a few more kilometers, then put up the tarp once again, happily this time under some cherry trees by the roadside. We picked and ate cherries until our tummies were ready to pop and the rain was letting up, then got back on our bikes and finished the last few kilometers to Crest. There we met another wet cyclist, a Dutch man out on his first tour but entirely fed up with the weather. Aren’t we all! It’s normally about 25 degrees and sunny this time of year but the last few days have been filled with rain and chilly temperatures. We can only hope for an improvement before we hit the high passes of the Alps in a couple days, where it was snowing not so long ago.