A bit of a storm in Saint Mathieu

Had a bit of a storm yesterday afternoon - the power was off until early this morning.  Heard there was some damage at the lake at Saint Mathieu, and as we were passing, OH took some piccies on his phone.

The lake area is lovely - we often walk there with the dog.  There are little cabins which house the first-aid centre, refreshments, and a shower/changing area for bathers.  Some of the cabins have been completely smashed, and trees are damaged and toppled over. 

 

 

It looked as though a small tornado had passed through - some of the trees had lost branches, or had the tops ripped off but in a twisting motion, not merely snapped off.

Fortunately, no-one appears to have been injured

Motoring fun and games - vintage car show in Saint Mathieu

There were American cars


Lots of French ones of course


And some very elegant vintage cars


One proud owner


Reminds me of the cars in 'Day Of The Jackal'



The local church - the clock always seems to be 5 minutes slow...


You could look under the bonnet if you wanted, although why is another matter...

Nice hat

These weren't police although they had sirens and a few lights that looked like it - I noticed the real gendarmes giving them an odd look

Very noisy and smelly but quite impressive close up


You see the straw bales? They were all the protection from


This!


And this


And this...


I have never seen the underside of a car in this way


And here are the stunt drivers showing off in tandem


And here, the red car swept the wooden stands away and the guys jumped down safely, much to the relief of the crowd!

Saint Mathieu is our next village and this was the 4th vintage car rally, and it was really quite exciting! We were fortunate enough to have ring-side seats as we have Dutch friends who live on the road where all the real action took place.

The stunt drivers were great, quite accomplished, but honestly - have they never heard of Health & Safety? All that was sheltering the crowds were a few straw bales, but I suppose that's part of the thrill...