68:48

Heavy rain through the night with one thunderstorm following another for hours. A dazzling light show. Plus sides: no owls on the roof (unlike the night before) and we don't seem to have shared our bed with mozzies (unlike the last couple of nights). Nell and I decided to stick to tarmac as much as possible this morning and keep our old arthritic feet dry.

These markings appeared on the road recently. When I first saw one I thought we had the road menders coming in (it's needed!) but the second one was pointing the same way and not bracketing a road section. Further up the road was a third... I quickly realised that somebody has marked out a route from Lathus and Saint-Rémy to the proposed wind farm. Presumably this is so commune residents can visit the sites and be properly informed when they attend the protest... er, /consultation/ meeting.

It's of interest that the Mairie previously approved this development. We have a new Maire now who does not support it. We had an information leaflet delivered that was nothing short of "anti" propaganda. To British sensibilities it was quite appalling that it wasn't neutral but it seems to be acceptable here for the authority to be partisan in advance of a consultation.

There is a petition, of course. As far as I know we are the only household in our village that hasn't signed.

The thing is, I have always known that nimbyism just isn't my thing. In particular, as a grid-connected electricity consumer, it would be hypocrisy to sign. I wouldn't like myself very much if I did conform.

Another consideration is that the alternative to wind power seems to be nuclear. I know which I would rather have.

I don't mind wind turbines (eoliennes). Often I love them. I frequently photograph them and have been known to just sit and watch them turn for ages. They soothe me. The thing is, having lived in rural Yorkshire and then in Scotland, I am thoroughly well used to having turbines in my view. We even had FIVE on the tiny island of 500 people that we lived on, one of which was community owned and brought in useful funds. I found the proliferation of small domestic windmills far more jarring than those five graceful beauties - the sight of which, when approaching home on the boat, was always a welcome sight.

So long as people keep on using electricity thoughtlessly then these things have to go up somewhere. If we reject them here then some other community has to take them on. The real answer, for those who don't want them, is to radically decrease consumption and reduce demand. I do my level best in this regard. I was brought up to be careful with my use of electricity and for long periods of my life found it essential to keep my bills down. It's second nature now.

Overall, I would rather get worked up about the plans for a toll road, the A147, which is going to heavily impact our lives here. Nobody seems to be discussing that one!