Who wants to go in for a dip?

"Can I go into the pool?" B asked for the umpteenth time. I sighed. When the sun came out, the Normandy countryside warmed to a balmy 20 degrees Celsius. When clouds scuttled in front of it, the temperature hovered closer to 16 degrees. Hardly swimming weather, especially given the fact that the pool water was a chilly 15 degrees! "Okay," I agreed reluctantly. "But I'm NOT going in so no drowning." "He can stand everywhere in the pool. It's not that deep," our friends D & J said simultaneously. D's 14 year old grandson decided to go in as well but, while B managed his entrance quite well being accustomed to Canadian lake temperatures, the south of France young man turned a sickly shade of blue in seconds. "It's cccccccold!" He stuttered. The kids each had a warm shower upon exiting the freezing pool water and we all warmed ourselves with delightful pastries brought by J's daughter in law. Shortly afterward, it was time to go back to our own country home. There is something about the sun streaming through the leaves of the trees that line the roads, dappling the windshield with lights and shadows that make driving almost magical...