Monday, January 20, 2020

20/01/2020 Back home in the Charente.

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 7C, minimum 0C. Dry today, but 31mm of rain so far this month.  26km/h North-Easterly wind, with very icy gusts up to 57 km/h.

I still have many South African photos to work my way through but I have been feeling very down this week and have got far behind with everything.  Think I caught a bug at a meeting Saturday before last.  The meeting was held by the mayor and over 200 people attended, many of who were coughing!!!  I am now feeling a bit better but the cough is back as usual when I pick these bugs up.  I will get back to RSA photos very soon.

New Year's Day.  Moss.

04 Jan.  Raspberries - not very big, but what are they doing bearing fruit in January?  The weather has been pretty mild but......

08 Jan, Orchids at the local supermarket.

14 Jan. Another January surprise - Roses still in bloom.

13 Jan.  Pampas grass.

14 Jan.  Lawn daisies, I suspect we do not generally have them in January but I am not sure. 

14 Jan.  A sunset that looked much like a firework display.  Much quieter though!!

16 Jan.  A macro of the Pampas grass.

18 Jan. Catkins on the hazelnut tree.

18 Jan.  Still we have roses!!!

18 Jan, Christmas poinsettia still doing well in the house.

Today's visitor on the window sill. Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) .



See also my


35 comments:

  1. Gorgeous pics, Diane! I love esp the pampas grass and the beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing! Hope you're good as new soon! Take care

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    1. Thanks Pam I hope I will soon be as good as new as well. I was quite taken with the macro of the pampas, not my usual photo!! Keep well, Diane

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    1. I find it difficult to believe that they are flowing in January.... I wonder if it will upset summer flowering! Hope you are well Diane

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  3. I just got "Shadows Along the Zambezi" on my kindle and am looking forward to reading it soon, it sounds quite interesting, and thanks for your blurb about it! Take care

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    1. Pam it is quite an eye opener, I hope that you enjoy it and also realise why I never say where I see the animals in Africa. I have sent your message to the author so she is aware you have the book. Enjoy, but I am sure it will also bring tears. Diane

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    1. It was very special, think it is the first time I have seen one quite like that. Keep well Diane.

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  5. I am quite sure that sometimes we inflict punishment on ourselves by taking so many pictures, and then we have to face the time and effort involved in editing them all. More and more frequently I am not taking my camera with me. The other thing that strikes me is that I will never again look at most of the pictures we edit and store. Believe it or not Miriam still has pictures that haven't made it from the memory card to the computer yet from our visit to Australia in October 2018, and the longer it goes, the less likely it is that they ever will.

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    1. David I also have many photos not edited though they have been downloaded and backed up. Having said that, animals, bugs and birds never get that treatment. That are always edited at some stage even if it takes a while. They do not always make it to the blog though. Yes I also take far too many and especially on this last trip with the lens playing up I took more than usual. Best wishes to you both, Diane

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  6. We have been having a really MILD winter this yr also. Really mild to tell the truth. Two days ago, 70 degrees, today spitting snow all day and sitting at 24 degrees right now at 2:20 pm. When going from that warm to that cold in a couple of days...CRAZY. Loving the pics. Like you I have to ask about critters and insects I have seen and things coming up out of the ground in Jan...but there again like I said, weather has been WILD. Mother Nature needs some meds!

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    1. Hi Pam, if the forecast is right we are going to warm up again, at least no minus figures. Guess it is global warming in force!! I never trust February though as it is generally the coldest month here. Hope all is going well, take care Diane

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  7. Lovely pictures, I especially liked the lawn daisies. We have daisies but not a one that grows so low to the ground. Our winter has been mild. We had a hard freeze last night and anticipate one tonight. So many plants have put out and will be frozen back. But that is fairly common here. The native plants don't wake up until spring has truly come.

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    1. Hello Ann and thanks for the comment. Our weather is very unusual this year, I am still though waiting to see what happens in February which is generally our coldest month. Keep warm Diane

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  8. Raspberries in January don't seem right. Though if ripe I'd be eating them. And roses too.

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    1. Ha ha the birds are eating them before they ripen. Generally they leave them alone but in winter it seems a bit different. Hope you get your propane sorted out. Keep well Diane

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  9. Beautiful photos Diane. I cannot believe that raspberries are already growing there. It certainly is mild.

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    1. Penny they have not really died back this year which is why the fruit has appeared. If February is normal they will soon disappear. Hope all is well with you Diane

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    1. Thanks you Nancy, I am delighted that I caught that sunset, very unusual. Happy week Diane

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  11. Beautiful images, how lovely to still have the late blooming roses 🌹 my roses are flourishing so well, they love the hot weather. So sorry to hear that you are feeling a wee bit down Diane, it's no fun at all when you don't feel well, as for the cough, it's beyond annoying now, mine also! Take care of yourself xox

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    1. Grace I am so fed up with this cough. It is making me very miserable. I have had it for so many years now I should have got used to it but at times it does go away, then when it returns it seems to be worse each time! Hope you are feeling better, I just do not have any answers!! Take care Diane

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  12. Stunningly beautiful images from your garden, Diane. How amazing that is for mid-winter!

    I find that I can never rest until I have processed all the photos I've taken on a stay away, or even on an afternoon out.

    I hopee that you're feeling better very soon. Take good care. Best wishes to you both - - - Richard

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    1. Richard this has been a very strange year in the garden, and as we have only had a couple of fairly mild frosts all sorts of things are in flower or bud that I do not expect. February, if it is true to form might kill everything off!!

      I also like to get my photos done ASAP, but I find that often IDs take me much longer than editing the photos especially with birds and insects that I do not know so well.

      The cough lingers but otherwise I feel much better, I hope Lindsay is better now, both cough and back. I suffer from both so I feel for her. Take care, our very best wishes, Diane and Nigel.

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  13. I love your visitor! What a pretty encounter.

    Your cough. Is it allergies? I have that nasty cough during seasonal shifts. Hope
    it settles down for you. Take care. Chris

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    1. The Blue Tits are so cute, very small and reasonably friendly with lots of character. Think I have answered your question on your blog. Hope all is well over there Chris. Best wishes Diane

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  14. Fabulous series Diane, loved all these photos but your macro shot of the moss was incredible! Enjoy the rest of your week and all the best :)

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    1. Thanks very much Denise, It has been a quiet week thankfully and it gives me a chance to recover from the bug I have picked up. Keep well Diane.

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  15. Beautiful pics! Especially like the sunset, poinsettia and blue tit.

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    1. Many thanks for your visit and comment, as always appreciated, Hope all is well with you Diane

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  16. Hi Diane - hope that cough does clear up properly soon. Gorgeous photos ... and yes we still have roses - I have to complement you on the daisy photo - stunning ... just love them. Take care and recover soon - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary it is on the mend but I know from previous experience that it can take months rather than weeks! I am glad you also have roses, very odd year. I love the little daisies though perhaps they are classed as a weed in the lawn!! Hope that all is well with you, Diane

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  17. Good to hear you're on the mend. Best to rest even when it's something small.

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  18. Always beautiful photos on your blog. I love the round, puffed up blue tit.Nothing worse than a cough. Hope you get better soon. Do you read Cynthia's blog. She has an article (Forest Bathing) on how to feel better. https://wisdomforasimplerlife.blogspot.com/

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