Maximum temperature here today 3⁰C, minimum -2⁰C. Dry 26km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 52 km/h.
I apologise for not answering comments on my last post but feel now, that it is far too late. There were no questions to be answered, so to all of you now I can only say Happy 2021 and let us hope that the vaccines will soon work, and the rising numbers of COVID cases will soon drop. The numbers now are beginning to have names and I have lost one friend in South Africa to date.
Much has been going on and time never seems to be on my side. I will though try to get a few blogs done over the next few weeks. These photos were all taken in December, I still have to work on January!!!
23 December Nigel had an appointment in Soyaux the other side of Angouleme, we really picked a bad day for the drive!
Sunset, not the same day as above.
I just liked the reflection in this muddy puddle seen out walking.
The Gorse seems to have the dates all wrong as do many other plants!
Common Holly (Ilex aquifolium).
Our garden on a very grey day when a glimmer of sun suddenly poked through a cloud
Flowers on the rosemary.
Seen out walking, the farmer's way of hooking up the telephone line!!
Ivy in an oak tree.
Striped Toadflax (Linaria repens).
Sitting Bull!!
The local, quite small chateau.
Box Holly (Ruscus aculeatus).
Mistletoe.
Puzzle that we both did over the Christmas week - not easy!!
Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.
See also my
That puzzle looks hard.
ReplyDeleteThe photos are beautiful. The oak tree must be covered in ivy. It must be beautiful in full leaf. Do the birds eat the holly berries? I left my holly exposed this year. I usually put burlap around it. However, the birds haven’t found the berries.
Marie we were certain they there were pieces missing from that puzzle, but no all was intact at the end. The birds seem to totally ignore the holly berries !! There were many berries everywhere this year except the holly in our garden which didn't have a single berry!
DeleteKeep safe and stay well, cheers Diane
Happy New Year, Diane and Nigel.
ReplyDeleteLovely photographs as always. Take care, Gaynor
Thanks Gaynor and a Happy New Year to you. I hope that you will soon be able to visit your French home but it appears you have a few hurdles to overcome thanks to Boris and COVID.
DeletePlease stay safe, maybe we will meet up again one day. Diane xx
Yep...I totally dislike driving in the pouring rain. Not so much worried about me but the other drivers!! Like you I love the mud pond...and I love trees with their own look. Mistletoe being a parasite tends to take over a tree, but I don't think I have seen that much in one tree before. Nice....
ReplyDeletePam that tree is no exception with the mistletoe, many trees here are like that. Yes I agree it always the other driver that is a worry!
DeleteI hope all is well, all the ver best to you and the fur-babes. Diane
Wonderful pictures. The sunset is stunning and you really got a good shot of it. I like the Sitting Bull.
ReplyDeleteHaha Ann I also liked the Sitting Bull. We get some great sunsets here but not so often in winter.
DeleteTake care and stay safe Diane
So sorry to hear of the loss of your friend in SA, Diane. Do you have any citizenship complications in getting the vaccine there?
ReplyDeleteI have greatly enjoyed this post from you, with some super observations and delightful photos. That sunset is amazing!
Take great care and stay safe - - - Richard
Thanks Richard, the loss was a shock as they live in the middle of nowhere on a game farm. He had one visit to the hospital for something else and then went down with COVID. We are permanent residents in France and in the health system. We get notified for flu vaccines so hopefully we will get notified for this as well. I will be first I presume as Nigel is 5 years behind me. The health system all connects up though with the NHS so we have yet to see what harm Brexit has done!
DeleteWe are being as careful as possible, in the past 11 months the only time we have been out has been fortnightly for shopping for necessaries. If we had a cow and some chickens we would be almost totally self sufficient!! I have not yet got the knack of making flour or loo paper! Thankfully I can walk anywhere around here and not see a single person though at the moment it is a little chilly!
Very best wishes to you and the family, we all have to be very careful for a while longer yet. Diane
I always enjoy your photos, they let us see a little of your daily life. I believe that the local, quite small chateau is probably just the right size for today's living. I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend, especially reading that he might have contacted it at a hospital. You just don't know with this terrible pandemic. I know quite a few people who have gotten it but thankfully they all survived.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, thanks for the comment, I just hope the vaccine soon takes over and that the COVID cases very soon drop, but so many people who do not take precautions will keep it going 😢
DeleteKeep safe and hope that all is well with you Diane
Hi Diane - yes ... desperate to read of one of your friends being lost to the dreaded virus. Still - the photos are wonderful to see ... as you say it's chilly. That bull ... yes I'd be off. Amazing number of berries on that holly - yet you say your bush only had a few ... there seems to have a lot of berries here too. Love the photos ... and good to see you here again - all the best - Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary, I am hoping that that COVID will soon disappear but I think this is wishful thinking as new variants keep appearing and numbers are not coming down. Our holly this year actually had none!!
DeletePlease keep safe, cheers Diane
Like the intro photo.
ReplyDeleteBest regards
Bernhard
Thanks Bernhard for the visit and the comment, appreciated.
DeleteKeep well, Diane
That is a very dramatic sky, Diane. I am glad that you took the picture to share with us. And I can't imagine your perseverance in completing that puzzle. My head aches just thinking about it! Stay well. One day the virus will be behind us...or so I'm told! It's getting harder to believe it.
ReplyDeleteDavid I think that is one of the most difficult puzzles we have ever done, not that we have done one for a very long time!
DeleteI agree it is getting harder to believe, we have been in some sort of lockdown now for almost 12 months and it just gets worse. Hopefully the vaccines will get control, but many people say they will not have it so......
Best wishes to you both and take care, Diane
All the photos are spectacular. My favorite is the 2nd photo of the sunset, it is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, the sunset appears to be a popular photo. Hope that all is well with you. Keep safe Diane
DeleteWhat a sky and love that bull, perfect shot of him! That's a great puzzle, I've got one out with border pieces ready to start on soon. Sorry about the loss of your friend, these are difficult times for sure. Here's to a good 2021! Take care
ReplyDeleteTerrible weather for a drive, gorgeous sunset, and what's with all the flowers. Is it spring? I know the getting behind feeling.
ReplyDelete