12/05/2017 A quick walk around the garden as I have been in the kitchen most of the day.

Maximum temperature 19C, minimum 9C.  12 km/h SW wind.   4 mm rain measured this morning. 

The cherries are ripening, if all is well I will be very busy in the kitchen in a weeks time.

Dog Rose.

Young apples.

Daisies and fly.

Broad Beans.

Capricorn beetle (longhorn) munching on the dog rose (Cerambyx cerdo)

Common Lizard giving me the eye.

Forget-me-not.

10/05/2017 We have been working all day in the garden. A very few late photos taken in the drizzle.

Maximum temperature 20C, minimum 4C.  18 km/h S wind 30 km/h gusts.   Rain on and off.

Mrs Blackbird (Turdus merula)...

As above...

and Mr singing merrily on the telephone line.

Iris.

Sage.

Finally cleared of grass and dug over (lots of stone!)  A few bags of manure and we can start planting.

Three large bags of broad beans!

08/05/2017 Public holiday here today - Victory in Europe or ‘Victoire 1945’

Maximum temperature 18C, minimum 6C.  20 km/h NE chilly wind.   Dry.

The bleuet is the cornflower French symbol of remembrance like the poppy is for the UK.  The two flowers both continued to grow during WWII despite the land being devastated by thousands of shells.

Reading the names from the war memorial in Vitrac..

One minutes silence...

Laying the wreath.

The picnic spot at Vitrac with the little foot bridge over the river.

Back home a lizard trying to catch a bit of sun...

the Bearded Irises still doing well...

Peony...

Climbing rose...

Broad beans..

and a pair of lizards.

03/05/2017 Went to town for a haircut, but although I had the camera I took no photos, so back to the garden again.

Maximum temperature 16C, minimum 6C. 8 kmh NW wind. Cloud and a little sun.  1 mm of rain measured this morning.

Bee on the red robin shrub.

Unknown and very small.

Bearded Iris

Rose bud.

Bearded Iris.

Peony.

Small copper...

As above...

As above.

Chafer beetle.

As above.

Robber fly.

Green bottle.

Broad beans and Swiss chard.

28/04/2017 A few photos from the garden.

Maximum temperature 14C, minimum -1C. 13 kmh N wind. Overcast with some sun. Dry.

The garden is not happy after the cold spell.  The grapes are decidedly the worse for wear, also the potatoes that were just coming through, luckily we planted the latter late so they will recover.  Even the new shoots on the laurel hedge are badly burnt.

Not good for the vineyards and the coming wine making season!!

Small copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

As above.

Hover fly (I think.)

Peony plus ant.

Dog rose.

Crane fly.

First picking of broad beans, thankfully they do not mind the cold!

21/04/2017 Just a few photos from the garden.

Maximum temperature 18C, minimum -2C. 17 kmh NE wind with 23 kmh gusts.  Much improved weather and by this afternoon it was really quite pleasant.  Dry.

Bee on the choisya ternata.

Californian poppy.

Greenfly on the red robin.

Bearded iris.

Spring is in the air - crane flies I think.

Longhorn beetle on the red robin...

as above

Quince blossom.

I think this is a robber fly also on the red robin.

as above.

The broad beans are looking good.