08/02/2022 - 12 Years of Blogging Today..

 The maximum temperature here today is 13⁰C, minimum 0⁰C. Dry but cloudy. Wind 10km/h North-Easterly with gusts up to 21 km/h.   

This blog will be a bit different today, as I am reminiscing on 12 years of blogging!

When we first bought the house in France in September 2005, we had no internet at all, but after a year or so I managed to get dial-up!  Wow, it was many years ago that we had dial-up in South Africa, so I had forgotten just how slow it was.  I was only coming to the house for 7 months a year from March until September, as at that time Nigel was still working in the UK. Later on, we got 'a proper' internet connection, although that was very slow and so it remains today, at a prehistoric 0.5mbps!  There are rumours we might have fibre by the end of 2022, but I will only believe it when it happens!!

To cut a long story short, I started my first blog as My Life in the Charente on 08/02/2010. That was about the restoration of our house and all the lovely places that we visited in the surrounding area. 

The Chateau of La Rochefoucauld

It also included a few of our holidays overseas and a fabulous Mediterranean cruise on the Liberty of the Seas, arranged by our great friend Gunter, who was working on the ship as Hotel Director (second in command only to the captain!)

Gunter and I at the Captain's Table!!

By March 2018 this blog was so slow (possibly too full) I started My Life in the Charente 2.  Because this was supposed to be mainly about the Charente, the last few years have seen very few entries, as thanks to COVID we have just not been anywhere!

A visit to nearby Balluet cognac distillery

I mustn't forget of course my third blog My Life Before the Charente which includes our overland trip from the UK to what was then Rhodesia, in 1953! 

On 22 January 1953, leaving the UK to drive to Rhodesia. David my brother, Mum Dulcie, myself and Dad Don.

While these 3 blogs were ongoing, I started up Photodiarydps which originally had daily entries, but this got a bit too much and I never had enough time!  More recently, since COVID the updates have been even less than that; I seem to spend a lot more time in the kitchen! I am only managing  2 to 3  entries a month but it is still alive and the subjects are mostly nature around the garden, except on the rare occasion we now go out for a drive.

White Admiral - (Limenitis camilla)...

Just a few years back, I decided to take the bird photos from the photodiary and start a fifth blog that was just birds!  Again I have been struggling to keep it up to date weekly, but most of the time I have managed, with help from Christelle who has sent me photos of birds from South Africa. Sadly we do not visit there often enough, and COVID has certainly prevented visits/holidays anywhere!

Little owl (Athene noctua)

I also joined Blipfoto on 14 September 2012 on which I enter one photo every single day. It is very seldom that I miss this one daily entry under the name of "Charente"  It is a great community and I now have so many Blip friends from around the world as well as blog friends! So much easier to blip a single photo!!

Blog friends that I have met are very special, and outside of France, I have had the pleasure of meeting bloggers from Australia, UK, USA and most importantly South Africa.

A few of my favourite photos from photodiarydps follow :-

Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis). We used to have a number of these about the garden, but a few years ago they suddenly disappeared 😢

Broad Bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis)...

European green woodpecker (Picus viridis).

Our delightful birdseed thief, Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus).

Elephant twins, a rare sight while on holiday in South Africa.

Our 40th Wedding anniversary last year.

I am so grateful for all the help, editing at times and encouragement Nigel has given me over the past 12 years of blogging, and my learning curve with new cameras and lenses.

I would just like to say thank you to all my followers, many of who have been with me right from the beginning.  Some of you I have met, some I feel as if I have met, and some I still hope to meet.  Thanks for being here, and for all the great comments that I have had over the years.

P.S.  Oops also forgot my recipe blog - My Favourite Recipes.  Probably the one I use most these days!

My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 02/12/2021).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

10/06/2021 A day I always remember - my Mums birthday.

   The maximum temperature here today 27⁰C, minimum 14⁰C. Very dry after too much rain!!   Wind  8km/h  North Easterly winds with gusts up to 18 km/h.    No sign of any rain for the next week and temperatures over 30⁰C !!

Apologies for the lack of blogs. but the garden and home between them have been pretty demanding.  I have taken plenty of photos, and lots of flowers and bugs all of which will wait until I have more time.  For today I want to celebrate with you all having a meal out at the end of last month, the first in 15 months!  Wow, it was like being let out of school it was so exciting!

I apologise for more photos than normal but I am the one who has the most problems I think with a very slow WiFi.

Mum 10/06/1915 - 17/06/2002.

Driving through La Rochefoucauld.

The Tardoire river with its 15th-century bridge.  

La Rochefoucauld Chateau, If you want to take a look inside the chateau see my blog HERE

The old convent, 1059.

Not sure where the stairs go to but the door to the cloisters is on the right.

The cloisters...

As above...

As above...

The convent church, which I believe is now a day hospital.

The main street

Inside the jewellers.  Nigel had to have his wedding ring cut off as his finger was swollen from a combination of arthritis and pressure from the ring. He is due to go back there tomorrow to have the ring resized now the swelling has gone down.

Just a door!

The sign to the cinema which of course has not been open for over a year now.

The local well.

One of the old houses.

A panorama of the bridge over the Tardoire, the chateau and the restaurant.

A closer shot of the restaurant which is newly opened.  They have been restoring the old building for some time.

Self-explanatory, you can always take a look at their website.

On guard near the entrance.

Reception.

A view from the table peeking out from under the sun brolly.

We were early, so I managed a shot from our table with the bridge in the background.  It soon filled up, though they had limited numbers allowed.

The starter was a pork dish and really this is only a small pot!!

Rose wine.

We both had a chicken dish for the main course, but in the excitement of eating out I forgot a photo!

Moi.

My dessert - Rum baba - I blew the diet 😉

Nigel

Much more sensible he had triple ice cream.

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/04/2021).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World. 

Part 2 of our trip to South Africa

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 13C, minimum 9C.  25 mm of rain measured this morning.  27km/h South-westerly winds with gusts up to 57 km/h!! Very breezy! 

We arrived at Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape in the late afternoon of Monday 14 November after a 2-hour flight. The winds were so strong that the pilot battled to get the plane down, but the landing itself was smooth! We were met by Christelle and Patrick, who drove us home to their place in Kenton, which took about 1 1/2 hours. They had gone to a lot of trouble to make us so welcome and the rondavel with en suite was fabulous!

 On arrival, Nigel was feeling unwell and sadly spent the next two days in bed with bad flu-like symptoms. 

Nevertheless, I was up and about and spent some time with Christelle's family who were there for a couple of days from Zimbabwe.  We took a trip down to the beach and borrowing a pair of rock sandals, I joined them on a walk before the tide came in.  The tide almost beat us to it, and one corner was a little too deep for me and Christelle's nephew gallantly gave me a piggyback around the corner to the rocks on the other side!!  I wish I could show you the video, but with our slow WiFi, it is impossible to load it, so here are a couple of stills taken from it!!!!

It was deeper than this in places...

Rounding the corner...

and Christelle helping me back on to terra firma.   I was very grateful for the lift though we all had a laugh.

Beautiful beach.

This is called Carriage Rock.

The following day the family all left and C and P took me out for a drive to see some of the nearby places.  They are so lucky; close to them is San Estate, and although privately owned and one can only drive around the edge, we saw plenty of wildlife.

Impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Zebra (there several species and sub species (Equus quagga) being the most common and Hartebeest, (Alcelaphus buselaphus) on the right.

Zebra.

Nyala males, (Tragelaphus angasii)...

Nyala youngster...

As above.

South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). The giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world. Males can reach a height of 5 m, and females 4.5 m.

See also my Bird blog I have many photos of birds and I will put most of them on this blog.