06/06/18 Around the garden

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 15C.    Rainfall 34 mm measured since my last post; 15 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 38 km/h gusts.

Total rainfall since 1st January; 606 mm and more rain today!

Too dark to paint today so here is another catch-up post.  Photos taken over several days when there was a glimmer of sun between rain!

I managed to cut the lawn at the weekend but it was quite wet...

as above.

Love in the mist, and with what I believe to be a fly or bee of some kind covered in pollen

Rosebud with an Oxythyrea funesta chomping away on the petals! Note the small fly on the top of the petal on the right.

Bee Beetle (Trichius fasciatus)  on the cotoneaster...

as above.

Carnation growing in amongst the rosemary!

Day Lilies.

Cotoneaster with an unknown beetle.  I only saw the beetle when I looked at the photo which was taken of the flowers!

Fungus on the wood pile. Possibly Trametes versicolor, often called the "turkey tail.

Granny Smith apples.

Potato plants.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 12 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

31/07/2017 Not a good day all round but a few drive by photos en route to La Rochefoucauld!

Maximum temperature 26, minimum 14C.   13 km/h NW winds with 17 km/h gusts.  Light drizzle in the morning not enough rain in the gauge to measure.

Next village after leaving home we passed this field of maize.

Driving through La Rochefoucald.

Stopping at Media Concept.  Nigel's laptop is making odd complaints, so we decided to order a new computer before he ends up with a disaster. The one he is using is now quite old and he is still on Windows 7!

Saw this as we shot past, never noticed it before, must be a new shop so will look properly next time.  Pity about the chimney!!!

Shopping at Leclerc...

and spotted this St John's Wort in the shrubbery outside. Note the little spider as well, an extra bonus :-)

Driving back home - men at work...

Grape vines...

orchard of apples...

Poppies that would not keep still in the wind, I got Nigel to stop the car for this shot...

Our local chateau...

Wood for sale, I don't want to think about winter approaching!...

and almost home - making hay while the sun sort of shines!

25/07/2017 Another trip around the garden and a different butterfly today!

Maximum temperature 25C, minimum 13C.   17 km/h NW winds with 27 km/h gusts. Dry

Clouded Yellow (I think) (Colias crocea) There are two of them very similar!!

Large White (Pieris brassicae)

The same Gatekeeper as yesterday, the damaged wing is easily identifiable. (Pyronia tithonus)

Well camouflaged - a little hopper!

Shield bug (Syromastes rhombeus) (I think)

Lots of pollen in the pumpkin flowers... Bee.

Calendula and unknown bug.

Banded snail.

Young butternut.

Medlars.

Quinces.

I cannot remember which apple this was, but it was an English apple!!

Granny-smith.

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.

17/10/2016 Yippee we had 5 mm of rain last night. Not a lot, but anything helps.

Maximum temperature 19C, minimum 11C.  16 km/h SE wind. 5 mm rain overnight.

A picture of our house upside down in the raindrop on the willow...

the drop inverted, house on the left, veranda in the middle, the dark square is our garden table covered against the elements, garden on the right.

Topinambour flowers still around.

Fly blowing bubbles on the pampas!

Crane fly (I think) on the greenhouse.

Euonymus in autumn colours.

Petunia

Rose.

The apple showing a somewhat different view of the house to the willow....

The apple drop inverted!