11/05/2019 The green green trees of France......

Maximum temperature today 17C, minimum 10C.  Odd showers on and off; rain measured this morning 1mm.  21km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 45 km/h. 

Drive by photos so a little blurred but I just loved all the trees that are so green now. 

Roses to the right driving through Saint-Mary.

Driveway to a friend...

Lots of green,,.

Large chestnut tree at the house...

full of flower...

so pretty...

and a little closer.  It is a very complex flower.

Returning back home...

House centipede. (Scutigera coleoptrata) They are welcome in our home as they eat spiders and other unwelcome bugs

Tulips that I bought 30 April I cannot believe how well they have lasted.

In the garden, I spotted this Scarce Swallowtail butterfly (Iphiclides podalirius)...

As above...

 As above...

And yes as above, finally.

I will be away next week for 10 days and out of WiFi contact. I hope to return with some good photos, but who knows. We are returning to a spot we know, but I found last year that I did well with insects but not with birds!!

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

03/06/2018 Trying to catch up

Maximum temperature today 24C, minimum 15C.    Rainfall 15 mm measured since my last post; 3 km/h South Easterly winds with up to 27 km/h gusts.

Total rainfall since 1st January; 572 mm and still raining!

There have been a lot of storms around and we have not had our computers and WiFi connected, therefore I  am even further behind with my blogs now.  Here are the last few photos taken from my walk the other day.

Wild Strawberries.  Very small but tasty.

Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

A secret lane through the forest  😉

Wheat as far as the eye can see.

Day Lilies.

Damselfly - a first for me. Beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) male.

As above.

A member of the bellflower family I think!

Bindweed.

Grapes.

Shaun the sheep 😊 Well the lamb wasn't but all the females are shorn.

Unknown.

Possibly a Black Kite but it was far away (Milvus migrans)

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 10 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

Part 3 of the visit to Villbois Lavelette

Maximum temperature today 16C, minimum 6C.   Dry; 3 km/h North Easterly winds with up to 17 km/h gusts.

Looking up to the church in Villbois Lavelette...

A quiet road.

Interesting door and balcony.

The restored house of Francois de Corlieu dates from the 15th or 16th century. De Corlieu was a historian and counsellor to the King from 1544, but unfortunately drowned in the Charente river in 1576.

Under the roof of the covered market looking down one of the roads...

A close up of the Wisteria seen in the above photo.

Leaving the town down the immaculate road.

I do love these leafy lanes.

A bank of bluebells and almost home again.

Now to tell you the reason for the visit.  We had an appointment with the notaire in the town.

Looking at this photo, our house is with green shutters on the left. Opposite us is the house with red shutters that belongs to French sisters. BUT the barn attached to their house between the two houses belongs to the people who sold us our house.  The barn was never part of the original deal, though we have managed to rent it for storage over a number of years,  The owners also have a lot of things stored in there. 

We have asked a number of times if they would sell and there was no interest in the request.  A year ago they decided to sell but the price was too high.  This week we have agreed on a figure, and the papers were signed at the notaire on Tuesday.  We now have to wait 2 months for all to go through the official paths, but by the end of June, we should be the proud owners of the barn.   It is in good condition all but the door, so that will be job number one.  Then we hope we have a safe storage place for wood, bikes, car, trailer etc etc.  We are both delighted that all appears to be going as planned.

😊😊😊😊😊😊

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

Part 6 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

Join us on a drive to Villebois Lavelette.......

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 9C.   Dry; 5 km/h North winds with up to 10 km/h gusts.

No surprise, as soon as we are on the highway - roadworks...

As above.

Leaving the highway, I could not believe how green everything was...

As above.

Green and yellow of winter wheat and rape.

Golden fields of rapeseed.

Apologies for the reflection on the windscreen, but I just loved the carved stonework over the barn door.

Logging.  I gather the forests are very well managed in France and in fact, they are getting bigger rather than smaller.

Saint Catherine, we have never been through this town before and it looked a lovely place.

Dignac, (sigh) more roadworks.

Still cannot believe all this greenery.

Almost at Villbois Lavelette...

The chateau and the church up on the hill.

To be continued as we walk around the town and I take photos of this historic place.

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

Part 6 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.