The maximum temperature here today is 16⁰C, minimum 10⁰C. Rain most of the day, 90% forecast for today and 80% for tomorrow! North-Westerly winds of 20km/h with gusts up to 43 km/h.
23 March we had a meeting in Angouleme where I spotted this new mural. I have tried to find out a bit of info which follows.
The city of Angoulême pays tribute to the designer of Asterix, Albert Uderzo. Alberto Aleandro Uderzo was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the Astérix series in collaboration with René Goscinny. Note he is sitting at his desk in the centre of the mural.
This mural is part of a series of tributes paid to the cartoonist, who died in March 2020. It will join the Goscinny obelisk, which was inaugurated at the 47th International Comics Festival in 2022.
March 31 - Back home in the field next to the house...
As above.
Moving into April, so far I have only added blogs of the Primates (which there are still more to come), but here are a few local photos.
April 1 and no April's Fool, we had snow then heavy frosts. The cherry trees were in full blossom at the time, I do not think we will see any cherries this year - third year in a row!
April 3 - the commune had their free pensioners lunch. Generally, this is an annual event, but due to COVID we have missed two years! This one more than made up for it 😊
The table was laid with red cloth and decorated with the flowers of prunus padus, ivy and little Easter eggs. See menu above.
The soup which I have not added a photo of was a vegetable soup.
Top left - the Assiette périgourdine was a delicious charcuterie.
The Trou Normand (also no photo) was a pear sorbet, with or without alcohol. Guess what I had ?
Second down on the left - Gigo d’agneau was lamb served with what we think was a potato/parsnip mash and a Tomato Provençale.
Third down on the left - three Cheeses with salad and of course 'pain'.
Right bottom - was the trio of desserts – all so delicious.
Top right – Moi.
Second down on the right- photo was taken from the top table down the length of the room.
A good time was had by all :-))))
The soup which I have not added a photo of was a vegetable soup.
Top left - the Assiette périgourdine was a delicious charcuterie.
The Trou Normand (also no photo) was a pear sorbet, with or without alcohol. Guess what I had ?
Second down on the left - Gigo d’agneau was lamb served with what we think was a potato/parsnip mash and a Tomato Provençale.
Third down on the left - three Cheeses with salad and of course 'pain'.
Right bottom - was the trio of desserts – all so delicious.
Top right – Moi.
Second down on the right- photo was taken from the top table down the length of the room.
A good time was had by all :-))))
Apple blossom - a few days after the frost.
Buttercup (Ranunculus acris).
Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata).
Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri).
Apple blossom and Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)...
As above...
As above
Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)...
As above.
Peonies (genus Paeonia).
Rapeseed (Brassica napus).
Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris).
Mushrooms in the garden, I did not turn them over to see if they were the edible ones!
The moon over the barns on 16 April, the night before full moon...
Full moon 17 April. It rose so much later and it was too dark to get any background.
My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 02/12/2021).
See also my
Love that mural. An artist has a crowded mind.
ReplyDeleteThe meal looks delicious. Such a long two years!
It’s great seeing the blooms, insects and lizards again!
It is a huge mural as you can see from the cars parked at the bottom, not an easy job! I am happy to see the insects back again thought we re having a horrible spell of weather again at present. Cheers Diane
DeleteYour photography, as always, is wonderful Diane, and the subject matter is delightful. The close-up of the lizard's head is superb. I can't imagine a free pensioner's lunch being that wonderful in UK. Come to think of it, I can't imagine a free pensioner's lunch in UK!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and Nigel - stay safe - - - Richard
Thanks Richard. No, I cannot imagine the council arranging a local Pensioner's lunch in the UK either, we are very lucky. For the two years we missed, they gave us a goodie box with food in it. It is good to see the insects and smaller animals coming back, though we have a very wet spell again at the moment.
DeleteBest wishes to you and the family, I hope Lindsay's knee is behaving! Cheers Diane
I think this idea of a free lunch for pensioners is a great idea that should be adopted universally, although I doubt that any would do it as well as the French. The meal you were served looks like it would not be out of place in a high end restaurant. I always enjoy seeing shots of the wall lizards and wish we had a lizard or two here. Will look forward to the next episode with the primates. Take good care, Diane. All the best, David
ReplyDeleteYou are right a free luncheon once a year for pensioners would go down well elsewhere I am sure, but the French would take a lot of beating.
DeleteWe just seem to be so busy at the moment that although I am taking photos I am not keeping up. I also took too many of the Primates so a lot of sorting to do!
Best wishes to you and Miriam, Keep well, Diane
Always a pleasure to visit here and see all your quite beautiful photos. The mural is amazing, and those sheep are too cute for words. I'm glad the luncheon was a success and you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Yvonne, it always amazes me how they manage to do these huge murals and you can see by the size of the car parked below how big it is. The luncheon is always good and much appreciated every year.
DeleteKeep safe, Diane
Hi Diane - gorgeous photos of your neighbourhood - the snow has been a little much. That lunch looks to have been absolutely delicious ... such fun to join in with. Peonies are one of my favourite plants and flowers ... while I love the lizard ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Hilary, the snow was a bit of a shock, I am so upset about the cherry trees yet again. The luncheon is always magic, they really spoil us. It is good to see flowers, small animals and bugs returning to the garden.
DeleteI hope that all is well with you, take care. Cheers Diane
Hi Diane - crumbs ... I forgot the brilliant mural - my brother used to have hysterics reading Asterix ... I never quite got into them - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I never really understood Asterix either, I do though appreciate the work that went into the mural. Best wishes Diane
DeleteThat’s an amazing mural and thank you for sharing its interesting history. The lambs are adorable and I love the snow scene with the blossoms, though that must have been a bit of a shock thinking snowy weather was just a memory. Getting together after all this time would have been very special and the food looked delicious! The flowers and their tiny visitors, and the lizard, wonderful photos, as was the mushroom and the stunning field of rapeseed. They call it Canola here. In fact, one of Gregg’s cousins has a whole field of it, and other fields of cows and buffalo :) A splendid finish to your post with such a beautiful moon. Thanks for sharing Diane and I wish you a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteDenise the mural is amazing and sooooooo big. The snow was more than a shock, and sadly no cherries again this year. I am delighted to see the return of the flowers and small creatures. I think the moon shots were about the best I have taken to date. A few hints from a friend helped:-) Keep safe, best wishes Diane
DeleteHow nice to know about the history of this fantastic mural. I've always liked Asterix and this really speaks to me. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thanks Amelia, Asterix was an interesting character. It is a pleasure to share. Keep well Diane
DeleteLOVE the mural and the tribute. Bummer about the cherries. Good thing those luncheons go on for hours to savor every bite. Glad flowers survived the frost. All your photos are great but your moon shots are superb.
ReplyDeleteThree years not with very few cherries and this year I think it will nil so far as I can see! Thanks for the kind comment on my moon shots. Cheers Diane.
DeleteAlways love looking at your pics
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam I am always happy to see you visit. Keep well Diane
DeleteLovely post
ReplyDeleteThanks very much. Keep well Diane
DeleteYou really have a gift for photography – your photos are outstanding. I read your menu with envy – seniors in France are treated a lot better than they are in the US. My mother when still in Paris was able to attend the opera or shows free. They could also go on tours, like the Chateaux de la Loire and were always given a menu from the restaurants along the way. When she moved to the banlieue (Neuilly Plaisance) they took the seniors by bus at least 2 or 3 times a year to a show or a museum in Paris. For New Year they gave them a gift package of gourmet food with a bottle of wine.
ReplyDeleteI was going to fly home this past March but was still afraid of Covid – it has been a long time and I miss France. Am thinking about going to France this year – but France outremer…
How good to hear from you. Yes, the oldies here get treated well. There are also a couple of bus trips a year here that we could go on. We have done a few but I am not a very good passenger on a bus and of course, with COVID there have been none for the past couple of years. We got a big parcel of food at Christmas when they could not do the annual meal so we still did well out of it anyway. There is still quite a bit of COVID around so the Dr tells us but now most of us have had 4 vaccines, mostly there is not a great reaction. We have both stayed clear of it so far but I think in the end we will all get it!! I am extra careful as I have had pneumonia 3 times.
DeleteKeep well and I hope you manage to get over here. later this year. Take are Diane
I love to see street art. It gives so much character and life to a place.
ReplyDeleteThe street art in Angouleme is amazing and lots of it. Cheers Diane
DeleteGreat that you could have your pensioners dinner again. Menu and food looks delicious. Lovely photos as usual.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane, the pensioner's lunch is always top class. Keep safe, t'other Diane
DeleteSo good to see you and your beautiful photos! I'm sorry to be so lax in blogging these past few months (mostly due to having the children and their mama here a lot now). I'm glad you all had a nice meal; they don't do much for seniors here not that I'd get off my duff to go. :)
ReplyDeleteTake care!
xoxo
Hi Sally, good to hear from you. I am having trouble keeping up with blogging at present. Just too busy at home with lots on. Keep well and stay safe Diane xx
Delete