01/01/2022 Happy New Year

 The maximum temperature here today is 15C, minimum 9⁰C. Blue skies but with quite a lot of clouds. Wind 16km/h South-Easterly winds with gusts up to 30 km/h.  Dry at present but rain is forecast from tomorrow for the rest of the week.  Thursday morning we measured 46mm overnight!

Some more recent photos, eventually I will get back to all the photos that I have not had time to edit from last year!!

Watching France see the New Year in on TV at Chantilly last night.

A bit of Christmas cheer amongst the potplants.

Friends who could not travel to the UK at the last minute, because of COVID, joined us for Christmas dinner so the table was laid for four.  

The two of us on Christmas day.

27/12/21 a tough rose hanging on in winter.

30/12/21 Top : Viburnum tinus and cotoneaster berries.
Bottom : Calendula and another surviving rose that amazes me.
The centre tree is a Ginkgo biloba,

31/12/21 Calendula.

I think this is one of the Blackbird (Turdus merula) youngsters being bombed by a chaffinch!

European robin (Erithacus rubecula).

The last sunset of 2021

Take care everybody, keep well and please stay safe in these difficult times.

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

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World. 

18/03/2018 Garden and birds not very cooperative today so a few memories.

Maximum temperature today 11C, minimum 3C.   1 mm of rain measured this morning; 9 km/h North Easterly winds with up to 24 km/h gusts.  

358 mm of rain so far this year!  

Just for the record, not a good photo but there was a Siskin (Spinus spinus) in the garden again today.

As above.

A common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) female.

Gong back a few years 😉

1957 the Rhodesian team ready to go to the Rand Show in Johannesburg.

Rosemary ? on Santa Maria, Clive Freeman on ?, Myself on Judy and Ray Adams on Santa Fe.

My first pony in Rhodesia.  This was early days, he had a clipped mane when we bought him, you can see it just starting to grow out here  - Dusky. 1957

As above.  He was a star, and when I turned adult I took him into the first year with me although he was a bit small.  He retired at the end of that year having won Horse of the Year. 

One of my favourites and the only mare I ever used for show jumping.  Hi-Li-Li.  She was also quite small, though she won quite a lot show jumping and steeple chasing, she also gave me two beautiful foals after retiring. 1958.

My first 'horse' Kismet when I moved into adult events, he was 17hh and felt like a giant after Dusky.

Kismet on a show jumping course. 1958

Kismet and Dusky with their winnings. abt 1959

I have a new blog entirely committed to our feathered friends.

https://myafricanbirds.blogspot.com 

16/03/2018 Catching up with the last two days.

Maximum temperature today 13C, minimum 4C.   15 mm of rain measured this morning and it has been raining heavily on and off again all day; 6 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 16 km/h gusts.  

352 mm of rain so far this year!  The cold is returning again next week!!

Out to buy paint yesterday, the flooded house has left marks so we might as well redecorate!

First blossom of 2018 seen by the roadside, I have no idea what it is.

At Brico 16 where we buy our English paint, I also saw this blossom.  (French paint does not cover as well, or last as long!)

The long and winding road.  Winter wheat planted at the sides I think...

Driving past the Mairie (Mayor's office) in St. Angeau...

and the church of Saint-Michel.

Today's photos of an Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) in the rain...

as above.

Great tit (Parus major) female checking out the stone owl...

as above.

The large and the small. Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) and male chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs).  The yellow back ground is calendula taking over in the uncut lawn!

and joined by male and female house sparrows (Passer domesticus).

Despite the rain we still got a sort of sunset. Thanks to the reflection on the wet road it gave it an interesting look.

05/03/2018 A few garden birds and the changing sky.

Maximum temperature today 13C, minimum 5C.   9mm of rain measured this morning and we have had some light rain today; 6 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 21 km/h gusts.  (304 mm of rain so far from the 1st of January)

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus).

As above.

Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto),

European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).

Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus). One day I might be able to cut the lawn again!

House sparrow (Passer domesticus) male, and Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) female,

Camellia buds looking very bedraggled thanks to the weather.  I wonder if we will get any flowers this year!

A somewhat wet daffodil.

Helleborus niger or commonly called a Christmas rose.

The angry looking sky looking down the road at about 5pm....

and at 7pm....

About 15 mins later taken in our garden.

13/02/2018 Before and after the snow!

Maximum temperature today 5C, minimum -1C.  Snowing again then more rain to wash it away.  North Westerly winds; 13 km/h with up to 37 km/h gusts.  

Common chaffinch, male (Fringilla coelebs).

as above.

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Blue tit and Great tit (Parus major)

Blue tit and House sparrow, males (Passer domesticus)

House Sparrow female and Common chaffinch male.

House sparrow male.

Great tit and the snow it starting...

As above.

European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), A rare visitor this year though we used to get many.

As above

Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto).

Blue tit.

The road outside our front door...

and looking the other way.

In the garden...

as above.

Sixteen or seventeen House sparrows looking for food under the snow.