31/07/2019 Join us on a drive to Verteuil-sur-Charante.....

Maximum temperature today 23C, minimum 13C.  Dry.  7km/h South-westerly winds with gusts up to 21 km/h.  

This post is a bit longer than my normal ones but I did not want to split the drive into two.  I generally keep posts shorter as our very slow WiFi connection makes loading the photos very difficult!

First stop was at the post office in Chasseneuil which is next to the church - above...

and one of the two the pharmacies.

Back on the road; passing through Valence.  The creeper was a wisteria but I only saw one flower.  Must be beautiful when fully out.

Sunflowers.

Man at work.

Farmland. 

Verteuil-sur-Charente, town centre...

Looking over the shops, the Chateau de Verteuil in the background...

The Mairie (mayor's office).  All closed up - August holidays...

The Charente river...

The Moulin Restaurant next to the river...

The weir...

A family out having fun.

A view of the Chateau de Verteuil from the bridge...

The Château de Verteuil is an historical building. It dates back to 1080 and has since been extensively rebuilt, although 12th-century walls remain. The château has always been in the property of the La Rochefoucauld family and is privately owned...

The working mill is open to visitors...

The sign on the wall in French and English...

A small tea room by the river...

The main road into the centre of Verteuil, this is two way!!

An old delivery bike on a wall.

Driving back more sunflowers near the town of La Rochefoucauld,,

Haybales and maize in the background...

A fairly new tractor at work...

and just after we passed an older model also at work. Apologies for the reflection off the side window!

The Chateau de Rochefoucauld in the town of La Rochefoucauld where some of the family still live.  Part of which is open to visitors. The first fortification was erected around 980.

Some of the woodland around the above chateau.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

04/03/2019 A few odd photos that I missed at the end of last month.

Maximum temperature today 16C, minimum 6C.  4mm rain measured this morning; as I type this we are having a mixture of more rain plus some hail.  31km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 77 km/h.   It is very windy outside!

The tiny church down the road from us at Fleurignac has just had a new/restored bell put in after months of being without it.  Apparently, it had a crack.

Around the corner from the church is this old Lavoir.

Our local village of Vitrac, the local well...

as above, the Mairie and the local war memorial...

The Mairie from another angle.

Our last game of French scrabble at Vitrac where this word gave me a winning streak.  Yes, it is in the French scrabble dictionary!!

Out for a drive near Xambes - grape vines...

The town of Xambes - too many wind turbines...

You can see here just how close they are to the town!!  Thank goodness we did not buy a house near here!

A bee in the garden...

as above...

and a bumble bee.

Even a few lizards came out of hibernation for several days before the weather turned cooler again.

Last week we took a trip to the recycling centre here in the Charente.  It was extremely interesting, but because there was lots of info to go with it, which I do not put on the diary, I have put the post on my other blog HERE.

I have updated my bird blog HERE.

03/12/2018 The daily diary has almost become the weekly diary, but there is not a lot to take daily photos of!!

Maximum temperature today 15C, minimum 11C.  36mm rain measured this morning and it is still raining; 27km/h North-westerly winds gusting up to 61 km/h.   

In the last two days, we have had 51 mm of rain, and a total so far this year of 935mm despite having had one of our driest ever summers.  Last years total rain for the year was 739 mm!

Christmas in France only arrives in December, not like so many places that seem to start decorating in October - Our local supermarket with animated bears.

I saw this in a shop window in our local town...

This was in the next door window, inverted coffee and tea plastic mugs, very clever I thought.

The Mairie (Mayor's office) in Chasseneuil.

Choisya ternata, taken through the window in the rain...

Hydrangea in the rain

This morning's drive to the Physio for my back in the rain and mist, trying to get a shot of autumn colours...

As above.  Sadly this is my last visit, she is returning to the UK at the end of this month and there is nobody else in France who does the same spinal work as she does 😒. 

Peekaboo, I see you... Red-legged Partridge (Electorus rufa)...

The Owl and the Pussycat Partridge. 

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Female.

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula).

European robin (Erithacus rubecula).

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Male.

I have updated my bird blog HERE.