Showing posts with label Raspberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raspberries. Show all posts

Sunday, August 15, 2021

15/08/2021 Eating out again :-) Plus a few extras.

 The maximum temperature here today is 28⁰C, minimum 18⁰C.  Dry but there is a slight chance we may get a shower.  Wind 17km/h  North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 41 km/h.   

This visit was at the end of July to Restaurant L'intemporel.   I had only been here many years ago, but it has recently changed hands, been improved and has excellent references, so as we are now allowed to eat out we thought this was a chance to try it.  Sadly it was rainy and we could not eat in the garden, but in fact, eating in the conservatory was probably even better.


We were right next to the Tardoire river and the Pont dit du Château de La Rochefoucauld. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1935, this 15th century freestone work of art links the castle to the city.

La Rochefoucald Chateau.

Part of the view from our table...

as above, plus a glass of wine had arrived by the time I took this 😉

and just in front of the bridge we had company.

The menu changes every day so we just had the standard menu.  The starter was Fois gras, something we do not eat out of choice as we do not like the way it is obtained, but I have to say it was delicious.  Served of course with sliced French pain (bread).

Main course was duck breast with a few vegetables - melt in the mouth.

Dessert was apricots with ice cream - (possibly raspberry flavour but we were not sure) served in a melon sauce.
Coffee followed and we went home very satisfied without feeling like we had eaten too much.
They do a tasting menu of five courses on weeknights and weekends so we plan to try that out for our 40th wedding anniversary on the 28th of August.

Meanwhile in the garden life goes on.....
The Star Gazer Lily was flowering well.  A gift from our French neighbour for my birthday about 12 or so years ago.  It has done so well.

Cosmos with an unknown bee, it was carrying so much pollen its body was out of sight. 

Calendula with yet another bee, possibly Colletes succinctus, but I am happy to be corrected.

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus).

and with a bee, unidentified.

Beating the birds to the raspberries.

and a Black Cap juvenile (Sylvia atricapilla)  getting there first!

Another unknown bee pollinating the pumpkins

The white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) in the lavender.

A close up of the stamens of the Star Gazer Lily.

Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) on the agapanthus.

Finally, we have de-stoned over 1000 plums, they have been dehydrated ready for use during the year until next years batch arrives hopefully.  I use them in cooking and chopped they go into our homemade muesli breakfast cereal.

Note: We are now allowed to eat out, but by law, we have to present our ID and our certificate of a double vaccination.

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.
My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 20/06/2021).

See also my


Joining up with My Corner of the World. 

Monday, January 20, 2020

20/01/2020 Back home in the Charente.

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 7C, minimum 0C. Dry today, but 31mm of rain so far this month.  26km/h North-Easterly wind, with very icy gusts up to 57 km/h.

I still have many South African photos to work my way through but I have been feeling very down this week and have got far behind with everything.  Think I caught a bug at a meeting Saturday before last.  The meeting was held by the mayor and over 200 people attended, many of who were coughing!!!  I am now feeling a bit better but the cough is back as usual when I pick these bugs up.  I will get back to RSA photos very soon.

New Year's Day.  Moss.

04 Jan.  Raspberries - not very big, but what are they doing bearing fruit in January?  The weather has been pretty mild but......

08 Jan, Orchids at the local supermarket.

14 Jan. Another January surprise - Roses still in bloom.

13 Jan.  Pampas grass.

14 Jan.  Lawn daisies, I suspect we do not generally have them in January but I am not sure. 

14 Jan.  A sunset that looked much like a firework display.  Much quieter though!!

16 Jan.  A macro of the Pampas grass.

18 Jan. Catkins on the hazelnut tree.

18 Jan.  Still we have roses!!!

18 Jan, Christmas poinsettia still doing well in the house.

Today's visitor on the window sill. Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) .



See also my


Tuesday, July 9, 2019

09/07/19 Just around the garden. Plus one photo out on the road.

Maximum temperature today 28C, minimum 17C.  Dry.  21km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 47 km/h.  No sign of rain in the forecast for the next week so lots of watering!!

We saw this stunning sight while out on the road.

Back home bumblebee on the sage.

Crane-fly on the Californian poppies.

Bubblebee on the cotoneaster.

Bee on the cotoneaster.

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) on the lavender.

Hopper on a Calendula.

European Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).

Bombylius species on the lavender.

Gendarme beetle or firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus).

Web spinning garden spider, possibly a Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus).

Hydrangeas.

Raspberry,

The flower of the succulent Echeveria, not that pretty but interesting.

Quinces.

Hazel nuts.

and last but not least another wall lizard. (Podarcis muralis).




See also my Bird blog