03/04/2021 Trying to catch up.........

   Maximum temperature here today 14⁰C, minimum 4⁰C.  Dry.   27km/h very cold North-Easterly winds with gusts up to 59 km/h.  If the forecast is right it starts getting colder tomorrow and threats of heavy frost and possible snow!!!!! We have been having temperatures up to 26C this past couple of weeks!

Sorry, it is almost a month since my last post.  We have had fabulous weather and I have been working in the garden trying to get everything ready for summer crops.  I did not plan on the return of this coming week's cold weather, but I should have known better, we have had frosts before in May.  I have not taken a lot of photos but there has been at least one photo a day for the record.

Pansies which I hope will survive next week, they are pretty hardy!

As above.

Tulips so far have only been red, but there are orange and black which hopefully will still flower.

As above.

The sides of the roads are full of cowslips at present (Primula veris).

and primroses (Primula polyantha) seen in the dentists garden.  Yes, three long and expensive trips to the dentist for a new crown!  Photo from my phone.

Also seen in the dentists garden and again photo taken with the phone, Bee-fly (Bombylius major).

Buttercups in our lawn.

In the garden, Camellia japonica.

Cherry blossom which might not like a frost! We lost most of our cherries last year because of too much rain and they all split.

I think this is a bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) seen on the wild violets which are all over our lawn!

As above.

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis), they are going to have a shock this coming week with the return of the cold.

23/03/2021 the half-moon, taken from the garden....

27/03/2021 and a full moon over the neighbour's rooftop.

The biggest of the vegetable gardens, 80 potatoes planted. At the far end of the bed, the butternuts and pumpkins will be planted after all fear of frost has gone! In the foreground is chard.  Further down on the right is sorrel.  On the left, almost out of view, there are four rhubarb plants.

This the end of March photos I will try to be a bit quicker with the April, photos, the cold weather approaching may give me more time at the computer!

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

03/03/2021 Gosh it is March already........

 Maximum temperature here today 18⁰C, minimum 6⁰C.  Dry but very grey skies.  15km/h South-Easterly winds with gusts up to 30 km/h.  If the forecast is right it turns cold again next week and the birds, bees and butterflies are going to have a shock!

Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)...

As above...

As above.

Early tulip.

Snowdrops.

Daffodils.

Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosa Ranunculaceae).

Crocus.

Sweet violet (Viola odorata), this year we seem to have white, this pale colour and dark blue.

Western Honey Bee  (Apis mellifera).

Bumblebee.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea).

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria).

and the return of the Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)...

As above.

Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax).

Western Honey Bee  (Apis mellifera).

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis).

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

02/04/2020 Just an update around the house and the garden.

Maximum temperature here today 16C, minimum 4C. Dry.  13km/h North-easterly fairly cold wind with gusts up to 28 km/h.  

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea or Xylocopa valga)

Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus).

as above.

White 'Blue' bells.  Albino Spanish bells.

Ginkgo Biloba shoots.

The final stages of the Christmas Pointsettia.

Tulips at the end of their time; bought almost 4 weeks ago.

Bumble bee on the cherry blossom.

As above; I just liked the position of this shot!

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

As above - Love is in the air!

Cherry blossom in the garden and a Red Robin shrub.

Heating oil delivery...

As above. 1200 litres delivered and not quite full.

Last but not least - I have been busy in the kitchen.  The cornuelle is a flat cake a dozen centimetres wide. It forms an isosceles triangle whose centre is pierced with a hole and whose edges are generally ribbed. (Mine aren't as I do not have the right cutter.) This triangle, therefore, has three horns, which probably give its name to the cake.

The cornuelle is consumed traditionally around Palm Sunday (5 April this year), generally fifteen days before and fifteen days after.   In the South West of France, this festival is traditionally associated with the blessing of Palm Sunday. The hole in the centre of the cake allowed a sprig of blessed boxwood to slide in and the cornuelles were often sold at the entrance to the church. They can only be found today in pastry shops or in supermarkets. (Or in our house 😊  )  Recipe see Here

See also my

 Bird blog

23/03/2020 The rest of the photos from the last walk.

Maximum temperature here today 19C, minimum 9C. Dry.  Frosts forecast for later this week and all our fruit trees are in blossom!!   14km/h South-easterly wind with gusts up to 34 km/h.  

Apologies for the delay in posting this, the sun has been shining and we have both been working in the garden.  Time has been limited at the computer, especially as I have also been inventing meals with what we have available.  We have not been out now for 10 days but will try to get a few necessary items from the supermarket tomorrow, not forgetting to carry our travel permit with us or we could be heavily fined!!

Walkers on the railway line.  Good job this part of the track has been closed for a while!

Forsythia.

Under observation.

What I think is Hawks-beard (Crepis tectorum) with a bumblebee.

Now I wonder who lives here.

Wondering if this giant snail is a deterrent to the smaller ones!

Squirrels on gateposts.

Fast-flowing ditches. 

Reflections in a dam.

  Le Logis de Saint Vincent. Logis (lojh-ee) means "home" or "dwelling" in French. Whilst these walls now enclose the premises of a company whose business is concerned with drainage equipment, we do know that in the 1940's, the large multi-storey complex was used as a type of orphanage. This may have been the original purpose of the building, as it was clearly built much more than a century ago.   The only reason we know it was an orphanage, is because one of the child occupants who now lives in the USA contacted me when he saw a previous post of mine. Interesting to say the least of it

Derelict a little further up the road.  This was a thriving farmhouse in the 40's, the orphan that contacted me re the above, said he was often brought up here when the adults were all playing belote - a French card game.

Returning back home this was the sunset that appeared in the evening.

Back home in the garden the tulips are blooming...

and the few days of sunshine has seen the return of the Common Wall Lizards.

See also my

 Bird blog