27/05/2020 Out walking around and about

I walked 8.2 kms on Sunday and yesterday 8.4. So many photos to filter through but here are just a few.  All of the insects I saw while out I am still trying to sort out their IDs.  Watch this page.

Wild Pyramid Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis). 

A man at work...

Hay Bales...

Moving hay bales by tractor and trailer.

Cattle resting.

A late lamb, most of them were born much earlier.

Donkey and horse friends.

Over the rooftops of Vitrac.

The church,

A stone wall around the balcony at the top of one of the houses.

The Junior school.

A Private home.

Narrow streets.

Looking down the river from the bridge

The lavoir that was!  It is now so overgrown if the ladies had to do their washing there as in the old days, they would have to do a lot of clearing first!

Walking through the forest.

So damp under the trees that the moss grows everywhere,

Two different ferns, dryopteris and  possibly Harts-tongue.

View across the fields.

Foxglove...

As above.

Poppies...

As above.

Another derelict building - as we said before if only these walls could talk.

A French favourite - a Citroën 2CV.

Almost home I saw these 3 cyclists that look like they are on a camping holiday - I feel sure are they are supposed to be at home at the present time!!!!!

Our local list of wild flowers

See also my

 Bird blog

29/11/2019 Back home.......

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 13C, minimum 5C. 8 mm of rain measured this morning. 15km/h Westerly winds with gusts up to 54 km/h!!

Just to keep you up to date with what is happening at home in France while I go through many, many holiday photos.  Part 3 to follow soon.

Down the road, autumn colours and energetic cyclists.

Looking the other way - grey skies.

Home and a very wet road.

Struggling roses in the garden...

As above.

Snapdragons.

Moss.

Homegrown ginger root.

Homemade mincemeat ready for mince pies.  All made from our own homegrown dried fruit.  It will be interesting to see if the pies taste better than the usual bought ones 😊

See also my

 Bird blog

Light still not good and lots more rain.

Maximum temperature today 13C, minimum 7C.   Rain most of the day again, 28 mm since the last post; 10km/h South Westerly winds with up to 34 km/h gusts.

Total rain since 1 January now 470 mm.

We knew we had to buy more paint.  The rough plaster walls are using more than planned!  So as the light was too bad to paint again, we took a drive to get some more while we could.  Public holiday here tomorrow so everything will be closed.

The new palette factory outside Chasseneuil is very busy.  Lots of wood piles you can see in the back, and palettes in the foreground.  Not the prettiest of buildings, but at least it is dark so not so obvious.

The main street in Chasseneuil....

and one of the back streets.  The pink building at the end is one of the 4 boulangeries in town

There is white blossom everywhere, possibly hawthorn or blackthorn.

I wonder if one of the farmers had a vegetable store here at one time?  It has been empty ever since we moved here 12 years ago.

The photo I took today was blurred, so the blue sky belongs to a day with better weather!

The 'Lanterne des Morts' at Cellefrouin cemetery was built in the 12th century. An oil lamp at the base of the spire was lit at night to encourage travellers to come and pray for the dead. It's in good shape after so many years.

Crossing 3 bridges where a series of streams run, sometimes they almost become one wide river!

Brico 16 where we buy our paint.  The owners have a small shop under their house,  it is the only place nearby where we can buy good English paint and mixed to the required colour.  A very popular place as French paint just does not last!!

Just another tractor...

and another one.

We are both cyclists and this makes me angry.  Narrow roads and riding side by side, it is not necessary, we can ride one behind the other and so can others!!

Finally, I could not resist another photo of the chateau at La Rochefoucauld as we head home from the last stop at the supermarket.  Nigel said, "another photo, you take this every time" 😉.  

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

Part 6 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

18/07/2014 The garden, lunch out today and back to our holiday in Tavira, Portugal still 21/06/2014

Maximum temperature 34C a drop of rain this afternoon not measured as yet.

Photos from holiday, Tavira, Portugal 21/06/14. See previous posts.