09/05/2019 A drive into Angoulême on Tuesday.

Maximum temperature today 16C, minimum 10C.  Odd showers on and off; rain measured this morning 14mm.  38km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 87 km/h. 

N141 - Just love the number of trees around and all now so green.

At the bottom off the off-ramp still lots of trees.

A ghost sign in the older part of Angouleme that I cannot decipher....

and another ghost sign where there was originally a Pépinière (Plant nursery).

Lions International sign.

In St Cybard, Angoulême central is at the top of the hill behind this building.

Église Saint-Cybard, a Catholic church.

We went to our favourite restaurant of Chez Doud for lunch, only to discover it had been sold, and is now  O'Resto' d'Sam. Bit of a shock.  The food was OK but it had lost the ambience created by the previous owner!  😒 Not sure I want to return!!

Painted on a Tabac window, a little elf stealing some food while the guest is happily reading a book.

Angoulême covered market

At the back of the market.

Looking down the hill at the Railway station...

Over the roof tops...

as above...

and a closer look at the mural.

Leaving Angoulême this is next to the city wall, I have yet to discover what it actually is! Too elaborate for a lookout tower!

A drive-by shot across the fields of La Rochefoucauld Chateau.  More green trees.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

19/07/2018 A few more photos from the week away.

Maximum temperature today 31C, minimum 16C.  Dry; 13 km/h North-westerly winds with up to 26 km/h gusts.

As always I am not certain of my ID, if anyone can help out I am always appreciative.

Driving down to Bergerac there were fields and fields of fruit trees. I only thought of taking a photo when we got near the end!

Ghost sign - Valentine les belles peintures. It seems this was (is?) a type of paint.

Walking through the forest there was a lot of this plant.  I think it maybe broomrape but I am not sure.

Chicory,

Possibly Giant Bellflower.

Blue Featherleg or White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes).

I think this may be a skimmer dragonfly but I am not even sure of that!

Think this is same as above!

There were a lot of fish in the dam but what I know about fish types is dangerous, they were quite big.  About 0.6 meter (2 Foot)

Peacock butterfly (Inachis io)

Skippers are a family, Hesperiidae, of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) I am not sure which skipper this is.

Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria).

As above.

Just a spider web, but so much work goes into this creation.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 17 of the birds seen in Africa.

30/06/2018 Around and about.

Maximum temperature today 33C, minimum 17C.   Dry; 5 km/h South Easterly winds with up to 18 km/h gusts. 

Last week we took a trip to Cassinomagus to see the Gallo-Roman remains and the thermal baths...

An artists impression of what the baths looked like about 2000 years ago...

If you are interested, my original blog on Cassinomagnus is HERE...

As above...

The sign to Cassinomagus.

Somewhere on our route, we saw this ghost sign for Dubonnet but I am not sure where. I am sure you all know that Dubonnet is a sweet, aromatised wine-based aperitif with 15% alcohol.

Another ghost sign just outside Chasseneuil which took me some time to work out what it was for. Finally, I made it out to be Vichy-Celestins which is a naturally carbonated mineral water that springs in the park of the former Couvent des Celestins in the spa town of Vichy.

The boulangerie in La Rochefoucauld.

The Chateau de la Rochefoucauld, of which I have put many photos on numerous blogs over the last few years, it originated from the first camp placed here in the year 980.  Further information on my blog HERE. The old bridge straddles the River Tardoire.

The chocolate factory in La Rochefoucauld.  Not cheap, but oh so yummy!...

Part of the old convent which now appears to be a day medical centre.  It has only recently been restored...

The Creperie which used to be a boulangerie....

The square where I was standing to take the above and the following photos.

The small bit in English in the corner of the above sign....

The old well in the square and one of the oldest houses in the background....

 Maison RONDINAUD offers an exclusive collection of the essential slipper Charentaise. Other shoes as well, all with their own mark.

Another part of the Tardoire river...

As above,

Finally, we are off for a weeks holiday tomorrow in our 'new' Renault Megane 4 which we took delivery of yesterday.  It was a demonstration model with only 11,000 kms on the clock and it is spotless.😊  See you in a weeks time.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 13 of the birds seen in Africa.