Showing posts with label hibiscus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hibiscus. Show all posts

Monday, January 31, 2022

31/01/2022 Just made it before the end of the month :-)

The maximum temperature here today is 10⁰C, minimum 3⁰C. Rain this morning but it has cleared a bit now with quite a lot of clouds. Wind 21km/h North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 44 km/h.   We have had a very cold past week,  temps went down to -5⁰C and maximums were only at 3⁰C.  Far too cold for me!!

The bud from the Red Robin shrub. (Photinia x fraseri)

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) hanging on the shutter and looking in the window.

Our neighbour's lambs...

as above...

Mum watching me carefully...

and her babies.

Around the garden, if I look hard!
Top - Bergenia cordifolia and Bellis perennis.
Bottom - Viburnum tinus and Viola riviniana.

The seed pods from the hibiscus.

The lambs, 4 days older than above....

as above...

As above.

The only water birds I see around here are my two wooden Mallards.

There has not been a lot to take photos of, but I have some great shots of some of the birds seen in the last fortnight.  They are all on my bird blog.


My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 02/12/2021).

See also my


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. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

06/08/2019 Just around the garden.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 14C.  Dry.  11km/h South-westerly winds with gusts up to 30 km/h. 

Sorry posts are getting further apart, I seem to be so busy with the garden and other things,  visitors on Thursday and then friends arriving from the USA for just over two weeks and we will be sightseeing.  Will post when I can.

Crab spider in waiting....

This small insect walked right over the top of the spider without it moving, obviously not tasty...

Then along came a fly and supper was served...

As above.

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)...

As above...

and yet another one.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)...

As above.

Bumblebee on the agapanthus...

and on the lavender.

Small white (Pieris rapae).

Bee on a pumpkin flower...

As above - plus a little insect...

and a little closer, see there is another bee right at the bottom.

Not many roses this year but this one has a fabulous perfume.

Hibiscus.

Sunflower in bud.

Remember I said I had an unknown plant, I now know it is a self-planted melon.

Tomates.

Yellow courgettes.

The almost new moon taken 4 August.


See also my Bird blog