28/07/2018 A mixture of the week away and current photos.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 18C.  A light shower of rain as yet not measured; 15 km/h North-westerly winds with up to 37 km/h gusts.  

The car reading yesterday was 41͒ C !!

If anyone can tell me what this little bug is I would be delighted, taken while in the Dordogne.

Wall Brown Butterfly, (Lasiommata megera) In the Dordogne...

As above.

Common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) in the Dordogne.

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) - Dordogne...

As above.

Lots of sloes around but they were not ready yet though I am not very fond of Sloe Gin anyway!

Back home a bumblebee in a poppy....

Gatekeeper or hedge brown butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) on our lavender,

Yesterday we were out to lunch, as we were early we stopped by the lake at Le camping La Meteorite near Rochechouart. To read more about the Meteorite see HERE

As above

L'oree des vallees restaurant, we eat outside as it was slightly cooler than it has been lately!

I was fascinated by this old house opposite with the upstairs balcony...

and the beautiful garden just to the left of the house.

Last night's sunset...

As above, no sign of the new moon too much cloud around 😒

Finally, they have patched all the holes in our local roads so now we have this instead!!

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 18 of the birds seen in Africa.

26/10/2017 Some of yesterday's photos as promised, and some from the garden.

Maximum temperature 24C, minimum 13C.  7 km/h SW winds, 14 km/h gusts. Dry.

Arrival at Domaine des Etangs...

The largest 5 star resort in mainland France, with a a fully renovated 11th century château.

If you want to read more about it see here....

 it expands over 1000 hectares of protected natural surroundings, a mixture of forests, grassland and ponds....

I presume this is meant to represent a family looking across the lake at the cattle beyond...

Looking upwards at one of the wonderful old trees...

A different view of the lake and grounds....

and what appears to be a religious cross.

If you would like to stay here, and you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it!

We went there to book for a special dinner coming up next month.

Back home, toadstools in the garden, maybe where the faeries live 😉

Zinnias still opening but it looks like the cold arrives tomorrow so......

Another zinnia well past its best, but the bumblebee seems happy enough.

30/03/17 Out for a drive with friends enjoying the magical weather we have at present.

Maximum temperature 23C, minimum 7C.  15 kmh SW wind.   Dry.

Almost all photos are taken from a moving car today...

We all met at Massignac where I took no photos! This is the church at Genouillac...

we drove past the Charente lakes...

and through Lesignac...

Lesignac war memorial...

through Montemboeuf...

and past the winter wheat fields towards Chasseneuil.

The roundabout entering Chasseneuil...

and past the beautiful trees full of blossom...

where we parked at the station to have a coffee at the the cafe opposite.

We then made our way up to the Chasseneuil Resistance Memorial...

The top of the memorial....

and the view across Chasseneuil from the top of the hill.

Cowslips by the side of the road as we made our way to Roumazieres for lunch...

along a leafy lane...

and an interesting wall made from roofing tiles on entering Roumazieres.

I took many more photos of lunch, but think you have had enough blogs here recently on great luncheons making you hungry!!!!!

If tomorrow I go missing, I will be back, but we have friends coming to dinner and it depends on how quickly I get through cooking etc............

31/05/2016 Continual rain. . . . . . . and a couple of photos from last weeks walk.

Maximum temperature 19C, minimum 11C.  48 km/h SW winds.  18 mm of rain measured this morning and still raining!

Rose.

Love in a Mist.

Lots of pods and 1200gr of broad beans from the garden.

Raindrop close to where I took the shot yesterday with the reflection of the house.

Filling in time, I made myself a choker with matching earrings.

Have put this on before - a workshop that I made for Nigel for his birthday many years back when we owned a Porsche 356.  Wish we had it now - worth a fortune!

A well hidden dam that I came across last week out walking.  I only saw it when I was about to cross over the spillway - lots of trees.

Common Blue female, taken with the Samsung last week.

Speckled Wood also taken with the Samsung.

and a ruin of something next to the dam.