21/10/2018 Trying to catch up but it will be slow!!!!

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 9C.  Dry; 16km/h North-easterly winds with up to 36 km/h gusts.  It gets much colder tomorrow!!!!

I have the computer back with a new hard drive, but I am still trying to load programmes and get myself back to (sort of) where I was before the last hard drive crashed out totally leaving me with nothing.  I have lost all the early October photos which I had not backed up!  Also, all the photos of our holiday last month that I had edited are gone, but I have the originals so I will have to start all over again (sigh).  I will get back to comments I hope in a few days!

Cattle at the special farmers market yesterday in Chasseneuil...

Horses and donkeys...

a young foal...

Horse at work...

taking children (and some adults) for a ride....

Many different tractors and odd bits around...

as above...

also equipment...

An apple farmer, I think they were also sampling apple juice.

Back home the lizards have not hibernated yet...

Sparrows taking a bath...

Watch out I am taking a dive.

Female house sparrow (Passer domesticus).

Choisya ternata.

Bees on the cosmos...

also hoverflies.

Pampas and cosmos flowers.

Holly.

Kalanchoe

Climbing rose.

Driving back from yesterday's restaurant through Charroux.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 14C.    Dry; 5km/h North Easterly winds with up to 26 km/h gusts.  Heavy rain and storms forecast for tomorrow !!!

We are both knackered, spent many hours digging in the garden today and preparing the beds for planting.  Hopefully, the storm if it happens, will do no damage.

The beautiful covered market, the largest market hall in western France, was built in the 16th century on the site of a former cemetery. The paving and the 50 pillars supporting the chestnut roof frame date from that period.

One of the most powerful Benedictine Abbeys of Carolingian Europe. This abbey owes its origins to the relic of Sainte-Croix and was built and renovated during the 8th and 11th century. Immensely rich, the abbey had its glory years until the Hundred Year War (1337-1453), it was ruined during the Religious Wars (1552-abt1700), and finally completely destroyed during the Revolution (1789-1799). So glad I only arrived here in the 21st century!!

The octagonal tower known as Charlemagne's with its remarkable Gothic sculptures is classified among the major historical local sites of the Middle Ages.

As above.

The remains of the Abbey....

As above.

The Parish church Saint-Sulpice was built in the 15th century on the remains of another twelfth-century church.

The local pub sounded like it was having fun with many people and music.  As the name suggests it is an English pub.

Driving home of course with the good weather the tractors were out on the road.

N.B. My new bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 7 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

Poor light and rain stopped play........

Maximum temperature today 14C, minimum 6C.   Rain most of the day, not measured as yet; 8km/h North Easterly winds with up to 19 km/h gusts.

Far too wet to garden, and not enough light to paint!  The sellers of the barn spent most of the day here sorting out the things that they need to dump, sell or keep, while Nigel helped and moved our things out of the way.  I took a trip to town and to the market, spending the afternoon mostly in the kitchen.

Umbrellas at the market...

Fresh vegetables...

Oysters for lunch.

The choisya ternata yesterday, hope the rain does not do too much damage!

Apple blossoms also yesterday.

Last week driving through La Rochefoucauld and looking up at the chateau.

The same day an avenue of plane trees.

Going back a few days, we went here to try and buy both cognac and pineau...

All we found were lots of cows....

and a lot of bull!!!  Not a person anywhere in sight....

They must be good cattle as there was evidence of prizes all over the place.  Sadly we left empty handed!!

What a beautiful way to end the dismal day at just after 19h00 this evening.

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

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

Part 3 of the visit to Villbois Lavelette

Maximum temperature today 16C, minimum 6C.   Dry; 3 km/h North Easterly winds with up to 17 km/h gusts.

Looking up to the church in Villbois Lavelette...

A quiet road.

Interesting door and balcony.

The restored house of Francois de Corlieu dates from the 15th or 16th century. De Corlieu was a historian and counsellor to the King from 1544, but unfortunately drowned in the Charente river in 1576.

Under the roof of the covered market looking down one of the roads...

A close up of the Wisteria seen in the above photo.

Leaving the town down the immaculate road.

I do love these leafy lanes.

A bank of bluebells and almost home again.

Now to tell you the reason for the visit.  We had an appointment with the notaire in the town.

Looking at this photo, our house is with green shutters on the left. Opposite us is the house with red shutters that belongs to French sisters. BUT the barn attached to their house between the two houses belongs to the people who sold us our house.  The barn was never part of the original deal, though we have managed to rent it for storage over a number of years,  The owners also have a lot of things stored in there. 

We have asked a number of times if they would sell and there was no interest in the request.  A year ago they decided to sell but the price was too high.  This week we have agreed on a figure, and the papers were signed at the notaire on Tuesday.  We now have to wait 2 months for all to go through the official paths, but by the end of June, we should be the proud owners of the barn.   It is in good condition all but the door, so that will be job number one.  Then we hope we have a safe storage place for wood, bikes, car, trailer etc etc.  We are both delighted that all appears to be going as planned.

😊😊😊😊😊😊

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

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