15/11/2021 - I am jumping to November photos at present...

  The maximum temperature here today is 11⁰C, minimum 8⁰C. Grey skies. Wind 16km/h icy North-Easterly winds with gusts up to 32 km/h!

I have so many photos from September and October, hopefully, over winter I will have time to go through them and catch up with the past!!

10/11/21 A French sunset but memories of a South African one.  Taken from just down the road from the house.

Common Carder Bumble Bee (Bombus pascuorum) I think...

As above.

Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertina) with a Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).

Western Honey Bee see above...

As above...

As above.

Mexican Orange Blossom (Choisya ternata).

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus).

Cosmos and Californian poppy with a couple of bees and a fly, still flowering well in mid-November

Remembrance Day November 11 2021

Before the service started, this little Jack Russel who obviously belonged to someone in the village, just wanted to play.  He was so cute.

As the service ended the Common Cranes (Grus grus) flew overhead calling as they headed South to warmer climates...

As above.

Love poinsettias (Euphorbiaceae pulcherrima).

A trip into Angouleme last week and I spotted this new (to me) wall mural.  Love it, and more memories of Southern Africa ...

A little closer...

As above...

and finally.

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 20/06/2021).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World. 

13/05/2021 Making a mini escape....

  The maximum temperature here today 15⁰C, minimum 9⁰C.  Dry though 95% rain is forecast!! 12 mm measured this morning.  We have now had well over 400mm this year to date.  20km/h  South Westerly winds with gusts up to 48 km/h.    Rain forecast for the next 7 days!

Our "escape" was a trip to Angouleme and I took a few photos along the way.  Most were not very good as we had an ever-changing sky from too dark to white clouds, or, I kept getting a reflection from the windscreen.  Whatever, I just thought they would make a change from the garden.  We had an appointment at 18h15, so we also had to carry signed certificates because of curfew hours, it would be impossible to get home before 19h00.

There was quite a lot of traffic and trucks en route but I managed mostly to catch empty parts of the road.

Trying to get the road sign to Champnier but not very successful!

We hit a traffic jam nearing the centre of Angouleme.  This was taken in St Cybard, Angouleme centre is at the top of the hill.

St Cybard.

The catholic church at St Cybard.

Looking up I suddenly saw this mural painted behind and on the ceiling of one of the balconies.

Still in the traffic, Angouleme ahead on the hill and a pharmacy green sign on the right.

Going up the hill eventually - street lights.

A sharp right dog's leg turn to go higher around a monument.

Angouleme Cathedral undergoing restoration, this has been going on for some years now but all the back part I think is finished, they are now working on the front.

This monument (1897) is in memory of Marie François Sadi Carnot, 5th President of the French Republic.

While I was waiting in the car, looking up I thought this architecture was interesting..

Heading back home in the back streets.

There are several churches in Angouleme and I am not sure which this one is.

More great architecture and flying the flag. Apologies for the blob on the windscreen! I managed to miss it on most photos!

Leaving Angouleme centre, this tunnel is very narrow but there is also a roundabout above which can be used for larger traffic.

Just before the storm which we drove through before arriving home'

Please Note if you follow me by email the old feeder is closing down. I have tried to change servers but for some reason, it is not working!  Update: it appears to be working now let me know if there is a problem with adding your address!!

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

10/06/2018 Still trying to catch up.

Maximum temperature today 24C, minimum 16C.    Rainfall, 20 mm last night; 9 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 27 km/h gusts.

Total rainfall since 1st January; 626 mm.  Storms forecast for today and the next couple of days

Happy Birthday Mum.  She would have been 103 today.

Our arrival in Rhodesia 1953. My brother David 1936-1957, my father, myself and my Mum.

Ladybird in the garden...

Bee...

Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria).

Bee on the cotoneaster.

Last week we tried out a new restaurant in Marcillac-Lanville called Les Nymphéas...

We arrived early so I took this photo inside before the place filled up.  

Five courses with wine for €13.50.  I will not show you all the courses, I don't want you all to be feeling very hungry 😉

Walking around the town afterwards, this is the Mairie...

the local pub...

the boulangerie...

Watering point...

The hairdresser...

and this mural outside a small shop.  There were two cars parked in front so I had to make a sort of collage so you could see it all in one.  Catching the big fish.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 12 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.