20/07/2019 Around the garden and out for a drive.

Maximum temperature today 28C, minimum 16C.  4mm very welcome rain last night. 17km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 41 km/h.  

Peacock butterfly (Aglais io). Looking a little worn!

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

What I believe to be a honey bee taking a drink, loved the shadow.

Think this is one of the Social wasps taking a drink.

and I believe this to be a Potter wasp but I am not certain.

Climbing rose.

Out on the road - making hay while the sun shines.

The sunflowers seem extra good this year.  The bees seem happy.

The banks of the River Touvre which runs into the Charente River.

Looking across the weir.

Back home the hibiscus is in flower.

The mirabelle plums are looking good.

The moon on the night of 13 July.....

and the partial eclipse on the 16th

A collection from the garden yesterday.  Also 2kg of potatoes from 2 plants, still 48 plants to go and the longer I leave them the bigger they will get!

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

Another very busy day.

Maximum temperature today 17C, minimum 6C.   Dry; 13 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 40 km/h gusts.

Good job there was no health and safety inspectors around watching me paint the high part of the bedroom wall today !!  Two walls down and one smaller one to go. The one on the left where the door is still to be painted, but I am waiting for Nigel to rub down and paint the door first. You can see what I have painted is several shades lighter and we hope it will lighten the room.

Poppy in the garden.

Quince blossom.

Rhubarb from the garden...

Rhubarb and ginger crumble 😊

Not the best photos, but the first photos of a butterfly in 2018... 

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

N.B. My new bird blog is HERE 

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

02/04/2017 Walking in the garden once again.

Maximum temperature 16C, minimum 4C.  16 kmh NE wind.   5 mm rain measured this morning.

Great Tit...

As above.

Dandelion clock with celandine.

Bee in the rosemary.

As above.

Camellia,

Think this is a hover-fly.

Still not warm enough for the tulips to open!

Loved this little rock pool in the garden, the reflection looks like a fish!

Speckled Wood - First butterfly photo of the year in France. 

Viburnum.

Rhubarb.

09/08/2016 A trip to Soyaux to see the tax man! A few photos in the garden.

Maximum temperature 24C, minimum 13C.  26 km/h NE wind. Light rain this morning that did not register in the rain gauge.

Crossing the Touvre River en route to Soyaux. 

At the so-called springs of Touvre, an underground river emerges from the foot of a cliff, the second largest phenomenon of its kind in France after the Fountain of Vaucluse near Avignon. 

A close up of the 3 fishermen in the river.

 

and looking the other way.

The Californian poppies are still magnificent.

Bee.

Figs.

Gatekeeper.

Hazel nuts.

Rhubarb crumble.

10/04/2015 New shoots and a return of the wildlife to the garden.

Maximum temperature 19C, minimum 3C.  24km/h SE wind. A light shower in the evening.