Every year, well ahead of spring, we have two little clumps of jonquils that brighten up the garden giving us hope for the New Year! Tous les ans, bien en amont du printemps, nous avons deux touffes de narcisses qui mettent de la couleur au jardin et nous donne de l’espoir pour le Nouvel An!
Author Archives: avril
Celestial Musings – Réflexions célestes
Artist duo Frank Moth from Thessaloniki in Greece is responsible for the 2023 edition of the Denis Papin staircase in Blois. You may remember some others. Le duo d’artistes Frank Moth de Thessaloniki en Grèce est l’auteur de l’édition 2023 de l’escalier De is Papin à Blois. Vous vous souviendrez peut-être d’autres.
The Big Smoke – La grande ville
We went to Tours today to see the ophthalmologist. It’s a big city with a population of 136 000 while Blois, where we live, only had 50 000. This is a typical pedestrian street. Nous sommes allés à Tours aujourd’hui voir l’ophtalmologiste. C’est une grande ville avec une population de 136.000 tandis que Blois, où …
A Squirrel in Spring – Un écureuil au printemps
I guess the squirrels have run out of nuts. We have two couples this year wanting to share the bird feed. Je suppose que les écureuils n’ont plus de noisettes. Nous avons deux couples cette année qui veulent partager les graines des oiseaux.
Getting Ready for Carnival
At the Saturday morning market in Blois yesterday, we were delighted to have a preview of next week’s carnival, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. Hier, au marché du samedi matin à Blois, nous avons eu le plaisir de découvrir en avant-première le carnaval de la semaine prochaine, qui fêtera ses 30 ans.
Magnolia Season
I adore magnolias and these are truly splendid. J’adore les magnolias et ceux-ci sont splendides.
Postcards from Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry
We are off on holidays at last! We are joining my son, wife and beautiful 9-month old grandson in Italy on Sunday. Our first stop is Aix-les-Bains on Le Bourget Lake perfect for 2 days of cycling to Chanaz and Chambéry. Nous sommes enfin partis en vacances ! Nous rejoignons mon fils, sa femme et …
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Winter Pruning – Taille d’hiver
We usually prune our roses and wisteria in January but we decided to wait until I got back from Boston. With more than twenty Rose bushes, it’s faster when there are the two of us. The house certainly looks bare. The second photo is a reminder of what it looks like in June. Nous avons …
Snowdrops & Daffodils – Perce-neiges & Jonquilles
A very late happy new year for 2022! I’ve been in Boston visiting my beautiful 5-month old grandson for the last two weeks and as you can see from the second photo, the view of my son’s back garden taken just after the recent blizzard, is very different from mine. It may be colder in …
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Christmas Dresses – Robes de Noël
Just in case you thought I’d disappeared, I’m safe and sound. After we arrived in Boston, all my time and energy were devoted to my beautiful grandson. When we got back to Blois, having left half my heart behind, I suffered badly from jet lag for more than two weeks. I have been trying to …