The Loire Valley and especially Blois
We were coming back from the industrial park on the Vineuil side of the Loire when I took this slightly fuzzy photo from the car. It’s my favourite view of Blois. On revenait de la zone industrielle côté Vineuil lorsque j’ai pris cette photo un peu floue depuis la voiture. C’est ma vue préférée de …
Continue reading “Cathedral and bridge late afternoon – Cathédral et pont fin d'après-midi”
We were at the roundabout at Gabriel Bridge when we were overtaken on the left by this horse and cart. On se trouvait au rond-point devant le pont Gabriel lorsque cette carriole nous a doublée sur la gauche.
I love trees that give colour in autumn and winter. We think this is a yew tree but don’t know what species. J’aime bien les arbres qui nous donnent de la couleur en automne et en hiver. Nous pensons que cet arbre est un if mais nous ne connaissons pas l’espèce.
After a sunny morning yesterday, the rain suddenly began pouring down. Après une matinée ensoleillée hier, la pluie est tombée d’un coup.
Behind our house, Closerie Falaiseau, is a little wood that is part of the property.and is mainly inhabited by deer, but I haven’t managed to photograph them yet. Derrière notre maison, Closerie Falaiseau, nous avons un petit bois qui fait partie de la propriété et qui est surtout fréquenté par des biches, mais je n’ai …
Up until 1992, the Poulain chocolate factory, built at the end of the 19th century by Auguste Poulain, was firmly established in the heart of Blois. Bought by Cadbury in 1991, the factory moved to the north of Blois, next to the A10 motorway. Today, it is owned by Kraft Foods. The remains of the …
Today I gathered nuts for the first time, in a public park at the bottom of Château de Chaumont. Most of the nuts were separated from their husk or pericarp. When I separated the others, my fingers were covered in a slightly sticky black substance that is used as a dye. Now I’m going to …
Nasturtiums add a lovely splash of colour in autumn. Capucine is a girl’s name in French and there is a popular song called “Dansons la capucine” that children use for a circle game. You can listen to it here: http://www.mamalisa.com/mp3/dansons_la_capucine.mp3 (lyrics below). The reason why the dance is called “Capucine” is obscure. Les capucines rajoutent une belle touche …
I love going past this house overlooking the Loire. It makes me think of those lovely seaside houses in Normandy. The photo was obviously taken in the spring during wisteria time. Chaque fois que je passe devant cette maison qui surplombe la Loire, je l’admire. Elle me fait penser à ces belles maisons en bord …
Continue reading “Turquoise and purple house – Maison turquoise et violette”
I was looking for a flower for our rental accommodation that wouldn’t mind not been watered very often. My neighbour suggested the dipladenia (mandevilla splendens). This flowering vine with its pink, white, red and yellow flowers, is subtropical and mainly cultivated in pots in Europe for climatic reasons. Pelargonium is the real name of what we usually …
Continue reading “Mandavilla & Pelargonium – Dipladenia & Pélargonium”