The Loire Valley and especially Blois
Now that the rotten beams have been safely encased in steel and the beams supporting the upper floor have been cleaned and treated, the next step is to make a new floor with OSB structural panels before redoing the roof. An efficient electric hoist is needed, i.e. one that is the right speed for someone …
Continue reading “Barn Renovation Stage 2 – Renovation de la grange 2ème étape”
I took this photo in the car through the windscreen but the amazing effect of these flowering trees whose scientific name is Cercis silliquastrum was not to be missed. There is a myth that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a tree of this species but it could also be a corruption of the French arbre …
This is a very unusual combination as roses rarely come into full bloom before May by which time the wisteria is past its full bloom. C’est une combinaison inhabituelle; les rosiers sont rarement si florifères avant le mois de mai alors que la glycine a dépassé son apogée.
I say first outdoor barbecue of the year because we use our fireplace to cook meat during the winter. This was the first evening this spring without a cold north wind. Hooray! Je dis premier barbecue extérieur parce nous faisons cuire la viande dans la cheminée pendant l’hiver. C’était la première soirée du printemps sans …
Continue reading “First Outdoor Barbecue of the Year – Premier barbecue extérieur de l’année”
The north wind was replaced by a more pleasant west wind so we were able to go cycling. I always love the way daisies pop up everywhere in the spring. Comme le vent du nord a été remplacé par un vent de l’ouest plus agréable aujourd’hui nous avons fait du vélo. Je trouve toujours amusant …
Continue reading “Daisies Everywhere – Des marguerites partout”
This wisteria seems to have resisted the black frost better than ours. I love the little wall flowers. Cette glycine semble avoir mieux résisté au gel noir que la nôtre. J’aime bien les petites fleurs accrochées au mur.
As we are still in lockdown with restaurants closed since last October, I had my second birthday at home today. We usually dine in a Michelin starred restaurant and often go away for a few days to celebrate. But Jean Michel ordered gourmet takeaway from L’Orangerie du Château that arrived in the boxes below. It …
Continue reading “A Second Lockdown Birthday – Un deuxième anniversaire confiné”
This was the view from our bathroom window this morning. A promising day until it suddenly started hailing at about 3 pm. I had to madly cover my seed beds and lettuces and put my petunias in the garage. A definite lack of coordination between the weather forecast and the weather gods. Voici la vue …
I love the canola fields in spring but they are not easy to photograph because they are so flat. We went past large stretches today on our bikes. It’s a very common crop in France. My Dutch son-in-law amused me once – he thought they were tulips. J’adore les champs de colza au printemps mais …
I don’t usually buy tulips because the garden is full of them but the Rotary Club was still them today at the market for medical research. Je n’ai pas l’habitude d’acheter des tulipes alors qu’il y en a tant dans le jardin mais le club Rotary en vendait aujourd’hui au marché pour soutenir la recherche …
Continue reading “Tulips for Charity – Des tulipes de bienfaisance”