The Loire Valley and especially Blois
Seen from the foot of Foix Tower in the grounds of Blois Castle, these lovely sunny terraces seem to be beckoning to us even though you may notice there aren’t any deck chairs at the beginning of March. Vues depuis le pied de la tour du Foix au château de Blois, ces belles terrasses bien …
Continue reading “Sunny terraces overlooking the Loire – Terrasses au soleil avec vue sur la Loire”
A hailstorm is always great to see but not so good for budding nature when spring is already upon us in late February this year in Blois. [Translator’s note: not nearly as poetic as Jean Michel’s but I don’t seem to be very inspired tonight!) Beau décor de grêle pour les yeux mais mauvais pour …
Il y a une semaine, j’ai posté une photo d’un tapis de perce-neige dans le petit bois derrière notre maison. Maintenant, c’est une foule de jonquilles pour citer le célèbre poème de Wordsworth “Les Jonquilles” dans la traduction de Catherine Réault-Crosnier. A week ago, I posted a photo of a carpet of snow drops in the little …
Continue reading “A Host of Golden Daffodils – Un foule de jonquilles”
In January, I posted a photo of the first snowdrops. Now there is a whole carpet of them in our little wood. En janvier, j’avais posté une photo des premiers perce-neige. Maintenant, c’est un vrai tapis dans notre petit bois.
A couple of days ago, I showed the somewhat stark façade of Château de Cheverny on a sunny day in winter. This is the back of the castle, on the same day. I’m told that fifteen thousand bulbs are planted in the gardens each year, so I’m heading back in spring. Il y a deux …
Continue reading “Cheverny through the arbour – Cheverny par la tonnelle”
It’s marvellous to see bushes in winter with red or yellow flowers like our winter jasmin. I’d like to know the name of this one so we can plant one in our garden. C’est merveilleux de voir des arbustes en hiver avec des fleurs rouges ou jaunes comme notre jasmin d’hiver. J’aimerais bien savoir le …
This winter jasmin, originally from China, comes into bloom in Janaury to brighten up the garden. We have more in our back garden. Ce jasmin d’hiver, originaire de Chine, égaie bien le jardin avec sa floraison hivernale. Nous en avons d’autres dans le jardin derrière la maison.
These are the first snowdrops in our little wood though there has been no snow this year. Voici les premiers perce-neiges dans notre petit bois même s’il n’a pas encore neigé cette année.
There is a golf course along the Loire between Blois and Amboise. From the road, we could see trees where the mistletoe was low enough to pick easily. When we got there, we found three freshly cut branches on the ground. Someone else must have had the same idea as us! In the Middle Ages …
Continue reading “Mistletoe for New Year – Au gui l'an neuf”
When I was a child growing up in tropical North Queensland in Australia, we used to buy small branches of holly in David Jones department store at Christmas. I never imagined that one day I’d have my own bush! J’ai grandi dans le climat tropical du nord du Queensland en Australie. A noël nous achetions …