Stopped to take tea in Mirepoix this morning, and loved the way that the summer parasols were contrasted against the green trees, and the chairs were waiting. The scene seemed perfectly set for people on holiday… a great view.

I have a memory, one summer, of a vulture sitting on my head . I was a bit freaked out. Neither of us enjoyed the experience, I know for sure that I was petrified. This is an ‘hommage’ to that bird. While I love birds and can admire their beauty at a distance,  I’m not […]

It has been such a very wet early Spring and early Summer that the garden has profited to the the max. Especially the roses… so beautiful after the rain, with such subtleties the of colour and texture…  

The evening before the regatta at Lac de Montbel. The photographs are grainy because of the low light level at 21.30 but I think that they have an impressionist quality. The last two are looking back towards the yacht club, the lights of la Régate restaurant, and the mountains.

Finally, some good weather. So now is the time to start planting geraniums, fuchsias, petunias et al for splashes of summer colour. The garden has take a bashing this autumn and winter; the box blight/moths or whatever has been devastating to the hedge, ( but with careful treatment it is showing signs of good recovery ),  the […]

The weather has been so mercurial for the last few weeks, and the clouds have been swirling and whirling about. The double rainbow appeared suddenly, arching over the hôtel de ville, at place Capitol. Such a hopeful sign after a sun-rain-sun type of day.      

  * Snow returned this week. Starting on Saturday with rain turning to sleet, and sleet turning to snow. Thick fluffy flakes fell from the sky, rapidly covering the rooves and paths. The showers continued through the weekend, drifting on the shady sides of the valley, decorating every twig and branch with a sprinkle of white. In […]

I have begun a new watercolour. All the walking I’ve been doing roundabout recently has given me a passion for the density of green; living, dying and dead layers of plants, grasses and the occasional flower. So I’ve been drawing and practising building up leaf and petal shapes. Nearly forgot to mention today, 1st March, is […]

I’ve been mooching about in the city of Toulouse on a grey wintery day. December and January have been noted as the wettest months on record for 50 years in France. It’s not difficult to understand why after so many wet days here in the south west . As compensation, there is always the beautiful […]