A Sunday walk on the wild side.

Today was one of those days when you thank goodness that you had your camera in your pocket.

Strolling with Ben down a favourite path, I had stopped to take some shots of the flooded fields when who should come splashing across them but Bambi, or could it be Rudolph?
He was too far away for me see how red his nose was!

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

As you can see I've been playing with the PicMonkey again, trying out the different effects and editing tools.

It's unusual for the fields to flood this early in the winter, January/February are the months when we're used to seeing scenes like this, but I've never met Bambi in Normandy before!

Linking this post to Mary's Mosaic Monday @ the little red house

 and 

Watery Wednesday.

Driving home we were surprised to see this cow ambling along the verge.

Well they do say the grass is always greener..................................

Bon dimanche à toutes et tous.

Loggerhead turtle shells

Back home again after a wonderful time in Hilton Head, SC.
The weather was amazing, high 70's the whole time, except for the day before we left when Hurricane Sandy made it's presence felt with overcast skies and waves crashing along the beach.
On those sunny days the Senior Partner and I went for long walks along the shore stopping now and again to watch the tiny sandpipers dash around to avoid the waves whilst digging for insects and worms.
On two occasions we also spotted dolphins swimming quite close to shore.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles nest on the beaches of Hilton Head Island between May and August. An adult females will nest every two to four years, coming ashore between 4 and 6 times per season to lay eggs. Loggerheads typically nest at night, crawling to a dry part of the beach where females will dig a nest cavity with their rear flippers and deposit an average of 120 eggs. Once the eggs have been laid, the female throws sand to disguise the nest from predators and slowly returns to the ocean.

After about 60 days of incubation, the small turtles within the eggs begin to hatch. During the cool night, the 2 inch long hatchlings emerge from the nest, orient themselves towards the brightest horizon, and crawl towards the ocean. Once in the water, hatchlings swim many miles offshore where they will spend the next 25-30 years of their life growing to adulthood.

Coastal Discovery Museum, HHI, South Carolina.

The empty turtle  horseshoe crab shells that wash up on the beach fascinate me and they are the subject of my mosaic this week.

After all these years of beachcombing I always believed that the shell belonged to loggerheads.
Now, Keetha has corrected me and proved me wrong!
They are horseshoe crab shells!
Thanks Keetha for putting me straight.

I had hoped to join Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday
but like thousands of others along the East coast of America
Mary is still without power and can only access the internet using her phone.
If you get the chance please stop by the little red house and give her a hug!

Positano - new digs & shopping

Montepertuso.

For our second week here at La Tagliata we have moved into the bigger of the two suites that they have -  Le Boticelle.

It was only when we came down in the small lift into the private wine cellar
that the choice of name became clear!.

We have to walk through the private cellar to reach the inside door of Le Botticelle,

 ducking beneath the salami sausages and provolone cheeses

 and skirting the large wine barrel where the wine cellar register is kept.

View from the in room jacuzzi!

There is also a door which leads outside to our private terrace

which is about twice the size of the one up at Limonella where we spent last week.

We can look across and down the valley to the town of Positano below 

where I spent a lovely hour or so browsing clothes shops yesterday afternoon!

Positano style!

ciao

Linking to Mosaic Monday with Mary @the little red house

stop by for a visit if you get the chance to see Mary's wonderful photographs.

A misty, moisty morning.

So, there we were around 7.30 one morning last week, the Senior Partner and I lying in bed, drinking tea and listening to TMS (Test Match Special) on BBC Radio 4.

It was day three of the Pakistan v England Test Match in Abu Dhabi, England were bowling and Pakistan had a long way to go to catch up.

During a lull, CMJ (Christopher Martin Jenkins) described the scene before him as " a misty, moisty morning". 

He said he thought it was a line from an old fashioned nursery rhyme, one that I had never heard of.

I googled it to find out more as I think it describes exactly the view that I had through the window this morning.

One misty, moisty, morning,

When cloudy was the weather,

There I met an old man

All clothed in leather

All clothed in leather,

With a cap under his chin.

How do you do?

And how do you do?

And how do you do again?

By the way, in case it interests you, England were 72 all out in their second innings. Shocking!

Linking this misty, moisty post to 

the Tablescapers Seasonal Sundays

 and

 Mary's Mosaic Monday @ the little red house.

Paris Love Locks Mosaic

The Passerelle de Solférino a footbridge over the River Seine close to the Musee D'Orsay, is festooned with Love Locks, symbols of eternal love.

It isn't the only Parisien bridge to be covered in padlocks which couples wishing to celebrate their relationship inscribe with their names and sometimes the date, before locking them onto the bridge and throwing the key into the river below.

In June 2011 The Independent newspaper reported the return of Love Locks to the bridges in the city of love.

 Click here to read more.

Sharing the love with Mary @ the little red house
and all the bloggers participating in Mosaic Monday
this week.

Seasonal, Scenic Sunday & Mosaic Monday

Instead of following the path that we usually take for our Sunday walk through the Normandy countryside this morning we headed in a different direction.

We crossed a low bridge in the village of Ecrammeville and walked along the bank of a tributary of the River Aure.

I was pleased that I had my camera with me so that I could capture the scene to share with the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Scenic Sundays

and Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday.

I think that this house that I glimpsed across the fields looks a lot like ours!

Click on the links or on the sidebar buttons to visit the other particpants joining us today.

Mosaic Monday - Flowers Are Red.

Flowers are Red
Click here for a beautiful, moving poem
about red flowers.
Joining Mary at the little red house
for
Mosaic Monday.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!

P.S.

Blondie has asked me what the names of the flowers are,

so...........

the top two pix are of a red rhododendron that I rescued from the reduced (dying plants!) section at the garden centre a few years ago, the bottom right is a pieris plant also from the garden centre, (full price!) and the bottom left is a flowering quince bush that was here in the garden when we bought the house.

Back on line, did you miss me?

For about a week now our ISP has been playing fast and loose with our internet connection.
For many hours each day, and during the night too for all I know, we have been incommunicado.
You never know what you've got 'till it's gone!

The cows came home to the field next door.

So, whilst the internet gods are smiling down on me here are some of the things that have been happening around the Presbytère this week.

Fleurs first trip to the beach.

Flowers and trees blossomed.

Retail therapy at the garden centre

I've already begun to plant out some of the above seedlings in the kitchen garden at the back of the house.

This year I'm trying my hand at brassicas, (cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli) for the first time, also shallots, chinese leaf and kale.

Watch this space for updates on how they all work out.

Joining the following gracious hostesses this weekend

 Laurie @ Bargain Hunting (and chatting) for

A Few Of My Favourite Things Saturday

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

and

Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday.

Click on the above links or the buttons on my sidebar to join these great gatherings too.

Bon weekend à tous......

New beginning?

la faience brocante

Linking this post to Mary's fabulous Mosaic Monday @the little red house why not call in at Mary's to see who else is sharing their collages this week? It's a great place to see amazing mosaic creations from around the world.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" ~ Seneca.

Last week I told you about my word for 2011 - declutter, and I've thrown myself into the project with wild abandon.
I began by clearing out my wardrobe.
Really Margaret, how many "gardening" sweats and T's does a girl need?
Will also need to take a trip to the local Emmaus collection point very soon with the items that didn't pass the 6 month rule.
During the winter months, when it just gets too chilly for me to sit up in the grenier (my attic office/craft room) and freeze, I just plop myself (avec laptop) down in front of the wood burner in the sitting room to blog.
However, the sun was out today and I decided to tidy away all the "stuff" that had accumulated whilst planning/organising the Quimper Club's annual meeting in Savannah last October.
Out it all went, whee!
I'll have plenty of space and time now to start scrappin' again. Chouette!
After twelfth night, when all the Christmas deco had been put away, it was time to begin filling all the empty spaces on the library and dining room shelves and tabletops and mantlepieces, throughout the house.
And that made me stop and pause.
Just what was I going to place out on display, what goes and what stays?
Now, I can hear you all thinking "she's rambling on today" and also probably "what has any of this got to do with that great mosaic, and what is la faience brocante?"
Well, come a little closer and I'll whisper.............................................soon!

Mosaic Monday.

2011 has got off to a very good start here at Le Presbytere with fine weather, good company and books to read by the fire.

I'm not a great believer in "New Years Resolutions" any more. I used to be.

Every year I would resolve to lose weight; excercise more; drink just one glass of wine with dinner; volunteer more; improve my language skills etc, etc.

But as I get older I realise that, although I may be overweight, I like me this way.

Daily walks with Ben are probably enough excercise for me, (although I have promised to get back on the WiiFit very soon).

That my husband is a gourmand, a very good cook and knows a bit about fine wines too, so why should I deprive him of convivial company at dinner?

As for volunteering..........................I think I'm just a bit volunteered out after all my involvement with the QCI during the last two years, although I wouldn't rule out some other type of charity work in the future.

So, I decided no Resolutions, but everyone needs a goal to aim for and I think I have come up with something to focus on in 2011.

My word for the year?
De-clutter!

Not sure if this is just a word, I feel it could become my mantra for the next twelve months.

So, with this new urge upon me I gave my full attention, this afternoon, to my Photo editing program and cleared 100's of photographs from my memory stick and upteen folders on my PC.
There's something so cathartic about de cluttering, but also what fun it has been to "review" 2010 through my photographs.

I've created several collages from some of my favourites. Double click on any of the collages for a closer look.

Some you may have seen before as they have appeared in previous posts.
I'm not quite sure but I think I have one from each month.

I'm joining Mary at the little red house for 2011's first Mosaic Monday.
Mary has created a wonderful calendar for the New Year, click on the link here or on my sidebar to see it and other bloggers participating this week.

The Hairy Bikers Old Fashioned Mincemeat.

I'm joining The Tablescaper once again this week for Seasonal Sunday, with a new recipe of a traditional English favourite: the Hairy Bikers Old Fashioned Mincemeat.
Also sharing this post with Mary @ The Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas for us if mince pies weren't involved and although we haven't actually lived in the UK for over 25 years I always bake lots of these small delicacies for us to enjoy during the festive season.
For many years I've always used a tried and tested Delia Smith recipe when making mincemeat.
However, I recently received a copy of the Hairy Bikers "12 Days of Christmas" cook book, (a lovely thank you gift from a thoughtful English friend) and was intrigued by their recipe for Old Fashioned Mince Pies with an Orange Crust.
Click here to get the recipe.

Traditionally I make my mincemeat around the middle of November just to get ahead with my Christmas preparations, but if time is short, the HB recipe can be made the day before you need it.

Some Brits believe that it is good luck to eat a mince pie every day during December and my DH would be one of those, if I didn't watch his waist line!

These jars will be going into the pantry, for a couple of weeks, to allow the boozy flavours to develop. Then my pies, according to the Hairy Bikers, will be "guaranteed to bring a smile even to Ebeneer Scrooge".....

Come back in a couple of weeks to find out how they tasted but in the meantime do pop over to The Tablescaper and to the Little Red House to see who else is participating this week.

As far as the eye can see.....................

"The world only exists in your eyes - your conception of it. You can make it as big or as small as you want to."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Sharing these photographs, of the beautiful French countryside and the fields that surround us, with Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday, Mary's Mosaic Monday @thelittleredhouse and Tracey's Weekly Words to Live By @Notes From a Cottage Industry.

If you've enjoyed my mosiac then I definitely think you should visit these wonderful blogs too.

You're in for a treat.

Have a great week everyone.

Bright Red Poppies.

Each winter I throw vast amounts of wild bird seed hither and yon in the garden, aiming for the grass. However, I think some went into one of my flower beds as this year beside the japanese quince and in amongst the roses are these cheeky chaps.
Red poppies or to give them their posh latin name papaver rhoeas. So, to brighten up the start of the week some pretty mosiacs for Mary's Mosaic Monday @thelittle redhouse and some wise words for Tracey's Weekly Words To Live By @ Notes From A Cottage Industry.


"The end is where we start from".
T.S. Eliot.

Mosaic Monday.

For Mosaic Monday graciously hosted each week by Mary @ the little red house some shots taken during the weekend.

Brown speckled house sparrow eggshell.
Wild orchids in the lane.
Chaenomeles; aka flowering quince or japonica, outside the front door.
A gorgeous plant that I do not know the name of. (can anyone out there enlighten me? Jackie in Surrey perhaps?)
Japanese dicentra; aka bleeding heart, by the wall.
This week Mary has created a beautiful mosaic of horses from her local riding school, just stunning! You must go over and take a look.
Have a great week, everyone.

Spring flowers & flooded ditches.

Monday has come around again in the blink of an eye and so we head to one of the most interesting blogs I know, Mary's thelittle redhouse, for Mosaic Monday.

After last weeks torrential rain and gale force winds had subsided I went out to try and capture the feel of it all.

Although we were not as badly affected as the Charente Maritime and other regions, the rain had no where to go as the surrounding fields were still sodden from previous storms.

The water was draining into the ditches at the side of the lane so fast that waterfalls and rushing streams formed along the way.

One bright note, the wild primroses and orchids are begining to show at last.