Sunday

This morning we took a drive over to the village of Vouilly to mooch around the small Foire de Printemps, hoping to bring back some plantlets to get my potager started.

Now that the days are beginning to warm up it's time to start planting, maybe!
I came away with 25 mixed lettuce, 5 celeriac, 6 tomato seedlings, a pot of thyme and a large bag of earthy potatoes for eating, not planting.

40 potato plants went into the plot when S the G came up to wake up the potager from it's winter slumber by mulching and rotavating last week.

After stashing the plants in the car we drove by the village church and I was seized with the urge to go inside to take some photographs, to share with you all.

Imagine, if you will, getting out of the car, walking over thick, crunchy gravel and encountering the most amazing place you have seen for a very long time.

I hope these photographs allow you to experience this very special place in the same way that it moved me today.
That's enough talk, just walk with me....................................................

 Mind the step, then look up.

and up.......

.

 I wonder how many babies have been baptised in this font?

Should we sit for a while and just take it all in?

Every place that your eye rests there is something wonderful to hold your gaze.

On the floor and on the walls.

By the door there are exhibits showing how the church was restored in the 1980's. These have faded over time but I was able to make out the story behind this strange object.

It is the only remaining example of a 12th century Normandy acoustic vase, made of terracotta they were placed in the choir to improve the church's acoustics.
I really enjoyed sharing this hidden gem, tucked away in a tiny Normandy village, with you today.
We must go for a walk together again soon.
bon dimanche.......................................................

photo(s) du jour - potager update

It's been a while since I blogged about my vegetable garden, truth be told I'm a little ashamed of the state that it is in right now.
It's so empty, due to low temps there are no tomatoes or runner beans this year.
Mr Ben must have thought it was all looking too bleak so decided to fill up a corner for me.

It's hard to keep on top of all the weeds with all the rain we've been having.
They are growing, well, like weeds!

I went out this morning to try and clear some ground for a new row of green beans but only managed to clear a footpath before it started "spitting".

I got a shock when I went to check on our first crop of yellow raspberries, which we were looking forward to eating, the birds had got there first.
Nary a one was left, I guess I'll have to wait until next year to find out whether they taste good.

So, far the birds are staying clear of my blueberries.
Even so there may only be enough for one batch of muffins this year.

Quite a few of the lettuces have already gone to seed, I pulled some up but left the rocket to sway gently in the wind, it looks so pretty still.

This is what the potager should be looking like this month, looking back at photos from last summer makes me realise how much we're missing this year.

What do you get

if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin

 by its diameter?

Pumpkin pi.

July - Potager Update

Here's a quick update on how my garden grows.......................
This morning in between rain showers I spent some quiet time hoeing, weeding and generally tidying up the potager.

Dwarf runner bean"Hestia"
The seeds were a gift from Gay

Getting my hands in the dirt is my idea of fun, no gardening gloves for me, which is why I recently joined Sharon Lovejoy's Grimy Hands Girls Club.
Thanks to Pondside for pointing me in that direction.

Dwarf Haricot beans

Lynn @ Happier Than A Pig in Mud recently shared her recipe for Pickled String Beans, in a week or so I think these guys will be ready to be picked and pickled!

Top: second sowing dwarf haricot seedlings.
Middle: Spicy, peppery rocket..
Bottom left, just visible: Red oak leaf salad.

I think that this is my favourite time of the year, when all the hard work starts to pay off.

It is one of my life's joys, each evening, to carefully step between the rows and pick mesclun leaves for the salad bowl or a small handful of yellow and green dwarf haricot beans to go with a simple steak and frites.

Courgettes; round, green or yellow, (zucchini) get a quick egg wash and breadcrumb coating, before frying gently in butter, they go well with steak too.
Or I could make zucchini bread.
I came across a great recipe on Becky's blog " Not Your Ordinary Agent" earlier this week.

As well as cauliflower and cabbages I planted Chinese leaf a type of crunchy oriental cabbage, for the first time this year.

It has a very mild flavour and can be eaten raw in salads, steamed to serve as a side vegetable, or added to a vegetable stir fry for a quick and easy supper dish.

Today's potager produce; yellow and green courgettes; a handful of beans; chinese leaf for steaming
and
a pretty blue hibiscus flower.

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

and

 Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday.

Click on the links above

or on the sidebar

 to visit their wonderful blogs.

Mosaic Monday

It's Monday and that means Mosaics!
For Marys Mosaic Monday @the littleredhouse this week some shots of our gardens front and back!

Scenes from the potager

Fragrant wisteria, pure white clematis and an old fashioned rose.

The front garden is blooming all over!

Click here or on the little red house button on the sidebar to see plenty more mosaics from around the world.

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......

Why bees matter.

For a number of years we have been hearing that honey bees are disappearing and no one knows why.
I've been prompted to look online to see if I can understand why bees are under threat and it seems that the biggest fear is something called Colony Collapse Disorder.
Simply put the worker bees disappear, maybe as a result of a virus or mites and the colony dies.

I found this information on the Guardian Newspaper's website very interesting:
Why bees matter.
"Flowering plants require insects for pollination. The most effective is the honeybee, which pollinates 90 commercial crops worldwide. As well as most fruits and vegetables – including apples, oranges, strawberries, onions and carrots – they pollinate nuts, sunflowers and oil-seed rape. Coffee, soya beans, clovers – like alfafa, which is used for cattle feed – and even cotton are all dependent on honeybee pollination to increase yields."

and the lavender in my potager....................................

Yesterday morning as I did my daily round to see how my garden was growing I was so very pleased to observe these hard working honey bees doing what comes naturally.............thank heavens for bees.

I'm linking to Susan's Outdoor Wednesday meme this week, so head over to A Southern Daydreamer to see what else is going on in the great outdoors.