My garden in June.

A little while ago I gave you an idea of what my garden looked like, well now I can show you how it's looking  at the end of June. Hope you like what you see.




This is a selection of the soft colours.

 

This year we have not had the best of weather, a cold May & a rainy June. We were wondering if summer was ever going to arrive, as mid-summers day has been and gone. However it's finaly arrived in full force, it's hot with clear blue sky and the plants are beginning to look healthy and are blooming well, so I'm happy. I've always been a sunshine girl.
Today the floral committee from our local commune arrived with their clip boards. I told you about my first experience of this, not long after we arrived to live in France. After 22 yrs they have not changed very much.
However I did notice that they had a a new member who knew her flowers. The others are quite happy just chatting about everyday life, as long they can have a look around, they're quite content. This committee has to pass first, they select 2 or 3 from the commune to be entered into the department competition, then a week later the horticulturist committee comes to judge, that's when the important part starts. The  local French people seem to be very curious , I'm not sure if it's because I'm English, but now we have lots of English in our area, so I can no longer think of it as 'Un coin perdu'  (a place miles from anywhere)



Surfinias
If you don't know this flower, it's certainly one to have for it's heavenly perfume.
& the vibrant colours. these are planted in troughs so they tumble down over the balcony.

The pale mauve flower is  double Surfinia.
Look at the lovely marbling on the petals
This one is my favourite.

In a few more weeks these troughs will be totaly hidden

 by the profusion of the flowers.



 This antique wine bottle corker was found in a brocante.
I've had it a long time
but now found just the place to show it off.



Hope you liked what you saw.

I'll be back again soon showing more of my hanging baskets as they progress.

A bientot

Barbara Lilian

French windows.

I just love the windows on old French houses.

This cottage belongs to some friends of mine who live in Limoges city & now that they have retired, they come to their country home as often as they can. Later I will show some pictures of their garden, it's a true country garden & I'm sure would be everyones dream garden. 



 I think I love the windows on old French houses because the windows open in, inviting the warm sunshine indoors. However the French people always close the shutters when it's hot to keep the house cool. I love to see old lace curtains looking more like lace handkerchieves than the style I was used to seeing in England. I hated lace curtains when I was a child. It made me think of dark rooms and old people. I never really new any old people as my Grandmother passed away when I was very young, and I don't have many memories of her. But I do remember the lace curtains in her house covering the whole of the windows, making the Victorian period house even darker. So have a peep at some of the windows I love.

This window is on the front of my daughters house.

A friends cottage

One of the windows my husband put in

when renovating the old barn, which we now live in.  

He was able to find the granite to make the surround

from a barn which had fallen down. 

This is the view from the window of La Petite maison

which we rent for holidays.

I hope you liked peeping through the windows.

a bientot

Barbara Lilian