Spring into Springtime.

My favourite season.

So much activity in the garden, most of the spring flowers are blooming.
We are helping the birds as much as we can. Mr France has made some new Bird boxes & we've put out bedding for the taking, this seems to be working. We used to refill this suet cage with food, recently I've been filling it with wadding and the birds have been taking it for sometime.  Now I've seen on Mary's  blog A Breath of Fresh Air.
she adds  bits of lace & shreds of material cut into strips to hers. What a lovely idea. I know the Gold finch make very decorative nests. Some time ago,  I found one
 with blue forget-me-nots woven in with some of our dogs fur around the edge.

The birds seem to be taking it.

One of the new bird boxes, so far no residents.

 A gift from our daughter.
For the past 2 years I've put it out, but it's never been used.
Maybe it's too upmarket in style for our country birds.
How ever I like it as a garden ornament.

If I follow Mary's idea of adding some lace for a bit of luxury,

we might have some posh birds. 

or maybe a Robin / Rouge Gorge  like this, will take up residence there.

 Tucked in the Berberis, I found a nest from last year.
I think I'll leave it and keep an eye on it,
maybe it will be refurbished, by some new takers.

 Each year I put this little nest, with it's egg in one of the hanging baskets.

 This is the area we were working on this time last year.
Then it had to go on hold, when I was unable to do any gardening.
Now due to the resent surgery Mr France had to have, we have
decided it will be staying like this. I like it partly cultivated and the rest
left a bit wild. Later the wild flowers will add lots of natural beauty.

 I've just had a wander around the garden and found some more
different types of daffodils, from a few years ago.

Even some hidden in an area that certainly needs some tidying up doing.

How is your garden looking, do you have birds building their nests?
Are you putting up bird boxes ? If you've never had a bird box
in your garden, why not try. It's so rewarding watching the birds
busy building their nest, then flying backwards & forwards
feeding their chicks.

I'll be keeping you up to date with the flora and fauna in our garden.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Join me for a walk near where I live in France.

 

This is what I see on the new walk I've been taking, isn't that view fantastic ?

 

I must paint this, but I think I'll wait for awhile until the Autumn

 when the colours will be better.

 



 

Not far from our house the disused railway lines have been removed

and the track has been made into pleasant routes to walk or cycle along.

So recently we've been discovering some really pleasant walks.
Finding flat paths to take walks where I live is not easy.

One of the old stations is now a very popular restaurant.
We have eaten there, but I didn't take any photos.
We plan to eat there again soon, so I'll take my camera then I can let you see.
 

Some of the railway station stops  have been sold and converted into pretty little cottages.

Here's one that's been named La Halte / Stopping place.

Do you see the original stone underneath that awful modern rendering.

I do hope the new owners will remove it.

Now this one has been tastefully restored.

Maybe they could have tried to have gates made in the railway style.

 

 When I'm fitter I'll try to walk the whole track,
 then I'll get to see more of the stopping places, and let you see how they've been renovated.

 

Now we move on to a short local walk, to the nearest hamlet,

 where there is a farm and just a few houses.

 

 

The Limousin cattle can be seen everywhere

 

One of the many disused wells in the area,

which used to provide water for the tiny hamlets.

 

 

 

 

 

I just had to show you this lonely late sunflower which I saw today on the edge of the road.

( so pleased I remembered to put my aim & shoot camera back in the car )

 

Maybe the seed had been sown by the birds, as there wasn't another to be seen for miles.

 

 

 

 

 

The butterflies are still fluttering from flower to flower.

 

and wild flowers are in abundance.

 

 

 This is usually my weekend walk at my favourite place.

 I just love how it changes throughout the seasons.

The Maize is ready to be cut for winter cattle feed.

And these wild flowers are always the last to be in bloom making a purple carpet.

 

 

 

 

Our picnic place for after walk. There are picnic tables,

 but we like to take our reclining chairs for an afternoon snooze.



 

 

 

 

The lane back home.

This photo was taken in March

 before the Spring leaves have covered their branches.

Soon the leaves will be falling for the Autumn season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the lovely things

I get to see on my walks.

 

 

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

 

Sleeping garden.

Although our winter has been mild we've had a lot of rain.
My garden is still sleeping.

Crocosmia


this is what we have to look forward to later in the summer.

How often do we not look up and take time to see the beauty of nature.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining

I took time this morning,
there right near to my house was this holly tree, still with plenty of berries.
 These have usually all gone by now.


Though we always make sure our bird feeders are kept full.

Coal tit

A few weeks ago I mentioned I was going to join a photography blog.

Well after reading what my first task was to be I realised it was not for me.

So Mr France has been giving me a few tips, 

and I took  these photos of the birds with his camera ,

I've been using some different menus

and I know I have a lot to learn 

but I feel I have improved.

What do you think ?

Nuthatch

 

Blue tit

I'm not able to do anything strenuous in the garden at the moment,

so as the sun was shining I sat in our sheltered spot 

& Mr France brought me coffee.

We sat at our little round café table

and watched the birds flying from feeder to feeder.

It won't be long before we hear them singing 

and see them starting to build their nests.

I hope you take time to look around
 and see what nature brings where ever you are.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

My summer in La Dordogne

During the summer months Mr France & I leave our home, as we let our house and a small cottage 

called La Petite Maison  for holidays.

and 

we spend time at our daughters while she and her family go away on holiday and we look after her home along with all their animals.

This year we were greeted by seven  new baby chicks who kept us entertained and we watched them grow from cream coloured  fluffy balls into young hens / cockerels.

A few weeks later when we left this is how much they'd grown.

 Hats were definitely a must.

and there was one to suite everyone.

After our long wet spring

It's been a very HOT summer this year, most of us sat in the shade,

but others flayed out in the hot sun.!

Oh... it's too hot !

One, would love to cool off !

but doesn't like getting wet.

Family bikes prepared, ready to go in the van for a few days away.

I'll stay here in the shade and look after the animals.

The fruits are not quite ripe, so I can't pick them yet.

Thankfully the deer have not eaten the figs this year.

The blackberries are nearly ripe.

Not very many peaches.

So far we haven't needed to light the fire. 

The evenings have been warm.

Let's hope it continues for a bit longer.

 I'll leave my hat hanging on the door until the next time I need it.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Vacant Bird House to Let.

There's a lot of activity going on around our house at the moment. 

and I'm learning to use our new camera
so I've been taking lots of pictures'

The birds are house hunting.

But we have no takers at the moment.

This year I'm providing soft wadding for the interior.

It does look as if it's being used.

 I've been getting lots of  practise shooting moving things

  

The following photos were taken from the kitchen window.

using  burst mode. Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about ?

( new technique to me )

I would just like to inform anyone who might be thinking this is a photo shoot tutorial

you'll be disappointed.

It's just me feeling very proud of myself 

 knowing I have taken photos I feel worthy to post on my blog.

I still have a big L plate on my back.

I'll let you into a secret now

when I first started my blog, nearly a year ago

I used to get my other half to take my photos.

                                                                                                   

Do you see anything strange about this cute  little bird ?

He has a deformed leg

but he can certainly hold his own battles against the other birds.

(I call it he, I don't know why)

I've been watching and he's been coming every day

for over a week now, so thought I'd try catching a picture of him.

That was how I learnt about the burst mode on the camera.

I won't tell you how many burst shots it took to get six good photos !

This is such a pretty bird house, 

 hand made and  was a present from my daughter.

Not sure where to put it yet !

maybe I'll just use it as a garden adornment.

Last year the bird house & the enamel ware were occupied several times

  with Blue tits and the Red start.

We don't have a great selection of birds coming near to the house.

 but we do get keen bird watchers coming to stay in La Petite Maison. 

as we are surrounded by woods  only a short walk away.

I hope you liked seeing the birds we feed everyday,

 especially our cute  little disabled Blue tit.

à bientôt
Barbara Lilian.