Fountain
Posted on July 13, 2018
This fountain, with its abstract design, is to be found in the formal landscaped gardens of Chateau Villandry, in France’s Loire Valley.

Thursday Doors: Villandry
Posted on July 12, 2018
Adjacent to the mightily impressive Chateau de Villandry, in the Loire Valley, are the petrified caves (‘grottes’), which have been a local tourist attraction for many years (not recommended for claustrophobes though).

The current visitor centre is comparatively modern, but there remain a few vestiges from earlier years, including these various doors:



Thursday Doors 12 July 2018
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Treat
Posted on July 11, 2018
Last Friday, two days before our twin grandsons’ birthday, was also their last day in the prep, before moving up to senior school in September. So naturally Granma of the unlimited talents rustled up some treats fro the boys to share with their classmates.
There were even a few left over (for quality control purposes, obviously).

The Water Pump
Posted on July 6, 2018
The French equivalent of the Fire Brigade is the Sapeurs Pompiers. At last October’s Expo in Mézières-sur-Issoire, the local Pompiers put on a display of some of their ‘veteran’ equipment, including this mobile water pump that dates from 1949.

Thursday Doors: Nouic (3)
Posted on July 5, 2018
A final instalment of doors from the neighbouring village of Nouic.
One can only hazard a guess as to the original purpose of the small building with the green door:

More double doors that have seen better days:


But don’t get the impression that all the doors in Nouic are falling apart:

Even if it does seem to be the exception rather than the rule:

Door of the week? This one, probably:

Thursday Doors 5 July 2018
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Colourful
Posted on June 30, 2018
A colourful sample of the wild flowers mix that we sowed last year.

(Late this week; traveling)
The Swan
Posted on June 29, 2018
This swan was sailing, as majestically as only swans can, on the waterway that runs through the formal gardens of Chateau Villandry.

Thursday Doors: Nouic Gates
Posted on June 28, 2018
As promised, this week a selection of gates from the nearby village of Nouic.
A little poignant, this first one. That car has been sitting behind those rusting gates since before we moved to this area almost six years ago.

Next, two nicely matched gates from another empty house – although this one has just been occupied again.


A similar, if rather plainer, gate from just along the road:

And finally, two rather grander sets of gates from the area around the church:


Thursday Doors 28 June 2018
One Horse Or Two?
Posted on June 22, 2018
I took this photograph a couple of years ago at a ‘Spectacle’ featuring birds of prey in nearby St-Germain-de-Confolens.
The answer to the rhetorical question in the title is actually ‘two’, although the optical illusion is that it’s just a single horse, albeit one with a very long neck. Either way, I think the image is quite striking.






