New Growth

If you’re ever short of a bay leaf, look no further…

Cellpic Sunday 5 May 2024

Cellpic Sunday: Fuchsia from below

I am generally terrible at recognising flowers. I know a rose when I see one, and I can spot a daffodil a mile off. Apart from those common examples I am more often than not on rather shaky ground.

However, I do know what a fuchsia looks like. This specimen was, quite literally, bought off the back of a van last Sunday morning in our local village and almost immediately installed in a hanging basket by Madame.

The only way of getting a decent shot of it in situ was to use the front camera on my iPhone from underneath. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this result. Bonus point if you spotted the snail.

Obviously there’s been some editing going on. Cropping, of course, plus lightening of the image, which was very dark due to having to have the phone pointing at the sky. I also tweaked the texture and clarity, all in Lightroom.

Cellpic Sunday 21 April 2024

Coming back to life

The crown of this London Plane tree is showing the first signs of new growth.

Cellpic Sunday 14 April 2024

Cellpic Sunday: The seat of power

This is the mairie (town hall) of our nearest town, Bellac. In France, even the smallest villages have their own mairie, but not many of them are as large or elegant as this. Our own local one is much more ‘functional’ – and smaller, unsurprisingly for a commune with a population of well under a thousand.

Cellpic Sunday 31 March 22024

Cellpic Sunday: A Busy Bee

Taking the nectar from a grape hyacinth…

Cellpic Sunday 24 March 2024

Cellpic Sunday: Double rainbow

Last weekend, I could hear the rain battering against the windows, but when I looked out, the sky was bright blue.

We all know what that means : rainbow. Or, in this case, a double rainbow.

Cellpic Sunday 17 March 2024

Cellpic Sunday: Another room with a view

During a recent visit to the UK we stayed at a hotel near St Pancras and Kings’ Cross stations. This is the rather unexpected view from our room.

I cropped the original to establish some symmetry between the two walls and darkened the shadows on the left one for a more pleasing contrast.

Cellpic Sunday 10 March 2024

Cellpic Sunday: A Menacing Murmuration

Of late, an entire murmuration of starlings seems to have taken up residence in the trees in one of our fields. Obviously they’re harmless, but when they’re perched on every available branch, just looking at you, they do impart an air of menace.

Cellpic Sunday 18 February 2024

Cellpic Sunday: Mossy

Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but there seems to be more moss than usual at this time of year, perhaps accounted for by the very wet winter we’ve had.

Cellpic Sunday 4 February 2024

Cellpic Sunday: The Uninvited Guest

As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, out here in the sticks we are surrounded by sheep. They easily outnumber the human population, not only of our commune but all those for miles around.

The nearest sheep to our house are actually just across the road – a small flock of about a dozen that belong to our neighbour. This ewe must have been feeling particularly adventurous, because it somehow slipped through the gate or over the fence (or under – they can be quite enterprising sometimes, although mostly they’re just terminally thick) and came trotting down the side of our house. She cropped some grass and then turned round and went back home.

Cellpic Sunday 28 January 2024