petit pica: spring

Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts

19 March 2014

A trip to market...

Our local market is very different at this time of year...

no tourist souvenirs, just local stalls nestling together

under the 15th century halle (covered market place) & around the square...

selling lots of lovely produce,

like this wonderful selection of cheese...

home-made tarts & preserves...

local wines & vegetables...

garlic from Toulouse...

juicy tomatoes from Marmande...

delicious clementines from just over the Spanish border...

look at this little fellow is sitting cosily, waiting patiently to go home...

This bush is wonderful at the moment, such a lovely splash of colour & buzzing with bees...

3 March 2014

What a wet winter we've been having! Water everywhere, but our area is not as bad as others in France & the U.K. While walking the dogs today, it was evident how much rain we've had; so many fields were water logged.

Despite all the wind & rain, spring is starting to emerge in the hedgerows...

Our walk takes us through an pretty little hamlet with a secret garden...

& old covered well...

hidden treasures...

& two ancient towers, one a ruin...

the other restored...

The light is wonderful at the moment - when the sun is shining! Colours seem to really be bright, like the turquoise blue of this old copper...

or the lichen on the walls...

this yellow was so bright, it looked like gold glinting in the sun...

Spring must be on it's way as les grues (cranes) flew over this week...

12 May 2013

And they call it puppy love...


April showers bring May flowers...	source

Well, let's hope May is full of sunshine and flowers. We've had some lovely warm weather, really uplifting. Everywhere you look there is blossom on the trees & wonderful scent in the air.
Finally Spring is here...YAY!

Peanut (Del-Boy) & Harley (Ned) as they were advertised on the Phoenix site

As you will know, Kelly & I have adopted a couple of puppies. Would you like to know more about them? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway! After such an awful start in life, they have both settled very well in to their new homes. Both are a delight and sometimes very mischievous!

The first puppy was Peanut...

He's growing up fast...

Peanut was born in the middle of December. He was abandoned with his brother in a bag near a gypsy camp. They were very under nourished and had to be fed four times a day to begin with. It was love at first site when Kelly saw him on the Phoenix website, & even named him Peanut as his head looked like a peanut! But when they enquired, they were told he had already been adopted. However, a week later fate dealt a lucky card as they received a call to say he had been returned to the centre & was available for adoption again. They collected him the same day & introduced him to his new home. He bounced around like a lamb with his big gangly legs, so adorable. He has big floppy ears which sometimes flop together in the middle and big black eyes which completely define the saying "puppy dog eyes".

He LOVES sunbathing in the garden!

Next came Harley...

He's changed so much the few weeks we've had him...

Harley was dumped in a dustbin at a village déchetterie (waste dump) with his two brothers & three sisters. It was the end of January and very cold. They were estimated to be just two weeks old, riddled with worms & very poorly. With careful nurturing by the wonderful people at Phoenix, they all survived. We called our pup, Harley; after the UK rugby union team, Harlequins. It was the only name we could all agree on! Although we liked the full name, it was decided it was just little too long, so Harley it was. We had a little wait before we could bring him home but when he finally arrived, he was a little bundle of joy, so playful and with a sweet nature. He's fitting in so well with the family, it feels like we've had him more than just a few weeks.