A Few Days in Town

The view from the hotel bedroom window, the rooftops, zinc guttering and cooing pigeons reminded me of my time living in Paris.

We have been away for a few days, staying in the beautiful south western town of Pau.  It's only an hour from us but the reason we went was so that the menfolk could enjoy the Grand Prix de Pau Historique.  Pau and Monaco are the only street racing circuits still in existence in France.

A change is as good as a rest and it was lovely to wake up in the centre of a town, walk down the road and enjoy coffee and croissants at a pavement café however the weather was extremely fickle, I think we experienced everything bar snow! I forwent the races and concentrated on the shops and Pau has beautiful shops!  I tend to buy most things on-line these days but nothing beats browsing round a beautiful town, I walked round clad in high heeled ankle boots, that somehow feel wrong in May but ... with the weather. My feet were almost dropping off by the time I had finished. 

 My purchases included a new tote bag and these plimsolls, every Summer I invest in a pair, normally classic navy blue, this year I was thinking about Converse, all the well heeled ladies in Pau seemed to be wearing them, but I wore Converse when I was a teenager with drainpipe jeans and mohair jumpers, as soon as I clapped my eyes on these lavender Pataugas, I was sold, with a Summer holiday in Provence and Corsica looming, I just know they will get a lot of wear!

My new plimsolls

We are back home again now and typically the weather is beautiful, whilst we have been away things have been stirring in the garden.

White Clematis Montana clambering into the Neflier tree

White Bleeding Heart

Crusoe happy to be back home in his garden, taking a break before the next round of ball chasing and tackling anybody willing enough to run with his ball...Johnny Wilkinson, you have serious competition, Crusoe is available on most days to assist Rugby training, you kick he will bring the ball back every time...he is happy to do this for hours!

A quick stretch before the off!

The haze of White Wisteria on our balcony is coming into bloom

This creature is a Carpenter Bee, they are huge but harmless, you can't see here but their wings are iridescent and they are really rather beautiful, a friend of ours nicknamed it 'The Prada Bee'

 Prada Bee, photo from the internet

Because everything cannot be White... the First Rose in bloom, from the garden and yes the scent is sublime.

Designs on the Garden!

Been doing an awful lot of gardening over the past few days we have got it looking quite elegant now...

However there is a problem area...

We built the steps a few years ago, we have fed electric lines down but have never been quite sure what to do with it, MG started on a gravel path which you can hardly see now as it is obscured by weeds, even the weeds have weeds, it's been a wild flower meadow and there was talk of a pretty vegetable/salad garden with raised beds and gravel with a seating area, now it is sadly neglected and used as a garden dumping ground, we really need to get down there and strim the whole lot and then tackle the giant weeds but after working in the top garden we are often too tired.  Frankly I am at the stage where I would get a bulldozer in to clear and level it, and then...well I had something like this in mind...

Busy, Busy, Busy

I am still here, I have had an enforced blogging break due to household duties, another lot of Summer guests arrived yesterday and all week I have been frantically cleaning, ironing, gardening etc.. MG decided to replace the skirting boards in the guest kitchen, so he was trying to do that whilst running his business.  Yesterday was swelteringly hot MG strimmed and I mowed the lawn which was hard work in the heat we both had to take lot's of breaks for iced tea, then a general garden clean up before the guests arrived, job done... we were both exhausted.

 Photograph of moi, toiling with the mower

 MG went off to Belle Meres in Provence this morning as tomorrow she is moving into her new abode so he has gone armed with his tool box, ready to hang pictures, move furniture, lift heavy objects and do anything else you can think of to assist the moving in process. Crusoe and I are home alone and the weather has turned thundery; grey skies and constant drizzle, we are both feeling a bit flat.

I think I am going to cheer myself up by assuming the recovery position on the sofa to watch something feelgood, I will give Crusoe a pigs ear to nibble on, so that should sort him out.

Tomorrow, I am going to be busy again, I am off to the UK on Wednesday for a week, so I will have to start preparing, I am really looking forward to it, a few days in Yorkshire to visit friends and family, then I am taking my Mother off to London for two day's for a much needed city hit, The Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A, A visit to Leighton House Museum, Afternoon tea at The Wolsely and a trip to Liberty's are all on the agenda.

Crusoe is also going on a short break.  MG does not return until Friday, so he is going to stay with Mattie and Douglas his bosom border Collie buddies, their owners, close friends of ours, are into very long walks, so he will have lot's of fun.

I leave you with the spoils of all our hard work in the garden.

Clematis Jackmanii Superba

Flowers in bloom in front of the Gazebo

Closer

Even Closer

The Elderflower tree in blossom, It smells sublime, I have not even had time to make Elderflower Cordial, which I normally make every year it is delicious and tastes of late Spring

Picture and recipe for Elderflower Cordial Here

Hope you all have a fabulous week.

Lazy Bank Holiday Weekend

It's been a bank holiday weekend in France and the weather has been glorious.  We have been getting on with work in the garden, first chore though was to get some new chairs and visit the garden centre, this meant a trip to Pau, where all the big out of town stores are.

 No trip to Pau, would be complete without stopping off in the town centre for lunch, sadly no time for wondering round the more fashionable boutiques. We have plants to buy after lunch.

 We arrived at our favourite restaurant early, plenty of tables available, within half an hour it was full.

Quickly had a chance to snap this chocolate shoe, where would you start?

Unusual for France, no dogs allowed in this shop, we had to wait while MG nipped in for something, Crusoe always manages to settle in the most inconvenient spot.  

 Back home in the garden, out with the old...

In with the new.

 My latest Summer recipe, cucumbers, skinned, sliced in half and de-seeded, mixed with Greek yoghurt and cream cheese, seasoned to taste, garnished with chives and tomatoes from the garden, served with warm crusty bread.

Chives in bloom

 New trees to plant, a silver birch and a fig tree, looking forward to fresh ripe figs served with melting Brie cheese.

 Endless amounts of pots to fill......

 A quick progress inspection, peonies and roses about to burst into bloom.

 One has already opened.

 Ooh had not noticed these had bloomed, hidden at the bottom of the garden.

 Californian poppies, flourishing in the 'problem area'.

The next door neighbour was at it too, glimpsed through the trees on his sit on mower.

 We even got some plants for the fish, so they can get some shade when the sun gets fierce.

 MG continues while I pour wine.

Time to down tools.....

 And have a chilled, glass of Rose.

Crusoe has the right idea.

Chelsea Flower Show And The White Garden

The Chelsea Flower show In London will be on later this month, I will be glued to the television coverage.  Particular favourites are the big show gardens and the courtyard gardens.  Not to mention all the wonderful plants and flowers on display.

As I post this, designers, plants men, set builders and organisers will be at Chelsea preparing the thousands of exhibits that will be on show.

Every year one colour comes out on top, I wonder which colour it will be this year?

In honour of the impending show I have posted some photos of plants in our garden, I love this time of year, everything is white......

Clematis Montana sprawling over a fence

Pyracantha I love it just before it blossoms, It has clouds of fluffy white buds, and in Autumn it is covered in clusters of beautiful red berries

Spirea, elegantly drooping

White Wisteria, it smells divine

The lovely white pom poms of Boules de Neige

Pretty white Erigeron, the daisy like flowers

start to turn a shade of deep pink as Summer progresses

A Lone Lilly of the valley hiding in the Ivy

Philadelphus also known as Mock Orange, on warm evenings it's beautiful orange blossom fragrance can be detected some distance away