Chicks, churches, cattle and rocks

There was quite a stiff breeze this morning and I was worried about the chicks who had spent their first night out in the house in the rabbit run. I was relieved to find, when I lifted the lid to their house, that they all felt warm. The lid is well insulated with filled aluminium foil house insulation and obviously does its job well.

Having taken the chitted potates up to the field to be planted by my friend, I drove off in the Land Rover to Callac. The sun was now out and the temperature was rising quickly. It was the first time I’d driven the Land Rover since the snow came in November last year, and it seemed strange being so high up and being able to see over the hedges. It’s always difficult to start in the cold weather, but it finally spluttered into life and wasn’t a problem at all after that.

 

I was meeting someone of the expat website here, who was giving away classical CDs, and had arranged to meet her in the large car park in front of the church in Callac. I arrived early and went to the boulangerie to get a pain au raisin and a loaf of bread. The flowers by the bakers were so lovely.

I waited in the car park, for a green Toyota Yaris to arrive.  I was glad I'd taken my Book Club book to read as time was passing and still no sign of the car.  Twenty-five minutes after we should have met, I started to drive round the car park in case I'd missed the vendor, and I had.  Her green car was so dark I hadn't spotted it arriving as it looked almost black.  She handed over the CDs, loads of them and a couple of books.  They're mostly classical and I'll probably keep them for playing in the car.

We had met before in the same place when I'd answered an advert for books and recognised each other immediately.


On the way back I stopped at a couple of churches.  I love the spires here, which are usually very decorated and the bell towers too.  The first is the church at St Saveur and the second, at Mael Pestivien.

These lovely cattle were relaxing in the sunshine and I couldn't resist taking photos of them.

I think this one was saying a few words to me.

I drove past the barrage at Kerne Uhel and took several photos, but my favourite was this one with a rock in the water.  I also took this a little further along the road of rocks in a field.  The sunshine was making everything so beautiful.

Some of the rocks in the fields are so large that the farmers leave them in the ground and plough round them.  They are a little like icebergs with a lot that you can't see, below the surface.

Back in the village and I noticed how M&V have a lawn of beautiful yellow dandelions.  My rabbits would have a field day over there.  As it is, they make do with me picking loads of them each morning for them.

As I walked along the lane taking photographs, I started talking to P&C whose wallflowers have a wonderful scent which drifts over the wall to meet you.

We sat down in their garden chatting and drinking a lovely cool glass or two of Rosé.  It was so hot, and I was sitting at an angle to the sun.  The south facing side of my face is seriously red.

I came back home to compost filled empty blue terrace pots -  just waiting for something good to to planted in them.

Mothering Sunday, various plants and animals

It's Mothering Sunday today, and I had received two cards to open on the day from Libby and Matthew, before they each 'phoned to give me their good wishes.  I spent part of the morning with friends at Bon Repos, where there is a very small market and a café from which we could watch the world go by.  I love people watching!  It was chillier than I would have liked, but the coffee was hot and the company good. 

The warm weather of the last few weeks has started everything bursting into flower.  Some of these are in my garden, like the saxifrage, myosotis and wisteria below.

The blackthorn blossom is everywhere now, the pretty little white flowers which will become sloes in the Autumn/Fall.

It's great to see the vine leaves sprouting and makes me think of the sweet fruit I shall have later in the year.

The muscari, or grape hyacinth are in the lane along my Breton neighbour's verge and are the most gorgeous shade of blue.

I drove round the lanes yesterday afternoon and stopped to take a photo of these bullocks.  I wonder if my neck will get this wrinkled after I lose a lot of weight after my mini gastric bypass.

Daisy has still managed to keep her collar on and it doesn't seem to bother her at all now.  She's also still managing to stop me working on the laptop.

My three rabbits, Bert, Ruby and Boris enjoying freshly picked dandelions from the lane.

Soon the rabbits will be joined in their run, on a temporary basis by the chicks which have now reached nearly four weeks old.  I have five younger chicks with them in the heated container and it's getting a bit overcrowded now they're all growing so fast.  Now that the weather is warmer, I shall put them in a run of their own with a little house attached and they'll get used to being outside in safety, out of the reach of the cats.