Flowers and growing chicks

The incredibly warm weather has really brought on the flowers in the garden and in the countryside.   The red hot pokers, I only bought a few weeks ago and it's lovely to see them in the border.

I have delphiniums just outside my sitting room window and like the budded stem below after a shower of rain.

The two clematis both grow up the same leg of my pergola.  The red one is Westenplatt which I planted last year.  I love the deep red of it.

The chicken and chicks are still in their little run in the rabbit park.  They are growing fast and now have the beginnings of their proper plumage.

In the lane outside my house there are baby horse chestnuts on the tree and my neighbours wonderful irises, which grow in the verges around their house.

On the way to bowls this morning the steam was coming off the fields as the day warmed up after a damp night.  My team won the game this morning, but it was a very close thing which always makes for a good time.

On the way home, I parked the car to have a closer look at the river weed which is in flower at the moment and looks amazing.

There were groups of wild white Marguerites along the banks and verges and I love the yellow centre with its swirls and patterns.  There were lots of insects on the blooms, but I'm not sure what they are.

And, last of all for today was a lovely patch of poppies in one of the fields I passed on the way back into St Nicolas du Pelem.  They're such ephemeral flowers and so lovely.

Wonderful April Weather

The weather here in Brittany has been absolutely incredible during April.  We have had barely any rain in April - I can't remember it raining at all.  The downside, as there always is one of course, has been that the water collected in containers on the field, where there is no mains connection, was getting worryingly low.  The temperatures have been in the mid to high twenties and even reaching the low thirties some days - July weather really.   

However, now we're in May and the weather has changed.  We have had bouts of torrential rain amongst the hot and sunny times.  The containers are all practically full again and I have stopped worrying.  The other upside of the rain is that I am no longer having to water the outside plants.  It's only the polytunnel that needs my attention and there aren't many plants in there at the moment.  All the animal water containers get filled by the rain and I'm only topping up the hen and chick container which is under cover so the rain doesn't reach it.

Nearly a disaster last night.  I went up to the field to put away the hens, ducks and chicks.  I started with the chicks.  None were still out in the hen area, so I shut their house/run door and concentrated on getting the last of the ducks in.  One duck has weak legs and can't manage the jump from the ground into the barn.  She sits at the doorway quacking and quacking, trying to attract the foxes, until I carry her into the hen/duck house for the night.   Tomorrow I will make sure another piece of wood is placed next to the barn to act as a step for her.  This morning I drove to the field to let everyone out for the day and surprise, surprise, there were eight chicks already out.  I checked all around their run and house - no gaps.  Then it started to pour with rain.  Two chicks ran straight into the old quail house and sheltered there.  I realised that last night the rebel eight were not in their own house, but had chosen the quail house for the night.  The door had not been closed and they could have been taken by the fox.  Relief all round and now I have decided that they could sleep in there in future as it's a bigger house, so tomorrow I shall put a locking door on it so they will be safe.  Phew!

My oldest son came out from England on Friday evening to stay for twenty-fours hours and in spite of the rain we had a good catch up and went out on Saturday for a lovely lunch to Le Pelinec in Canihuel, my favourite restaurant.   He had brought out my usual laptop which he had been repairing, but left some of the bits in his office, so had to take it back to the UK again - boys!  I can't edit my photos without it, so won't post any until I get it back.

Sunday morning, I went to meet some girlfriends at the cafe at Bon Repos.  Somehow luck was with us, and as we sat outside, chatting and people watching we had a whole hour of sunshine.  Afterwards, I drove to Silfiac where there was a plant and craft sale.  I succumbed to a pumpkin plant and to Crocosmia Lucifer, Alchemilla Mollis, Shasta Daisy and Coreopsis plants, and inside the hall I bought three books for a euro, one for me and two for my grandson.   So a good haul and a pleasant drive back.