APRIL 2012

Some of the wild flowers that bloom for a long time here in the mild climate. Juliet came to visit and we walked and collected a bunch, I think she was quite surprised at the different varieties we collected in a short time.

A picture for Easter.

 

Soon the blue flowers start to open and these are 3 of my favourites.

 

I love the fresh green leaves when they start to appear and the red robin never fails to please with it's red leaves, also very popular with the greenfly!

 

 

Typical spring weather and the swallows returned on the same day as last year.

I'm writing this on new year's eve with the rain beating on the windows and dreaming of better weather which must come soon, please!!

 

 

March into April

 



I had quite a bit of fun deciding what to put on the weather square each day, it looks like we had some sun at the end of March!

 

My magnolia tree started to bloom and I went out every day to draw this flower as it opened.

 

 

It lasted a few weeks before fading.

 

 

I had wanted to draw the seeds when they appeared but the wind and rain soon destroyed them!

 

This was a special week for Joanna as well as very colourful in the garden.

 

MARCH 2012

 

It's Christmas Eve and pouring with rain and blowing a hooley!  We're warm inside dreaming of Spring as well as a white Christmas.

 

We get a lot of wild flowers here blooming early in the lanes.

 

 

One of my favourite walks to the port.

 

These grow in a lovely shady glade by a lavoir, a spring which used to be used for washing and collecting fresh water.

 

 

 



 

Many of the plants in our garden were given to us by family and friends.  This prunus tree struggles in the salty air but we look after it anyway for Mum.

 

The weather here is varied thanks to the proximity of the sea and we always feel the sea breeze as soon as it starts because we live on top of the hill!

 

We walk to the port every Saturday to collect our bread and have a rosé in the café du port with our friends.  I picked this bunch of wild flowers on the back up the hill.

 

 

A few more gift plants, the hebe from Rex loves it here and needs to be cut back every couple of years otherwise it would take over the garden!







JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2012

 

This fragrant narcissus pops up every year in the garden.  The bulb was originally given to us for Christmas a few years ago by Chris and Brenda.

 

 

We enjoy walking whenever we can especially as we have many lanes around us without having to walk along roads.

 

 

I always come home with a handful of flowers and leave to draw.

 

 

February is a fantastic time to see Camellias here thanks to the mild climate.

 

We have a mimosa tree which grows like a weed and is covered with lovely scented flowers.  Unfortunately it grows so tall that it gets damaged in the strong winds we often get here.

 

Another gift from the family, Justine gave me one of her Hellebores which always delights me when it appears in February.

 

 

 

 

NATURE JOURNAL 2012

 

It's time I started to post on my blog, originally created when I was invited to join the Nature Sketchers group.  I've been so busy drawing and sketching and enjoying life that there hasn't been time to sit at the computer as well! 

I decided to start a nature journal of my own after Juliet gave me a copy of the country diary of an Edwardian Lady. 

 

I wanted to try and record everything that grows in and around my garden here in France. I couldn't wait until the new year and got started on the winter equinox 21st December 2011.

 

 

Even in midwinter there is colour from the camellias and azaleas.

 

 

My plan was also to try and record the weather conditions on the page opposite the flower drawings, but at this time of the year they were rather dull so not worth scanning!

 

           Spring came early this year with these flowers already showing themselves in January.