Colour in the courtyard...in the middle of November.

 The recent spell of fine weather has meant our courtyard here at our house in La Guerche, has decided to bring back some coulour to us to brighten up November,

Highlighting hydrangeas...

 

Wednesday is for windows...family,friends and flowers.

 

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family on Pauline's birthday ours at the Old Walnut Mill are currently adorned with these beautiful bouquets.

Welcoming spring...

A friend made up this spring bouquet for us...easy when you know what you are doing.

February flower

Camellia is flowering in the garden at the Old Walnut Mill.

So you sow some wild flower seeds...

This was one of two of these plants that surfaced in the back garden of the Old Walnut Mill after sowing a 'wild flower mix'. Any ideas as to what it is?

Bloomin' 'eck...

Great to see the flowers still blooming into October these are of Abilly's 'wall flowers' and bridge.   

Cutting and wall flowers...

Pauline's efforts in the garden have again rewarded us with cutting flowers for our rental houses for most of the season. which is a big saving as here in France they can be tres cher...

...and the gardeners in Abilly have again come up trumps with their wall display - this is how they were looking just the other day. They obviously have a good team as the villages displays are always great - you should also check out their display as you come of the Descartes/Barrou road - I'm always admiring and driving past before I think to snap it.

It was always going to be pretty...

Back in June I showed this wall of flowers in the village of Abilly here in the Loire Valley...

Here is the wall yesterday- looking good.

Sometimes you just have to stop...

Wild flowers between Barrou and Le Grand Pressigny (2012).

Barrou in bloom!...

The label 'Ville Fleurie' has been around since 1959 here in France and is given to towns and villages who satisfy the necessary criteria of making their environment more attractive both for their own residents and for visiting tourists - this normally involves a lot of hanging baskets and troughs overflowing with multi-coloured blooms.There is a rating of one to four flowers but as with many things over here it does not always follow that a four 'fleurie' town or village is 4 times as attractive, indeed we have visited a few lower rated towns that are way ahead of many of their higher rated rivals.

Barrou has no rating but the guys who look after our village work very hard at keeping it tidy and attractive to visitors  this year they tried something a little different. On probably the least attractive corner of the village they have spelled out the village name in flowers - unfortunately it will not be immediately obvious to people driving past but they have to be commended for their efforts.

Perhaps the best way to appreciate their work might be to take a flight aboard our latest piece of local entrepreneurial flight of fancy at http://air-lae.blogspot.fr/

Cut flowers...

What has happened to the flowers in Le Grand Pressigny? They are a poor show if  you compare this years meagre display to that of previous years. They were always such a welcoming sight.

Perhaps Europe's austerity measures have reached rural France - or is it just a local problem?                     The neighbouring village of Abilly doesn't seem to have been effected...

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They (LGP) have admittedly more to cover now they have transformed the waste-ground just over the bridge to a picnic area but just the same..