A walk around the block

This post should really come after our long weekend getting acquainted with the Motorhome, but I've yet to sort the photos so that will come next. After putting it away in its rented garage on Monday, the sun was shining, the weather was cold but lovely, so I felt inspired to take my camera and go for a walk, rather than start some gardening in the late-ish afternoon.

I surprised my OH after I came home as I mentioned things I'd seen and where I'd seen them, as he hadn't realised I meant I was actually going round the block (as in turn right going out of the house and keep turning right (or vice versa) until one arrives back at the house again). He thought I was just going for a potter up the road and back again! I surprised myself too for having the motivation to get out in the fresh air and away from the house. The walk takes about an hour when you are walking at middling pace and taking lots of photos. It was great to get some exercise and I felt really good in myself for having done this. 

Looking back towards my property which is where all the trees are.

Everything is starting to turn yellow - I thought these fields had been planted with a yellow flowered mustard which is a green manure, but now think this is the rape crop, but very early this year, like everything else!

Still a few holly berries on this bush.

This is the Melodious Warbler Walk! Looking very different as the verges and ditches have been cut and cleared of all the brambles and vegetation which was going a bit crazy and swamping the place by late summer. This will be great for the wildflowers in the spring (and butterflies) which I am looking forward to seeing, as I only started checking this place out last summer. On the other hand, cutting down the vegetation is apparently not good for the Wasp Spiders' egg sacs which must have been destroyed, yet they seemed to be abundant here. Again, it will be interesting to see if they are around this year because if so, that means that the cutting back of vegetation has not affected their ability to reproduce.

A lifer bird! At first I thought it was a discarded bucket, as they were near the entrance to a field where dairy cattle go in and out. When I looked through my camera lens I could see there were two birds, one hiding behind the other. They are so cute - I've seen Red Legged Partridges before but never a Grey Partridge. They stood still looking at me for quite a while until I tried to get a little closer, and then of course they ran off!

We've noticed this year that gorse is doing really well and is in full flower everywhere.

There are lots of primroses flowering on the banks.

This umbellifer is a bit previous - I think it's Hogweed but can't be sure.

The only people I met were my neighbours, Armand and Marie-Jo, who walk this route often for exercise. I'd get bored doing the same route over and over. As you can see from Armand's lack of hands, it was rather cold and fresh!

Beside a farm there was a hedge of flowering currants.

Typical Breton winter scenery - strangely pruned trees although these ones are covered in ivy.

Coming back into the hamlet.

The oldest of the two manor houses in the hamlet. Parts of this one date back to the 1500s.

A view of my house and the back of the barn and chicken/duck sheds from across the field.

As I rounded the corner to come back to my house I noticed the lambs in the paddock on the corner. As I stood taking photos they started gambolling towards me, mother bleating, until they all arrived at the fence, bleating like crazy. Of course they wanted food!!

Home Sweet Home - I've nearly finished tidying this front bed and spreading compost. The Euphorbia characias is looking stunning already.

I feel I can't not mention the very sudden sad loss of a fellow blogger who despite never having met, I would like to call a friend. She commented on all my posts and vice versa. She and her husband moved to Bulgaria three years ago to start a smallholding there.... Sara's husband Dave has said he will keep the blog "NEW START, NEW LIFE IN BULGARIA" going in her memory.

http://debrazzaman.blogspot.fr/2016/03/and-so-life-goes-on.html