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Saturday, February 16, 2019

Spring once again

French Village Diaries signs of spring
Golden hazel catkins in the orchard
The change in the weather from winter to spring makes me very happy, so imagine my delight when this week all the signs of spring I eagerly look out for seem to have come at once. 

The wind and rain of last week have become frosty mornings that have given way to blue sky and warm sunshine, meaning wash load after wash load, day after day, have dried outside. This along with my super new washing machine, (who knew they had become so big, so fast and so quiet in the last 14 years) means I finally cleared the heap of non-essentials that have been festering in the laundry room since autumn. 

This week the goose, the ducks and the chickens have all started laying again, which for birds who are past their prime, (Brucie the goose will be ten this spring), is more than I could have expected at the first sign of warmer weather. Now I am flush with eggs once more, I’ve made my first quiche that I enjoyed with salad, on a little bistro table that I dusted off and set up outside the kitchen door.

The orchard is also coming to life; the hazel catkins are dangling like gold in the sun and the wild orchids are pushing through the grass. The first daffodils have ripe buds that will be in flower very soon and our resident Little Owls are busy (and noisy) day and night, preparing for the breeding season, I assume. Every trip out there reminds me of the work that needs tackling now the earth is warming up.

French Village Diaries signs of spring
From a dog walk
Whenever I am outside, in the garden, walking the dog or out on my bike, my eyes are drawn up to the sky and my ears are listening for unmistakable sound of the migrating cranes. Yesterday, although not close enough to photograph, I heard and then spotted my first V of birds heading north, a sure sign spring really will be here soon.

French Village Diaries signs of spring
Open skies on a bike ride
There is energy and new life to be felt everywhere making me feel more alive and that I must get out and enjoy it. I have now completed 300kms of my 2019kms cycling challenge, including 50kms this week out by myself. This might not seem like much, but to me it is a huge achievement. Not since 2014, when my epilepsy came back to kick me in the teeth, have I got on my bike without Adrian by my side (or rather somewhere out in front, but with me none the less). I’m not taking unnecessary risks, but I'm becoming bolder and refuse to let it beat me. 

French Village Diaries signs of spring cycling the canal de la Garonne Bordeaux to Toulouse
Planning - cycling the canal de la Garonne
We are also busy planning (and training for) the first of our 2019 adventures that will not only give me an overnight stop in Bordeaux, something I have wanted for a long time, but also another cycling touring holiday and at last, my first visit to the city of Toulouse. I can’t wait, but I do hope the weather will be kind to us as everything seems so much easier to cope with if served with a generous helping of sunshine.


6 comments:

  1. What an inspiring post! Spring can do that to us, for sure. However, your whole attitude towards the life springing forth in your garden, orchard and henhouse as well as your positivity over health challenges is a tonic for us all. En avant!

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  2. Bravo! Good for you for riding so much.

    It's nice to know that the weather is getting better. We arrive in St-Rémy next month and are looking forward to riding in the Alpilles.

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    1. Have a super time in St-Remy - the Alpilles are gorgeous, but a little steeper than where I live and cycle.

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  3. The travel makes you able to have the joy of the every moment of life. This will make you able to have the joy of the different type of things. This will also give you the chhance to experience so many new things.

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