Book review of Dancing With Paris by Juliette Sobanet

This week for Book Worm Wednesday I am taking part in a virtual book tour and giveaway via France Book Tours for Juliette Sobanet’s latest novel Dancing with Paris (A Paris Time Travel Romance) and I am delighted to have three ebook copies of this book to giveaway. To enter just email Frenchvillagediaries@gmail.com with Dancing with Paris as the email subject before 14^th August. Good luck. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW FINISHED

Dancing with Paris Synopsis

In Paris, a past life promises a second chance at love.

Straitlaced marriage therapist Claudia Davis had a plan—and it definitely did not involve getting pregnant from a one-night stand or falling for a gorgeous French actor. She thinks her life can’t possibly get more complicated. But when Claudia takes a tumble in her grandmother’s San Diego dance studio, she awakens in 1950s Paris in the body of Ruby Kerrigan, the glamorous star of a risqué cabaret—and the number-one suspect in the gruesome murder of a fellow dancer. As past lives go, it’s a doozy…especially when an encounter with a handsome and mysterious French doctor ignites a fire in Claudia’s sinfully beautiful new body.

But time, for all its twists and turns, is not on her side: Claudia has just five days to unmask the true killer, clear Ruby’s name, and return to the twenty-first century. To do so, she must make an impossible choice, one that will change the course of both of her lives forever.

-Amount of sex/violence: This book is a romance novel with time travel and murder mystery elements. There are two sex scenes and a few light murder scenes in the novel. There is a great deal of description of 1950s Paris as well.

            

My review

Life for Claudia in modern day Los Angeles is complex. Her father was killed when she was a child, an event she will never get over and one her mother still seems to blame her for. She discovers the father of her unborn child is already married, then that her sexy dance partner (with whom sparks fly) has also just got engaged. After a fall she wakes up to find life is about to get more complex than ever. Claudia finds herself in Paris, in 1959, and in the body of a dancer called Ruby, who is a past life version of herself. She has been given the task to put right some wrongs, but the consequences of her actions will have a lasting impact on Ruby’s life, Claudia’s life and the lives of those around her. With a foggy memory of events and little guidance, can she make better decisions this time around?

This is one of those books that keeps leading you in different directions so you have no idea where it will be when it ends, although happily ever after is what you keep hoping for, but is that possible for both Ruby and for Claudia? I loved Juliette’s descriptions of Paris and as in her previous novels her love of the city shines through. Time travel and romance entwined across the ages is not an easy subject to write about and make it seem believable, but from the beginning I was intrigued enough to keep reading and it worked for me. Juliette never fails to deliver on the girlie romance side of things.

Juliette Sobanet earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from New York University in France, living and studying in both Lyon and Paris. She worked as a French professor before turning a new page in her career, penning romantic women’s fiction with a French twist. She is the author of Sleeping with Paris (A Paris Romance) , Kissed in Paris (A Paris Romance) , Midnight Train to Paris (A Paris Time Travel Romance) , Dancing with Paris (A Paris Time Travel Romance)  and the upcoming Honeymoon in Paris (A Paris Romance) . Today she lives with her husband and two cats in San Diego, where she devotes her time to writing and dreaming about her next trip to France. You can read my reviews of Juliette’s first two books here and here and my France et Moi interview with her here.

This book is published by Amazon Publishing/Montlake Romance and is available from Amazon worldwide and the link to Amazon UK is below.

Website: www.juliettesobanet.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulietteSobanet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulietteSobanet

Silent Sunday

Today I thought I would share some pictures from our cycle days on the Charente Maritime coast.

Fishing huts near Tallmont sur Gironde

The maritime cemetery at Tallmont sur Gironde

Tallmont sur Gironde

Vineyards on the Gironde estuary

Ile d'Oleron

Fort Boyard from Ile d'Oleron

St Martin de Ré

The bridge to Ile de Ré

France et Moi with author Karen Wheeler

Welcome to 'France et Moi' where this week I am talking to author Karen Wheeler about what France means to her.

Karen Wheeler is the author of three books about her life in France, including Tout Soul: The Pursuit of Happiness in Rural France . Her latest book The Marie Antoinette Diet: Eat Cake and Still Lose Weight is currently available from Amazon as an e-book. She can be found at ToutSweet.net and on Twitter as @mimipompom1 You can read my review of her first book, Tout Sweet: Hanging Up my High Heels for a New Life in France here. 


Firstly, I think France is a special place and it is famed for many things including its cheese, wine and diverse holiday locations plus, dare I say it strikes and dog poo littered streets. What do you think makes France so very unique and ‘French’?

Karen: The sunsets, peeling paint (I love to see a house in need of renovation), smiling sunflowers and unspoilt countryside.

2) What is your first memory of a trip to France?

Karen: Being blown away by the grandeur of the Palace of Versailles on a school trip, aged 14. As a kid, I was desperate to learn French.

3) When you first moved to France what was the best thing about being immersed in French life and the scariest thing?

Karen: I love all the clichés – the smell of sugar and dough as you pass the boulangerie; a cluster of French flags fluttering outside the mairie. The scariest thing was not knowing anyone when I arrived.

4) Do you have any embarrassing language mishaps you are happy to share?

Karen: I once asked my plumber to send me a postman (facteur) rather than a bill (facture). I’m sure there have been more embarrassing things than that but I don’t recall them.

5) I have to ask you about French women, what do you think makes them different to us and gives them that je ne sais quoi?

Karen: I think they have a savoir-faire, particularly when it comes to food and entertaining, that is very hard to emulate – you either have it or you don’t.

6) In your new book The Marie Antoinette Diet: Eat Cake and Still Lose Weight , you promise we can learn from the French, loose weight and eat our cake. Without giving away too much is there a top tip you can share here?

Karen: I’ll give you a few : eat soup for dinner, ideally a bone broth (there is an 18th-century recipe in my book) as it is good for the bones, digestion and your overall health and energy levels. Eat butter rather than low-fat spreads or margarines; and if you’re going to eat cake, eat it early in the day and make sure it is homemade. 

FVD: sounds like the perfect diet for me then, Fat Free Cherry Cake and Courgette soup here I come.

7) Imagine you are sitting outside a French café at 10.00am on a sunny morning watching the world go by, what do you order from the waiter?

Karen: A café creme. Or a Perrier with a dash of strawberry syrup. To be honest there isn’t much else you can order at my local French café.

8) France has many different cheeses, a silly question, but which French cheese are you? A hard and mature Tome, a soft, fresh and lively goat cheese, the creamy and rich Camembert or maybe the salty and serious Roquefort?

Karen: Can I be a butter instead? I’m not really into fromage but I do love all the artisanal butters out here. I’d like to be an Echire butter. According to one website, it is ‘top quality, best in class, ... divine.’ Who wouldn’t want to be described like that?

9) Can you describe your perfect French apero for us - the drink, the nibbles, the location and the company?

Karen: Soupe de champagne and homemade chicken liver paté on Poilane bread in my courtyard garden (pic attached). The company would be a mix of French and British friends, and of course the love of my life – my little dog Biff.

10) Do you have any current projects you would like to tell my readers about?

Karen: I’m writing the fourth book in the Tout series, Sweet Encore, and after that I have an idea for a novel that I’m very excited about and cannot wait to get started on. 

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about France and you.

Book review of Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

Half Blood Blues: From Berlin to Paris. Two Friends. One Betrayal by Esi Edugyan tells the story of three black jazz musicians who find themselves in Berlin at the beginning of the Second World War. They manage to escape to Paris where they make contact with Louis Armstrong, but their relief is short lived as France declares itself at war too. Our narrator Sid and his childhood friend Chip are American so return visas are a possibility, but the young genius among them ‘the kid’ Hieronymous Falk is a black half German and the friends can’t leave him.

The books jumps back and forward in time between the 40’s and the 90’s, tantalisingly giving you bits of the story, but never everything until the end. It has to be one of the most powerful descriptions of the Paris occupation I have ever read, as well as being a story of the ups and downs of friendship, the good natured banter over the years but also the darker side of jealousy and betrayal. It was very different to my usual uplifting and lighthearted books set in France, but certainly something that made me think. With lots of themes running through the book, jazz music, war, race and friendship it is quite full and complex too.

I will admit that it took me a while to become comfortable with the way this novel is written. Told through the voice of Sid it is written in a black slang dialect that didn’t flow in my head the way English does, but did make for a far more realistic read. However it also made it a slower read than my normal books.

This book is published by Serpent’s Tail and available in both paperback and ebook. Links to Amazon can be found below. I read this book as part of a review for the website Trip Fiction who highlight books set all over the world, ideal for the armchair traveller.

For more ideas on summer reading see here.

Summer Kindle madness

I am a regular trawler through the Amazon.co.uk site for Kindle bargains and freebies for books set in France or with a French theme. It seems there is a summer reading sale on as many of my favourites have been reduced in price, although as these prices will probably not stay low forever I thought it was worth highlighting a few here. At the time of writing, these books are all priced at less then £3 and I've either read and enjoyed them, or they are on my to read list. If I've read them I have included a link to my review. Although the Amazon links are to the .co.uk site the price is also likely to be reduced on the .com and .fr sites too. Please note these prices may be subject to change.

Two Lipsticks and a Lover: A Year in Suspenders by Helena Frith Powell is on my to read list and is described as 'a smart and witty investigation of French chic and that certain je ne sais quoi'. This book is currently priced at 99p

Swallows & Robins - The Guests In My Garden by Susie Kelly is a very funny account of the years she ran holiday gites in the cottages in her garden in France. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.50

Head Over Heels in France: Falling in Love in the Lot by Samantha Brick is an open and honest book about a life that didn't go to plan, but did lead to a chance meeting with a Frenchman that brought with it the possibility of a new and totally different life in France. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.99

A la Mod: My So-Called Tranquil Family Life in Rural France by Ian Moore is a very funny look at family and animal life in rural France. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.99

Serge Bastarde Ate My Baguette: On the Road in the Real Rural France by John Dummer is on my to read list, but as I thoroughly enjoyed book two in this series I'm sure this is just as funny. John's life as a trader in the French brocante markets is never dull when his mate Serge Bastarde is on hand to lead him astray. This book is currently priced at £1.53

The French for Love by Fiona Valpy is another novel on my to read list this summer. When Gina loses everything she decides to set off for France to the house she inherited from her aunt. But can she overcome the issues and language barrier to make her French dream come true? This book is currently priced at £1.52

Grape Expectations: A Family's Vineyard Adventure in France by Caro Feely is the story of her move to France, with her husband and two young children to run an organic vineyard. This is an honest account of the good and the bad, but there is one thing they are not short of and that is passion and enthusiasm. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.99

Tout Sweet: Hanging Up my High Heels for a New Life in France by Karen Wheeler is a very readable book about a single woman moving from the fashion world in London to rural France, alone. The French think she is mad, she meets a pretty mad set of expats and the experience changes her forever. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.99

The Chapel in the Woods by Susan Louineau is an intriguing read from the beginning with three stories set in the same village in the Loire, but at three different periods in time. As the stories unfurl we see links between the past and present so the more I read the more I was gripped. You can read my review here. This book is currently priced at £2.03

Midnight Train to Paris by Juliette Sobanet is the only one of her four romance novels that I haven't yet read. As I have enjoyed the others I'm sure this one will be great too. This book is currently priced at 99p

The Hairy Hikers: A Coast-to-Coast Trek along the French Pyrenees by David Le Vey is on my to read list and looks to be a humorous account of two friends midlife crisis journey on foot across the Pyrenees. This book is currently priced at £2.99

baguettes and bicycles: a cycling adventure across France by Steven Herrick is described as 'a journey across France on a bicycle, meeting the locals and savouring the pleasures of French food', well all I can say is 'how come I haven't already read this one?' This book is currently priced at £1.94

Happy summer holiday reading.

Summer madness

Ile d'Oleron

We have had a mad few weeks that if I’m honest have seen me turn a little feral. Firstly the weather has been great with days and days of unbroken sunshine and high temperatures that had many (but not us) complaining about la canicule or heatwave. This last week, great became mad with the weather swinging from extreme heat and sun to violent storms, winds and rain and back again more times than I can remember. We were very lucky; with only a few short power outages and one tasty plum tree lost we can’t really complain at all, many others were not so fortunate.

We have used our time without Ed to really push the limits on our bikes and with the soaring temperatures many references have been made to us being mad. Ed loves his days out on the bikes too, but like any normal 12 year old he doesn’t want to spend every day cycling with his parents, so we have clocked up some kilometres without him. So far in the last two and half weeks, we have cycled 640km, an equivalent distance of London to Edinburgh or London to Paris and back again and have seen some really lovely places in this beautiful area. We have called it our ‘stay at home cyclation’, but time out on the bikes has meant certain things have slipped. Our ‘rest days’ at home have been spent catching up with the courgette cooking, baking and finding interesting things to do with the fruit and veggie harvests, which has left little time for housework, ironing or weeding. My normal attitude to housework could be described as ‘relaxed’ but has now descended to a whole new level of yukiness. The heat, the lack of visitors and the fact we haven’t really been here have all contributed to this. Sadly it is not just the house, as standards have slipped on a personal level too and I can’t remember the last time I used my hairdryer to ‘style’ my hair in the morning. The heat, the cycle helmet, the sweat and the pool water soon put pay to any natural bounce so it’s about as much as I can do to drag a brush through it first thing in the morning. I can honestly say I have spent more time and effort brushing the cat and dog than myself.

Talmont sur Gironde

But there is a problem. Civilisation is calling; we can’t remain child free and feral forever. There will be social occasions and family get togethers to attend where my normal attire of next to nothing if we’re home or cycle lycra if we’re out won’t be acceptable. With the temperatures we’ve had I won’t be surprised to find the few bits of makeup I do own (untouched since my last return from UK) to be a melted mess at the bottom of a drawer. My toenails and fingernails haven’t seen a re-shape or polish in months and no amount of foundation can conceal the fact that my eyes and forehead have the milky complexion I was born with, as they have been shaded from the sun by the cycle helmet and sunglasses. My cheeks however are rosy and weathered and I look like a panda. Added to this is the fact I have the most glamorous sisters-in-law in the world means thoughts about what to wear keep troubling my mind. Despite being born in Chiswick, London and having spent many years commuting to work in the City, since moving to rural France I have definitely become the country relation. Removing ourselves from the UK has changed us and different things are important to us now, how we look and what we buy isn’t as important as time spent together. I hate to admit it, but lovely though it is to see friends and family it is always nice to get back to my comfortable French village life.

Courgette Soup

I have had a lot of recent requests for my courgette (zucchini) soup recipe, as it seems I am not the only one with a potager glut at the moment, so here it is. Bon Apetit!

Freshly picked and ready for the soup pot

Courgette Soup

Sauté a finely chopped onion and 1 tsp of cumin seeds in some olive oil or butter, add 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and then add the diced courgettes (however many you have). Season with salt and pepper, 1 tsp each of ground turmeric and fennel and then just cover either with chicken or vegetable stock and simmer until the courgettes are tender. The great thing about soup is that anything goes, if you don’t like some of my spice choices, or you want some extra heat from a chilli then go right ahead. I always use a homemade chicken stock and find this with the courgettes makes a creamy soup that is more than thick enough for me, but if you want to add a potato to give more body please do. This recipe can also be used with butternut squash, pumpkin or any other member of the squash family.

A winter warmer

 When cooked and cooled a little, blend until smooth. This soup can be served warm or chilled and also freezes very well. In the winter I love to add a generous sprinkling of grated cheese to warm soup for a comforting lunch, but in the summer a chilled bowl with a swirl of natural yoghurt, or some finely diced fresh tomatoes and basil leaves sprinkled on top makes a very refreshing meal. For something a bit special a poached egg added to either the hot or cold soup is also delicious. I love to serve my walnut bread with this soup.

For me this humble courgette soup is something very important. I love everything about growing courgettes from germination through to harvest, they fascinate me and being able to make something so simple, tasty and healthy during the summer that I freeze for winter is superb. Our winters can be very cold and the warmth of a soup for lunch plus the positive memories of warmer days and good harvests keeps my winter blues away.

This recipe is featured in FrenchEntrée's 100 French recipes to celebrate 100 issues of FrenchEntrée magazine.

Traditional Marais Poitevin market

Following our second night of storms we awoke this morning to a clear blue sky and a fresh day, even if it was a little damp underfoot. I'm not a fan of storms and I'd even go as far as to say that if I was a pet dog I would be one who cried, whimpered and needed to be consoled in your bed during a storm, unlike our Mini who thankfully doesn't notice them.

We packed the bikes and a picnic and set off nice and early for one of our favourite places, the Marais Poitevin. This is a marshland area between La Rochelle and Niort that is a maze of tiny waterways, footpaths and cycle tracks that always provides a quiet and peaceful day out. However today in the small village of Le Vanneau the Marais was packed as the crowds arrived to join in the annual market held in the traditional way, on the water. 

We had a lovely time, bought a few tasty goodies, including a very mature goats cheese that we ate with our picnic on the banks of the river. We also cycled a 28km bike ride through pretty villages, past fields of creamy cattle, herons on the bank and with the air heavy with scent following the rain last night. Here are few photos of the market that is always held on the last Saturday morning in July.

The boulangerie barque

Vendors on the river

Decorated barque

Le Vanneau traditional market

Traditional dancing

France et Moi with author Vic Heaney

Welcome to ‘France et Moi’ where this week I am talking to author and walker Vic Heaney about what France means to him. Vic, who lives in the Pyrenees, celebrated his 70^th birthday in 2010 in a slightly unusual way, undertaking a 70 day walk from the South of France to where he was born in the North of England. The walk raised money and awareness for pancreatic cancer research and all proceeds from his book Vic's Big Walk also go direct to pancreatic cancer research.

Firstly, I think France is a special place and it is famed for many things including its cheese, wine and diverse holiday locations plus, dare I say it strikes and dog poo littered streets. What do you think makes France so very unique and ‘French’?

Vic: There is a much more relaxed lifestyle.  There are obviously cultural reasons for this but also the fact that there are roughly the same number of people as the UK but spread out over a country which is more than three times the size helps – less people per square mile. There are many fewer cars per person, again spread over much more area and better roads. More people in France still seem to live in rural areas and to work in low pressure jobs. So everything seems to be so much calmer.

Add to that all the visible history – in England most of the town centres were demolished in the 60s and replaced with concrete blocks with or without coloured plastic panels.

The strikes here do not affect us much so they play no part in my attitude. But I do loathe the fact that in any town you have to walk round with your eyes glued to the ground because of the dog droppings.

2) What is your first memory of a trip to France? What is your favourite holiday location in France?

Vic: My first visit to France was as we drove across it on the way to visit my daughter in Italy. As we drove down the autoroutes, the overhead temperature signs dropped to below zero. We stayed overnight somewhere in the middle of the country and awoke to find the place covered in deep snow. This was in late May! 1991 I think. The wine growers had lost much of their crop. It was not a good introduction but we had seen enough of this beautiful country to visit many more times and eventually to move here as a resident.

The first place to which we made a deliberate trip was Carcassonne, because I had read a description of it in a book. For the past 16 years I have lived within 55 kms of Carcassonne and I still think it is one of the most stunning sights in the world – especially on 14th July, when the spectacular fireworks display multiplies the population of the town to an epic degree.

3) Having spent some time living in France do you have any embarrassing language mishaps you are happy to share?

Vic: Nothing specific. My wife spoke decent French before we arrived here. I learned French at school but with no particular interest in the subject and 40 years had passed before I spoke to a French person. I have improved a lot and can get by but I am shame-faced to say that I have always sheltered behind my wife in this regard because it was so much easier for us to get things done.

4) Imagine you are sitting outside a French café at 10.00am on a sunny morning watching the world go by, what do you order from the waiter?

Vic: I am a simple soul. I would order a grand crème and drink it while I munched on a pain aux raisins or croissant amandes which I would have bought separately at a boulangerie. France is the only country I know where this is an acceptable practice.

5) What is your favourite aperitif and ideal location to be drinking it?

Vic: Blanquette de Limoux, our local bubbly and 100 years older than champagne. We are not in the Champagne region so they can not call it champagne, despite its history – it is said that the champagne makers came to Limoux to find out how to make it. But there is a silver lining – because it can not be called champagne it is considerably cheaper.

My favourite place to drink it would be at the buvette by the lake here in Puivert, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, surrounded by spectacular scenery and my closest friends and family.

6) France has many different cheeses, a silly question, but which French cheese are you? A hard and mature Tome, a soft, fresh and lively goat cheese, the creamy and rich Camembert or maybe the salty and serious Roquefort?

Vic: I have not yet met a cheese which I did not like so I will not choose – just bring it on.

7) Do you have a favourite French regional dish?

Vic: As a vegetarian, one of the worst things about France is that they do not understand the concept of not eating meat. So there is not a regional main dish which interests me. I don’t eat many sweets but I am very partial to a crème Catalan, something I discovered late in life and a specialty of this region.

8) When you were walking through France did you have any strange encounters or nice surprises?

Vic: Nothing specific but I did meet many lovely people and continued to be impressed by how much beauty there is in this country. And, unlike the rest of my journey which took me through England, there were many days when I could not hear traffic.

9) If money and commitments were no object where in France would you like to own a property and what sort of place would it be?

Vic: I could think of no better place to be than the area where I live, which I have heard described more than once as “Paradise”. But it would be nice to have a place by the sea as well. It is the one thing I miss, having grown up by the sea and having worked upon it as well, in my first job as a Merchant Navy Radio Officer.

Finally, do you have any current projects you would like to tell my readers about?

Vic: My first two books are out there – Vic's Big Walk and Living In The Real Cyprus . Two more are planned – “Swim The Atlantic?” – a memoir, and “Vic’s Shorts” – a selection of short stories. The proceeds from all books go to pancreatic cancer research. I also seem to have moved into another career presenting my book, mainly reading from it with some humorous links, then selling (no obligation to buy) personally dedicated and signed copies. I am happy to be approached to do these talks.

Another project I have on the stocks is that my wife and I have decided, for family reasons, to move back to UK after 20 years of living overseas. If you had asked us 6 months ago we would have said “no way!” but things change and it is time to move on. I have little hope of selling our house – built by a drum major in Napoleon’s army – in the current French financial climate, so we may end up shuttling between the two places, as many do.

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about France and you.

Vic: Thank you also, Jacqui. Any time.

You can read Vic's guest post he wrote for me last year here and read his latest news here.

Courgette Caviar Recipe

In honour of the new Royal baby, well as this is just about the poshest sounding courgette (zucchini) recipe ever I definitely think it is one fit for royalty, I thought I would share my courgette caviar recipe. This was introduced to me by French friends Hélène et Françoise last year we are now hooked - it is so delicious and a real taste of summer aperos.

The flavour combinations are sublime, it is fresh and zingy, plus it is a great way to use up the inevitable courgette glut (that I know so well). It is easy to make and it keeps well in the fridge – it is the perfect recipe. I have also tried freezing it and although it comes back a little watery it works fine.

We have it with our aperos; spread onto toasts or baguette slices, plus as a dip for breadsticks and carrot sticks, or for a lunch we spread it onto grilled vegetables (aubergines, courgettes and squashes) and top them with grated cheese.  It is delicious all ways. Go on, give it a go, you won’t regret it.

Courgette caviar perfect for aperos

Ingredients

4 courgettes

2 small onions

2 garlic cloves

85g black olives (optional)

4 mint leaves

3 large basil leaves

A bunch of parsley

Juice of a lemon

1 tsp of thyme

Natural yoghurt or crème fraiche (optional)

Wash and cut the courgettes into small cubes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast until soft.

Stone the olives, if using, and chop finely with the onions, garlic, mint, basil and parsley. When the courgettes are cooked, mix with the herb mixture and leave to chill. Blend when cold then add the lemon juice and thyme and check seasoning. If you would like, add natural yoghurt or crème fraiche just before serving to get the desired spreadable or dip-able consistency.

Loving the colour Yellow

Following Chris Froome's fantastic win in the 100th edition of the Tour de France I am celebrating the colour yellow in a Much love Monday post today. Chris had held the Yellow Jersey for two weeks of the three week Tour and crossed the finish line in Paris yesterday all bedecked in yellow and with his team at his side. Congratulations to Chris and Team Sky.

Still on a yellow theme is that it is one of my favourite times of year when the sunflowers are in full bloom. We are so lucky to be surrounded by fields and fields of these bold beauties and I never tire of seeing them or taking photos of them either. Here are just a selection of my favourite pictures to share with you today, I do hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

You can also watch my time lapse video of a field of sunflowers growing from seedlings to harvest on YouTube by clicking here.