|
Post by bjd on Mar 20, 2024 19:07:52 GMT
It was sunny and 23° yesterday, overcast and 17 today, cooler every day, rainy and below 20° every day for the next two weeks.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 20, 2024 19:06:02 GMT
Thanks, Mich. I talked with my son who lives near Ottawa today and he said there had been no snow left and that the river was not frozen, then it snowed again yesterday afternoon and temperatures were around 0°. But at least, by the end of March, you know it won't last too long.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2024 18:59:50 GMT
Interesting slip of the typing finger, Whatagain! "Purin" in French means liquid manure.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2024 17:34:52 GMT
That shrub is a loropetalum, a member of the witch-hazel family. Also called fringe flowers. I have others in the garden but that one is the biggest and nicest because its leaves stay dark. I have two older varieties and the leaves are more greenish. They come with pink or red flowers on dark leaves, but I also learned there is one with green leaves and white flowers.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2024 6:35:53 GMT
Ambarès-et-Lagrave Town in the Gironde department of southwestern France
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2024 6:34:29 GMT
Ava Gardner 20th century American actress known for her beauty
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2024 6:32:26 GMT
Aren't there some cases of measles in the States these days? Probably a result of anti-vaxxers, or perhaps being brought from elsewhere. After years of measles being one of the success stories of vaccination.
I caught mumps in my late 30s but had it very lightly. Didn't know what it was, in fact. But I had been vaccinated as a small kid.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 18, 2024 19:54:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 18, 2024 19:43:48 GMT
A few photos from my garden this afternoon
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 18, 2024 19:27:01 GMT
I like that dark blue agapanthus. Mine has leaves but is a long way from blooming.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 18, 2024 19:21:26 GMT
What does a l'ancienne mean? Old style or traditional.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 18, 2024 6:00:13 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 17, 2024 18:06:26 GMT
I'm reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I usually really like her books but keep stopping this one and looking for something more light-hearted. It's the story of a poor Appalachian orphan after his young, junkie mother dies and the kid's life is so depressing. Well written though, like all her books.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 17, 2024 9:10:41 GMT
Peat not being a renewable resource, you won't find it at all in a few years.
Cheery, I saw on a gardening video that dahlias also grow well from seeds.
It has been warm here (20-21°) so I finished planting some new dahlias in the places where I removed the dead penstemons. I went to the local garden centre but they hadn't received many new perennials in little pots. I read that summer is probably going to be hot and dry in Europe this year so am trying to limit new plantings.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 17, 2024 9:05:41 GMT
I too am most impressed by those trees that seem to be growing out of stone and bricks rather than earth.
Bixa, have you read Malinche by Laura Esquivel? The story of a young woman, Malinche, who became Cortes's interpreter and lover.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 14, 2024 17:21:27 GMT
Still 19° and sunny at 6pm. I spent the afternoon in the garden.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 14, 2024 7:41:47 GMT
Lugg, if you are still trying to sell your house, just make sure the garden looks tidy and cared for. I wouldn't invest in anything, unless it's containers you can take with you when you move.
Sure, Mick, the donkey can nibble on the grass in hard to reach places.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 16:06:46 GMT
I tend to buy cheap bulbs at Lidl, even though I do go to garden centres too. So choice is often limited but at least I don't mind so much if they don't grow well. So I bought several different colours but do try to put them in several areas of the garden ("drifts here and there") and near plants with matching colours.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 16:01:50 GMT
One thing that I really despise is what most of the women wear on their feet. Why would any human being accept to do such a thing? Especially those rigid plastic things on Diane Kruger's feet. How can she possibly walk in them?
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 7:16:35 GMT
We have been told that there will be military air training in the area over the next few days. There is a military air base about 60 km north of here and 5 countries will be participating, so I expect a lot of noise. At the moment they are probably still having breakfast.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 7:13:23 GMT
Clear sky and 6° this morning. It is supposed to be 19° this afternoon.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 7:12:37 GMT
It's true that gladioli are an oold-fashioned sort of flower but they bloom fairly early in the summer and they grow well here. I made a few attempts to plant them in my Toulouse garden and, maybe because the soil was much heavier, they would tip over and never bloom. And despite all the gardening advice about "restricting your colour palette", I end up buying different colours simply because there are so many available.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 13, 2024 7:07:32 GMT
I went back to Kerouac's César link. Definitely an unsurprising difference between the French and American styles. Lots of black, lots of trousers on women, almost nothing really over the top and normal haircuts for the most part.
This is something that has struck me before -- the difference in appearance in French women, whether newscasters or actresses, and American ones. The heavy makeup and puffy hair in the States vs a much more natural look here in France. Of course, I prefer the French look.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 12, 2024 18:49:22 GMT
I took advantage of this afternoon's sunny weather to plant a bunch of bulbs: gladioli mainly. They grow well here and multiply. I also planted a few lillies. I was in Lidl and they had lots of packages of bulbs. Of course, they are cheap and it seemed to be the end of the season because quite a few of the gladioli had roots and were begining to sprout and one package even had a bit of mould on a few bulbs. We'll see what comes up. At least if they don't grow, I don't feel I lost too much.
I have some dahlias to plant still but they are less urgent since they bloom later.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 12, 2024 7:40:56 GMT
No rain here for the moment after a wet and windy weekend. I even got caught in a hailstorm yesterday. Oddly enough, they are forecasting 24° for the coming weekend.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 12, 2024 7:39:28 GMT
Cheery, why do you keep artemisia in the greenhouse? That stuff is hardy and tough. It turned out that I cut mine back in late fall because the inside was looking scruffy and it grew back during the winter. I just looked up the USDA hardiness zones and it's 6 to 10, so you should be able to leave it in the ground.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 11, 2024 19:25:48 GMT
Well! I just looked through the People.com thing after afterparties. What a load of horrible clothes. Maybe two or three that were okay: the rest looked either idiotic or slutty. Why all the transparent outfits? And the few in miniskirts looked terrible -- those skirts were much too short. And essentially all were totally unflattering except for one pale pink/blush dress on one woman whose name I have forgotten. All the rest were obviously designed by men who hate women and want to make them look ridiculous.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 9, 2024 7:46:54 GMT
I think any age can get shingles. I have heard of a quite young teenager with it. Also heard that it's extremely painful so, Tod, I hope you manage to get over it soon.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 9, 2024 7:44:18 GMT
Speaking of EDF, I got a bill yesterday telling me our electricity was being cancelled in the apartment in Bayonne. I called and discovered that another tenant was either moving or changing supplier and mixed up the meter number. At least, that's what I assume happened. The 3 meters are in a cupboard on the landing with just a number on them, no name. Anyway, a call to EDF sorted that out and this afternoon I'm going to Bayonne anyway and will check with the neighbours to see who made the error. EDF couldn't tell me because it's the new supplier who asks for the change.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 8, 2024 16:37:34 GMT
It looks rather cold but how nice to see it without throngs of tourists everywhere.
|
|