French Diary

Friday, July 20, 2012

2012-07-20 Swallowtail Butterfly and a few others.

This is a Broad-bordered Bee Hawk- moth, quite a mouthful, but flies like the Humming bird Hawk-moth, but apparently not related.

This is the Humming-bird Hawk-moth

this is one i thought might be yet another species, but turns out to be the Bee moth, but a bit faded!

P1030579

This is a Brimstone, possibly a “Cleopatra “

Scarce Swallowtail (which is actually more common here!)

A blue, don’t ask which one………….

Ladybird on the sweetcorn.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

2012-07-19 The Sun Oven :O)

We were interested to see if we could make a solar powered oven, and we fascinated to discover that it could be simply made from 2 cardboard boxes, black paper, glass pane and tin foil. Dave took about an hour to put it together, and IT WORKS REALLY WELL !!

The thermometer in the bottom had to be removed after a short time, as the temperature exceeded the 100C that the thermometer is limited to.

Sweet potatoes……4 hours at Reg. “SUN HOT” they were perfectly cooked, soft and very tasty !

Dave from product design !

Vegetable casserole , better as the glass didn’t steam up and need to be turned.

Bread and butter pudding……..now its getting interesting !!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

2012-07-14 Frederic & Almuth’s 25th Wedding anniversary……

We were in fact 3 days early for this event, but we had John (Dave’s brother) with us and thought a Saturday drinking beer at Dausse ….Why not !

We gave them another photo book, the last one was for their 20th anniversary, and has become the thing to show visitors, so we thought another would be a good idea…..After we had given it to them, Frederic was reluctant to look at it….I later found out he thought if he looked at it he would cry….great softy !

Frederic demanding his right to open their present !

Frederic folding the paper for a second use…….it has 25 years stamped on it, I hope he knows some long time married people !

Lorri, John and Dave half way down from Dausse.

Friday, July 13, 2012

2012-07-13 Flowers, Butterflies, Spider and other bugs !

I dont have a name for this “ladybird beetle”

or this pink sipder.

These are Giant Banded Greylings, making more Giant Banded Greylings !

And a very similar Rock Greyling

Bignonia or Trumpet flower, has been fantastic this year, we have three growing over the pergola.

The Glycine, or Wisteria flowering for the second time…….. I thought it went well against the jute cloth we put up as shade this year, and the pink solar light.

I have never been a great fan of Pelargonium's but this year, they have looked great, the reason I am not keen, is the smell of the leaves, but then mosquitoes don’t like then either :O)

So next year I am intending to plant them under each window, I have already bought the window troughs……so watch this space 2013 !

A slight problem with our tomatoes this year, turned out to be Tomato Canker, treated with Bouillie bordelaise ( copper sulphate ) and it took a bit of time, but the tomatoes are cropping thick and fast now (mid August).

Dave found this Stick insect. He is calling it twiglet !

Sunday, July 08, 2012

2012-07-08 Daihatsu replaced with Disco

Goodbye to a faithful friend, getting a little long in the tooth, and a bit rough on us delicate old people.

3rd August 2012

In the tunnel……….

After a long (10 days) of searching in the UK, Dave finally decided on this Disco, it came with 131,000 on the clock, 15 years old, but service history up to 127,00 with Landrover.