April it's April?!?

When did that actually happen - well on the First I suppose but really? Who stole the time - again? We left March to beautiful weather, Saturday saw 5 of us pounding up and down the pool in Ruffec taking part in a Sponsored Swim (Nagerthon) we wanted to achieve 100 lengths in the hour, and we did! A nice way of fundraising for the Rotary Club to donate the money raised for a Garden for Disabled people in the town! We then completed a  bike ride of 15.5kms (that .5 is really important!) on Sunday which for us was a good ride as it was the first back out this year! And we found every hill imaginable in our area, as well as the D9 which who knew was so hilly?

I was commissioned to take photos of a very lovely Chambre d'hote La Belle Epoque in March, but have been waiting to share some of the photographs, we were there last year for a Vintage shoot so it was lovely to go back and take photos of the house now ready for the busy Season ahead! Good luck to Olly & Baz :)

The garden is coming along beautifully - I think all the rain in February helped - Spring has Sprung!

The thing is I am definitely one of those people that say "Oh Fritillaria they are my favourite flowers", I shouldn't say that as really I love all plants and flowers, but the three above are amongst my Top Ten or should that be twenty!

Of course the other thing about Spring is the blossoms from Apple, to Almond and now the Pear and Peach there is nothing quite like this time of year is there?

Peach Blossom on my sapling!

Pear reaching high!

I was quite surprised to see the Lilac coming out in bud but maybe that's about the right time - it just seems too early!

As the sun started to go down I played around with settings on the camera (as you do!) and took the blossoms with the sun behind - I was not expecting to see a little flying fly though!

We are lucky to have lanes to the back of us - as you may have seen previously, the farmers have been very busy readying the fields for planting - well they were a week ago (or so it seems) now we have an avenue of Colza (rape) which is so pretty - I know it's evil and nasty as it makes everyone cough and sneeze - me included, well until this year!! 

I have to share this as it's Scooby - totally oblivious to the fact there is a great big Hare not so very far away from him! Even when he did look up, there was no obvious sign he would give chase! Good Old Scoobs!

I am guessing the yellow flowers in the photograph below are some kind of wild Geranium, I rather like them and thinking they would look nice in my "wild garden"

Bumble Bee out in the evening enjoy the last of the sun and the colza!

And so's not to be left out - here is our Lily - growing rapidly and enjoying the joys the Spring Garden is bringing her! I am so hoping she doesn't find a Daddy Long Legs as I have heard bad things about them! Mind you I don't want her going for Bees, Wasps or anything else with a sting really! 

I thought I would partake in the "100 days of Happy" basically taking a photo every day of something that makes you Happy! That can be hard as somethings that make me happy - are going to be hard to photograph! 

My first 4 days go like this .......

Our youngest in her final concert of all the Music classes at Lycée made her sad but made me happy as she proved her talent once again!

Everyone loves surprises? this was mine in my plant tub!

Day 3 eldest sang in this church with the Fac de Musico (Poitiers) it was a beautiful setting and the music was pretty lovely as well!

Now Day 4 is a bit harder as I went Swimming and that makes me really happy so rather than subject you to a photo of me looking ridiculously happy (!) here are the essentials in my kit bag!
I now have to keep this up for another 96 days - wish me luck ;)

 It rained and rained yesterday, not April showers but full on all day stuff! And it did give me a chance to play - under my Umbrella, ella, ella.....  Hope it cheers up next week though for the German exchange students, no-one likes going to the coast in the rain do they? Anyway I have just realised it's Happy Friday!





 Have a great weekend!

As always if you wish to join me over at my Facebook page and see my latest images please join me PamelaJayne Photography 
PamelaJayne

St. Valentine's Day and the Weekend!

 The 14th of February  - always brings a bit of fun into our lives, this year we had a very quick (in-car) picnic by La Vienne river - which gave me the perfect opportunity to take some photos of the river running high and fast!

La Vienne flowing fast and high!

Water flowing at La Vienne

Sunday we had a good old family get together which meant a glass or two of bubbly and a very wet walk in the woods. I am hoping that all this wet weather will see lots of lovely bluebells this year!

Cheers!

In the woods

Burst of Colour 

Broom bringing hopeful signs of Spring!

We didn't out run the rain!

Today 17th has been a beautiful day (I know everyone is thinking the same - are we really going to be this lucky and not get the white stuff!?) So out into the garden to see what damage had been caused by the high winds of the last 2 weeks and we seem to be ok!

More Crocuses are flowering!

First Blossoms of the Mirabelle

Elephant ears so pink this year!

Love these purple beauties

Forsythia really coming out now!

Playing with focus and this is the daisy of today!

Chinese Lanterns always look good!

Something about dried out seeds I think!

So we end another weekend on a happy note, and start the week on dry footing - although the garden is very soggy, so we won't be getting the lawnmower out just yet!

Have a great week!

PamelaJayne
17th February '14

https://www.facebook.com/PamelaJaynePhotography

June and the fun so far!

Another couple of weeks have passed by in some kind of rush - not sure who is rushing this year but would they please slow it down a little! In 6 days it's Rob's birthday and in 16 days it will be our wedding anniversary! This month is rather like it was in the UK 22 years ago - leading up to our Big Day it rained, rained and rained some more and then the Sunshone and it was a blazing hot day! But still enough of that - we have this year and this month to look at!

So far - rain - yes it has, in all shapes and forms - from drizzle (that wet rain) to Hail the size of Golf balls  - I kid you not - thankfully it was 3am in the morning so most people were sleeping and it wasn't in our town but one not so far away and a lot of the North Deux Sèvres suffered! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.389322484509401.1073741828.264616960313288&type=1

 Naomi's friend in Niort likened it to Armageddon - and was it a sign of failing her Bac, at least she was focusing on that!

Yes it's been that time here - exams and more exams! Naomi has currently done her Bac Français written, Science tomorrow and French Oral on the 2nd July then that is it for this year the holidays can begin!!

She was told by her very sensible teacher to go out and not do anything revision related on Tuesday the day before THE exam so we had to go out - swimming and then retail therapy - it is hard being a Mum some days ;)

Chloe passed her end of year Uni exams and we are so pleased and proud! She is now somewhere in the Cantal region hopefully not soggy from the rain, but enjoying her experience of "basic camping" and by basic I mean basic just a tent and the hills nothing else! Still she's young and it's a great experience - I just wonder is it one she will repeat?

We have managed a few bike rides - I wanted to get some Poppy images before they were blown away or rained away! So one of our early morning rides consisted of me stopping to take photos, Rob being very patient and Scooby even more so - at least it's worth going out for otherwise we do the 4kms far too quickly!

Early morning Poppies

So bright!

The 7th June was a lovely day - lots of beautiful sunshine and warmth - in fact so much so everyone was commenting on the fact that summer must be here! Not quite but Spring promised to be nice....if only for a day or two - so off round the garden to see what was new and in bloom - my fave the honeysuckle - is there ever such a sweet scent? Anytime of the day whatever the weather this bush is a hive of industry and smells divine!

Clematis the size of a dinner plate!

Orchid or Freesia?

Irises in the grass (that should have been wildflowers!)

Bee in the Cornflower!

For more photos pop to my Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151612176650095.1073741855.122083630094&type=1

In between deluges I have been picking my delicious strawberries - I am trying to get out there every other day and I am prepared to share some with the birds but not ALL!

sweet treats!

I have also had my first Golden Rasberries and they are so sweet and succulent - although not many at the moment hopefully more will be here soon....

I do love the rain and I do love the fact that the flowers are enjoying it (when the wind doesn't blow them away that is!) but to be outside after a rainfall is quite magical really - look at the drops and you see a whole new world!

Drops on the Foxgloves

Love in the Mist

white roses against the grey sky

Pink Poppy

White Foxglogves - Bee on the way in...

My parents have decided to move - the house they are in is lovely but getting to that stage of garden a bit big etc...so I popped down to take a few internal photos for the advert www.admyhouse.com and whilst there of course the flowers beckoned! I won't bore you with them all but I do love their cottage door....

We have been busy at home when we can be as well and Sunday (16th)  was glorious - very warm indeed, so we started the day with a 22kms bike ride and really I didn't want it to end! Only the fact it was lunch time and Chloe would be going back to Poitiers to sort out the rest of her camping bits,
oh and Rob was hungry! Many hills and a slight headwind but oh so worth it!

22kms - done!

Back home and lunch down the garden needed severe attention - grass needed mowing so we did get out there and we did do the jobs that needed to be done and whilst potting up my new tomato plants I found a mole mountain - I kid you not!

How does the mole get through when I cannot!?

work in progress!

Getting back to normality!

ummm - gaffer tape anyone?

ready for the better weather!

Spotted by Chloe whilst watering - so along came the camera! Note the water drop!

We brought the water feature with us and made the triangle for it to sit in - however the bowl cracked so I had another idea - make the triangle the water holder!

finished with my 2 lovely Fuchsias from Rob!

Well that brings me nearly up to date - just a couple of  "work things" to throw in now -  I am sure you 

remember me saying about my "epic photo shoot" with many children at les lacs....well one of the photos has become a lovely Sepia Canvas!

And another order from the same shoot but a different family ordered by her friend - how lovely :)

Pêle Mêle

Pêle Mêle is certainly proving to be a really popular way of displaying photos - and I am so pleased to be able to offer this service!

Here is a Special Fathers Day card but ideal for any occasion!

20x30cms Limited Edition Print - designed for a Birthday present!

I really want to share this with you- for those of you who are my friends on FB you will have seen this has been my banner photo for some while now - taken by my Dad about 40 years ago at Leigh-on-Sea! As a Mother's Day gift I had this printed up onto a wooden mount and absolutely thrilled to bits with it I am...I think my Mum was pretty chuffed with it as well! It's only a small image as taken from a slide but it shows what you can do! So I can now offer this service also with any photos I have taken as portraits or from my gallery!

Right now my tummy is starting to rumble so I think it must be time to go and cook lunch and maybe a Fat Free Cherry Cake - recipe kindly shared by my friend J.B over at http://www.frenchvillagediaries.com/2013/01/fat-free-cherry-cake-recipe.html it looks delish and I so happen to have a few cherries in the fridge - not as many as I would like but hopefully enough to make the cake!

The finished cake!

Don't forget you can see more of my work over at my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PamelaJaynePhotography

I do hope you are enjoying my "life through the lens" and would love you to share more with me......all comments are welcome!

Have a great rest of the week and let's hope the weather improves for the Marché Fermier et d'Artisanat d'Art - Maire l'Evescault 79190 on the 22nd June!

PamelaJayne

https://www.facebook.com/PamelaJaynePhotography