The view of Dordogne - and blue wagon wheels!

Storm clouds again but they passed right by...everywhere is beginning to green up after a few night's worth of showers last week, but not enough - we need more rain!


Lovely old cottage - the stone jutting out under the window is actually an 'evier' ie the stone sink on the inside for washing hands, then the dirty water flows through the channel, out to the exterior wall, then drips down onto the ground. The evier was always placed near the doorway so the farm workers could wash their hands as soon as they came home from the fields - the doorway is on the extreme right, just out of view.


The original blue paint - I once had a wheelbarrow in the same local colour - actually, the photo doesn't really do it justice - it is very vivid, and seems to glow and throb - unusual for a blue.


A neighbouring cottage - with that local blue paint again!


The house in the distance is in the Dordogne



Late afternoon - see the shadows. We were making too much noise playing with Riley the black labrador, so most of the wildlife such as owls, woodpeckers, rabbit and deer were probably hiding away from the racket.



One of the joys of living in this part of France is the glorious scenery - forests, lakes and hills. Limousin does get a fair amount of rain, it's true, but of course, if you are famous for your beef cattle, then the grass has to be good and of course, the grass here IS good - partly because of the rain, but also because the air is so pure - no pollution! However - just look at the colour of the grass - no wonder the farmers of the Limousin are worried - they are already using the hay they cut earlier this spring. Someone told me that they have only 45% of the usual fodder, and virtually no straw for bedding the cattle this winter.

You can tell there is very little air pollution as moss grows everywhere in winter - fed by the damp atmosphere of course, but in the summer, it dries up, ready to pop out again later.

Last night, we went to our friends - and had a great barbecue, made special not only by the company but also the view! We all live on the border between the Dordogne, Charente and our department, Haute Vienne. Our friends live only a mile or so away from the border - you can see the Dordogne on the hillside rising up before you - these are the views from their garden - you can hardly tell where their garden finishes and the countryside begins.

Last year, we were able to find our friends a couple of old wagon wheels, and as a bonus, the wheels came in the original paint-work: a chalky but distinctly bright blue, which EXACTLY matches the blue shutters of our friends' house - serendipity! It doesn't often work this way, but when it does, it's magical - and that's why I love dealing in old things - finding objects that I know will be loved and appreciated once more!