'my' country path through the seasons

If I have scores of photos of the same path, does that make me a geek?  No, actually don't answer that, I prefer not to hear the answer! 

The fact is that I go up this path at least once a day, every day of the year.  Daily to feed the horses, often to saddle them, and sometimes just because this is the route I take to walk into the forest.

I love the gentle bends, I love the view of the forest and in particular I love the way it changes through the seasons.  Here are some of the shots I've enjoyed over the past 12 months.

French country weekend joy

Autumn continues to be mild here, but we have vivid memories of last winter's harsh drop in temperature and we are making the most of the forest on horseback before it gets too cold and slippy.

These are moments to savour, to remember.  Moments shared with my girls, that they share together and that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

These are the images I'll hang on to when I'm older and my children live far away, those happy privileged moments from their younger years.

How about you?  What are the moments when you say to yourself  

"freeze that, hold on to it, put it away somewhere safely to enjoy later on!"?

Wishing you a precious weekend

authentic french country style

'French country style' ...  it's a term that's used a lot, all over the world, but what is the true definition?  Is there such a thing?

I can't pretend to be a world expert on the matter but I do know about the vital elements to what I call a French country home, here in Normandy.

First of all , it helps if it's in the country!  Preferably somewhere beautiful and peaceful, a village where the church bells ring on the hour from dawn till dusk.

Next you need a gate,

not necessarily this grand 

-  it can  be made of metal or of wood  -

oh yes,   and a stone wall ...

The house must be authentic but not necessarily big.  A lot of the most attractive 

properties along our valley  are less than 2000 square feet.

 Shutters on the windows and doors are almost inevitable,

painted or left shabby as your inspiration leads you;

A truly vital element is outbuildings:  small barns, old stables, even the odd pig sty works!

A few chickens scratching around the garden are an excellent idea;

a dog  is  'de rigueur',  cats an optional extra

at this time of year it's a good sign to have a pair of boots outside the door, a watering can

and a basket or two, although one is never sure what they shall be used for -

going to the market, picking up apples, cutting flowers from the garden...

of course the boots , basket and watering can are elementary accessories for caring for the potager,

which will be regularly hoed, varied in its planting and  'parfait' all year round!

There we are, it's really quite easy once you know what to look for!!

Hope your week is going well,

thank you for stopping by.

all photos taken by yours truly here in the valley

dog days

At the risk of going into overkill on the whole autumn,/dog in the forest thing, I would just like to inform you that not only is young Ghetto home for the weekend (considerably larger!) , but we also have a certain Gaston to stay for a few days too.  A dog weekend.!!

All three born with 6 weeks of each other, hence the names beginning with G, and each one as unheeding of my commands as the other.....  sigh ....

After a few very noisy attempts at a group portrait, I surrendered and took them off for a walk.  The forest was as unbearably crowded as usual (ie: me, the dogs and the girls on horseback!) , but what else do you expect on a Saturday afternoon?

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

gibson in the forest

Gibson is big enough now to start enjoying the forest, and he has found himself a walking buddy called Rupert.  Young Rupert is a rather large, extremely enthusiastic sort of chap who likes to bounce a lot, so Gibson has good fun and gets incredibly muddy while I burn off calories and put the world to rights with Rupert's chauffeur.

One of the problems with over excited dogs is that they won't stay in focus!  Having spoilt a large number of pictures on moving targets, I turned my camera' attention to the rather better behaved and totally beautiful autumn trees. I hope you enjoy.

Tomorrow, don't miss the second guest in My Stylish French Girlfriends!

an autumn dream

I have already shown you this house, over a year ago actually.   It's in a little village along the valley from us, and despite it's abandoned air, it never fails to slow me in my tracks.

As I drove back from an early brocante this morning, I swung by to see the river in the mist.  I'm loving this season, the colours are soft and gentle, and the mist in the air today makes it look like I've used a soft focus on my camera lens.

My Sunday offering to you,

I hope it reflects the quiet and gentle mood in the valley today,

time to charge our batteries before the hectic week ahead.

a weekend château

An autumn weekend in view,  guests leaving today, dinners with friends, procrastinating about the garden, and maybe - to inspire myself  -  a visit to a nearby château, whose potager makes me feel faint in admiration!

Chateau de miromesnil

images for an autumn weekend

wishing you all a lovely weekend

thank you for reading me this week 

PS  last day for the giveaway, winner announced tomorrow!