In between heavy rain and high winds, there have been photogenic winter moments. Here’s the road, with Les Bruyeres just visible on the right …
… and seen from the opposite direction.
Winter sunset from the terrace …
… and Nala in the frame.
Nala has been with us since March. She eats well, is sociable and affectionate. Her swollen throat and intermittent drooling seem persistent and chronic, in spite of many vet visits and antibiotics, but aren’t obviously painful. As the vet has only one more suggestion – to remove all her teeth! – we are leaving well alone for now.
What’s growing wild
PLANTNET is one of the phone apps that will identify plants and flowers from photos. I’ve used it a lot lately, during rambles in this area, in the Foret de Fougeres and in England. Many of the plants identified have familiar names (Toadflax, Woundwort, Speedwell, Elderberry etc.) – but Spindle, Catchfly, Fiddleneck and (poisonous) Climbing Nightshade were new ones to me.
The Facebook group ‘UK Wild Food Larder’ is buzzing with conversations about edible fungi at this time of year. One that really gets the enthusiasts going is Chicken of the Woods, which is unusual in being both delicious and (apparently) impossible to confuse with poisonous fungi. It was exciting to see a probable COTW (below) on an oak tree belonging to Blandine – but we were all too scared to take the plunge and actually cook it!
We had to get a new satellite dish, after the tree supporting the old one blew over in a storm. The geography here means the replacement needed to be mounted on a pole cemented into the driveway. We were lucky that a professional welder stepped in, to ensure the pole stays where it’s put. Thank you, Bob!
Happy birthday to Hazel
Hazel turned four at the beginning of December, with a series of parties, and, at her request, a Teddy Bears Picnic cake.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR TO ALL!
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