Wednesday 14 January 2009

Winter sun and light / Le soleil et la lumière d'hiver

Today has been a perfect Languedoc winter day.  The light is so bright here when the sun shines and the air is so clear in winter that everything looks in focus.  Even though it may be only 12 degrees C, the sun feels hot on your face, so long as you're sheltered from the north wind.

light   sky_1_1_1

Aujourd'hui il a fait du temps parfait de l'hiver languedocien.  La lumière ici est si éclatante quand le soleil brille et l'air est si clair en hiver qu'il semble que tout est au point.  Mème qu'il ne fasse que 12 dégrées, le soleil sent chaud sur ton visage, si tu es à l'abri du vent du nord.

Good weather for working in the garden, so we cleared some more ground. / Du bon temps pour le travail au jardin, donc on a nettoyé encore de terre.

croustillous   salad_1_1 daurade_1_1

It was market day, so for lunch we'd bought a croustillou (pork rib) for me and a dorade (sea bream) for Lo Jardinièr to eat with freshly picked spinach, rocket and sorrel leaves and a glass of red wine from Domaine de Montesquieu.

Docking the Bay

It seems strange now to remember how we used to try to persuade our little bay tree to grow in a pot on the terrace in Wales.  Here bay trees grow everywhere, like weeds, and we use the leaves in cooking every day.  One huge bay tree grows in our neighbours' garden and overhangs the fence just where we want to build a cold frame.  They were there today so we asked if they minded if we cut one of the branches.  'Coupez, coupez!' was the answer, so Lo Jardinièr sawed it down.  There's still a lovely big tree left, but it won't shade our cold frame now.

cold frame_1_1 sawing bay 1_1_1
sawing bay 2_1_1 On a coupé une branche du laurier sauce qui donnait de l'abri au coin où nous voulons construire une serre.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

A few hours early, here are some flowers for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day:

lemon flowers jan_1
lemon flowers/ fleurs de citronnier
vinca - jan_1_1
the Vinca has flowered all winter/  a fleurit tout l'hiver
doorstep plant_1
Osteospermum on the front doorstep / au seuil
pansy_1_1
pansy on the balcony / pensée sur le balcon

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

PS Our order arrived from Seeds of Italy today, so we must get on with making the cold frame!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've enjoyed reading your blog. I happen to be a huge olive fan too!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

The Winter sky looks so clear and cobalt blue. Here too the light in winter is mellow and warm. Bay trees are wonderful. Mine is about 15 years old and wants to reach the sky. I love to use the leaves in cooking and the wood for the barbie. You are so lucky that you can import seed from other countries. Your food...yummy!