Friday 1 May 2009

May Day / Le Premier Mai

On our first morning back from our trip to Wales it seems as though we've woken up to the first day of summer. We had a very good holiday and ate excellent food - Japanese, Turkish and our own family Mediterranean mix of delicious things, but it's wonderful to be back home again. There was rain while we were away so the garden looks very green and bright. One of our neighbours had kept an eye on it for us and thrown out the snails who'd found their way into the cold frame.

garden may_1_1_1 garden may 1_1_1

Ce matin, le premier après notre retour du Pays de Galles, est comme le premier jour de l'été. Il a plu pendant la dernière semaine et le jardin est vert et clair.

We found a huge crop of mangetout peas and broad beans / on a trouvé beaucoup de pois mangetout et fèves . . .

mangetout_1_1 broad beans_1_1

the apricots and artichokes growing well / les abricots et les artichauts poussent bien . . .

apricots may 1_1_1 artichokes_1_1

the garden full of the sound of birds and insects / le jardin plein du chant d'oiseau et d'insectes . . .

moth 1 moth crop_1

I thought that this one was a moth at first. Now I think it's a butterfly but I still can't identify it. Please leave a comment if you have any idea what it might be.

The pepper plants are still growing very slowly and I think we may have to buy plants but the tomato plants are ready to be planted out so we have a busy weekend ahead!

Les poivrons poussent très lentement encore et je pense qu'il faut en acheter des plantes, mais les tomates sont prêtes à planter donc le weekend sera chargé!

7 comments:

Ewa said...

Your garden looks very fresh and already very fruity. This is great to come back from vacation and see the garden happy.
Cheers,
Ewa

CityGarden said...

Happy May!
Your garden looks faboulous, I hope you have more sun there because here we continue with cloudy days

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

I think your butterfly is a painted lady. Your vegetables are coming along nicely soon in full production. I am sure you are looking forward to see the apricots glistening orange on the tree. Yummy! Have you got any chooks?

gintoino said...

I'm having problems with my peppers too...many of them just not germinating.
The butterfly is a Vanessa cardui, but it looks very bad, probably in its last moments.

chaiselongue said...

Thank you all for your comments.
Ewa: yes, it is lovely to come home to the garden, especially at this time of year!
CityGarden: how strange that you have less sun in Greece than we do here! I hope your summer starts soon.
Titania: thanks for the butterfly name - I've now found that it's very common and I should have known it. No we don't have chickens - we've thought about it ... maybe one day.
Gintoino: Thanks for the butterfly identfication. I should have known it! Maybe, if it was dying, that's why I could photograph it. Usually they fly away as soon as I pick up the camera.

Maggie said...

What a fantastic sight to return home to. I love how the joy of a trip is capped with the joy of returning home.

Can I just add... I would give a LOT for a neighbor who would pick slugs out of my garden while I'm away.

chaiselongue said...

Yes, we're very lucky with our neighbours, mamawhatthe.