2014 What a year...

January

Was very wet, the Vienne at Chinon was the highest we have ever seen it. To compensate we photographed some splendid reflections on our numerous walks.

February

Was the start of my baking bread rolls of various types. It continues weekly to date...  It was also the first visit of the year to the Grande Vente Emmaus, at Chatellerault. (The brown bowl was purchased to rise the dough in)

March

gave us the wonderful display of Fritillaries at Véron and a surprisingly early start of the surveys for the Butterfly Atlas project (STERF)

April

Saw the first outing of the Touraine Trekkers, hosted by friends Gaynor and Tim and our first photographic opportunity and sighting of a Green Lizard.

May

We had the pleasure of attending the marriage of our lovely neighbours, Pamela and Maximilien

June

And we were taking a trip back up to Saumur to collect our own wedding ring! 

And then the planning began...

July

What a month! Elizabeth's 60th coincided with the Bastille celebrations, which we viewed against the backdrop of the Forteresse det Chinon, Richelieu's Cape and Epee and a visit from her family to take a trip up to Paris on the TGV...

August

And plans for our September wedding were well and truly underway.... We had found and booked our venue...

and our neighbours announced the birth of their second child, Maxence, a brother for Thimeo!

September

Once Colin got the right date in his head, our wedding day was just perfect in every way...

The wedding celebrations continued on our return to France, as we held a party for friends and neighbours there and Jean was kind enough to bake us another wedding cake...

October

And so we began married life back in France.. I bought Elizabeth a little gift... a set of chisels and with those she started carving tuffeau.... Owls...

and this hobby has continued to grow..

November

This was the most glorious month! The unseasonally warm weather was wonderful and confused our potager no end. We were still picking strawberries and autumn fruiting raspberries right up to the end of the month. We enjoyed plenty of walks with friends, spotting a few unexpected gems for this time of year..

and several heavily laden Spindleberries...

And so we come to:

December

and after all the Christmas festivities, touched with some sadness, we look ahead to the New Year, with hope and a paint brush in our hands...

We wish each and every one a happy and healthy 2015 

May it be the year your dreams come true... for us this happened on September 10th, 2014!