What's a Kaki?

That's what we thought when we saw the sign in E.Leclerc yesterday, so we bought one or rather, three as the offer was 3 for 0,99€

They turned out to be what we know as Persimmon. Searching through online recipes for help on how to prepare them, we found lots used in salads, predominantly alongside hazelnuts, but one recipe by Martha Stewart, was for a simple dessert: Caramellised Persimmon with marscapone and lime.

Jean and Nick came over today giving us the perfect excuse to try out this recipe...which basically involved cutting the persimmon into half inch slices,

drizzling over some runny honey and grilling until caramellised.

This done, place on a serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lime juice and serve with a spoonful of marscapone.

And the result?? Well, there were none left and I think we all enjoyed them. I found them just the right blend of sweetness - the lime juice helped to cut through the honey - and we would certainly have them again as a light dessert.

We'll also be on the look out for trees locally, as we have noticed one or two with fruit (or to be correct botanically, berries) going to waste by the wayside.

Wild Horses.....and the odd Owl..

Who would have thought such a neat and tidy person, with so organised a mind, could have a work bench like this?!

Exactly four weeks to the day from the eye op, she's back at it....  Owls, that is..

The first stage of the latest creation starts to take shape - and gains an eye (topical!)

I could try tying her to the chair but wild horses wouldn't stop her making a mess..er, I mean, making things.

At least this time she's wearing eye goggles and a mask, though when I looked, the mask was conspicuous by its absence....

Artists, eh? Don't you just love 'em!?

Digging up the Dahlias

Many of the French leave their Dahlias in the ground all year round which if we have a mild winter is probably OK, I prefer to lift and store ours in a frost free place.

It is not a job I like doing BUT in saying that it is much easier here in France than it was in Lancashire due to the soil being sandier. The Lancashire clay used to stick to the tubers like s**t to a blanket!!

Anyway, today I braved the cold, it's only been 6ºC, and started to lift them... Sorry no picture of me at work, it was tooooo cold for Elizabeth to venture out!

Taken in October for ID purposes....

The same bed emptied today...

The next line yet to do, perhaps tomorrow! Some of these have been promised to friends...

A barrow full of all white and purple, I think!

Another set of mixed...

All awaiting ID labels...  Last year though, something went wrong, the labels did not match what came up... Human error? No way!

Their final storage boxes

They will not all fit, so J and N when you are over this way, perhaps you could take yours with you!! And G and T could you just pop back and collect yours (only joking!)

12 months on...

This afternoon we returned to a walk we last did twelve months ago. It covers  two areas of woodland between Braslou and Marigny Marmande: Bois de la Couarde and Le Bois Millet.

We know thanks to the fantastic recording tool which is our blog! It allows us to look back and see how things have changed... If they have changed... The Etang and paths remain the same...

so too the ferns and braken...

The gorse was out in abundance...

and so was the lichen

We noticed some new signs...

and some unseasonal things...

The fungi were still about in abundance...

And although the sun wasn't shining as it was last year, it was drier underfoot and the pleasure we got from the walk was just as good!

Last years walk can be seen here.

Jenny Wren

We have had wrens in the garden since we came in 2010 and they are incredibly agile and very difficult to casually photograph.

However, this one appeared to want its photograph taking, posing in our little Christmas tree.

It is such a cute little thing and a delight to watch flitting around the garden.

I was going to give you some information as to the name Jenny Wren BUT there is a great deal about it on the web... It goes back years and years, if you are interested Google it!

Braslou: Circuit de Randonnée

We went out walking this afternoon, with friends, Paul and Mary. We have been trying to plan this for weeks now and luckily we'd picked a good day for walking. The sun came through later in the afternoon but for the most part it was overcast, reasonably warm for the time of year and with a light breeze blowing.

We chose the blue route on the Circuits de Randonnée setting out from Braslou.

The first photo looks back to the village..

And again from a little further up the track (NB.slight incline)

A familiar sight in France... the water tower...

And looking ahead up the track (NB. slight incline)

The beauty of this walk is that it combined open countryside with woodland, giving us the benefit of both..

En route we passed L'eau-Morte, which we noted had surprisingly little water in it...It was only in the last twelve months that it was refilled after being drained for a few years.

There were plenty of small deer tracks at the waters edge...

Then more woodland, before coming back into Braslou and a welcome cuppa at Paul and Mary's.

Looking forward to the next one, which we've decided will be the yellow route from Trogues, with a stretch along the banks of the Vienne.....

The Goldfinch with aspirations....

Word soon got around that there are Niger Seeds in the bird feeder and now we have a small flock of Goldfinch in the garden.

Today we saw some different behaviour from one of them...

It landed on the post which supports the bird table and took advantage of a weak point in the bark...

and before we knew it the bark was shredded like paper...

Presumably it had found a food supply.

When it flew off the extent of the damage was revealed...

Strange, considering there is a ready supply of Niger Seeds for it to eat.....

Perhaps this one thinks it's a woodpecker!