September photos!!

Forgot to add the link!!

September 2026

 

September has continued to be hot and sunny. The grass still isnt growing, neither are the weeds! The tomato crop has been good as usual though, thanks to Dave's nurturing!

We enjoyed a trip to England to see the family at the begining of the month. Back home again, we have kept busy as usual and have had some great local bike rides and meet ups with friends and neighbours.

Lucy, Andy and Leo have just been to stay again for a week which has been great fun. We were able to get out and about a bit more than their earlier visit this summer when it was so hot, but the pool is a bit cold now for swimming. Leo is walking now as well so has loved exploring on his feet! They all went home today so the house feels very quiet again!

We are setting off to the Mediterranean with our bikes for a couple of nights tomorrow, but the weather is turning stormy, so it might be interesting!!

 We have enjoyed some home time during August, which we prefer as it gets so busy everywhere during the holidays. We have been busy at home though with one thing and another. The hot or very hot weather has continued throughout the month, but with a few heavy showers and thunder storms just recently which have freshened the air somewhat. it is still around 30 deg most days now, but not as oppresive as when it was getting to 35 deg or more, It has been too hot for walking far, but we have enjoyed regular local bike rides in the mornings.

We were able to watch the eclipse with some friends and neighbours, which was fun. A cloud came over right at the last minute, but we were able to get a few photos and appreciate the moment of 'dimpsy' light

We also enjoyed a morning walking in the mountains this week - to the Orlu Valley which is a National Wildlife reserve, a protected area for marmots and chamois. 

Here are some of our photos

July 2026

 July was hot - very hot! However we have had a great month, enjoying visits from Lucy, Andy and Leo, then Dan and Jess with Siena, Rafael and Quya as well. We all had lots of fun in the garden and pool and most meals outside. We went for local walks in the mornings when it was cooler, but otherwise enjoyed staying around the house and garden. The house stays cool at around 25 deg so was very comfortable even when over 35 deg outside. The pool was a lovely 28 deg - refreshing enough!

Here are just a few photos of the month

June 2026

 June has got hotter and hotter! Its been hot all over Europe as anyone reading this will know!! 
We aim to get all our jobs done in the morning and then try to keep cool indoors. The pool is lovely for a quick cool down and the thick house wall help keep some of the heat out. We open windows and shutters and night then close up in the morning as soon as the outside temperature goes up.

The veggie patch is needing a lot of water but has started to produce - green beans and courgettes so far. The grass is getting brown and dry already. All round the farmers have been harvesting as the wheat is ready early. We had a storm and a downpour on Sunday evening. Its a little less hot this week, but very hot again after the weekend!

Lucy, Andy and Leo are on their way to see us as I write this! We are looking forward to seeing them

Here are some photos of the month

May 2026

 I went back to England for a week at the beginning of May to catch up with the family, then flew back with Dad and Jenny, Clive and Sue -  they had come over from Australia to see us all.

Their visit co-incided with some wet, cold and windy weather, but we still got out to explore and it picked up for the second half of the week. 
We had some nice outings - including a visit to Camon rose festival, which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare with so many people there and very little space to park.  Mirepoix and Lac Montbel were lovely though, as was Carla Bayle the next day.

Heatwave weather returned towards the end of the month so it was nice to be grateful for the pool instead of the central heating!

Here are some photos from the month

April 2026

 

April has brought some lovely warm weather as well as quite a few showers. Countryside and garden are very green and lush. Its also planting time for the vegetables so Dave has been busy with that.

We havent needed to heat the house for several weeks now and have been eating outside most evenings. I love this time of year, before it gets too hot and dry.

Here are some photos of the month

We also enjoyed a holiday in the middle of April. We drove through the Pyrenees and down the coast of Spain to Seville and Cordoba, with overnight stops on the way at Denia and an interesting little place near Almeria called La Almadraba de Monteleva. We visited a Westen film set in the Tabernas dessert before visiting Judith and Henri (Jess's Mum and Dad) at their golf course home near Malaga.

Seville was beautiful and interesting, but already very busy. Cordoba was lovely as well. We had wonderful weather for sight seeing - sunny and not too hot. On the way home we booked a little apartment overlooking the beach at Sant Salvador.We drove over 2000 miles in the BMW - a great road trip! 

Here are a few photos of the trip..

Spain holiday

March 2026

 We were in England for the first week of March. It was lovely to catch up with the family and we enjoyed some good weather as well.. 

We also had a good spell of warm weather back here at home for a while so were able to spend some time in the garden preparing the veggie patch for planting. We have covered most of it with mulch and Dave has planted the onions. The tomato plants are still being nurtured in pots indoors for now.

It has turned very cold again here since Friday. There is more fresh snow on the mountais, and more to come over the next couple of days. Most of the ski resorts are closing now, but they have had a good season this year. 

The weather is looking warm and sunny again for the Easter weekend, so looking forward to that!

Here are some photos of the month

February 2026

 A very mixed month of very wet, windy and cold days, followed by some warm sunshine this last week. Up to 25 deg, so warm enough for a few lunches outside - and a few bike rides. Needless to say, we took our photos here on sunny days!!

Our photos

January 2026

 We have had some very mixed weather in January - cold and icy, sunny, rain, rain and more rain!!
Our photos mostly show the sunny days, but it hasn't always been like that! The fields are waterlogged and the ditches running full. There is a good covering of snow on the mountains though, so a good year for winter sports

Our photos

December 2025

 Happy New Year everyone!

We are home again now after spending two very enjoyable weeks with the family in England.

The drive up was interesting, with long sections of the motorway between home and Limoges closed by farmers who have been demonstrating - they are not happy with the government (European) policy on 'lumpy skin disease' in cattle. There have been several cases recently and the policy is to slaughter the whole herd. We needed to take some lengthy diversions across country which wasn't very easy in the early morning darkness, but we made good time after that .

Our drive home on Friday was also interesting, with quite heavy snow falling between Calais and Paris. We arrived home late evening to a very cold house!

Here are a few photos of December
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PEJvSZBiYKeUe7bM9

November 2025

 
We started the month with a trip to England to see the family, then back home to continue tidying the garden, along with a bike ride or two and a few social events. We have had a few days of rain in between the sunny ones, which has fallen as snow on the mountains. It is one of the most picturesque times of year here with the autumn colours, clear air and snowy peaks.

Here are our photos

Lesley's album

Dave's album

October 2025

October has been mostly warm and sunny - a real treat!. We have enjoyed several bike rides and a walk in the mountains. Dave has been lake fishing and we have continued to use the BBQ.

We (mostly I !!) have also started decorating the house....lots of fun and good to have a change.
I must add that Dave does most of the brush and roller washing for me - not so much fun!!

The garden needs a lot of attention as well - the tomato plants are still producing fruit - it's been a good year for them, as well as the butternut squash's in particular. Everything needs tidying up and cutting back now. 
The farmers have been busy as well. All the maize and sun flowers have been harvested, fields prepared and winter planting has begun.

All change this weekend though - I am writing this on Sunday 26th as we are off to England next week to see the family. 

We are still enjoying music of course - singing and guitar, which is especially fun when we can share this with friends.

A few more photos this month, here below

Dave's photos

Lesley's photos 

September 2025

 
We enjoyed a trip back to England to see the family in September. Here at La Maire the grass is green and growing again. We have had a fair bit of rain, but are now enjoying some warm sunny days again. The tomato plants are still producing, so it has been a good crop this year.

Dave has been repairing another wooden deck - and I have been doing some interior decorating.....so busy as usual!!

Here are a few photos from September

August 2025

The blog is late this month....we have been very busy!!
We loved having Lucy and Andy here to stay for just over a week with little Cameron. Luckily they missed the heatwave at the beginning of the month, but still enjoyed a fair bit of sunshine and some pool time. 
The other highlight of the month was Veronique and Atlantis's wedding day.
Photos are in the album here below
We had a few days of rain last week and the garden in springing into life again - more green than brown!
The tomatoes are doing well though - and we enjoyed one very delicious homegrown water melon!
Cucumbers, green beans and butternut squash's have also done well

Our photos are here

July 2025

 This month has seen, as usual, the village fete, all the wheat being harvested - and Dave's vegetable garden beginning to produce. Tomatoes, green beans, courgettes!!

We have been eating most meals outside which has been lovely. We visited friends Melanie and Steve at their lovely house in the Lot and Garonne and have enjoyed dinners with friends here as well. 

We celebrated our 42nd Wedding Anniversary with another delicious meal at Restaurant Bassas in Pamiers and then finally loved having Dan and Jess here with the children for a week - with Quya their family dog as well this year

As usual, some of our photos here tell the story

June 2025

 

A late blog post this month as I went to England for a week at the end of June, then have been non stop busy since coming home!!

We have been enjoying electric our electric bikes this month. The first photo above is from a local ride, then the next 2 from our day out on the coast.

More photos of the month here

May 2025

 This month we enjoyed having Dad and friend Jenny here to stay, along with Clive and Sue, over from Australia on a trip to Europe, catching up with friends and family but also exploring new places.
We very much enjoyed spending some days out with them as well as a couple of delicious meals and many coffee stops.

The photos all look bright and sunny but we have had our fair share of rain as well. Dave has planted out the tomato and green bean plants, and its another bumper season for strawberries and cherries.
The beetroot was pretty good as well!

Here are some photos from this month

April 2025

 This month has seen the arrival of Lucy and Andy's gorgeous little baby boy, Cameron Finlay Cooper, born 21st April weighing 8lb 15oz. I was happy to be there to house and puppy sit while they were in hospital and was able to help them out a bit in the first few days of being home. They are doing really well, and are of course so delighted to be parents.
Dave stayed here to continue looking after the garden and will go over to see the family next month.

The ski centres in the Pyrenees have closed now for the summer, but we were able to get in a walk in fresh snow on the Plateau de Beille

Our photos

March 2025

 We enjoyed our week in England at the beginning of the month. It is always good to catch up with the family. Now everything is springing into life back home....busy busy!!

Our photos