My Sunday Photo - April 24th 2016

My Sunday Photo - April 17th 2106

England ...
Cornwall ...
Boscastle ...
A village nearly destroyed by terrible floods in 2004.
A village once again thriving on tourism and the lobster trade.
Small industry keeping a small village alive in 2016.

My Sunday Photo - April 10th 2016

Take one tree, two home-made rope swings and add 2 boys - mix together for a lot of fun!

My Sunday Photo - April 3rd 2016

French markets are wonderful places to shop with so many small and local businesses selling their wares.  Much of the fresh produce will be have been grown in the region and you will find that the stall owners have will  be happy to sell you whatever weight you want or choose fruit of just the right ripeness for your needs.  Other stalls sell anything from clothes to accessories, kitchen items and even live chickens.  Here are some photos I took at our local market in Condé-sur-Noireau this week although I avoided the chicken sellers in case I "accidentally" bought some chicks that I am not actually ready for yet.

My Sunday Photo - March 27th 2016

For Moo's story please click here - Meet Moo - The Cat who Came to Stay.

My Sunday Photo - 20th March 2106

As some-one who grows fruit and vegetables, keeps animals and enjoys foraging I hope that with each meal I put on the table, there is always something on our plates that I have either grown, reared or foraged.  I almost failed with this massive full English breakfast that Simon requested before he and the boys headed up to Paris to watch England v France in the final of the Six Nations Rugby.  Thank goodness the hens are laying well and that egg was one of ours!

PS - and England won meaning they took the 6 Nations title and The Grand Slam! 

My Sunday Photo - 6th March 2106

Last Sunday Tom took part in an athletics tournament up at Caen where he had qualified in the 50m hurdles (or haies = hedges, in French).  There were 5 heats and the medal winners were the fastest 3 from any of the 5 heats.  The faster qualifiers went in the earliest heats so as Tom was in heat 5 he (and we) knew, realistically, he stood very little chance of winning .... which he didn't.  But, he has only just moved up to this age category and he is up against boys a year older and a lot bigger and more developed than him, so we were very proud that he qualified.  Oh and the hurdles are higher now!

His athletics club was also really pleased with his performance.  He has a good technique apparently (although I don't think that shows in this photo) and they have asked if he will do extra training with the older lads so that hopefully next year he will stand a really good chance of getting a medal.  

One thing though - I think we need to buy him a new pair of running trousers sans un trou dans le genou (without a girt big hole in the knee!) in that case! 

My Sunday Photo - 28th February 2016

I recently visited the nearby Medieval city of Domfront and delighted in beautiful old buildings, ancient and more modern churches, a fantastic ruined castle ... and the best drain covers I've seen in a long while.  If you are going to have a drain cover why not make it a bit more attractive which is just what Domfront as done adding their coat of arms and city name. There are more Domfront pictures here.

My Sunday Photo - Feb 21st 2016

Synchronised sleeping :)

My Sunday Photo - Feb 14th 2016

This week I have been playing with black and white photos:

My Sunday Photo - Feb 7th 2016

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to improve my camera skills and the lovely Lisa at Lisa's Life recommended an online camera  course with Emma Davies.  I signed up and I'm loving it.  We get an email a week with a topic to concentrate on and already I understand some of those many buttons and knobs on my camera.

I know how to change the aperture to change the depth of field so whilst your rather boring pumpkin is always in focus the background may not be ...

And I know how to alter the shutter speed to photograph fast moving objects like the water in this stream:

It's probably not too late for you to sign up if you want to learn how to use better your camera.  Click on A Year with my Camera if you are interested.

Silent Sunday - January 31st 2016

It seems it is not jut small children who like making bubbles.  Allow your teenage son loose with the washing up liquid and you might not see clean plates but he will be adept at making hand-help bubbles.  That might explain why my washing up liquid went down so quickly this week!

Silent Sunday - January 24th 2016

Camera Skills - January 17th 2016

As I mentioned on Thursday I am not good at sticking to New Year Resolutions so I tend not to set any.  However I have set myself a goal for 2016 (which is different) and that is a goal to improve my photography skills.  I have a pretty good (if slightly old) digital SLR camera with all the knobs and buttons you would expect but I don't really use them, relying on point and shoot and sometimes getting the image I want!  So I have bought myself this photography book and plan to find out how to get the photos I want by using those knobs and buttons rather than relying on chancet.  Once I have worked out what I am doing I might even treat myself to a new camera with better macro and zoom.

Have you got any tips for me to improve my photography?  

Bananagrams! January 10th 2016

We are a family who enjoy a good game and this is one we have not played for a while until Simon and the boys rediscovered it recently.  It's Banangrams and is probably best described as Scrabble on speed!  There is no scoring but each player makes their own grid with the available tiles taking more tiles at various times through the game.  The winner is the first person to use all their letters on a completed grid with no errors when all the central tiles have been taken.  If that doesn't make sense it all becomes very clear when you play ... and it's addictive.

It is also very good for the boys where English is not their first written language which can result in some interesting spellings at times.  However even just playing it a few times of late has helped them with some of the many difficult spellings the English language throws up.

But one small query remains, how do you pronounce the game? We always called it Banana Grams until Ben looked at it and said Ban Anangrams.  So which do you think it is?

Nepalese Prayer Flags - January 3rd 2016

Today I give you something that would probably be more at home half way round the world ... in Nepal.  We were given some Nepalese prayer flags from Simon's sister who travelled there earlier in the year.  We have some in the house as part of our Christmas decorations and these ones are fluttering outside in the wind.

The flags come in sets of five, one each of the following colours from left to right: blue, white, red, green, and yellow and the colours each represent something. Blue for the sky and space, white  for air and wind, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth.  Prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom with these positive feelings being blown by the wind from the flags across the world.  Ideally the flags should be left to fly as high as possible and whilst I am not sure our washing line in Normandy can compete with the Himalayas in altitude I am hoping they are doing well spreading good feelings far and wide.

Happy New Year everyone and I hope our Nepalese Prayer Flags send some of their good wishes in your direction.

Beach Walk - December 27th 2105

Boxing Day Beach Walk in Normandy. 

How did you spend your Boxing Day?

Sunrise in Normandy - Dec 20th 2105

In Normandy, the later part of 2015 has seen some fabulous sunsets to the point that with another fantastic evening light show the boys may just have yelled "Not MORE photos, Mum?!"

The mornings have not been without their moments too,  but often I have been in the car or feeding animals and I have not been able to snap the dawn glory.  Yesterday, however I was both up early (on a Saturday!) and had my camera to hand - there was no school run and the animals could wait as this sunset that was brightening up the sky needed photographing.

More orange and purple than red I am hoping it is not a portent to bad weather ... the forecast would seem to think not with the mild and dry spell set to continue and shepherds need not worry.

How is your December weather and have you had some sunrises worth getting up for?  Do tell.

I'm glad we don't live in ... Sunday 13th December 2015

In France, a commune is the equivalent in England of a parish so we are in the parish of Lenault.  For addresses, most houses actually in the village will just carry the name "le bourg" (the village).  We are, however, situated 2 kms outside of le bourg and for outlying houses the French give hamlet names.  Ours is La Causserie which just covers our house, although others may include several houses.  In the commune of Lenault, hamlet names include Le Hamelet, Le Jardin, La Saulnerie and La Fosse etc.  All I can say, though, is that I am glad we didn't find a house in Crapouville!

A cross and a pair of shoes - Sunday 6th December

Two years ago I did my first Silent Sunday post, a picture of Tom leaping over a muddy puddle (and yes, he did land safely on the other side!).  In those 2 years I have only missed one post and have really enjoyed adding a picture a week.  But I think that now it's time for a bit of a change.  So on Sundays from now on I shall still post a photo, it will still be taken during the preceding week but I will also add a bit of context to the image.  Do let me know what you think.

First up, a cross and a pair of shoes.

Travel around France and you cannot help but see roadside crosses everywhere and even in our tiny village there are four.  More of these in a later post, though.  This picture is, however, from a cross in the next village of Saint Vigor-des-Mézerets.  Each time I have walked past there has invariably been some baby shoes or socks at it's base.  If none are there one time there will be some the next time.  Initially I thought someone had dropped them in the road whilst on a walk but now I suspect a more poignant story is being told in these tiny boots at the base of a roadside cross in Normandy.  It makes me feel very sad.