Stills of the week

That's life on Mas de l'Houvande on beautiful days in spring :
our hill theatre is back in its green splendour, evenings are lovely outside in the sun, balloons are passing by and the lizzards are taking a evening sunbath.
Life could be worse.










Flower of the week : arum dracunculus or voodoo lily, the favourite flower of my mother - she painted it a lot.

Malbec days

This week-end the international malbec days take place in Cahors for the second time.
Some 100 producers of malbec wines - from France, but also from Argentine and Spain - are presenting their wines to the public on the medieval Bridge Pont Valentré (see picture).



Click on the picture to see the video Cahors, Capital of Malbec on the Cahors wine region.
And have a close look at 2:07 - 2:12 min (characterised by the word: Powerful): our valley seen from the panorama of Bélaye.
Everybody who has been to the Mas might recognize the house.

an art intermezzo

Art is everywhere : in the streets, in public places and ... in the aviary (volière).


Montcuq




Lauzerte




Prayssac




Thanks to Gerd, Michael, Toni & Rita for the pictures.

Summer time will be back next week.

lull before the touristic storm

On the home front it was a calm but rainy week: the grass has become wild now. But big avantage : most flowers are out now.

A mere impression.

ça y ait

Yes, we did it : the terraces are ready now. This week at last we could joint the tiles. Hard work in a burning sun. Until Friday it was really hot summer : on Wednesday on the terrace in the sun the thermometer indicated at 6.30 pm no less than 48° ! (forgot to take a picture of that).






As you can see we "invented" a new technique to adapt the tiles to the old stones of the little wall and the doorsteps : the borders of the tiles were cut with a pair of pincers (tenailles) to follow the unevenness and irregularities of the stones.



Flowers of the week : of course the lily-of-the-valley (muguet) and - for us - as it is the first time it flowers - the weigel(i)a or diervilla.



At last some rain. The grass is very happy.

It is a very strange feeling for Belgians to be happy about the rain. In the South it is rather Singin' in the rain than I can't stand the rain.