june

Never did I imagine that I would be donning a thick coat, scarf and boots to walk the dog in June. The weather in my patch of the Poitou is a washout at the moment but I've managed to think of a few good things about the French summer (ha!)

1 The scent of lime blossom trees.

2 Cherry trees laden with fruit.

3 Even better, Pierre-Antoine arriving with a carrier bag full of black cherries from his garden.

4 The scent of honeysuckle.

5 The sight of a duck surrounded by about ten ducklings, lying peacefully under a tree at The Mad Hatter's on Sunday. (Thank god I left Biff at home.)

6 Poppies - late this year because of the cold weather - adding sporadic hits of colour to the countryside.

7 Little white butterflies with orange-tipped wings, flitting along the grass track where I walk Biff in the morning.

8 The sight of an old stone wall almost covered with deep red and pale lemon climbing roses.