In France, May is seemingly full of public holidays and the last one is Pentecost; as we chatted during supper on Monday evening we all agreed we cannot remember the last time we had such a fun weekend. It all went by in rather a social blur; friends to lunch and dinner, fabulous long sunny days staying light until nearly 10pm, and the kids decided to camp in the garden for two nights so our lawn became ‘Tent City’ as friends joined them.
I cannot believe the month is nearly over; where did it go? It seems only last week I was incredibly happy we were into the month of April and that spring was well and truly in command. Yet here we are now, only a few days from June. I hope it slows down or before we know it we will be hauling logs, lighting fires and getting out our hats and scarves again.
To try and prolong it a little longer I thought I would share with you a photo-tour of our month of May. It didn’t get off to the best start as it arrived with pouring rain and chilly winds which quite typically coincided with the children being on Spring Break.
after several days the skies cleared and once again the sun came out to play
having been dormant all winter, vineyards were once again bursting with life
villages that had seemed almost deserted became centers of chattering activity as the Brocante season got well and truly underway
and I found a fab heavy brass chandelier for the summer kitchen
some of us were brave enough to have our first swim of the year
and we dusted off our bikes and set about exploring nearby villages
the garden demanded, but failed to get, constant attention as I waged a war I realized I was never going to win on the weeds
we walked the well-trodden sand and stone causeway over to the Île Madame
and one morning when the children were all at school found ourselves quite by chance at the most incredible stone-mason’s yard
cherry season is now in full swing, picking, eating, picking and eating more – it’s the simple things in life that I enjoy so much!
the locals are saying it is the best year for roses in decades
a little renovation required, but how about this for a cute weekend retreat
yesterday some farmers were turning their hay, making the most of the sunny dry weather
and when we walked Bentley after supper the sun was still beating strong at 9pm
I hope May has been a good month for you too and as always thanks for reading, thanks for following me and for your comments, I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I really enjoy taking photos whilst we are out and about and sharing them with you and telling our story from this tiny little corner of France. Merci mille fois
Our French Oasis 
I so love your blog! Please think about writing a book about your daily experiences! I would definitely sell it in my store!
Thank you so so much, what a lovely comment and I am so happy you enjoy reading the blog. One day maybe who knows! I am very fortunate to live where we do. I was walking my two youngest girls to a friends house just now and I said to them “every day I look around and I feel so happy to live where we do”, I love being able to share that feeling. Enjoy the rest of the week and thank you again 🙂
Beautiful country! Cannot wait to visit in August.
It is indeed, which part are you visiting?
We will be in the South near Carcassone on a barge trip, Canal du Midi, an evening in Toulouse and one day in Paris
What fun, I love Carcassone it is so beautiful. I have always wanted to do a barge trip on the Canal du Midi, have been there many times but never on a barge and it always looks such fun, I am sure you will have a fantastic time 🙂
I Love LOOKING at YOUR photos which brought some BEAUTIFUL memories back to me with my own BOYS!!We were in FRANCE god knows where………the South I think with them picking CHERRIES.It was one of my favorite EVER things we have done……they were little and the house on that estate was GORGEOUS………we were staying down the dirt road in the SHEPERDS house.The STONE MASONS YARD……….I could spend hours there…………..I did bring back one of those stone sinks to AMERICA!I found it on a walk………it was being thrown out!I feel I recused it and I will NEVER part with it.IT stands royally in my bathroom now and we actually use it!
MAY has flown and we have had BAD weather………….for MAY!COld and overcast.
Your garden speaks to me………………your photos well they SING to me!!!!
Thanks for sharing………..XX
Thanks, there is something so magical about picking cherries, but we are now in a race against the birds! They have had the top ones and are moving their way down the tree! Do post a photo of your sink, sounds fascinating, what memories. May has been colder than usual here too, just really warming up this week again. xxx
Love reading your blog and seeing all the beautiful pictures. The scenery and old buildings look so serene..It would be so nice to visit someday!
Hi Deanna. It is serene, it’s a beautiful place to live and I do feel very very fortunate. Hope you do get to visit one day 🙂
Do you have a link to the house that is for sale? We are looking for a place in France that is a bit of a reno project.
Hi Vicky, No sadly I don’t, I am not even sure it is for sale, it was just all shut up and by the look of the garden no one has been there for a very long time. If you are looking in the Charente Maritime I can suggest a good agent, let me know if I can help 🙂
Oh your cherries are so much further ahead than ours. Our are starting to redden but the birds are having a field day. What a beautiful post and how pretty your local landscape. I really would love to be at that brocante!
I find the small Brocantes are the best, this was a really good one in our next door village, the perfect size and incredible prices, it was a big success for us! Today the birds found our cherry tree and picked the very top totally clean in a day, need to get up the ladder tomorrow before we lose them all! Hope it is warming up with you too, beautiful here today, 24C and finally the chilly wind disappeared 🙂
Our birds got all our cherries in the end. Sadly our tree is enormous and they were very high up and I was lacking the ladders for this year. Those pesky birds even had the cheek to poop on my lovely hammock into the bargain. That will teach me not to leave it hanging until darkness falls!
WOW I am really so green with envy. I am in Queensland Australia and our cherries must be a half to 2/3rds smaller in size. Yours are enormous – enjoy!
I only signed up to your blog yesterday and if todays is anything to go by, your site just might become an obsession for me!!! In a good way! Oh dear, I think I may have just lost my day reading all your other posts… how will I ever explain this to my husband!!! LOL
I loved loved loved looking at your pictures, it’s obviously a very beautiful part of France. Keep up the good work.
Hi Joanne, thanks for signing up and for the lovely comment, so glad you enjoyed this post and hope you enjoy the older ones too! There seem to be so many varieties of cherry around here, some are still green still. We are now losing the battle with the birds so have to go and pick quickly today! I love Queensland, it too is a very beautiful area, spent some time there in 2005 and really enjoyed it. 🙂
What a beautiful chandelier, just perfect for your summer kitchen! I love every single photograph in this post–thank you for taking us on a photo tour of your May. The cherries look incandescent and so delicious. Your garden is lovely. And your children are beautiful! We are having a lovely May (actually, it has been lovely almost every day since early January here). A bientôt, Leslie
I think you are having a better May than us, it started wet and then got very hot, then went cold, now hot again! I cannot wait to get started on the summer kitchen so we can clean and then hang the chandelier, alas so many other jobs to do first! Thank you for your lovely comment and enjoy the rest of the week 🙂
Bonjour Susan! Your chandelier is beautiful (you will not paint it in white, will you?). Ouaouh, the stone-mason’s yard looks nice. We have one just near from our house but he is very expensive and he charges what he feels like… I have a lot of trouble with seeds too, I spend a lot of time on my knees, trying to get rid of them.
Très bon week-end, profitez bien du beau temps! My son who is in Glasgow is so much in lack of sun…
Hi Caroline, don’t worry, I will not paint it at all, just give it a good clean! When we finally finish the summer kitchen I will post some pics! This stone masons yard was expensive too, but great fun to look around, they had made an entire kitchen out of stone it was incredible. Weeds weeds weeds I am learning to live with them!!! Yes Scotland is cold! Beautiful but cold! Have a lovely weekend 🙂
I am so jealous that you get to live in France! My post from today is on my last visit there, with Stephane from my french heaven. that’s where i found your blog!!!
Hi Mimi, great to have you following because it meant I found your blog which I just love – you absolutely share my thinking on food and feeding our children. Please see my comment on your latest post as I so enjoyed reading it. Best wishes Susan
I just stumbled upon your blog – now I will have to check in here and there to see what you have been up to. It looks beautiful there – visiting France is a dream of ours. We live here in Lubbock, Texas USA – dry, hot, dusty, dust storms, did I mention dry? 🙂 Now, when our temperatures soar and we seek solace inside from the heat, I will turn on my computer, find your blog and live vicariously in France! Have a beautiful day there! Laura in Lubbock, Texas
Hi Laura, so glad you found my blog, I love new readers and comments, thank you. Follow your dream and I hope one day you make it to France. It does get hot here but nowhere near the heat you have, no a/c, just open windows and fresh air. Have a lovely weekend:)