It’s one of those perfect mornings and I thought of you all. I didn’t have time to write a lot or to edit photos, I simply picked up my camera and snapped away. This is a simple Sunday morning in a country farmhouse in a quiet village in rural coastal France.
Last night the clocks went forward an hour, we are officially enjoying daylight saving time, another sure sign that summer is just around the corner. I had no plans to write a post today. I was away with the children at a sporting event all day yesterday, we returned home late and went straight out to dinner with friends. I planned to give myself a day off. But the problem was I couldn’t! I have awoken to the most gorgeous spring day. Birds are singing their little hearts out, the sun is warm enough that we can open all the doors and windows and I just have to share it.
There is no agenda, there are no staged photos, this is our morning, just as it is. Because I simply wanted to say ‘Good Morning’ and to wish you all a wonderful Sunday. Nothing more than that. Why? Because, I have come to think of all of you as friends, I never dreamt this little blog would become popular and now that it has I find I have so many new friendships around the world. I don’t know you all in person, I can’t send everyone an email, but I can say hello to each and every one of you, big hugs and thank you so so much for taking the time to read my ramblings, for all the comments, the support, the emails. Let’s all be happy today, be grateful for the simple things we have and today let’s smile xx
The lawn in front of the kitchen needs mowing again
the ferns are looking healthier than ever
and the wisteria buds are getting bigger by the day.
The children are outside in their pyjamas
sun streams in through the kitchen doors
the iris are so nearly in flower
and the honeysuckle is going crazy
as always, dogs snooze in the sun
and the hallway is holding up well, a few more coats and shoes as it’s the weekend, but the plan has worked, it’s a success!
everything is peaceful
the olive trees are supporting lots of new growth
and a bumble bee is hard at work in the abundant cherry blossom
the kerria is one of the first things to flower as always and I love the simple greens of the Euphorbia
tulips are flowering
and the girls are now dressed!
We’re going to have lunch outside of course, and then perhaps a long walk, again nothing planned, just a simple Sunday, the type I love best.
Our French Oasis 
What a lovely post, And such beautiful pictures. We have arrived here in Umbria, but I’m afraid we have been so busy working on the house that I have not had any time for a post. Just a few lines on Instagram. It is wonderful to see the countryside coming to life. Each day there is more green. The forsythia is in bloom and we await the lilacs. Nature is wonderful.
Isn’t it wonderful to see nature at it’s best, everything coming to life and growing by the day and the colours, it’s fabulous, makes one happy to be alive. Cannot wait to see another post from you with house updates, hope you get some time to enjoy being outside too! Have a fabulous Sunday xx
My mornings are always that much better when they start with an email from Our French Oasis in my inbox. So thank you to you xoxo
Thanks so much Jane, hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
I love hearing about the day to day coming and goings of your family! Looks like the most idyllic Sunday
It is a very relaxed Sunday, for some people it would be far too dull, but everyone does their own thing, the girls have gone for a walk with friends in the village, lunch was outside, the garden beckons and then a game of tennis, for me just perfect! xx
I think we should be saying thank you to you!
Thank you so much Varsha, but truthfully without all of you there would be no blog! Have a lovely day xx
Beautiful photos, so nice to share your Sunday with you, now I would just love to be sitting on that bench sharing a cup of coffee in person! Enjoy the rest of your day with your lovely family x
Thanks Trish. I can tell you I did sit on the bench with my coffee this morning, it is warmer outside than inside and wonderful to feel the sun on one’s back, watching all the insects hard at work. Have a lovely Sunday xx
Can I come and live with you please!
Ha ha, it’s a bit of hectic life as well as a lovely one I warn you! xx
Gorgeous photos. Spring comes so early in France. I’m glad to see ours isn’t the only lawn which needs mowing. 😉
Thanks so much, Spring is early down here because we are quite southerly. The lawn will get mown tomorrow but for today, I am enjoying the spring flowers! Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
My favorite Sunday morning is drinking tea or coffee and reading your posts and enjoying the pictures of family and garden! Heavenly! Hope you had a great day. Xoxo, Nancy
Thanks so much Nancy, how I wish you could come over and spend a week or two with us, enjoying the mornings, any possibility this summer? I shall email you. It is such a gorgeous day, the girls have gone for a walk around the village with friends, the dogs are snoring in the shade now, the sun got too hot and I am off to do some gardening and then we shall all go and have a family game of tennis – a perfect Sunday! Hope you have a lovely day too xxx
I was already happy this Sunday morning but this put an extra smile on my face. Sunday morning is when I make waffles and sausage and my husband and I share the Sunday paper … and really don’t do much more.
Just as it should be Patricia, a day to just enjoy yourselves, we don’t do a lot either, maybe a walk, today we shall play a game of family tennis just for fun, but most of all it’s about relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Your Sunday sounds perfect to me, enjoy xx
Just beautiful, thank you
Thanks so much, hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
a perfect post for a beautiful Sunday morning, merci.
Thanks so much, it is such a perfect Sunday morning here, I just had to share it. I was sitting on the bench drinking coffee, watching the insects hard at work and I knew it was too good to be kept all to myself! have a great day xx
Spring looks beautiful at your home! It is raining here this Sunday morning.
Oh no, we had rain last weekend and most of last week, in fact it was winter again last week, cold and miserable and so we are enjoying today all the more, finally really warm once more! Rain or shine, enjoy your Sunday xx
Lovely post, thank you.
Thanks so much, hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
Lovely post this Sunday morning, thank you.
Thanks so much Mary hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
Such a beautiful area, gorgeous flowers! Your property looks so idyllic!
Thanks so much Carole, everywhere just looks lovely at this time of year, there is such warmth in the sun and I just had to share it with everyone, it was as simple as that! xx
A perfect Sunday. We went for a drive around, the cane back for coffee , nothing nicer than blue sky sunshine & relaxing on. Sunday. You don’t get to that very often , enjoy your day.
It is the most perfect day isn’t it so lovely to feel warm again after last week, in fact it is warmer outside than in!! have a lovely day! xx
halleluja…. may I simply say: I love you…..
Aww thanks so much, hope the weather is as perfect with you too. Haven’t looked at the meteo. xxxx
the time is funny, it should be 3.27pm not 1.29….. has the Easter bunny been up to no good??? 😉
Most likely yes! I do love Easter, and the shops and supermarkets are so full of eggs and yummy things, the children are excited already! Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xxxx
It’s a beautiful sunny day in England too and it really is warm, so nice to wear a t shirt again instead of bundling up in layers!!
I know that feeling, it is so good to feel warm after a long (or short) winter! Just too nice to be indoors. Have a lovely day xx
Thank you so much for sharing your family and life in France. Beautiful photos!
mary in Az.
Thanks so much Mary, you have no idea how much pleasure it gives me to share everything. Thank you for taking the time to comment and I hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
Good morning from Southern California, Susan. Off for a hike this morning after breakfast. I hope your day ciontinued to be lovely. Mlooks delightful.
janet
Hope you are having the most wonderful time Janet, I am sure you are enjoying fabulous weather. Last week we went backwards into winter, but this weekend has put things to rights again, so wonderful to see the warmth on our backs and to be able to eat lunch outside. Hope you had a lovely hike and enjoy the time with your daughter xx
It’s kinda dreary here in Delaware this morning, but your post always brings a smile to my face. I love how you always take the time to respond to everyone. Super day to you and your family.
Thanks so much Dorothy, hope the weather improves soon! If it makes you feel any better we had spring two weeks ago and then last week we digressed back into winter, it was really chilly and wet and miserable all week! Yesterday was much better and today, wow, today was simply gorgeous! Fabulous to feel really warm and to eat outdoors, we all said how we cannot wait for endless long spring days now! Hope you are having a lovely weekend. xx
Susan, isn’t this such a beautiful time? We awake to the sound of birds singing, and our gardens are budding out. Our old ginkgo tree is a bright green leafed delight, oh how I adore spring! Your day is almost done as ours here in California begins, it is comforting to know that both of our families enjoy a beautiful spring day, a relaxing Sunday. Xo Lidy
Lidy, it is my absolute favourite time, every day feels like a gift. There is much new life all the time, blink and things seem to change. Our day was perfect all day long, not doing anything in particular, the children playing with friends, I gardened, we ate lunch outside, we even had a family game of tennis in the evening sunshine, a perfect day for us, nothing glamorous but perfect in its own way. Now, as you say, it’s dark and coming to an end, but hope you have a wonderful spring day and enjoy your Sunday xx
Everything is so beautiful. Here in Oregon , I woke up to a very soggy world. Lots of rain brings lots of green and lots of flowers later. Enjoy your beautiful day and I’ll enjoy mine knowing that our spring will be here soon.
Hi Karen, we had the rain last week, days and days of it so it was rather nice to feel the sun on our backs today. But rain now is good, I always tell myself this too, we need it because our summers are usually dry and as they say ‘April Showers bring May flowers.’ We are not quite in April yet, but so nearly. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
love your piece of heaven..all so lovely..
Thanks so much, hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
What a perfectly idyllic looking Sunday and thank you for sharing it with us. In my opinion there is no better thing to do than the simple pleasures of family together. Your sun and warmth and beautiful garden are just the icing on the cake!
I do agree with you Sharon, just doing nothing in particular, lunch outdoors, the sound of children playing and laughing in the garden, a family game of tennis, for me this was just the perfect Sunday, made all the better with the warmth of the sun on our backs. The garden is growing at an alarming rate, so much to do, but it will all happen in good time! xx
thank you for this lovely post. this has urged me to look at my world with eyes of wonder and gratitude for I too live in a lovely place, California! have a beautiful week xx-hb
Thanks so much Holly. Sometimes I just like to stand and do nothing but listen to the birds and marvel at the buds on the trees and the spring flowers and it really does make me feel so lucky and so happy, such simple pleasures. The sound of laughter from the children in the garden is another fabulous sound too and the warmth of the sun is an added bonus. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday in California, a beautiful part of the world and have a lovely week xx
Isn’t is fabulous to see spring all around us. So much to be grateful for. Loved all your photos and I am always happy to have a peek around your garden and home, to my mind these are always the best posts!
Thanks so much Erin, it is such an incredible time of year, new life is emerging all the time and I just love it, new buds, new flowers, everything is coming to life. I simply had to share it all today! xx
So green and beautiful. Now to enjoy Sunday in Carefree,Arizona which is also very green since we have had a lot of rain lately!
It is so green Judy, they say ‘April showers bring forth May flowers,’ so I guess we are happy for the rain, we had a week of rain last week which makes the warmth and sunshine all the more special today! Hope you have had a lovely weekend in Arizona xx
Susan…just the right start to the day. I have been in the garden….now coffee. It is still cooler than normal here, but it is spring. Your photos give me hope with all your wonderful blossoms.
Hopefully I will be wearing a tee shirt soon.
Ali xxx
We had the perfect day here Ali, around 20C most of the day and the sun was so warm, lunch outside, everything flowering like mad, children laughing in the garden and then a family game of tennis this evening, just perfect! Definitely t shirt weather here! Hopefully it will warm up with you soon. Last week we digressed back into winter, it was so cold and wet and miserable all week!! xxx
Just lovely. Brightened up a grey TO morning. Especially glad to see your bees. We had such a dearth of them last year. My purple sage is usually a big attraction. Not many butterflies either. I am planting wildflowers to provide a happy place for them all. Here’s hoping………..
Hi Eileen, so I am guessing TO is Toronto? The decline in bees is extremely worrying, I really hope that your wildflowers will bring a few more back to your garden this summer. I am more than happy to leave some areas semi wild for the birds and the bees and the insects, it seems to be a way that we can all live very happily together! xx
I love how you share your family life with us all. Many of us I know envy your beautiful French lifestyle but I have a feeling that behind the scenes you work very hard to make it as it is for you all to enjoy and yet you seem to do it with such grace, never complaining when I am sure you had better things to do today than think of a lot of strangers around the world. My heartfelt thanks to you, one day I truly hope to come to France and to meet you in person, you are a rare thing these days, generous, uncomplaining and always thinking of others. There I’ve said it! That’s how I always think of you, thank you!
What incredibly kind words Bev, thank you. Sadly I don’t think I am quite such a nice person as you have painted! But I do just love family life and sharing things, for me that is just the best and today was the perfect day! Of course the French lifestyle is wonderful, but there is always everyday life, chores, errands, bills to pay, just life to be taken care of wherever we live, it’s not all wonderful and yes life is hard work, but I think taking the time to make the most of the simple things that are free and right in front of us does make it all so much better, at least it does for me anyway! Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
Happy Sunday to you! Your day has started beautifully. I really like how you showed us around. I haven’t mowed the wildflowers in the overgrown grassy area either. I love the look of those flowers. Beautiful post.
Sure wish I could have an olive tree here, as much as I love olives anyway.
Happy Sunday to You.
Betsy
Hi Betsy, I love the wildflowers too and I always hate mowing over the daisies, it always seems rather sad to me. I shall certainly leave the lawn a few more days as, like you, I am just enjoying it. I love olives and I love the way the leaves change in the sunlight, they are a great addition to the garden all year round. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
Love the walk round the garden, Susan. Thank you for that. It’s looking a little like spring here in London too. Every day there are more chairs on pavements and a bit more colour in the parks. Amy remarked this morning that it’s the sound of chiff-chaffs that always mean spring for her. I concur they’re chirpy today!
I gather it was gorgeous in England today, or at least in southern England, Izzi said it was really warm, t shirt weather. I just love spring, it brings everyone outside once again and the sound of the birds singing is always the perfect start to the day. Hope you both had a lovely Sunday xx
I enjoyed this particular post so much! Probably because I am getting very impatient for spring to arrive in my part of the world (Toronto, Canada).
Thanks Nancee, I so hope spring arrives for you soon, we were plunged back into winter last week, it was wet and cold all week, literally like winter again, but today was gorgeous, so wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun and to be outside. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
Love, love your beautiful spring photos and rambling. Here in northern Virginia we had snow Tuesday before last…ultra warm one day…cool the next. Spring can’t decide if it’s here or not. Still doing clean-up in the garden from the winter, but the forsythia and cherry trees are in bloom, so I think we’re headed in the right direction.
Hi Diane, spring has been rather like that here too, although we have not had the snow, but two weeks ago it was really warm and fabulous and then last week, brrrr, we were plunged right back into winter with cold days and lots and lots of rain. Today was back to the warmth of spring once more! You’re right once the forsythia is out and the fruit trees blossoming there is no turning back, such a fabulous time of year! xx
It’s just one of those days that you wish would last forever. Very beautiful in your neck of the world!
I totally agree, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect weather for eating outdoors and plants going crazy they are growing so fast, yes I would love today to last forever! xx
A beautiful and simple Sunday to you and yours. While it’s grey today with clouds, spring is starting to emerge from its long winter sleep. Bulbs are blooming, flowering trees and shrubs are displaying their showy blooms and I saw my first iris blooming yesterday-something I have never seen before in March! Guess Mother Nature is determined to change the scenery for us all. Wishing you all well today and throughout the week. 💐ღ
Thanks so much Monika, I saw an iris flowering today in a neighbour’s garden too! Ours are at least a couple of weeks away still, but everything is going crazy, it’s such a fabulous time of year. We had grey and cold all of last week so the sun and warmth today was most welcome. Hope you have a lovely week too xx
And good morning to you, too! Not as sunny here, rather grey in fact, but I heard birds singing earlier. And flowers are beginning to bud out, the maple tree across the road is just about in leaf, and it feels like the end of winter.
We returned to winter last week Emm, it was so chilly and wet and grey, so today’s warmth and blue skies was most welcome. The trees are nearly in leaf here too, everything feels fabulous, I love this time of year and the birds are working overtime, so much song, so much noise, it really does just make one feel happy to be alive. xx
Lovely as ever. I was driving all today from the UK back home so I appreciated the warmth of the sun through the windows, but didn’t get out to enjoy it. Your hallway looks lovely and you have exactly the same chair as me. Happy Spring! Miranda x
Hope you had a good journey Miranda without any delays. I spent over four hours on the road yesterday so it was rather lovely to be able to do nothing today, I didn’t even get behind the wheel at all! Last week was so cold and such a return to winter that it was fabulous to feel warm again today and I understand a lovely week lies ahead, fingers crossed. How funny that we share the same chair! I rather love it, simple and elegant. Happy spring to you too and hope we get to meet this summer. xx
I do to! We have been blessed with the weather, and it made the tourist convention that I came home for a raving success.
Oh I can imagine, the weather has been fantastic and I gather it has been lovely in the UK too, although it was really chilly and wet here last week, so this wonderful warm spell is most welcome, long may it last! I could quite get used to 20C every day, this is the perfect temperature! Xx
Beautiful photos of your gorgeous garden! How’s the fig tree doing?
Springtime is wonderful isn’t it?
X
Isn’t spring wonderful, but we went back to winter last week, it was chilly and wet and most unseasonable. Today however we were back up to 20C and enjoying every second of it. The fig tree is in bud, it had just a very gentle trim this year, hopefully we’ll have another abundant crop of fruit just ready for your arrival!! xx
I can really feel your happines on this wonderful morning and in the country you have made your home. Luckily we had also a sunny day with 21 C and enjoyed a walk on the beach after a delicious lunch in an Lebanese restaurant.
Love your blog, your pics and as I named it already in an other comment, your jovial and honest way to communicate
and your always nice and thankful words to answer each follower
Our weather was about the same as ours today, we were 20C it was so gorgeous. We thought about going for a walk along the beach too but we decided today to stay at home and we all played a fun game of tennis instead. Lunch in a Lebanese restaurant sounds rather fun, I have only eaten Lebanese a couple of times, in the UK and always thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you have a wonderful week, I think it is meant to be warm and lovely here! xx
I love your version of spring! You are so much further ahead than we are. Love the greenery bursting to life!! Hope your entire day was glorious! 🙂
The entire day was fabulous, very relaxing and nothing too demanding, just a family game of tennis, some gardening and a lovely lunch all together enjoying the warmth of the sun. My idea of a perfect Sunday. Everything is bursting into life here, it seems if one blinks one misses something, I love walking around and discovering what else is in bud or bloom, there is just so much promise in every day. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
It will be at least 6 more weeks before I can say the same thing about spring here. In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy your photos 🙂
I am sure the six weeks will absolutely fly by, I shall count the days for you! Have a lovely week xx
You too 🙂
Thanks xx
Happy Sunday, Susan! Loved this peek into your beautiful spring day. THANK YOU!! xo
Thanks so much Anne, and I hope you are having a lovely Sunday too xx
The simple pleasures are often the best.
We are home supervising and caring for our little Micha who was spayed on Thursday and not at all happy about it. Poor baby has already pulled part of her bandage off so back to the vet tomorrow. The toughest thing is keeping her calm and of course keeping the two dogs apart. I have hardly seen Stuart since Thursday as we take shifts keeping one dog each. 12 more days!
I will resurface then.
I agree Nadia, no expectations, just pure simplicity, it really is hard to beat and the weather today was just fabulous, I believe it is meant to last all week, fingers crossed. It sounds as if you and Stuart have your hands full, hopefully you can at least enjoy the sunshine whilst you are unable to do much else! See you in 12 days, metaphorically speaking!! xx
Just a glorious post today!
You have filled all of us with peace and reason to count all of many blessings.
Thank you!
Thank you so much Natalia, I just love the simplicity of listening to the birds singing, the bees buzzing and simply walking around and taking note of all the new buds and flowers and leaves. It is such a fantastic time of year, full of hope and promise. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday xx
I loved each one of your pictures. They certainly put me in a more spring-like mood on this rainy, gray day in Ohio (USA). I have visited Paris with a side trip to Giverny, and I will never forget it! A second trip to France to see more rural areas is on my bucket list.
Please keep sharing a taste of life in France!
Thanks so much Mandy, if it makes you feel any better we had horrid weather all of last week. We went back into winter again with chilly days and endless rain, so today’s warm sunshine and blue skies was very welcome! I really hope you make it to France again, Paris is fabulous of course and Giverny, lucky you, but there are also some fabulous other places, it is such a varied country with something for everyone. Let me know when you think you can make it, I’ll help you plan your trip! Hope you are having a lovely Sunday despite the rain. xx
Thank you, I will! We have to enjoy the bits and pieces of spring!
Absolutely we do, make the most of each perfect day and the rainy ones won’t be a problem! Xx
Hi Susan, don’t you just love Spring? The weather gods were forecasting snow here in Denver but it went right around us and we got some much-needed rain instead. Yay! So enjoyed this post, just everyday stuff is sometimes the best. You probably didn’t get much of a day off with all these lovely comments to respond to. Ha. Enjoy the week ahead. Hugs, Pat
It is my favourite time of year Pat, every day there is something new and fabulous in the garden and every day seems to be filled with so much hope and promise. We had horrid weather all of last week, cold and wet so some warm sunshine was most welcome today. I am glad you didn’t get a big dump of snow this weekend! Hope you have a lovely week too xx
Isn’t it wonderful? Even in Blighty we’ve had lunch outdoors two days running. And it’s only March!
Wow, that’s good, last week was horrid here and I gather it was cold in the UK too, but this weekend has been lovely, yesterday was not quite so warm but today was 20C and fabulous! Let’s hope we have a good spring and don’t get a cold April this year, both in France and the UK! xx
Happy Sunday. What a beautiful yard you have. Here in Georgia, after losing considerable azalea buds to a hard freeze, I am enjoying coffee on the porch with a few white azaleas and forsythia blooms, the late tulips and daffodils, and the dogwood is just starting. The pollen is not bad yet, the weather is gorgeous. Isnt spring most wonderful, and lazy spring days are just the best!
Lazy spring days are indeed just fabulous, there is so much hope and promise and suddenly so much colour and life in the garden after the winter. There was a frost inland here about two nights ago which I am sure did harm to many tender spring plants, fortunately we were sparred as we are fairly close to the coast and do tend to be that much warmer. I hope you enjoyed your coffee, my favourite time of the morning at the weekend, a coffee outside in the warm weather! xx
Lovely to hear about your quiet yet uplifting Sunday. I always enjoy your photographs! They open up a window revealing your part of the world. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks so much Jennifer, sometimes I just think the simple things really are the best. It was one of those wonderful relaxing days, children laughing in the garden, lunch outside, a little gardening, a family game of tennis, my idea of a perfect Sunday. I really hope you have had a lovely Sunday too and have a great week ahead. xx
Beautiful!
Thanks so much, hope you have a lovely week xx
Thank you for sharing such a peaceful blog post. I have been so frenetic in trying to complete my historic restoration that I haven’t had a moment to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. So appreciated and needed today.
I know all about frenetic and I sympathise with you. Sometimes I have to physically remind myself just to stop and appreciate everything around us and that’s when I realise how beautiful all of the simplest of things are! have a lovely week xx
I love the windows and doors of your house, and all the beautiful springtime images of your garden!
Thanks so much, you might not love the front doors quite so much on a cold winters night when the wind is howling in through the cracks!!! But I wouldn’t change them for anything, they were the first thing I fell in love with when I saw the house! xx
Thank you so much for such a lovely post. I found myself smiling as I was reading it. You have made us be aware of the wonders of nature and we are filled with gratitude for it.
Thanks so much Susan, that’s just why I wanted to post this, nothing elaborate, it was just one of those mornings when one feels good to be alive and the simple sound of the birds and the bees and the warm sunshine all just make us so grateful for everything around us. Hope you have a lovely week xx
What a gorgeous day! I can’t believe your irises are almost in flower. And I would have a hard time mowing all those flowers in the lawn…
I think I shall leave the flowers in the lawn for a little while longer, they do no harm, the insects love them and they look so pretty! I saw iris flowering in our neighbour’s garden yesterday so I am sure ours are just a week or so away now, can’t wait! Have a lovely week xx
What more could you really hope for than a beautiful day like that !Thanks for sharing. Your home is so striking without being pretentious, as if you’ve let it be exactly what it wishes to be – it just looks peaceful and happy there.
Thanks so much, it was just one of those beautiful days when just the simplest of things make one feel happy, no need for anything else. Our house is really just as it is, a happy family home, complete with the usual mess and clutter that a large family generates, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Sometimes I drool over the minimalistic rooms I see in magazines, crisp, clean, white and clutter free, but I know with dogs and children and red wine, it would be a disaster just waiting to happen!!! Hope you have a lovely week xx
As ever, beautiful photos. You seem to me to have both the artistic skills and the technical knowledge, both of which I sadly lack. I think your spring is further ahead of ours down here in the Languedoc. We have torrential rain followed by afternoons of sunshine but it is helping the gardens to grow apace. I hope you had a happy and peaceful Sunday.
I think you are far too kind, I am on a steep learning curve and trying to pick up ideas and gain a little knowledge each day! We had horrid weather last week, early March and spring arrived but then last week we went back into winter, it was really chilly, down to 9C one day, inland they had frosts but we don’t get them often this close to the coast so we were sparred those, although it did drop to 4C one night and we had lots of rain too, good for the garden! This week looks like being lovely and staying really warm so no doubt the garden will leap forward again. I need to mow and start working on the vegetable garden! I hope you have a lovey week in one of my favourite parts of France! xx
Thank you for such a lovely post. What amazing photographs, as always. Reading your blog always lift my spirits and transport me back to France, where we shall be in just over a months time. So thanks again and a big hug to you too, xxx
Thanks so much, yesterday was just one of those mornings when it felt good to simply be alive and it was so wonderfully warm, set to last all week I believe although our neighbour cheerfully told us not to be in a hurry to plant out our vegetables, he is sure we will have another cold snap!! Which part of France are you coming to next month? For Easter holidays or longer? xx
Well enjoy the warm weather whilst it lasts, and hopefully it won’t disappear for long, not for too long anyway. We are coming to Brittany, dept 22 as we have a house there. We will only be over for a week as we have work commitments here in the UK, but we will make good use of our time there and I can’t wait. Tc xx
I am sure you are going to have the most wonderful time, even if it is just a week, we have had some wonderful holidays in Brittany, I shall keep my fingers crossed that the sun shines for you, and even if it doesn’t you’ll be in France and having a fab time!!! Xxx
You and your family DO sound like ‘best unknown friends’ to me…. Although Sundays never are a very ‘tranquil and peaceful’ time for the only reason that we are amongst the very few (at least in France) churchgoers and therefore have to get up really early – then we DO spend time with our friends from church and when we come home (distances are terrible here) we are often too tired to do much. But yesterday when I came home I immediately went into our large veranda, under the sunshade, and drink and salad and book and contemplation…. it was magic and I so love it!!!!! I tried to overlook the BLOOMING weeds, as I did promise myself to go after them and of course I didn’t…. Now all is yellow from your so beloved little yellow flowers, the dandies are shooting up too, but still it looks wonderful (primroses in ALL shades under the sun, white, pink and prune coloured hellebores, tiny, tiny wild violets, crocus, tulips opening up, and all the rest – aaaah NATURE IS STILL BEST!!!). MUCH LOVE
Sounds like a fabulous Sunday and like you, for different reasons, we very very rarely have a tranquil Sunday, but yesterday was one of those rare days when no one needed taking anywhere and no one had anything planned. The children played with friends in the garden, I stood and chatted to a neighbour in their garden for a good hour, it was fabulous. I even managed to do a little weeding! The garden is becoming a jungle before my very own eyes and yes those little yellow flowers, yesterday I pulled some out and thought of you!! You see, we may not ‘know’ each other but I do think we are friends, hopefully we will put that to rights this summer! Looks like a beautiful week ahead, enjoy xx
Susan; the times on the posts are still wrong; did WordPress go BACK two hours instead of FORWARD one hour….. I sent this at 11:34 not 9:34am! Just a detail of course….
Have yourself and with your beloved ones a beautiful, sunny, cheerful week – you merit it all.
Sun is shining here so all is well 🙂
I don’t understand the times either, wordpress did appear to go back two hours rather than forward one. I shall have a look at it and see what I can work out, probably not a lot, it seems to be a law unto itself most the time! Oh well, far bigger things to worry about, but the sun is shining and it’s another beautiful day, have a wonderful week xx
A good day to be alive.
It really was, one of those days when you wake up and walk outside and just think wow, I am so lucky. Just to hear the children giggling, the birds singing, the blue skies, all of the simple things, my idea of a really lovely weekend! Hope you have a great week xx
Days without plans are the best. I love seeing all the spring photos from your morning, and I envy your stone patio outside the kitchen doors. Maybe I’ll put that on my wish list for our new home in France.
Hope you’ll join in with Dreaming of France if you get a chance. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme
Days without any plans are always the best, just messing about at home, everyone content and happy just being. The terrace outside the kitchen has been fabulous, so easy and such a blessing in so many ways! Xx
Beautiful photos, as always! And fortunate you to be surrounded by so much beauty. I especially love the dandelions and other “misplaced” volunteers in the lawn. The houses either side of ours (Marietta, Georgia) are manicured to perfection and are currently a dazzling deep emerald green – lovely in a way but they almost look like they’ve been painted. I enjoy seeing the violets that volunteer and bloom in our lawn. Perhaps they see ours as a sanctuary from those on either side. I’ve been tempted to scatter clover in the bare spots but, to keep peace, I’ve resisted. Looking forward to the next post!
Steven, this reminds me of a very funny story. We have a friend who’s Father was totally obsessed with his perfect lawn, it would be cut to precision and maintained to perfection. One night, his daughter and a group of her friends went to another house and scooped up a pile of Earth from a mole hill. They then secretly went out into the garden and placed the Earth in three different places in the middle of the lawn, his perfect lawn had supposedly become home to a mole who had left three mole hills overnight! You can probably imagine his reaction when he looked out in the morning and saw the mess! Fortunately after he calmed down he did see the funny side and we all still laugh at it to this day! Now I am not suggesting you do this, but I just thought you might appreciate this little story!! Xx
I can’t say I haven’t considered something similar! The neighbor on one side would appreciate the humor; the guy on the other side is a little more tightly wound. They both use the same service, probably why the “look” is so similar. Both are attractive as a drive by but, in my humble opinion, not particularly personal on closer review. They may feel the same about my attempt at something more casual. We all live in the middle of acre plots so aren’t cheek by jowl but the boundaries are distinct. 🙂 Not that I’m intentionally evil but I did place a “sculpture” in our back yard, next to a koi pond and close-ish to the tightly wound guys fence. The figure is vaguely blackamoor and nicely detailed; I think it’s great, have named her Mumtaz (in honor of the wife of Shah Jahan, and in whose memory the Taj Mahal was constructed), she holds aloft a ceramic sphere – which is a riot because squirrels use it as a favorite perch while they survey the backyard looking for mischief. TWG planted three hemlocks alongside the fence on his side to obscure the view of poor Mumtaz from his family room – his loss. As Ben Franklin said, “love thy neighbor, yet don’t pull down your hedge”…………
Oh how I loved this and I can just imagine the squirrels sitting on Mumtaz, hopefully they cause the most mischief in his garden not yours! I think gardening is one of those things where we all get pleasures out of different things. I prefer a slightly wilder more natural garden, which is probably just as well, as I don’t have the time to be able to keep ours in a state of perfection! Love thy neighbour indeed, but we all need our privacy too!! Xx
Goodness, it is so happy at your place isn’t it ? Just love seeing all the pics and your children playing.
sending love….
It is a happy home Marsha, of course life goes on, there are ups and downs and all the usual jobs and good things and bad things, but I try to always be optimistic, and on a morning such as this yesterday, it was impossible not to be just very happy to be alive, appreciating nothing more than the simple everyday pleasures in life, bees buzzing birds singing and children giggling, all music to my ears! Hope you have a great week ahead xxx
Oh I just want to dive into that grass. What stunning pics. You are so very fortunate to live where you are. Thanks for sharing with us. Mimi xxx
Thanks Mimi, it is a great place to live and Spring is just the bet time of year and really it is the simple things that seem to give the most pleasure. Just listening to the birds and bees hard at work and singing away and seeing so much colour and life all around, a wonderful time of year! Xx
Thank you! I love your pics and can almost smell France fron Perth Western Australia!
So happy you can almost smell the freshly cut grass, one of my favourite smells! Everything is so fresh, it is one of my favourite times of year. Hope you are having a lovely autumn in Perth. Xx
Thank you for sharing the most beautiful photos from your beautiful oasis. Spring is a wonderful time.
Thanks Anne, Spring is indeed such a lovely time of year, every day new life is emerging and driving down the country lanes trees are getting more leaves all the time, everywhere is starting to look really green and everywhere we turn there is blossom in pinks and whites. Aren’t we lucky to have Spring! Xx
Lovely!!! I didn’t think that France observed Daylight savings time? Wow… Can I ask how many hours difference now from the East coast of the US?
Hi Judy, yes we have daylight saving time here. We are six hours ahead of the East coast. Hope you are enjoying some Spring like weather and that the snow has all gone. Xx
Lovely post. Don’t mow the lawn yet. Let the dandelions flower for the bees!.
Don’t worry I am not going to! Have mowed everywhere else but left these wild flowers and this patch for the insects. Xx
There’s a reason for the phrase “A picture says a thousand words” – sometimes, a picture is better than the words (and in this case, they let you enjoy what’s in those pictures a little more).
I totally agree with you, a picture really can tell a thousand words, plus we can look at them and interpret them just how we want, picking out the things we like most. Hope Spring has finally arrived with you xx
It’s getting closer – my crocuses (croci?) are coming out! I have been buying daffodils for the house every time I see them, too. I’m going to force spring to show up, even if it’s going too slow for my taste outside.
I believe you can say crocuses or croci! We don’t have any here, more’s the pity as I do love them, obviously something I must amend for next year and get planting some bulbs in the autumn.Our daffodils are pretty much all over now, but I loved them whilst they were here. Enjoy your forced spring! It sounds lovely to me xx
I never enjoy planting bulbs – I don’t know, something about planting them with no hope of immediate payoff, maybe. Then, come spring, I always wish I had planted more!
It’s a boring job that’s why, or at least I think it is, I tend not to get them deep enough and have to make a very conscious effort to make a hole big enough! I am definitely going to plant some this Autumn though xx
I am thinking I should draft a post for myself to come this fall, when I don’t want to plant them. It will be some picture of an empty part of the yard that could use bulbs, just a reminder that it isn’t fun to plant them, but next spring, this part of the yard will look so much better for the small effort put in!
Now that is a good idea, perhaps in late September we should urge each other to get out there and get planting, between the two of us I think we can encourage each other and remind each other that we have to do it! xx
I will come by here and remind you, for sure! (And I’ll even make my surprise post so that if I forget, I’ll have a convenient reminder!)
Ha ha, I had better watch out then! Crocus and autumn it’s a definite plan!! Hope you are having a lovely weekend xx
We have had a great one – I hope yours was great, and you have a wonderful Monday to start the week!
A great start to the week today thanks and it was a good weekend, busy and fun, the best way! Have a lovely week xx
Lovely post unfortunately I have to work on Sundays ugh! Your comments were so lovely I always look forward to reading your blog and seeing your photos certainly brightens my day in Australia!
Thanks so much Avril, I admire anyone who works on a Sunday, I’ve certainly worked many in my life too so I know just how you feel! Hope you are having a lovely week xx
Simple Sundays are the best! Love love your photos.
Thanks so much Fiona, I quite agree, just doing nothing in particular and enjoying the day and the weather and the family, the best type of Sunday for me xx
Susan,
Love! Love! Love your Sunday post! I am writing this very late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning. In fact, I am sure you are probably just getting up and enjoying a cup of coffee! I hope your Wednesday is as glorious as Sunday was.
I can’t thank you enough for all your “heartfelt” posts and beautiful pictures. Most importantly, that you take the time out of your busy schedule ( I know it is busy because I have four grown children) to bring us wonderful testimonies and beautiful pictures of your life and your family’s.
I am in Sanibel and I have to say the days here have been as “FABULOUS” as your Sunday was; Family time…Wonderful weather…sunrises/sunsets…
diving for sand dollars… walking ten miles everyday on the beach…cooking for nine…enjoying our 10 month old granddaughter…life is good!
Thank you my friend ( I like the sound of that) for such an impromptu wonderful post!
💞💐🌅✨🌈🤗
Ha ha, yes I am drinking a cup of coffee on Wednesday morning as I write this!!! The sun is pouring in through the windows and it is set to be another fabulous spring day, 23C so around 76F, the perfect weather. Now I can just picture exactly where you are and what you are doing as I know Sanibel and I am just a tiny bit envious! We have had so many happy days on there. It sounds absolutely perfect, enjoy every second of it, which I know you are doing and will do. Simple things like diving for sand dollars, how I love doing that, it really does make us realise how lucky we all are. Life is supremely busy, but in a good way! Xxx
Leaving Sanibel Saturday but it’s been more than wonderful. I almost feel a little quilty…the weather has been the best in ALL the years we have been coming…And having baby Emerson was such an added treat! Megan and Melissa (my two oldest) are the only ones left with me. Driving three straight days to the airport drove (no pun intended) me a little bonkers! 🙃The three of us went back to “play” in the ocean today. So much Fun.
Oh, and ALL of us found this interesting…The tennis courts 🎾🎾🎾
are almost ALL empty in all the condo complexes. It’s the weirdest phenomenon???
Thank you again for all the “happy” thoughts.
Happy upcoming Weekend! ❤️
Two weeks in Sanibel sounds like absolute heaven and with the fun of a grandson too along with all your children, what a fabulous time you must all have had. Now of course I am jealous of the empty tennis courts, of course we would have been there every evening. We used to stay in the Keys a lot and there was a tennis court which we used which was also hardly ever used, strange! Enjoy your last few hours xx
@ stuffie6us:
Sometimes, not often, I feel ‘I have to dig a bit deeper’ when I read comments. In yours I found two words which didn’t mean anything to me and I checked them out AND I LEARNED SOMETHING valuable….
I know now that Sanibel is a Florida island and that sand dollars are a shell – this was 1st v. interesting and 2nd very enlightening. I was once ‘doing’ the Florida island, driving down to Key West and I have never ever seen or heard about those fascinating shells. Thanks for making me ever so slightly jealous (for about 30″) and feeding my brain too. Have a great day with your granddaughter, walking along a sandy beach, enjoying the good life 🙂
Yes, I am also living in France, nr Paris and yes, I’m also drinking coffee (espresso in my case) and yes again, we also have great weather (although there are clouds sailing up and threatening us (maybe) with some rain later?)
Kiki
KiKi…
For some reason my comment didn’t post to you last week. So here goes another try…
Sanibel is a lovely island…I still find it hard to believe that if I were to ask my four children if they had the chance to pick anywhere they would rather be three out of four would say Sanibel. The beaches are lovely and walkable…the shells plentiful…one word to describe the Island…peaceful…
Speaking about learning something new; I too learned this about Sanibel. First, let me say my family has been going there for 25+years…We never knew living Sand Dollars were off limits. Two of my daughters and myself were having a very fun time diving in the ocean for them. A very angry woman came out and shouted that if we didn’t quit she was calling the Sanibel police…Yikes…we didn’t know…we felt horrible…No live Sand Dollars or Sea Shells. Thank you for reaching out! I hope you visit the Island some day…Happy Monday!
Wonderful post with beautiful photos! Love this French life!
Thanks so much, it is a great French lifestyle, not always easy and certainly not without its ups and downs, but wonderful none the less! Xx
Your Sunday looks glorious, we’ve been having a few good days here too, although today I awoke to rain. Good job that I have already mowed and fed my lawns. It has been so mild that I even walked to East Grinstead along the Worth Way last week Will be over to Vendée in five weeks so hope the good weather continues. Feeling a bit sad today as Article 50 is triggered.
PS Loved the hall makeover.
Thanks so much for sharing the pleasures of the everyday. The real enjoyment we can have from watching things change from day to day, from season to season is a joy not to be underrated.
Oh I totally agree, just these simple things. This evening I was bringing in the laundry off the line, standing and folding it and the sparrows in the bay tree next to me were making such a noise, I could scarcely hear myself think and this afternoon I was mowing, I stopped to move the trampoline and the noise from birds all around me and a rooster crowing next door was all I could hear, combined with the smell of freshly cut grass, I truly thought I was in the best place in the world! xx
What a lovely lovely day……….thank you for sharing………… ahhhhhhhhhh
Thanks so so much, hope you have a wonderful weekend xx
….and the entry is still fab…and you have French doors in your kitchen!! Lucky!!!
The entry is still fab now! So so happy with it! and yes the French doors in the kitchen have been open non stop recently, one of the things we changed when we bought the house, a local carpenter in the village made the new doors for us, we love them! xx
Lovely. Heavenly. Simply beautiful.
Thanks so much, hope you have a lovely weekend xx
I have the same TWO kitchen chairs……..only in ORANGE VELVET!
Ooooh they sound fabulous, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from you! Now I am looking at mine and thinking they are rather boring! xx
What a beautiful morning and such gorgeous pictures. Thanks for sharing at Monday Social.
Thanks so much. Hope you have a lovely Easter weekend xx