Everywhere you look at this time of year in our part of the Touraine you see yellow set off by bright green of young wheat. The colza [rape seed] is in full flower. Last year, like many things, including our bulbs; it flowered very quickly as it was unseasonally warm. This year it is 'staying around' a bit more.
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| wild skies |
The last couple of days we've had sudden rain storms sometimes mixed with hail. The weather will close in, the trees will lash about while the valley slope opposite disappears and then whoosh ... down comes rain/hail in sharp showers. Driving back from Loches yesterday we were caught in several bursts. We need the moisture but the hail, although the stones were very small, was less welcome.
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| colza on the hillsides |
With the current wild skies the clouds zoom over the landscape turning everything rapidly from shadow to light. When a patch of sun hits the colza it flares acid yellow. It made for a lovely view when we went to do our weekly shop this morning.
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| a bevy of presidential hopefuls |
Down in the village the posters of all the candidates in the French presidential beam out at passing motorists. Campaigning for the first round is coming to an end with voters going to the ballot box on Sunday. The two candidates with the most votes then go forward to a second round.
14 comments:
When shopping in the spring there was one place we passed where the acid yellow of the rape fields was framed by the paler yellow of the broom on the slope behind.I used to look forward to that short lived phenomenon.
We passed fields of rape in flower on our way up here three weeks ago - very early for southern Scotland. Your weather sounds just like ours in the far north, except I presume yours will be a wee bit warmer. Enjoy the election. :-)
@Fly - that must have been lovely! and broom smells wonderful.
@Perpetua - that is indeed super early. Weather well.... not that much warmer :-((
But good training before we leave on Tuesday for 5 days in Edinburgh.
The fields of rape are coming into bloom here also, although I do not think they are quite as advanced as yours, constant rain no sun to speak of, so I have not got any photos.
Our colza has been in bloom for quite some time, and it has brightened these rather dreary days of cold and showery weather. No hailstones though - yet!
Hello Niall and Antoinette:
We have to confess to having taken rather a dislike to fields of rape seed which we find rather too garish and which, certainly in England, never sits very comfortably in the landscape.
Rain has been promised here all week and still nothing to speak of. The United Kingdom, suffering drought conditions, is, we understand, now having its wettest April!
@Lindy - the fields have been in flower since the start of the month.
@Vera - more unsettled weather with possible hailshowers was forecast on tonights météo. Seems to be staying a bit wild :-(
@Jane & Lance - colza is indeed a very sharp yellow colour; but it never lasts long.
What a fantastic way of getting rid of eight politicians with a simple sweep of the pen ...
Those 'broad' views are one of the things I like best about France. After each trip to the Loire Valley I have trouble reajusting to our 'cramped' horizons! :) Martine
@Gaynor - LOL! isn't it just!
@Martine - do so agree with you! We used to say that Limburg was like a 'squeezed' version of France.
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