First flowers of spring

The pâquerettes are starting to bloom. They're English daisies, and a flower like the one here is about one inch in diameter. The flowers close up at night, and during — or even before — a rain shower. Local people say they can predict the rain by watching these little daisies.

Une pâquerette

The cyclamens continue to bloom. There are patches of them all around our yard. They seem to be spreading. They flower in late winter and continue into early spring, and then they disappear, dormant. Cyclamens have big roots that look like a beetroot when you dig them up.

Cylamens sauvages

Spring, then is springing. Some mornings are very foggy, but others are bright sunny. We haven't had a drop of rain since February 28, and we could use some.

A neighbor's little fruit orchard, which survived
the windstorm with only one broken branch

A big tree in a field down below on a foggy morning
earlier this month...

...and the same tree late yesterday afternoon

I'm just staying busy getting ready for the trip tomorrow. I look forward to being in the States, but I don't look forward to the traveling. I have stopovers in Philadelphia and in Charlotte before I get to my destination. The trip, door-to-door, will take 24 hours.