16 November 2010

Mid-November

We finally had a day that was fairly dry here in Saint-Aignan. There was only one short rain shower in the middle of the afternoon. And finally the wind has stopped blowing. Temperatures remain mild. We had a lot of rain, but Normandy, northern France, and Belgium got the worst of it, with flooding. Today it's raining and snowing down in the Alps, and there's rain all the way to the Riviera.

Fortunately, I have no more cat stories to tell right now. Yesterday when I came back from my walk with the dog, the cat came into the room, brazenly, and confronted the dog. It went fairly well, even though Callie tried to bite on of Bertie's back legs off. Bertie hissed and swiped at her with his claws. He missed her nose by a whisker. Maybe she'll learn to accept him one day. Same for the neighbors.

There are still a few leaves left in the vineyard.

There's still a rose here and there in the yard.

The vignerons and their crews are out in the
vineyard, pruning the vines and burning the clippings.
Here you can see the plume of smoke, behind the tree.


The color of the light can be pretty nice, late in the day.

And the pond is very full after the recent rains.

The sun is supposed to shine all day today. Il serait temps — it's about time. Yesterday I went out and cut down two big sad-looking stands of dahlias, pruned back an overgrown rosemary bush, and pulled out the dead flax, marigolds, and zinnias that were growing around the well near the back door.

What a great feeling to accomplish something outdoors, finally, after being incapacitated by a sprained ankle and then kept indoors by the constant rain for two or three weeks.

7 comments:

  1. Your Bertie continues to surprise me.
    I hope he and Callie can start to get along soon. Bertie has taken the first step by showing Callie his boundaries.

    We have a strictly-indoor cat who gets aggressive with me near his mealtimes and I've learned to smack his nose lightly and hiss, just the way his mother would have.

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  2. I'm glad you are up and at 'em again, Ken. It's no fun to be laid up.

    Our Bella cat keeps getting bolder with the Granddog and each visit gets a bit easier. Lewis puts a brick in a door to closed- off room which makes an escape route for the cat. The cat can get through the small space, but the dog is blocked entry.

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  3. The pond picture is absolutely gorgeous!

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  4. Hi Carolyn, it's true that Bertie is not afraid of Callie, but he's cautious. Callie isn't ferocious, but she doesn't know what to make of him. Bertie was raised with a little dog for four years before he came to us.

    Evelyn, I'm glad those visits from the poodle are getting easier, cat-wise. We might need to try Lewis's method. Maybe Bertie can escape into the guest room (the ex-bedroom downstairs).

    Nadège, thanks. It was pretty yesterday. Today, however, was gray and gloomy. But dry. Just fog.

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  5. That's a great picture of the pond.

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  6. I've said so before but I can not get over seeing the winter come on there in your photo's just as we are coming into the full blase of colour. www.thefieldofgold.blogspot.com

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  7. Hi Ken,

    I LOVE coming over to your and Walt's blog to see the photos you post- always SOOO amazing... ALL of them!
    I really enjoy reading your posts, too..
    Take care and have a wonderful day... stay cozy and warm by the fire.
    Hugs, Leesa

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