Multicolored linings

You might have noticed that I've been posting a lot about food for a week or more now. That's because food is about the only pleasure and source of comfort we've had, given the lousy weather. Today I'll try to focus on a different silver — or multicolored — lining: plants and flowers.

Roses are having a very good year in 2013. These are on a neighbor's fence.

It really is necessary to try to identify a positive aspect to all this. For example, this morning the temperature outside is 11.4ºC. That's cold — 52.5ºF — and I'm tempted to go turn on the heat. Since the boiler had its annual service last week, I'm pretty sure it works. But at the end of June it seems like abandoning all hope to turn the heat back on.

Regardez ! Le ciel a été bleu un instant !

The fact is, all the fruit trees in the area are loaded down with fruit. Cherries, for example. Our tree has millions on it, but they are still small and mostly green. We will have billions of apples this year, and a lot of pears too. Everything needs a little ray of sunshine and a few extra degrees to come to fruition, as it were, but when we do have some warm, sunny days it's going to be amazing.

As I said, roses... these are a few of ours.

All the rains (it rained off and on all day yesterday) and the "mild" (trying to avoid the term "chilly") temperatures have been good for flowers too. That's the multicolored lining to all the gray skies we've been enjoying. I'll decorate this whiny post with a few photos of flowers in our yard and out in the vineyard.