The back corner

I'm still getting used to the views without those ugly utility poles out back. I just spent an hour looking through my blog to see if I could find any photos that could serve as good before and after shots. Here's one pair:

A view of the back corner now, sans concrete utility pole

We've made a lot of changes in that back corner. Before we came to live here, there was a compost pile back there. We slowly turned that spot into a garden plot, and I've grown potatoes, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and Swiss chard there over the years. I finally planted a plum tree back there, and last year we had the laurel hedge and the row of hazelnut trees cut way down.

The view looking toward the back corner in 2007, avec le poteau électrique

Now I need to figure out what to do out there next. I think I might plant a tree where the old utility pole was, outside our fence. That plot of land belongs to us. There's a letter to that effect in the file of papers we got when we when we bought the house — the previous owner had given the electric company permission to put the pole there.

Sunset over the Renaudière vineyard on February 2, 2014

Gratuitously, here's a shot of yesterday's sunset, taken from a loft window. We are finally getting some clear weather. The sun is getting ready to come up in a clear sky this morning.