31 October 2017

Automne devient hiver

So somehow my Crédit Agricole debit card, a MasterCard product, has been de-activated. I don't know why. Last Friday, I tried to place an order with Amazon.fr and the transaction was declined when I went to pay with the debit card. I called the bank's SOScarte help line and was told I need to go to my agency and have them explain what happened and why. Maybe I'll do that this morning.

A snowball bush, or viburnum

Meanwhile, it's my morning to go walking with the dog. Now that we are on "winter time" here in Europe, we can go out earlier. It's still too dark to take many photos, however, until eight-thirty or nine o'clock, especially when the sky is overcast. And it has turned cold now. Our low this morning is 5ºC — 41ºF — making it the coldest morning since last winter.

Sunset over the Renaudière vineyard at the end of October

The November rains haven't started yet, but they are predicted for the coming week. So far, the fall colors are pretty. All the leaves will soon be on the ground, of course. If you look closely, you can see that the vines in the parcel closest to our back gate have already lost all their leaves, while most of the vineyard parcels are sporting bright yellow foliage.

8 comments:

  1. So nice to see all the fall colors in this photo, especially the red of the snowball bush. Wishing you both a Happy Halloween.

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    Replies
    1. Halloween isn't really observed here, but tomorrow, Nov. 1, is a holiday, la Toussaint or All Saints Day.

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    2. I never liked Halloween that much ... but November 1st was my mothers birthday .. maybe I will celebrate a tiny birthday party for her, just the cats and I .. she died a few days after I moved here to be closer to her ..

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  2. My guess is that it's a mobile phone issue. You need to go to the bank and make sure your cell phone number is listed in the card security settings. For certain online purchases you will be sent a 6 digit code to enter before the transaction will go through.

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    Replies
    1. I know the bank has one of our mobile phone numbers because for purchases from certain vendors (SNCF, notably) we have to get a security code by SMS message. That part works. Walt's debit card works, but not mine for the moment.

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  3. The first photo is absolutely lovely.
    Hope the bank problem is solved right away.

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  4. What beautiful colors!

    Ken, did you encounter any problems using your credit or debit cards while you were in the U.S.? I found my card companies to be much more strict than previously, and had to make calls three times while trying just to book hotels in France with my card, from home.

    I am surprised, in this day and age, that you have to physically go in to the agency to sort this out. Wow. I'm curious now, so please fill us in on what happened!

    Judy

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  5. Your snowberry bush looks just like a Guelder Rose [Viburnum opulus]...
    does it have white berries?

    Beat you on the low temperature... 0.9 Centipede this morning...
    and the sky is clear again tonight... currently 2.9 Centipede.
    We've got manmade frost over a lot of the more tender winter crops...
    [agricultural fleece]... but the chard took it well...
    soon we'll need to give that its winter cut and freeze it...
    but there is enough for me to try and bottle [can] some this year.

    Back to your Snowberry bush picture... the brown tones on the maple in the foreground are beautiful.

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