Sorry to bombard with photos, but I can't stop! There's so much going on in the garden and children up to all sorts - I want to capture it all!

I thought the haricot bean seeds were very pretty and Bella was hiding to avoid her afternoon nap. If she doesn't have a nap she is a bit of a nightmare later on to put it mildly.

I'm also making the most of the free fresh flowers every day. The peonies are out at the moment and smell divine!

An afternoon down by the lake. We had lunch first at the bar next to the lake and then to the play area. Bella screamed (nothing new there) when anyone touched the slide. She immediately takes ownership of public facilities. Sam being ever so sociable wanted to play with the Dutch boys but "mummy I can't speak duck". He wanted to take his t-shirt off just to be like them. A small boy threw a stick at my back. It hit me right on the spine. I did make a fuss at how much it hurt, but later regretted it as the father of the little tot made him stand in the corner because he wouldn't say sorry. He did aim very well though ;)

We went for a family paddle before heading off home. There's still lots of debris around, but soon it will all be cleared up and a good dose of sand distributed.

**Bella's dress made by nana :)

When Scott's mum came a couple of weeks ago, she brought lots of goodies. Bella now has 3 beautiful handknitted cardigans. This is one of them. I haven't photographed the other 2 yet as temperatures have soared! But, they are equally lovely.

Look who learnt to ride his bike! We're so proud of him and how quickly he learnt. He was off after just a few minutes. I didn't know how long it would take, but I was thinking maybe a little longer. I must confess, I refused to partake in teaching him as I predicted tantrums and tears. I think there were 3 throwing down the bike incidents and now Scott is looking pretty smug and deservedly proud.

I've lost count how many bike rides we've been on this weekend. Today, we've even been taking it in shifts to chaperone him. The locals are loving the entertainment. And Sam has fallen off twice, once when Madame Jeanette's chiwawa  thingy small dog ran out from under a car and the second when he fell into nettles...ouch! But, it's made him more aware. Good on you Sam!

We took a trip to Rocamadour and of course it rained and the elastic in Bella's tights snapped so I spent every couple of minutes pulling them back up. Why do I never pack practical clothes and shoes!

What an amazing place. I'd love to go back on a sunny day. We took the elevator to the top and candidly made our way back down.

We stayed a couple of nights in the middle of a vineyard with poppies and wildflowers scattered about. So pretty and peaceful.

We took a little trip a few hours South to Cahors in the Lot for my mum's 60th birthday. The weather was pretty dismal but we got about and had a nice time. Cahors is a small but lovely city with quirky buildings and beautiful architecture. Sam and Bella were super happy to be away with us all.

 

This is our garden across the road, opposite our house. The garden we didn't know we owned until we had bought the house - so it was a nice surprise!

It turned out that old Monsieur Durand planted his veg here too and although the plot was overgrown when we moved in, he did leave us all his fruit trees. We have pear, quince, cherry, plums, damsons, grapes and figs. He was also known as the medical herb man too and a patch of grass is overtaken with a large leafy cluster every year. Even our Doctor commented he didn't know what mysterious herbs were tended here.

Sam and Bella (mostly Scott) have planted so far in this garden - potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, beans, peas and onions. It always looks good at this time of the year. Hopefully, unlike last year it won't look like a jungle by September :)