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The full moon rising over the lake and the sun dipping into the west over the village.
I love it....

Today was a beautiful day. We drove out to Châtelaillon-Plage and had a lovely picnic on the beach, followed by a long walk in the sunshine.
After the cold winter, it was so nice to feel the sun on our faces again. It's amazing how a single day of sun can make the summer seems only just around the corner.
The family are heading back to England tomorrow, leaving me at home to cat-sit. I think I know who is going to get the better weather :)

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This afternoon we went for a nice walk up to the "new estate" to pick up the mail for our friends who are moving in later in the year.
As usual, Rory, our intrepid feline explorer, followed along, dashing through tunnels and investigating each and every garden on the way.
When we got back after half an hour, which must have felt like 3 hours for Rory's little ginger legs, we saw the most strange thing.
At first I thought it was just a fallen branch from one of the trees around our field, but on closer inspection we discovered it was actually a long line of caterpillars, all marching nose to tail. Thirty-one of the furry little things!
Absolutley bizarre but absolutley wonderful!

 

UPDATE: Aparrently these are dangerous little devils who can cause very nasty reactions when touched! See this article for some background. Such a shame, as they really look amazing...

Getting up to in the winter to take the kids to school never fills me with joy. Especially when, like today, we've run out of oil and the house feels like a freezer.
But as we pull away from the house and drive down to the lake, the early get-up is rewarded by the loveliest of sunrises.
This morning I just missed the best of it as I didn't have time to stop and snap the sun just starting to filter through the mist that was hanging over the lake. But I grabbed a few shots on my return anyway. I've probably taken hundreds like this over the last couple of years, but I don't think I'll ever get bored of seeing them.

Just as word came in that the school buses were cancelled for another day, the sky went dark and the snow started to fall. Nothing like the national-emergency-level covering in the UK, but snow all the same.
Its not all sunshine and swimming pools here you know :)

Our first day on the beach at Ile de Re was great, though we really missed the Dixies.

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Joe and his friends practised for weeks in preparation for their starring role in the "Arbre de Noel".
We thought they did a great job :)

Our last day on Ile de Re with the Dixies before they move back to England. It was a fittingly lovely day, combining a lovely meal, a walk on the beach, and, of course, a spot of mushroom hunting!

We are going to miss these guys so much. Our weekends just won't be the same without our usual sunday morning message: "Picnic, Ile de Re, 1 hour?' 

Great friends. Good times.