A stream in the woods and a morning chorus

A stream in the woods and a lovely morning chorus. I thought I heard a cuckoo.

The stream is small but I saw a salmon splashing up and a crayfish rummaging in the silt.

River Egrenne in the South Manche.

©A.Anichkin 2021

Daffodils for St David's Day / Cennin Pedr ar gyfer dydd Dewi Sant

 

Daffodils never fail to come out by 1 March, St David's Day.

Dewi Sant yw nawddsant Cymru. / St David, a bishop in Wales in the 6th Century AD.

First Snowdrops of 2021

First snowdrops of the year, as usual, they come out in mid-January.

The sound of a stream in the background, 

a solace,

and if you listen carefully

you can hear me sighing with love and amazement.

Sous le ciel de Normandie

Le ciel en Normandie sillonnée de sentiers blancs laissés par des chasseurs pratiquant.

An Ocean in the Glass.

La Neptune, Agon-Coutainville,

by Miranda Ingram. (photo 2008)

Wisteria. Flight of the Bumblebee.

Wisteria in full bloom is swarmed by bumblebees. It had been a sad little bush until we replanted it a few years ago. Against a south-facing wall it shot up right to the roof.

Homage to Ukraine.

Blue sky and flaming yellow blossom of a rape seed field. The colours of Spring in Normandy.

Blue and yellow are also the colours of Ukrainian national flag. I took this photo near the village of St Cristophe de Chaulieu in South Manche.

Apple Blossom, 2013.

It is still rather cool, even chilly. The temperature hovers between +10 and +15ºC. But apple blossom is out in full glory throughout Normandy.

The old apple tree in my garden is absolutely covered in all shades of white and pink. And the bumblebees are all over the flowers.

The bumblebee gets his pick:

Mont St Michel. Running in Normandy.

Mont St Michel. ©A.Anichkin.

Mont-Saint-Michel in the morning.

This view is about a mile from the gates of the famous abbey on the rock in the sands off the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, one of the most recognised sites in the world. The spot, next to a newly-built barrage on the river to the left, was the start-line of the 10 km road race I did on Sunday with my running buddies Francesca and Leaharna.

It had been grey and raining all week before the race but Sunday met us with glorious sunshine and warm weather with refreshing breeze.

I took this picture with my old Nokia, so the technical quality isn't high.

Read more about this race on my Running with Dogs blog.

Easter Sunset.

A column of light pierces the sky of Normandy as Easter arrives.

We had a freak snowstorm on the eve of Easter. Luckily the sun came out and the snow was gone soon.

Daffodils struggling in snow.

More pictures of daffodils struggling for survival after heavy snowfalls in Normandy. We usually have them in full bloom at this time.

Photo by Alexander Anichkin.

© Images are property of their authors. No republication without express written permission.

Snowed in.

This is Normandy in mid-March.

Intégration: blending in.

Some people just blend in naturally.

Daffodils, snowed in.

Heavy snowfall, that continued non-stop for 28 hours, paralysed Normandy. Here, daffodils struggling to survive in the snow.

Photo sent by Francesca Bostock:

© Images are property of their authors. No republication without express written permission.

Spring is in the Air. Crocuses.

First crocuses of this year. Photos sent by Francesca Bostock.

Horloge in bloom

The landmark Horloge tower in Vire, Calvados, has a lovely cherry tree in full bloom by its side.

Still windy on the beach...

A kite surfer enjoys the breeze, but others still have to keep warm jackets on.

Sent by Francesca Bostock,
La Manche

Norman Spring: dandelions

People are picking dandelions that cover fields everywhere - is it for salad or for wine?

Photo sent by Francesca Bostock,
the Manche