Saturated

The forecast for this afternoon and evening is for, wait for it, rain. The ground has not even begun to dry out. And now it will be soggy for that much longer. Everything outdoors is dripping with moisture. Even when it's not raining, it sounds like it's raining.

If it keeps raining, and then freezes, droplets like these will become icicles.

I will be keeping an eye on the temperatures over the weekend. It's predicted to get colder as I mentioned. Just how much colder is not clear. I have to decide when to go cover the fig tree with freeze-protective fabric. Little buds have formed and I don't want to lose them. The same with the bulb patch I planted last fall. The daffs and tulips are up and I don't want to take the chance that they'll freeze, so my plan is to cover them with some leaves for insulation.

Old lace

I think this is Queen Anne's lace from last summer. While a lot of the flower stalks don't survive winter's winds and rain, many, like these, do.

Raindrops on wild carrot.

I saw on one of the weather sites I look at that below-freezing temperatures were predicted for next week. This morning, however, the forecast has changed (quelle surprise !) and we're back to cooler, but not freezing weather. I'm sure it will change again by the weekend.

Orange

Wildflowers in January! These little orange flowers, perhaps some kind of daisy, are blooming right now out in the vineyard. I only know of one patch of these; I haven't seen them anywhere else on my walks out there. They pop up every year in a spot close to the dirt road, between two rows of grape vines.

With the recent break in the rain, I was able to take the camera out on a morning walk.

It seems a bit early for these to be blooming, but I'm not sure. The warm and wet weather may have tricked them into believing it's spring already. Whatever the reason, it's nice to see a little color out in the predominantly brown winter vineyard. I should note that there is a lot of green on the ground. Mosses and some little plants, like these, are thriving.

Hunt

Sunday is hunt day around here during the fall and winter months. In our area, general hunting is permitted just the one day a week and on holidays. And all that can be taken are certain game birds and wild hares. The hunting starts at 09h00, stops at noon for lunch, and resumes at 14h00 to end around dusk. Very civilized.

Poste 16 is one of several hunt stations along the vineyard road where Tasha and I walk most mornings.

But there are also periodic organized hunts to cull the populations of chevreuil (roe deer), renard (fox), and sometimes sanglier (wild boar). They start a little earlier than general hunting does. I imagine the hunters gather for a briefing on how it will all go, then they spread out to stand at certain "stations" around the hunt area. In the vineyards out back, the "stations" are identified by number. When the hunt begins, a group of lead hunters will move a pack of hunting dogs through the wooded areas and blow brass horns called cors de chasse (similar to what we would call a French horn) as communication. They scare the game out of hiding toward the guys with guns waiting at the numbered stations.

These hunts, called battues, are extremely regulated and are run by hunters with high levels of experience and training. I hope. I don't know if today will be a general hunt day or a battue day. Either way, Tasha and I will get out there early and try to get back home before things get under way.

Drip

Water, water everywhere. The current break in the rain is allowing the ground to drain a little. Not much more can soak in, so it has to run off. All the usual low spots are filled with water, either standing or running down to meet other streams on their way to the river. In our case, it's the Cher which, in turn, joins the Loire at Tours to make its way to the ocean.

A drop of water hanging on to the grille of a fence.

With all the flooding happening around France, the Cher is not posing a serious danger. Oh, it's overflowed in the usual spots, those flood plains and other low lands where the river normally spills over. But there are no reported threats of unusual high water or flooding of urbanized areas.

Meanwhile, we get a respite and a chance to dry out a little. This morning there is a thick fog outside and the temperature has dropped to about 2ºC (36ºF). That's the coldest it's been in a while.

Blooming

The cyclamen in our yard are in full bloom right now. It's nice to look out and see these patches of purple in the grass. It reminds me that spring is on the way. Still, it's early; two more months of winter to go.

The cyclamen come up in patches like this every winter around the yard and give us a little color.

Another sign of the coming spring is the arrival of the 1099s from the US. As citizens residing outside the country, we have until June to file our tax returns, but I'm hopeful that I'll get it done before then. The French tax returns are due in May, and I need to have the US numbers together for that, so there's incentive.

The other thing to do is the census. This year is the second French census we've participated in and this time we can do it on line. Just like our taxes! It makes things a lot easier for us and for the census people as they don't have to come to the house for our completed forms.

Next week February arrives and we'll be eating crêpes. Stay tuned!

Littered

January, so far, has been very wet and warm. The weather people are saying that this could very well be the warmest January since 1900. Rainfall and snowfall records have been broken all over the country, and right now many regions in France are dealing with flooding rivers, including Paris. I've measured 93mm of rain for the month to date, and that doesn't include the rain we're getting today. That's almost twice the normal monthly rainfall for us and the most I've measured for any January since I started keeping track in 2005.

I won't need a chainsaw to gather up these branches. They'll be good kindling for next year's fires.

We have certainly noticed the warm temperatures. After a month of wind and rain, our property is littered with fallen branches. None of them are very big, but they're pretty much everywhere. I guess it's nature's way of pruning the trees. When (if?) it dries out, I'll be out there gathering them all up and stacking them for kindling.

I'm worried about our largest apple tree. It has been losing big sections of branches over the years. When I say big, I mean that I needed a chainsaw to cut them up and move them. A huge crack in the main trunk has been getting bigger as well. I'm afraid that one day half the tree will come down. I'm surprised it didn't happen this month with all the wind we had, but it held on one more time.