Le Périgord - Our Friend's Houses: Une ancienne Chartreuse...

...built in 1640

...situated just next to one of  'our' countless Romanesque churches...

...dating back to the 8th - 9th Century.

.....

With the most beautiful garden....

unpretentious...

 carefully 're-designed' over the last 10 years
with great love, heart and soul

...to bring back it's authenticity. 

Now, even on a gray April-Sunday-Afternoon..

...it looks - just simply wonderful!

With all these specially choosen tulip's -

dotting around to give a few spots of color here and there. 

. . . . .

I really had the need to 'catch the moments' with my camera

when I was visiting my friends yesterday,

strolling around....

 ...the house and courtyard...

looking what's 'new' or...any changes? Or new planting? Or....?

Admiring....

...all the different varieties of these tulip's...

*

*

doesn't this one look like a rose blossom?

*

*

*

  A "knock-out" for me

 and a MUST to have some for next year at our place !!!!

*

 Time to go home, but quickly a few shots of the church....

The door was unlocked.....and... what a surprise....

...to see the inside.

Never saw such huge columns/pillars

in one of the Romanesque churches here in our region!

(and I've seen quite a lot of them!)

 What an architecture!

*

*****

Back home.....

looked around our garden...

...found one single Hyacinth flowering...(sadly enough - only one this year!)

But during my 'inspection'..

 

I discovered that our  "Chinese Beauty"...

...has 'developed'!

With the first blossom.

"Slowly Dear, slowly!  Don't rush"!

And this first blossom is for Trish from Trouvais!

(www.trouvais.com)

*

Spring is such a special time in the year

everything comes back to life again!

Clematis Montana

HAPPY MONDAY

*

I know that I announced since weeks! to write a post about my German trip in March.

And I apologize to everybody who was - or still is - looking forward to it!

But....spring - garden work - blossomed trees - tulip's and peonies have "interfered"!

It will be definitely this week!  Promised!

The first Peony - two days later!

 

- before on Friday -

On Friday I was worried that one of the flowers will only last...how long???

But today the temperatures went quite down,  much cooler, sun disappeared,

a few drops of rain, and.....could hardly trust my eyes.

  how they look now!

 both blossoms 'closed-up'

just amazing!

This blossom looked an Friday like

  below

Unbelievable?  Yes, but its true! It is the same one!

These tree peonies are rather capricious and they have their own mind!

Happy Sunday!

The first Peony

Just over night!  

Yesterday there were only the buds....

..today around midday...what a surprise!

...and it looks like that this blossom will only last for another day or two,

already faded, suddenly too hot at the moment! 

I hope that the second blossom will slow down a bit!

Very strange year - this spring.