I have blogger's block AGAIN, mainly due to the rubbish weather we have been having for weeks and weeks! We have no desire to go out unless necessary, which has therefore restricted our travels! So here are some favourite photos which have featured on my photodiary over the past month, in no particular order. Certainly many signs of Spring are around, but it has yet to feel like it!!
Cowslips are everywhere
My kitchen orchids have been flowering for ages!
Great tit enjoying a sunflower seed.
Dandelion "clock"
Hyacinth
No, I got here first!
Greenfinch
This looks like a good place for a rest!
and another greenfinch
Now what do you think is going on over there?
An elusive sparrow; they seem to vanish the moment the camera appears.
Landscape on a daylight moon.
Forsythia
Flowering cherry
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Mirabelle plum flowers have just opened.
The only warm day we seem to have had so far woke up a few of our common lizards.
Loved this rainbow!!
If only I could paint this; perhaps I should try!
See also - My Life Before Charente Updated 08/04/2013
and my daily photo diary HERE
http://photodiarydps.blogspot.com 
Your photos add a splash of colour to a dull spring. The weather seems to have been bad forever here to, so depressing. Looks like it might be improving for our visit later this week. Really looking forward to it x
ReplyDeleteKerry it looks like things will improve the end of this week. I hope so for us as well as you, we are now fed up with winter! A bientot. Diane
DeleteLove every one of your perfect photos. I smiled when I saw the forsythia. My very first step onto European soil, I was immediately impressed with the forsythia. It is a very favorite of mine. It totally reminds me of Europe.
ReplyDeleteSusan I don't think I had ever seen forsythia before we moved to the UK in 2001, it is very pretty. There are splashes of yellow everywhere at the moment. Have a good week, Diane
DeleteWonderful photos, Diane! I hope it warms up for you soon. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyful. I also hope it warms up soon. This seems to have been a very long winter! Hope your week is a good one. Diane
DeleteWonderful shots Diane! The orchid is beautiful and the mirabelle brings back happy memories. They are beautiful plums! Sorry to hear of the dampness. We could do with your rain as it's still very dry here, but cold.
ReplyDeleteCraig we have 5 trees of mirabells, generally most end up on the ground rotting as we cannot cope with them all. I agree though they are delicious. You can have our rain with pleasure! Take care Diane
DeleteDEAR DIANE, YOUR PICTURES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL, I ENJOY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. THOSE CUTE LAMBS ARE JUST TOO MUCH.
ReplyDeleteTAKE YOUR TIME MY DEAR FRIEND, PSOT WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE DOING SO. TAKE CARE,
PAMELA
Pamela I love it when it is lambing time and they are generally kept in the field right by our back door. They are so sweet. Have a good week, Diane
DeleteLovely set of photos, wish my camera would take half as good as them. Hope you can get out and about soon.....
ReplyDeleteVera the old Samsung used to do a fairly good job. I do now realise though that the Nikon has a far higher quality and it is fun to have a zoom lens as well. Hopefully the weather will turn by the end of this week! Take care and have a good week. Diane
Deletewhat a wonderful collection of photos Diane, love your bird ones and the flowers, actually I love them all. xx
ReplyDeleteKaren, that is a great compliment from you as you take some amazing photos, thanks so much. Keep well and take some time out to smell the roses. Diane
DeleteThank you Diane, that is very kind of you. :) xx
DeleteI love the beautiful bird photos. Your goldfinch has some added color to his head that ours doesn't have...how nice! Love those baby lambs, too. I hope your weather improves and you get some sunshine soon! It's hot here in Florida this week! But I'm loving it! Sweet hugs!
ReplyDeleteLavender Dreamer I so wish I could say it was hot here but I guess summer will eventually arrive even we do seem to have missed spring. Thanks for your kind comments. Diane
DeleteOh I can so empathize with bloggers block due to depressing weather. It's even like that here down in Aix. Thanks for the breath of springtime. It WILL come.
ReplyDeleteThanks Delana, this weather is so depressing, we seem to have had heating and fires on for longer this year than we have ever had! At least there is some colour around in the garden and country now even if it is still cold. Take care Diane
DeleteGreat photos Diane,here in Edmonton Canada, we are still covered with snow but the sun is melting the snow slowly even at minus -6 C. We have had a lot of snow this winter, hope we don't get a quick met as there will be lots of flooding. only 3 weeks until May. Hoping for warm weather soon.
ReplyDeleteHorst we have not had a lot of snow here but it has been very wet with an icy wind blowing. Summer should be here soon, I think we may have missed spring as such! Keep well Diane
DeleteDiane - I've just started reading your account of the overland trip to Rhodesia in 1953. It's fascinating - what an adventure and you haven't even left the UK yet! I shall try to read one part each day having just finished part one.
ReplyDeleteCraig I hope that you enjoy it. I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving it. I am now into the difficult bit though as no diary to follow, just my memory which is not as good as it used to be!! Keep warm Diane
DeleteLooks like a delightfully colored spring.
ReplyDeleteGaelyn there is lots of colour popping up all over now but the weather still is not what we would expect. Next week looks like it may be better :-) Take care Diane
Deletefabulous photos! i love the birds! spring has certainly sprung!
ReplyDeleteJaz it seems that way looking around, now it just needs to warm up a bit! Have a good week Diane
DeleteI'm sorry that the weather has been so miserable...cold and dry is bearable but cold and wet seems to get into your bones. Fingers crossed for a turn for the better - but, in the meantime, what super photographs!
ReplyDeleteWe're awaiting our first lambs...
Fly I hate the cold full stop. I don't think my blood has ever thickened up again after 50 years in Africa. Anything under 20C is cold to me! Hopefully things may improve by the weekend if the forecast has got it right! Keep well you two, Diane
DeleteI love your bird pictures; you must have a great telephoto lens to get them so clearly. The lambs are pretty cute, too. We have no flowers yet, save the ones on the bushes Shannon planted - or had her brothers plant - last week. It is finally warming up this week, and I'm hoping spring will finally arrive!
ReplyDeleteMargie I have a new camera and I am still learning a lot about it. The telephoto is x300 which is great for the birds. The weather looks like it may change next week, not before time! Hope your spring also arrives very soon. Keep well Diane
DeleteVery nice pictures - I used to see most of these around my house in the UK - but I dont see many anymore! A good time machine post for me.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Stewart, glad you enjoyed these photos and that they brought home a few memories. I have to say I would rather be living in Melbourne though than in the UK, I hate the cold weather. Cheers Diane
DeleteGreat shots Diane. I can't believe you were able to get so close to the birds. It's so nice that spring has (finally) come.
ReplyDeleteSam
Sam I sit very quietly in the garden for as long as I can stand the cold! The birds have got quite used to me, especially the blue tits who just about ignore me. It certainly looks like springn now if only it felt like it as well :-) Take care Diane
DeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful photographs make up for the dismal, stormy and cold weather!
Thanks Gaynor, you must be really fed up with the weather having come so far. The only thing is, I am sure it is still worse in the UK. I don't know when you go home but it looks like it will start improving at the weekend. Keep warm and enjoy you home here, I hope we can meet up again later in the year. Diane
DeleteYou have such a practiced eye! These are lovely photos. You are a woman of many talents. I hope your week is off to a great start. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteMary there is a lot of luck that goes into my photos, but thanks for the kind comments. I have certainly not mastered the ins and out of the new camera yet but I am learning a bit as I go. Keep well and take care Diane
DeleteYourn photos are truly awesome Diane!
ReplyDeleteCuisine de Provence, thanks so much. Hope that you are having a good week Diane
DeleteWow! I thoroughly enjoyed these spring beauties.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosaria, now if only the temperatures would go up a bit we can really enjoy spring. Take care Diane
DeleteExcellent photos Diane.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam, I enjoy taking them, so it is fun that others can enjoy them as well. Take care Diane
DeleteGorgeous series of fauna and flora shots! Love them, Diane.
ReplyDeleteJM it is such fun to be able to let others see my photos who will appreciate them. All the old ones in albums have been hidden away for years! At least now I am going through them and scanning a lot for my life before Charente. Keep well Diane
DeleteYour photos are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine, hope you have a good week Diane
DeleteI love your photos, so beautiful and clear.... and the birds are amazing!
ReplyDeleteCiao
Alessandra
Thanks Alessandra for the kind comment. Ciao Diane
DeleteThanks for sharing all these beautiful photos..
ReplyDeleteThank you Sonia, glad that you enjoyed. Take care Diane
DeleteGood stuff Diane - hope you and Nigel are starting to thaw out as autumn brings shorter days to us.
ReplyDeleteHi there you two, the thawing is a very slow process at the moment. Only when it gets to at least 25C do I feel like it is warm enough to take the jerseys off! Take care D & N
DeleteHi Diane .. the sun came out today briefly - in amongst the mists from the Downs .. it was HOT when it did show its face!!
ReplyDeleteI love your new photo - it's great .. and your bird pictures are just lovely .. I think we have most of them here .. but my camera skills aren't great ..
Cheers and here's to Spring - looks like this weekend for us ... happy days!! Hilary
Hilary we get flashes of sun but we have had so much rain the ground is saturated again.
DeleteYes, all these birds you will get in the UK, we seldom get much different to you other than the hoopoe. Our weekend looks like it is going to clear up, long may it last.....
Take care Diane
Heureusement qu'il y a tes photos pour nous rappeler que le printemps existe et qu'il sera peut-être bientôt là.
ReplyDeleteBelles photos!
A bientôt
Nadji, les fleurs pense que le printemps est là!! Je suis encore très froid! Bon week-end. Diane
DeleteWell the flora and fauna seem to think it is Spring, even though the humans don't think so. Fabulous photos, so crisp and clear.
ReplyDeletediane if the forecast is right, and of course it is not always that, spring should arrive on Sunday. We are hoping that it has it right this time :-) Thanks for the kind commemt. Keep well Diane
DeleteI can't tell you how many bloggers are going through a dry spell... myself included. I guess it is something in the air. You have risen to the occasion beautifully by sharing these gorgeous images of spring. Here's hoping we all come out of the spell like spring flowers and bloom again!!
ReplyDeleteDeana I am sure it is the weather, who wants to go out in this! It looks like on Sunday spring my really arrive, but I will only believe it when it happens. We have have had so much rain. We are off on holiday next month so maybe I will come home refreshed! Keep well and have a good weekend. Diane
DeleteWhat a lovely selection Diane. My favourite has to be the cherry blossoms!!
ReplyDeleteWith going into winter here, the weather is not right for finding bugs either. Luckily I had an excellent summer so have lots and lots and lots to post. :)
Thanks Joan, the bugs may start appearing next week if the forecast is right so it will give me a wider choice to photograph. On the other hand we are going to be away for a while so it will give me a chance to refresh I hope. Take care Diane
DeleteAll these pictures are as pretty as a painting! I just love the little lambs, they are so cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Francesca, I am not really sure which I like best :-) Have a good weekend, Diane
Deletethese photograph look amazing Dinae all , the birds, the flowers and someones look like a beautiful paint!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gloria for a lovely comment. Have a great weekend. Diane
DeleteYour little birds are enchanting, do you take most of these in your garden Diane. I find it so much easier to take shots of the bigger birds like the galahs and corellas, the little birds move around so very quickly..do you have any tips you can give me, I would appreciate it so much.
ReplyDeletePerthDailyPhoto, all the photos of birds have been taken in our garden. I have a new camera and I have no idea what I am doing, but some of the shots seem to come out OK! Take a look at http://1000-pattes.blogspot.com for some fantastic bird shots, Noushka is good with advice as well. Thanks for the comment. A bientot Diane
Deletehi diane, you are good taking all these pictures. were the birds photos all taken from your garden?
ReplyDeleteHi Lena I am useless but the camera is good :-) Yes all these photos of birds were taken in the garden. Have a great week. Diane
DeleteOur snow just melted last week and since then it has been raining. Looking at your lovely photos gives my a little cheer. I recently was looking back at last year's spring photos...they remind us the beauty of spring is not far off. Karen (Back Road Journal)
ReplyDeletebackroadjournal it has turned a bit chilly here again but as long as we do not get a frost to mess up all the small fruits we will be OK..... Diane
DeleteI did not know the name of cowslips till today, thanks today. I often wondered whta are they called. Good for you on the orchid, I haven't had any luck with orchid, it always ended up dead..
ReplyDeleteRose I have two orchids both doing well. I think the answer is not to over water. Take care Diane
DeleteI hope by now Spring is bursting out everywhere for you! I know how discouraging it can be to wait and wait as I grew up in the northern most parts of the US.
ReplyDeleteThe Café Sucré Farine everything is in flower or small fruits are forming we now just have to hope we do not get another frost to mess things up!! Keep well Diane
DeleteI love all your photos, they are all so beautiful. We are still waiting for spring to come to us, we still have snow on the ground where I live. So I loved seeing photos of spring.
ReplyDeleteDawn we had very little snow this year so we were lucky but it seems to have been a very long cold winter none the less. Hope your spring also arrives very soon, Diane
DeleteMalgré l'hiver triste et le début de printemps pourri voici de très belles images!! Mes préférées : les agneaux!
ReplyDeleteBonne fin de semaine à vous .
Merci Lucie, je pense que les agneaux sont très jolies. Bonne journée. Diane
Deletegreat+colourful pics, indeed its difficult to get out when the weather is not sunny+warm, but the fresh air does wonders...warm greetings from sunny, but cold tulipland!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jana, the weather has improved a bit here but there is still an icy wind blowing. The rain seems to have stopped for a bit though but now of course the garden needs it. I am a bit like the farmers, never happy with the weather :-) Have a good day Diane
DeleteDear Diane, There photos are magnificent. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Catherine. Take care Diane
DeleteYour photography is superb Dianne, what kind of camera/lens do you use?
ReplyDeleteRose for years I have been using a Samsung L201, a small pocket camera bought at the local supermarket cheap. A few months ago I acquired a Nikon 3200, at the moment I am using both cameras. The Nikon is great for macro but there is much I need to learn about it. All my life I have just pointed and pressed, now I discover there are other things to do with a camera!! Not sure I will ever master it properly but my photos have improved.
DeleteFor holiday purposes I will be using the Samsung as it is easier to carry and less likely to be stolen. Keep well Diane
OMG...thanks so much for sharing such wonderful photos, Diane. Hopefully, someday I'll be able to show some lovely picture from the local rainforest too. :o)
ReplyDeleteKristy