I love these Asters. Very popular around here. Along the roads under place signs. Decorating the traffic islands. They are quite short just up to my knee. Look like small sunflowers.

Mallow.

One end of a large caterpillar I'm trying to work out what kind. It is about 10 cms long.

Glasses bought at the brocantes. Very plain but with a ring.

One of the many clematis I bought this year, slowly growing up the wall.

Sunburst squash. Finally last year I missed out on squashes, pumpkins and courgettes.

A few bits and bobs from the garden. There have been some dying back of some of the early summer flowers like the poppies and Aquilegia and these are replaced now by a variety of bright yellow squash flowers and daisy shaped flowers in rusts and yellows. Above are some seedlings given me by my friend getting along nicely although they don't like too much watering I notice. here. They were from Sarah Raven and came in a little test tube. Tiny wee seeds. Primula auricula The terracotta planters came from Gilou. They just about sit on the window ledges and some of my cuttings snapped from various geraniums have landed in them. The frilly variegated geranium came from my friends' in Malvern, UK. It's has an incredible scent.

Weeks gatherings

Another tin. I have a bit of a theme going in my bathroom at the moment, lots of blue and old blue glass. After visiting a house recently I was inspired to do some mosaic too. Our shower base is a home made cracked tile affair. I have been looking at it for ages wondering how I can improve it. I used to do lots of mosaic, even teaching weekend courses. I need to find some products that will work in a shower and gets heavy use.  I am not that familiar with the builders makes here. We go to Nevers to Bricomarche for all building things. 

A cast iron chestnut roaster. I thought I'd use it as a plant holder if I find a hook to hang it from. We don't have an open fire.

Wool rug

'Bocaux' storage jar and a small tin.

Pass Vite. Useful for straining skins and pips from fruit or puréeing soups. 

While looking up these sieves, I thought it was a Passoir, literally sieve. I looked up Pass Vite and found a great cookery blog. Do look it has lovely phtots and great Portuguese recipes, I think.

There are 2 big brocantes this weekend. 

I headed out alone this week to the brocantes. Not too far but boy was it swelteringly hot.

Here, above black 2cv, is the car I spotted at Gilots in Moulin Engilbert. The owner had a stall selling old LPs. Gilot's where I spotted the car has a big shop on the road and the place is stacked high full of things. I passed by earlier and bought clay planters for my windows and a wonderful Marron roaster. We are surrounded by Sweet Chestnuts trees all along the roadsides. They are in flower just now. The iron roaster is very old looking very heavy iron. I shall photograph it tomorrow. It's to use as some sort of hanging planter.

Ricard jugs. I found one great stall. I bought crystal glasses plain with a ring a ting. A couple of old tins and a wonderful wool rug rusty and mint green. Also bought a whizzer to whizz up parsley, onions and the odd nut. Only euros were spent 1 or 2 here and there. I bought lots of bright balls of wool and a passe vite. A passe vite is like a sieve but with a hand whizzer to pass fruit through. They are the sort of thing everyone seems to have and use here.

My garden this week.

Raspberries ready.

Evening Primrose.

My cat beats me and likes to fight all the time.

My flowers Larkspurs and poppies

I cleared a patch here of old raspberries. 

Village fireworks.

The raspberries cleared I now have a bit of space to put something like lavender

or at the moment more courgette plants.

 Photographs of a garden just below here. It's so beautiful. Marion and Frederick have lived here for 15 years. In this time they have created a magical home. A home brimming with things found here over many years of brocanting. Lots of copper pots and pans lovely fireplace furniture with any kind   of quirkiness you could imagine. Frederick is a retired Architect. The renovations they have done  enhance the original buildings tastefully. They have a Gite I had a viewing of too. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a gite it's a holiday home you can rent. It surpasses all your expectations of what that might be   They have kept the original furniture including Grandfather clock, sleigh beds, armoires and buffets a large side board. All the pieces of furniture were special much more decorative and ancient than I have come across here. I was impressed to see items she found had been framed, an old sampler and the original inhabitants photographs greet you as you enter. I had a lovely glass of chilled Rosé and heard how Marion has made France her home never returning to The Netherlands. She has a lot of animals including donkeys, doves, peacocks and geese. There are 2 dogs that seemed to be lying low as I didn't see them this time and a cat. She as made lots of places to sit and enjoy the garden. The planting is relaxed with plants you would normally struggle to find here including a Bergamot I want to see if I can propagate somehow.

The gite is to the right where the roof changes to the last door. Frederick has his atelier in the little room on the end. I realise I want to photo inside now as it is just so wonderful. 

There is a large pond filled with lilies and croaking bright green frogs.

Another outing to a Brocante today. Lovely and warm. I was up and away before it got too hot. I drove  along beautiful forest roads through to the centre of the Morvan Park. I am in the South of the park.

I loved this wall.

Met a very nice dog.

Wish I had one of these scooters.

Car with a valise.

Marie. 

The brocante was spread all around the village.

Refreshments.

Later we are off to see a few fireworks. Feu D'artifice. Happy Bastille Day.