Tag Archives: frost

Can Spring be far Behind?

Posted on 12/03/2017 by

The literary-minded will notice that the title is a quotation from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’, written in 1819 while the poet was staying in Florence. The poem can be interpreted in various ways, the most simplistic … Continue reading →

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2017 Preview and 2016 Weather Roundup

Posted on 08/01/2017 by

Bonne année, Meilleurs Vœux. Wishing you a happy and peaceful year and a better one for the world in general. Welcome to Life on La Lune 2017. This is a particularly special year for me and the SF (Statistics Freak … Continue reading →

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Badgers in the Bush?

Posted on 10/04/2016 by

Like most people, we have a part of our garden of which we are less than proud. It’s where we dump grass cuttings, leaves and other garden rubbish that we don’t put in the compost bins. Fortunately, it’s shielded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Where Have All the Small Birds Gone?

Posted on 06/03/2016 by

Yesterday, we stopped by our retired farmer neighbour’s place for a chat. We remarked that it would be only a matter of weeks before the cuckoo, the first of the migratory birds, arrives. We love hearing that piping sound, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Unwintry Winter

Posted on 07/02/2016 by

I took this shot of a red squirrel four years ago, in February 2012, when we had two weeks of temperatures well below zero and snow as well. Our lane was like an ice-rink, it took 10 minutes to warm … Continue reading →

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Sunflowers in November

Posted on 03/12/2015 by

There’s a French expression, “C’est un vrai temps de Toussaint” (it’s real All Saints’ Day weather). This means that the weather on November 1st is cold, damp, murky and unpleasant. And it often is. This year bucked the trend and … Continue reading →

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Countless May Holidays and SW France Weather April 2015

Posted on 05/05/2015 by

  May in France is a month when you can’t move for public holidays. There’s one a week: two historical and two religious. Then the next one isn’t until 14th July, la fête nationale. We were talking about it at … Continue reading →

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Cuckoos, Birdsong and SW France Weather March 2015

Posted on 05/04/2015 by

  Bonnes Pâques à tout le monde. I had hoped to report the cuckoo’s arrival, but it’s dragging its heels (or whatever cuckoos have) this year. A friend 10 km to the south said it had arrived over a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Signs of Spring and Southwest France Weather February 2015

Posted on 01/03/2015 by

 The SF (Statistics Freak to the uninitiated) tells me that winter runs from November to February. Personally, I feel it’s longer than that, but it’s better not to argue with the expert. Even so, by the end of February, I … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Woodpeckers and Weather: January 2015 in Southwest France

Posted on 02/02/2015 by

  This is the acrobatic great spotted woodpecker that manages to cling onto the fat balls we hang out during cold weather (the red splodge on its head marks it out as a male). We haven’t seen this for several years, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Southwest France Weather Roundup for 2014

Posted on 01/01/2015 by

  First of all, Happy New Year, Bonne Année. And a big thank you to the more than 45,000 visitors who came to my blog last year. The SF (Statistics Freak) has been slaving over a hot computer today so … Continue reading →

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Flies and Weather in SW France November 2014

Posted on 01/12/2014 by

  This year should be christened “The Year of the Fly.” It has been exceptionally mild and an unfortunate result is a mass invasion by flies. We are not the only ones to suffer, although I wondered if something had … Continue reading →

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Hoopoes and SW France Weather April 2014 

Posted on 11/05/2014 by

Some of our summer visitors are quite exotic. The golden orioles are rarely seen, except as flashes of yellow and black in the treetops, but they make their presence known with parrot-like caws and whistles. The hoopoes are distinguished by … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

First Cuckoo and Weather in Southwest France March 2014

Posted on 04/04/2014 by

Today we heard a cuckoo for the first time this year. It’s late: normally we hear one on 29th March +/- three days. And it’s a full week after some friends who live 15 km south of us told us … Continue reading →

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SW France Weather February 2014 and Verdict on 2013

Posted on 05/03/2014 by

This month, I have asked the SF (Statistics Freak; aka my husband) to write the weather post, since it’s he who collects all the statistics. I’ve also asked him to look back over 2013 as a whole and make some … Continue reading →

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2013 Weather Roundup for Southwest France

Posted on 06/01/2014 by

The spell of mild weather that we enjoyed throughout most of December has continued into January. This doesn’t mean that the weather is good; simply that it’s not cold. On Saturday night, we had a howling gale, torrential rain and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aveyron, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Orchids and SW France Weather April 2013

Posted on 06/05/2013 by

Orchids grow abundantly in our region at this time of year. We have good and bad orchid years – no doubt a reflection of the weather we’ve had. This year is a good one. Our walking group took a route … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Monthly Météo: Weather in SW France March 2013

Posted on 03/04/2013 by

To say that the weather in March was variable would be an understatement. We had snow, rain, frost, high winds and sun (occasionally). On 31st March – Easter Sunday – we got out our garden bench and sat drinking apéritifs … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Weather in Southwest France: Verdict on Winter 2012-13

Posted on 04/03/2013 by

I could sum up this winter’s weather in one word. But it’s not repeatable in polite company, so I’ll try to do it in a more measured way. The SF (Statistics Freak – my husband) is the brains behind the … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Monthly Météo: Weather in SW France January 2013

Posted on 04/02/2013 by

“Is France weather getting worse?” This was a search term someone used to land on my blog today. Given how dreary the weather has been since New Year, you could be forgiven for asking that. In fact, I almost didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Snowed In – Again

Posted on 16/01/2013 by

All those people who think that, because we live in the south of France we must enjoy balmy weather all year round, please study the photo above carefully. This is how it was around 10h00 today. It didn’t stop all … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments

2012 Weather Roundup for SW France

Posted on 08/01/2013 by

  What a grey, grim and grisly start to 2013 it is! Much of France has been languishing under low, grey cloud for almost a week and it’s accompanied by a raw cold that eats into you. The few that … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Christmas Carols and November Weather

Posted on 07/12/2012 by

  Actually, I don’t remember much about the weather in November. This is mainly because I was glued to my computer writing my novel. Yes, I know you’re fed up with hearing about it and so is the SF, who … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Monthly Météo: Weather in SW France October 2012

Posted on 09/11/2012 by

The SF has been beside himself because I am so late posting the weather post this month. My excuse is that I am writing a novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo to the initiated), in which you take part in … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Monthly Météo: Weather in Southwest France April 2012

Posted on 30/04/2012 by

We wanted rain. We got rain. This April has almost beaten our record for rainfall and it has certainly been the worst month weather-wise since we started recording our statistics 14 years ago. Everyone is thoroughly fed up. A number … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Monthly Météo: Guest Post on SW France Weather March 2012

Posted on 02/04/2012 by

By popular request – well, one anyway – I have commissioned a guest post from the SF (Statistics Freak, my husband) on March’s weather. The SF is the brains behind our extensive weather statistics, gathered over nearly 14 years. I … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Monthly Météo: Weather in Southwest France February 2012

Posted on 05/03/2012 by

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, this February was one of the coldest since the 1950s. Down here, it was beaten only by 1986, when the temperature got as low as minus 27C in our district. The coldest temperature we recorded … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

How to Stay Warm in Winter

Posted on 09/02/2012 by

Stay in bed. Or emigrate somewhere warmer. Although I have considered the latter, the former is less hassle. It’s distinctly appealing during the continuing cold snap. Getting out of bed requires courage; getting out of the shower demands even more. … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Weather | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Monthly Météo: January 2012 Weather in Southwest France

Posted on 04/02/2012 by

Now that all the excitement about my various awards has died down it’s time to resume normal service. And the SF has been badgering me to post up the weather stats for January. Winter had to arrive sometime and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Monthly Météo: 2011 Weather Roundup for SW France

Posted on 02/01/2012 by

First of all Bonne Année, Happy New Year, to all my readers. Apparently, 2011 was the year with the warmest average temperature since records began in France. I don’t know how they work this out and in July you could … Continue reading →

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