Greenery and greenness

Daffodils in the Ardèche plateau

The beauty of the northern end of the Ardèche département is not to be understated.  I read subsequently that it has harsher winters than parts of the Alps at altitudes 500m higher.  Which may account for fields of daffodils in full bloom in mid-May.  All rather idyllic.  We stood for quite a while listening to cuckoos calling and just enjoying the clean air and huge panoramas.  The sort of view, really, that the camera can't hope to capture.  But that wouldn't stop me, would it?

Tea break in the summerhouse

Back here, we had a fine day on Sunday, so the grass got its first cut since our travels, and we we were grateful for the shade of the summerhouse when we paused for tea.  We gardened again yesterday.  Martyn edged the front grass and took armfuls of weeds out of the border.  I have tidied up the box bushes at the foot of the drive, and hauled out a hebe that had reached the ugly, leggy stage.

Two mobile phones have failed on me this year.  My late medieval Nokia lost its voice (though a mobile phone that no longer rings is no great handicap to me given my minimal usage pattern.    I shall hang on to it for outgoing calls using the unexpired credit on the old SIM card.)  I never quite got the hang of the subsequent Samsung, and did not grieve when it croaked.  The new iPhone (not the latest model, so free of up-front charge) is so simple to use that I have made a few faltering steps already, eg setting it up as a kind of personal wifi hotspot, which will come in handy on our travels.  I suppose that, with the passing years, I learn new things less easily, and am grateful for easy transitions: the phone works in much the same way as my tablet (which, of course, is also a recent replacement for my first one).  Next job: try to learn how to work the car radio and attendant widgets.