Toulouse Travels

A week ago we went on holiday to Toulouse. It is a large city with some lovely churches and official buildings. The weather was very hot.
The Convent des Jacobins a wonderful building with superb frescoes.

Check out the tower

A graffiti near the Toulouse Lautrec Museum in Albi.

Madame and Monsieur

An impressive wall mural in Toulouse. 

An industrial scene

A traditional colour to paint buildings is pastel. Pastel is derived from woad. I am growing woad in my garden. If I have time I will dye some fabric.

In the artist village of Carla Bayle

Formal gardens in Albi.

Very precise

An old advert.

Something to crow about

We visited Matres where they have a pottery design unique to the village. There are not many potters left who still practice this style of painting.

The traditional pattern incorporates a lyre bird

Carla Bayle is a small artist village overlooking the Pyrenees. It is very picturesque.

The village was on a hill

A monster greets you outside the Natural History Museum in Toulouse.

Woah

This cactus was over 3.5 metres high and was growing in a 18cm pot!

Tall or what?

Anyone fancy a macaroon?

Choose a colour

On our return the gardens have grown like mad. I have spent all week weeding and planting my bedding plants both annuals and perennials. I have a thrush who stays close to me in the Artful Garden and keeps gathering beakfulls of worms.

The aquilegia in the Artful Garden looks very pretty.

Bonny purples and blues

The foxgloves in many colours are loved by the bumble bees who disappear into the trumpets.

Nectar filled trumpets

Plums are appearing on the Victoria plum tree.

Hopefully a good plum harvest

I made this wreath from Sweet Williams and achimelia mollis.

Sweet Williams are one of my favourite flowers

Sun Soak up

It has been a dry and warm week apart from a strong wind which was the Helm Bar earlier in the week.
I have been busy preparing the brassica bed on my allotment to plant out my cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts and cabbage. I had to water the ground to allow me to dig and then rake the soil. I have made my own cabbage collars from a plastic bag and have put scaffolding net over the plants. 

Cauliflower seedlings

A blackbird and thrush have been accompanying me as they were looking for worms. Birds are now carrying nest building materials in their beaks.

The bluebells are at their best.

I have the odd pink and white bluebell

The blackberry bush is in bud.

I hope I have a good crop

Strange fruit on the apple tree on my allotment.

A mystery

I have earthed up my potatoes.

The potatoes in the Artful Garden are just beginning to show

These dainty white flowers open with the sunshine.

White stars

The cardoon is growing very quickly with the heat.

I love sunshine

I love bracken fronds as they start to uncurl.

Shepherd's crooks

The path to the Artful Garden.

Aubretia and Welsh poppies

I made this wreath from apple blossom and honesty.

Delicate blossom