View from our upstairs window at about 18:30 today - a dull day but still reasonably warm - across the valley, looking west, (left edge is west - right edge of image is north - we usually can see the weather coming from the west!) - autumn colours and we have a really nice view
we had the first rain this morning for at least a month
when we bought the house, over 20 years ago, we could see all the Chateau and down to the road
Over the past 20 years even the larger trees have doubled in size - must get out with my chain saw as some of them are in our front "garden"
The area is full of wild life - wild boar, (dig up the garden - and get shot) - deer, (eat the grapes and get shot) - woodpeckers, (make a noise) - lots of Jays, (make a louder noise) - quite a few birds of prey, (Hawks and buzzards - the French type) - a few snakes, (not too nice) - and lots of other birds, permanent residents and migratory - the area is "full of food" for wild life
Oh - and the telephone wire is still only 5 to 10 feet off the ground - it's been like that for about 8 years, (since the last big storm), and the local PTT, (France Telecom), seem not to want to do anything about it, (i.e. it should be at least 20 feet - 6 to 7 meters - off the ground)