After an unseasonably warm and dry February, winter made a comeback last week.My daughters found themselves sprinkled with snow as they went back to school after the two-week winter holiday; my colleagues and I all bundled up at work as suddenly the heating system didn't quite keep us warm enough.
I've experienced this retour de saison many times in March. Just two years ago, it was also snowing during the first week of the month. And last year we fretted about making it up to Clermont-Ferrand to see Michel Polnareff in concert because it was snowing all over the area on March 19th.
I also remember one year when we had a huge snowfall on Easter Monday -- about a foot here in the Rodez area and at least three feet on the Aubrac mountains. Winter lingers in Aveyron.
(Photos courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)
20 comments:
Stunning pictures! I sooo love snow but we didn't get any this year in London :-(
This retour de saison is quite common in Greece too. When I was a kid and lived in a mountainous area of Greece, we often had an extra week off school in March because of severe snowfall. Hehe. Those were the days...
I like the effects you've achieved with the snow . . . we had snow here yesterday; very unusual.
I just discovered your blog. Lovely photos!
Now those are some fabulous pictures. A thin glaze of winter, sad, transient, placed there by some unseen spirit. Quite different than the 19 inches we got hit with this weekend. ;-)
Beautiful. From these photos, it looks like you live in the middle of nowhere. Peace and quiet!
These photos weren't actually taken right near our house, but it looks quite like that where we live. In fact my husband had to convince me that he had taken them near Millau and not right next door!
Oh, how lovely!! I know that we are all likely ready for Spring, but I love the beautiful stillness of snow! So peaceful and introspective. Did you tone these photos in Photoshop? The blue gray is sooooo gorgeous!! These photos make me want to throw some things in a suitcase and move to France!! :)
oh no...snow...in March. Say it isn't so. I'm freezing just thinking about it. I guess we'll have to bring warm warm clothes for our year in france. When does the cold weather start? We arrive in October and hopefully we'll have a couple months of not so cold. My blood sure has thinned living her in Los Angeles for so long. The pictures are lovely though.
Alisa, don't despair! The area you're going to is a bit warmer than around Rodez. That said, there are winters in SW France - it's not the Riviera!
b -- Mais non, these photos are absolutely not touched up in any way -- not even reframed! My husband isn't into such trickery...I do occasionally reframe his shots but never do any more.
Yes, the vengeance of March. We know it well up here in the Cher Valley, too. But we've had no snow at all this year. And right now I'd like to keep it that way. There's always next year.
and I thought that we had it bad...at least our storm was liquid and not solid
Rosie, we've been having some of the liquid variety, too...I guess March is coming in like a lion.
Winter not only lingers in Aveyron but everywhere in France and in our mind specially when we look forward for the arrival of the spring like every years!
Non seulement l'hiver traine et se traine en Aveyron mais partout en France et dans notre tête aussi, spécialement quand on attend avec impatience l'arrivée du printemps comme chaque année!
Beauty is where you choose to find it, and there are beautiful things in winter too.
La beauté est affaire de chacun et il y a de belles choses en hiver aussi.
evidence?
des preuves?
your pictures
vous photos
I am shivering just looking at the pictures. But snow can be common even in April.
Pardon! Please know that in no way did I intend to offend the photographer! ;-) I am now even more awestruck by the lovely quality of gray blue in these photos. I need a little writer's cottage facing the view from that first image!!
b -- don't worry, no offense taken! My husband doesn't even read my blogs, much less the comments -- he just hands me some of the photos.
In the States, I once got snowed on on my birthday on March 30th. Also, there is a period of time in May here in France called The Ice Saints-May 11, 12, and 13-I think-when it isn't unusual for it to get cold as the earth is moving through some sort of heaven dust and it affects the weather. It has happened to me here a couple of times and I worried about my newly planted vegetable garden.
I love your pictures.
I've just discovered your blog and I'm very happy. I love these pics .
MAy be one day we will meet . We don't live very far from each other.
Post a Comment