we find ourselves surrounded by shields and seals and symbols and badges and coats of arms here in this place that was already culturally middle-aged by the middle ages, and where war was a nearly constant thing for centuries. i decided to design my own rather more peace-loving coat of arms this afternoon. the shield of the distracted wanderer. designed to strike fear into the heart of not a single sword wielding enemy.

an arrangement with items from this weeks’ outings: the feathery dark green leaves are mimosa tree leaves, the large green thistle head in the center is wild teasel

hérault, languedoc, france

there was a determined knock on our door. our beloved next door neighbors Jean-Luc and Nicole had decided that i needed to see something. their cactus, which is probably as old as my children (as conscientious farmers, they are constitutionally unable to let any plant die) was about to bloom, and they felt it was a proper subject for still blog. of course, i agree.

night -blooming cereus cacti

autignac, france

yet another treasure from our next door neighbors’ orchard. i have evolved in two years from never having heard of greengages, to being slightly obsessed by them.

prunes reine claude (greengages)

autignac, france

i just left behind a region where everything is dry and brown all winter, in order to spend july in a region where most things are dry and brown all summer. what gives?

assemblage of dry things

autignac, france