Tiny caps of ice let us know winter has finally arrived...
~~~~~
De minuscules bonnets de glace nous montrent que l'hiver est enfin arrivé ...
Agapanthus seems to grow like weeds here. Stick a bulb in the ground and the following year you'll have two and a year later four. They originate in South Africa which has a similar climate to the south of France.
Sometimes they do well they can't hold up their heavy beautiful heads and take a nap on the ground.
You can see white Agapanthus (for the Princely wedding) in Monaco HERE.
~~~~~
L'Agapanthus semble croître comme des mauvaises herbes dans la région. Mettez un bulbe en terre et l'année suivante vous en aurez deux , un an plus tard quatre. L'agapanthe est originaire d'Afrique du Sud où le climat est similaire à celui du sud de la France.
Parfois, ils poussent si bien qu'ils donnent de belles têtes tellement lourdes qu'elles ne peuvent se tenir dressées et font donc une sieste dans le jardin.
The Riviera Palace is one of Menton's stunning Belle Epoque buildings. Once a 'palace' it has since been converted into apartments and with all the glorious features retained. Soon, Menton Daily Photo will do a series on this amazing building and I know you'll love it as much as I do.
Meanwhile this entrance to the private gardens fits the requirement of Theme Day which is 'the colour green' - so I give you a green gate and a green garden.
Please click here to see how others around the world have interpreted today's theme.
~~~~~
Le Riviéra Palace est l'un des superbes immeubles de Menton de la Belle Epoque. Ce palace a été transformé depuis en appartements mais il a conservé toute sa magnifique apparence. Bientôt, Menton Daily Photo fera une série sur cet immeuble étonnant et j'espère que vous l'aimerez autant que moi.
Dans l'intervalle, cette entrée dans les jardins privés correspond à l'exigence de la Journée thématique qui est «la couleur verte '- Ainsi je vous montre un portail vert et un jardin vert.
Cliquez ici, s'il vous plait pour voir comment ce thème d'aujourd'hui a été interprété par d'autres autour du monde entier.
Sunshine, shadows and as cold as stone. The nude in the Jardin Boives looks as if she's waiting for the warmer weather as are we.
~~~~~
Du soleil mais des ombres aussi froides que la pierre. Dans le jardin Biovès, la statue semble attendre le beau temps comme nous.
There's a pomegranate tree outside the Café du Musée. I never knew the name of this tree. Now I do!
~~~~~
Près du Café du Musée, il y a un grenadier. Je ne connaissais pas le nom de cet arbre. Maintenant que c'est fait!
'Nature is like a beautiful bride who needs no man-made jewels to
heighten her loveliness.' ~ Kahil Gibran
----
La nature est comme une mariée jeune et belle qui n'a pas besoin de bijoux
pour rehausser sa beauté.' ~ Kahil Gibran.
It's that time of year again... oranges are everywhere in Menton. These guys work for the parks department of Menton and are taking a break from putting up the Christmas decorations in the Jardins Bioves.
To see how other bloggers in the City Day Photo community have interpreted the theme of time do please click here to view thumbnails for all participants
--------
Voici revenue la saison ...Les oranges sont partout à Menton. Ces hommes travaillent pour le service des jardins de la ville et là, ils prennent une pause pendant la mise en place des décorations de Noël dans les Jardins Bioves.
Pour voir comment les autres blogueurs de la communauté City Daily Photo ont interprété le thème 'Le Temps' veuillez cliquer ici pour afficher toutes leurs photos en petit format.
The Umbrella or Stone Pine is such a typically Mediterranean tree. You see a lot of them on Promenade Le Corbusier which is the beach walk between Cap Martin and Monaco. The tree's Latin name is Pinus Pinea and it produces the pine nut which of course is a major element in that wonderful sauce we eat on pasta called Pesto Alla Genovese. I usually buy my pesto sauce at Menton's market or across the border in Latte or Ventimiglia.
We're at the 20th Journées Méditerrranéennes du Jardin at a stall selling garden ornaments. You don't really expect to see a couple of cranes or a stag in Menton!
In the photo we are looking towards Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Hibiscus in the Old Town.
'Beautiful and brief
Is your stay above
The late summer leaf . . .'
~ Agnes Ware
This sculpture stands in the gardens of the Palais Carnoles, Menton's Museum of Fine Art. It's called Couple and was sculpted in 1987 by Robert Juvin, a sculptor who fought with the resistance in the war and was later awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Borage is a herb that originated in Syria but grows naturally all over the Mediterranean. My mother used the young leaves to decorate her Pimms No. 1 Cup which she always served on Sundays before lunch.
Nowadays borage is commercially grown to produce 'star flower' oil - indeed, the plant is also known by that name.
In my garden it grows wild and seeds like crazy just about everywhere. As you see in the smaller photo, the tiny blue flower changes colour so often you have pink and blue flowers on the same plant.
The gardens of the Palais Carnoles in Menton display sculptures amongst their famous collection of citrus trees. This is Sir Winston Churchill by the Dutch sculptor Kees Verkade who lives in Monaco.
We're in the gardens of the Palais Carnoles, one of Menton's museums. The gardens contain the largest collection of citrus in Menton and that's saying something in the city of citrus. Many sculptures are displayed in the garden - here is The Birth of Venus by Oreste Conti.
A sure sign of spring in the south of France is Clematis Armandii. It's a very happy plant in this climate and I'm all for happy plants. It originated in central and southern China and was introduced to Europe by Ernest Wilson and named in honour of the French missionary, Père Armand David (1826-1900).
This Clematis Armandii is in the famous Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola, just over the border in Italy. I have one in my garden too but it's taken off and has climbed way, way up into a tree, instead of gently trailing along a fence as it was supposed to do. No matter. I admire it from a distance.
The snow .... going, going, gone! The remains of a vine that hangs from the terrace roof slowly loses its gift of snow.
...the oranges are on the trees. It can surprise a visitor to see the streets of Menton lined with orange trees. And not just the main roads but side streets like the one you see in the smaller photograph.
The pelargoniums (geraniums to you and me) are withered, the agapanthus looks decidedly out of sorts and the lily in the pot above probably won't recover.
No more snow overnight but it's still incredibly cold. The water in the dog bowls is frozen solid. Not south of France weather!
In the last photo, you see Daisy, an 8 month old labrador who is staying here for a few months - yesterday she saw her first snow and thought it was the best fun.
