2014 April blossom in Forest Hill

The April blossom in London has been magnificant this year, especially the cherry.

 

London 2013: finally Spring is here!

 Horse chestnut leaves finally opening

Today in London we had the first really lovely warm Spring day of 2013. Since late last week the weather finally been improving after weeks of cold days. Time to give my macro lens a walkabout to celebrate the arrival of Spring. 

Beech leaves (above and below)– normally weeks behind horse chestnut, which can often burst into leaf during March, developing fast. My impression is that a few days of warm weather will telescope everything into a short time.

The daffs have been out for weeks – this one is finally past its best..

This one is still going

Horniman Park: Sitting writing notes in the sunshine

Light on green leaves (above and below)

 Close up on bark

 Bursting leaf

Variegated leaf

Burst of yellow

March 2012 compared weatherwise to March 2011

Young vine leaf: 2nd April 2012

Here in Touraine the continuous blue sky, sunshine and high temperatures – often up into the low 20s˚C even sometimes mid-20s – over the last fortnight has accelerated Spring's arrival. The vines have caught up any delay caused by the extremely low temperatures in the early part of February when the mercury dropped to minus 18/19˚C. Buds have now burst and there are signs of leaves coming out, particularly for early varieties like Chardonnay or Arbois.

The worry as always with an early start is the damage a frost could do. Certainly the danger will last the whole of April and, to a lesser extent, into the early part of May. Recently the really damaging frosts have been in April, for instance 1991 (21st/22nd) and 2008 (6th/7th). Nerves jangling and fingers crossed for the next month.  

I'm not sure whether 2012 is now ahead of 2011 as I'm getting mixed reports from producers. It is, however, interesting to compare this year's March weather stats (Tours) with those from last year. 

2012

Average max temperature:         15.6˚C

Total sunshine hours for month: 213

Total sunshine hours for year:    420

Rainfall in March:                        12mm

Total rainfall: 2012 Jan-March:      58mm

2011

Average max temperature:          14˚C
Total sunshine hours for month:  185
Total sunshine hours for year:     315
Rainfall in March:                          9mm
Total rainfall: 2012 Jan-March:      90mm


Average for March 
(All averages based on 1971 - 2000, except hours of sunshine which are based on 1991 - 2000)

Average maximum temperature:  11.9˚C
Hours of sunshine:                     143
Rainfall:                                     51mm 
Rainfall for the first three months: 178mm


Clearly both 2011 and 2012 are far from the norm – much more sunny, hotter and certainly drier than the average. To date 2012 has had more sunshine and higher March temperatures than 2011 and even less rain! Fortunately December 2011 was wet and well above the average with 135mm but still everything is now becoming very dry and no significant rain forecast until the middle of next week.   


A warm early start doesn't necessarily lead to a good vintage: sometimes it is early good and early rotten. 1987 was lovely in April but went downhill rapidly after that. Similarly 2007 was warm and sunny over Easter, then led to a wet summer and was only saved by a fine September and October. Furthermore last year's fine start through to mid June or so was followed by a cool, wet July, a variable August and a wet early September leading to a complicated vintage. 


Stats taken from MetéoFrance – Tours station under climat.

  

  

  

  

SE23: signs of Spring

As the nights start to shorten nature starts to green and colour up.

The rising sap and other photos around Epeigné

Another sign of spring, a recently pruned vine weeping with sap

A deer – one of a pair: the male keeping an eye out while the female ate. This was the closest I managed to get.

A cave hidden in the hillside

Flinty soil in a vineyard – known locally as perruches

Touraine's typical big sky

Silent vineyard – where's the biodiversity?

Epeigné-les-Bois: spring flowers and votes

Forthythia in the sunshine

After a grey and wet day yesterday the sun has come out today, although there is a cool wind. There are signs of spring arriving along the second vote in the regional elections. Here in Epeigné, part of the Centre region, it is a three way vote between the socialists, Sarkozy's party and the National Front. 

Epeigné votes cast in the first round

There were 165 votes cast in the first round with François Bonneau (Socialist) narrowly on top with 49 votes, Hervé Novelli (UMP) close behind with 46 and Philippe Loiseau (Front National) with 21. Followed by Jean Delavergne (Europe Ecologie) with 17, Marie-France Beaufils (Front de Gauche) 14 with four other candidates bringing up the rear.

Bureau de vote in the Salles des Fêtes

Politicians in concert

Daffodils

A few croci

Spring in Touraine – wisteria

Wisteria magnificently in full bloom

Back in the Loire

A28: A brief glimpse of Le Loir@Château-du-Loir

Drove down yesterday in bright sunshine once we approached the Loire Valley. It is always fascinating traveling through France in early springtime to see how much more advanced the trees etc. come as you move southwards. In northern France it was still winter bleak with light sign of green, whereas from Le Mans southwards it became greener and with more blossom in evidence. Of course if we had carried on down to Bordeaux it would have become still greener. However, even down in the Loire London is probably more advanced due to its special micro-climate, doubtless helped by the pollution. I believe that you have to go as far south as Lyon to find a major city that has a higher average temperature than London.

Heading towards Tours: heavy traffic on the A28

Very enjoyable relaxed dinner at friends starting with the 2007 Varière Coteaux de l'Aubance, whose fresh, citric character makes this a good aperitif – not over sweet. Then I confidently mistook a 2006 Bourgogne Aligoté for a minerally Sauvignon Blanc. I did a little better with the red thinking it was Côt, which is was in part. The rest being Cabernet Franc and the whole was the 2006 Cuvée Pif from the Clos Roche Blanche. We had an excellent but simple first course – fresh local goats' cheese whizzed up with fresh basil to make a few creamy mouthfuls. Delcious.

Unfortunately today is showery and pretty miserable and the forecast for the rest of this week is not very special. Still the ground here is quite dry, so there hasn't been a lot of rain recently.