Busy Days In the Auvergne, France

As in years past, I have returned to the Auvergne region of France to spend some time in a tiny village high up on a hill. I arrived here this past Friday and have been keeping very busy.  First, there are neighbors to visit, news to catch up on, and most importantly, getting re-acquainted with every corner of the old stone farmhouse that has been in my family for the past 44 years.  Then there are the long lists of tasks and improvements that my husband and I would like to undertake this summer.
My favorite project by far is digging the flowers out from under all the weeds.  After spending a few hours of weeding, I once again found my lavender, roses and irises, the daisies and the clematis, which are all in full bloom.
The fields of sunflowers down in the valley are also at their most beautiful just now.  Perhaps even more stunning than sunflowers are these hollyhocks below, which I photographed a few days ago.  They were growing in a small walled garden not far from our village.  They were stunning and I was tempted to jump the fence to pinch a few seeds for my garden.

I am off to Lyon today to pick up my daughter and her boyfriend from the airport.  We are planning on some excursions and a few visits to the market.  More photos very soon.