Wandering through the fields around Le Moulin is always a bit special. If there isn’t a fantastic sky to see, or a contrast between the sun and the shadows then there is always a bit of wildlife or something else that nature is prepared to share with us.

But right now there has been a collaboration between mother nature and our local farmer, because the sunflowers are out and, even though they are still not in full bloom all around, they are already looking pretty spectacular.

 Of course they can’t stay this gorgeous forever, they do need to dry out and in that process they go more than a little black. Although if I am honest I still like the way they look right up to harvest time. Might be my military background that supports that appeal, seeing them all lined up and looking like they are standing to attention. I think they look great even when they are in their most dried out state. But I am pretty sure not everyone will agree with me.

I also cannot argue that they really are at their most beautiful when they are in full bloom, just the sight of those amazing yellow petals really does bring a smile to your face. So I thought, as we were treated to a slightly later than normal flower show at our home in the South of France this year, that I would finally get around to editing the video of  our last sunflower harvest from 2011.

So for those interested you can have a look at how the sunflower seeds are harvested at the end of the season. You might not think that it will be very exciting, but you would probably be surprised how much interest the farming activity causes when they come trundling onto the fields with the farm machinery, especially if we happen to have people from the city staying who don’t get to see this kind of activity too often.

So here you are the video of the sunflower harvest at Le Moulin in 2011, hope you find it interesting, I know I did.

It’s always a bit sad when they are all done and dusted, but they are grown for commercial reasons and we all love to go and buy our sunflower oil or seeds once they have been processed. So I think we should consider how lucky we are that this beautiful plant can provide such a wonderful show before it is claimed for the commercial purposes it was planted for. 

There are going to be some very lucky guests arriving this September, who probably thought the sunflower season was going to be all but finished. But thanks to a late start in the planting program, I think they are actually going to be at their very best over the next few weeks.

Needless to say we aren’t going to be going very far and even though I have already taken numerous shots of our favourite flower, I don’t think I will be able to resist getting the camera out a couple more times.

You can see a few more photos on Facebook if you are subscribed https://www.facebook.com/FrenchHolidaysAude/photos_albums they are in the out and about album.

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