Deciduous trees change so dramatically in the course of the year that conifers can appear dull by contrast, until that is you live next to them every day.
Like many country houses in France our place in the Perche signals its presence from a distance by the tops of pines, firs and cedars.
But it’s more enjoyable to be close to them and see their marked seasonal changes even if it means getting covered in pollen, or sticky with sweet smelling resin from the female cones which we regularly collect in their hundreds to shred and use as mulch.
Diaporama
