The poppies explode in the fields outside of Quarante about every two or three years. Mostly appearing in fields of grain, suddenly we become aware that this will be a poppy year. Drives to the market or to visit friends, or just rambles through the country, reveal fields decorated with unexpectedly bright slashes of red. Just one of the many reasons that this corner of Occitanie has captured our hearts. Let's take a walk. An old friend. There's a mare and a gelding in a pasture just outside of town. They know that we bring carrots. An attempt to capture the dominant colors - the amazingly blue sky as background to the poppies. The vines are fully leafed out early this year, while the nasty yellow broom's pollen seeks out my nose with a vengeance. Picture taking slows me down. Poppies from the level of the path... ...and from above. Poppies or not, the views from just outside the village are worth a quick promenade. We often