For the last couple of days, flying rapidly across one of the two fields we have to ourselves on this still blissful campsite, we’ve seen hoopoes. The hoopoe is surely one of nature’s strangest avian creations, resembling a clown with…
Category: 2010 Spring
Surfeit of Seafood
The weather pattern broke today. After further overnight rain, the morning rain forgot to stop and allow the afternoon sun to shine. Drat! The solution to the meteorological depression that seem sto be with us was to spend much of…
Monsoon Season
We appear to be in the French monsoon. The last two days have exhibited the same pattern: rain overnight and during much of the morning but with a pleasant and largely sunny afternoon. This morning’s heavy rain was accompanied by…
Games We Play
Here’s a quaint little game that Francine and I quite often play upon arrival at a new campsite. First, we wander round and select a likely pitch. Second, we drag Guillaume (our caravan) to the chosen pitch and set him…
Unnatural Habitat
Those who are aware of Franco and Francine’s preferences might consider them to be somewhat out of their normal habitat – and they’d be right. Though we now are in an area known as La Côte Sauvage (the Wild Coast),…
Kite Flying
In returning to this site near La Palmyre, we were hoping to repeat our experience of two years ago. On that occasion, about the same week of the year, we had heard the haunting, night time call of recently fledged…
Adieu to the Marais
This weekend turned out to be a very busy one in Arçais. The sun, which had been shining for the last few days, continued unabated and our campsite all but filled up. It began to feel as though we were…
Lunch Emergency
Mike seemed keen on getting a little exercise having another week working back in Blighty so we went and dragged him out for a bike ride. Like us, Mike is also fascinated by wildlife so our trip turned into more…
Posted in 2010 Spring Tagged with: damselflies, France, Marais Poitevin, moths, nature, orchids, travel, wildlife
Action Stations
What a difference a day of sunshine makes, not just to we humans but to the whole of nature, it seems. The Marais Poitevin is something of a wildlife haven. With its intricate network of canals, one might reasonably assume…
Posted in 2010 Spring Tagged with: butterflies, dragonflies, France, Marais Poitevin, nature, photography, travel, wildlife
The Chain Gang
At last, after four days of irritating rain, a settled day – not sunny but settled nonetheless. A slightly stir-crazy Franco and Francine made good their escape from camp à bicyclettes. We were off in search of coypus or ragondins…
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