Mountains make a useful escape from days which may be getting hot and sticky in the valleys but you have to pick the right day. The valley may be hot and humid but mountains tend to attract weather and if…
Tag: nature
Manual Dexterity
Many years ago we visited an area of France called La Brenne which is noted for its breeding population of Purple Herons. Still using the excellent but very slow (50 ASA) Fuji Velvia film in those days, and not having…
Damsels in Distress
In an attempt to avoid our local breezy, cool, overcast weather this morning, we went to investigate a new-to-us stretch of La Rigole, the cleverly constructed small canal that feeds the Canal du Midi with water from les Montagnes Noires.…
Bunting Hunting
Small birds are tricky to photograph. Something the size of, say, a Golden Eagle gives a photographer a fighting chance, especially if it sits still, stares at you and says, “aren’t I pretty – why not take my portrait?” [Ed:…
Fin de la Sécheresse?
Sécheresse nf dryness; drought. A new French word this year for us. Near the beginning of our trip up in Luché-Pringé, France was already suffering from a lack of water. Two glorious weeks later, things were getting worse and the…
A World Apart
Yesterday’s planned itinerary to the mediæval town of St. Céré turned into a slight disappointment. Admittedly, being the Ascension public holiday, St. Céré was basically closed along with the rest of France, though in typically Gallic fashion several locals were…
Posted in 2011 Spring Tagged with: damselflies, dragonflies, Figeac, France, nature, orchids, Rocamadour, travel, wildlife
Franco and Francine Font le Pique-Nique
French time is weird. France is on Central European Time but it obviously isn’t central Europe (other than politically, of course!). France is quite clearly western Europe. 10:00 AM in France feels like early morning which, in fact, it is;…
In-Flight Entertainment
Given the right equipment and a co-operative specimen, taking a picture of a perched dragonfly is relatively straightforward. Naturally a few skills need to be employed, such as: not making any sudden movements; approaching stealthily; ensuring that your shadow doesn’t…
The Emperor’s Clothes
Francine had devised a cunning plan to barter for the use of Mike & Linda’s washing machine: maniac that she is, she volunteered to help Linda working on her allotment (a.k.a. the farm) for half a day. The allotments in…
Long-Term Interest
There are a few areas of France that are capable of holding our attention, not only repeatedly and for extended periods of time. The Marais Poitevin is certainly one of those areas. Our interest began many years ago when we…
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