UPDATE: see video of the bridge here: https://www.facebook.com/KnowmadicMike/videos/10156230710545709/
Forgot to add this!!!! Completed on August 8th.
Also forgot to mention my brief trip to UK to celebrate my 62nd birthday; many thanks to Andy for looking after me so splendidly. No fotos to protect the innocent!
The last month or so
has seen the sunshine continue and the ground look more and more
parched. This has meant that some of the trees are already shedding
their leaves and that the sweet chestnuts are not fat and juicy but
rather pathetic. They should not be dropping from the trees until
the start of October. So maybe my plans for a harvest of chestnuts
and chestnut bread baking may have to be shelved. Lets see.
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| Scarecrows to frighten off the Otters (they are lit from behind at night) these will be placed at the inlet and outlet to the lake. |
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| Fungi starting to appear. |
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| Logs for strengthening the fences |
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| Dead fir trees: my source of logs! |
The hunting season
started on Sunday 9th September and so the priority has
been (for me) to get the fence repairs done so that a) the hunt
can't easily put their dogs in to the land and b) that wild boar do
not enter. This has meant finding recently fallen trees to use as
logs to protect the bottom of the fence or to fell trees if no dead
ones available. The logs are then pinned to the fence with wire
staples which all makes for some jolly back breaking work. But I so
enjoy enjoy the solace of the wood and working carefully and safely
alone as I make the repairs. I hope to have this task completed by
October 3 (when I leave for a UK break). French hunters are mad! So we try not to go in the woods on a Sunday when they hunt as they shoot first and work out what they have shot second! And in the afternoon they seem to be somewhat inebriated! Not the best combination.
We had two weeks of
solid catering including one where Heidi and I were cooking for 10
anglers as well as the family, John (the bailiff) and myself. And it
is hard when you are presented with a couple of anglers who only eat
meat and potatoes! Anything else being some kind of spawn of the
devil!
In the midst of this
I was also planning for the visit of my dear friend Andy. I wanted
him to see La Ribiere (of course) but also something of France. It
would be an adventure for us both as I have not seen anything more
than Limoges other than Lidl in St. Junien! (Not that I am
complaining!)
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| Limoges station: Benedictines. |
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| Intrepid tourists! |
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| Pont St. Etienne: Limoges |
So I planned a three
day circular trip, mainly in the Dordogne, taking in Brive -la-
Galliarde, Rocamadour, Domme and Bergerac; about 500km, By happy
chance I looked at a brochure and saw that the Gouffre de Padirac
(chasm and caves) were just 8km from Rocamadour: spectacular. The
whole trip was a revelation, empty roads, not many holiday makers,
few children, reasonable food, nice hotels and good company (the best actually).
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| Dordogne Church; coffee stop! |
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| Cheeky statue in Brive of Sisyphus. (Poor old Sisyphus, his eternal punishment to roll the large ball up a hill only for it to roll down again, and he having to start again. Pointless, but good for developing the glutes!) |
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| Window in the church at Brive |
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| Rocamadour (not my foto) as I didn't have my helicopter with me. |
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| Looking down on village of Rocamadour from the Holy City! St. Amadour is supposed to be buried here; he was discovered in a grave in 1199 since which time many miracles have happened and the village is place pilgrimage. |
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| The path to the top is very SLEEPERY! |
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| Not quite getting the hang of "selfies": Do I press here? |
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| One of the very many chapels in the "holy city" |
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| Hot air balloon over the Roc! |
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| The chasm opening; Grouffe de Padirac |
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| Thankfully there are also lifts! |
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| The mites go up and the tights come down! So I remember from geography lessons 50 years ago! |
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| An amazing experience involving walking 400m then a boat ride 500m and then a further 300m of caves then the return. Unhurried, well planned and not commercial. Most enjoyable. |
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| Gate into Domme. |
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| View over the Dordogne river. |
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| Posing in Bergerac. |
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| Traditional river boat for moving goods down the river. |
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Back here now for
fence repairing, cooking and the usual mix of hard work and
beautiful scenary until my break in the UK on October 3.
