Friday 2 April 2010 - Going for walks around the area

My ankle has been feeling much better this week and on Wednesday, which had been forecast as rainy, but turned out to be a blue skyed sunny and warm day I went on my first walk for ages with B.  We drove to the beginning of an old railway track and I managed to do forty minutes of walking with a few stops for photographs.  This was somewhere I hadn't been before and I was amazed at the scenery.  This was the first pussy willow that I have seen this year - golden and fluffy.

The first house on this walk is a mill - a truly lovely old stone building, and as you walk past the mill there is a spectacular waterfall.

The celandines were everywhere - bright yellow patches of petalled sunshine.

It was so good to be out in the sunshine after all the rain and snow we have had this year.  I was beginning to think I'd never feel the sun on my back again - the winter has been so long.

The last rough surface before the calm pool above - the noise of the water was terrific.  Then the pool with hardly a ripple on it's surface.

 

On Thursday, in the morning I had to drive to collect some blue and yellow irises for my pond.  On the way I passed this lake, which was created by a large dam and you can see the previous road bridge in the lake. 

 

Coming back I had to stop and take a photograph of the forsythia in the hedges. 

 

In the afternoon B and I walked at the other end of my village - again a path I'd never taken before and another mill, with a smaller waterfall.

The scenery is almost prehistoric once you get past the mill.  Lichen almost drips off the trees and every side of the trees seems to be covered, not just the north side as is usual in Europe.  Little ferns have started growing in amongst the lichen too. 

The next photograph shows a tree whose seed must have found some earth in the rock it is growing out of now.  Some of the roots are growing round the rock and the whole thing is covered in lichen.

Three Beautiful Things:

1.   Finding I had walked for fifty minutes, with a few stops, my longest walk so far. 

2.   Feeling the sun on my skin for the whole walk.

3.   Enjoying a lovely massage from my physio this evening.

Saturday, 27 March 2010 - Visit to the North of 22 and a Lovely Supper

Yesterday, I went with L, a friend from England staying with me for a few days, to the north of Départment 22, which is the Départment where I live. We went to see a French friend who lives in Tregastel.  I hadn't seen her for about eleven years, so there was lots of catching up to do.  She kindly drove us around the area so we could see the wonderful seascapes.  The weather was dull, but I had never visited this area before and had to take some photographs of the coastline there.  This is a castle on an island in the sea at Ploumanac'h.

The rock formations on this coast are incredible and in spite of the weather, I thought it was worth trying to record them.

The house where we had lunch had a pretty garden and the plum blossom was just coming out looking fresh and delicate.  Weeping willows are the first trees to leaf up over here and everywhere we looked on the journey there were these lovely touches of bright but pale leaves covering weeping branches. 

The mimosa trees were also in blossom and I have never seen so many huge trees in one place.  Being nearer to the sea means a milder climate with less if any frost and the trees were really far ahead.  There was a lot of wind, so difficult to focus, but I had to try.

We spent part of the afternoon watching our friend's boy playing football and alongside the ground were flags flying which represented, from right to left, my Départment - Cotes d'Armor, the Region - Brittany, the Country - France, and the European Union.

We had a good, chatty afternoon and then had a supper of moules and frites (mussels and chips) - absolutely delicious! and a perfect end to a lovely day.

Three Beautiful Things:

1.     Mussels and chips

2.     Renewing old friendships

3.     Entering European Summer Time again