Wednesday 7 March 2007

The Walk Continued

Back again. We are going to follow the stream back through our land, up the hill and then home, thus completing the circle. Ready? Oh look - Grues, or Cranes to you. They are on their way back north after overwintering in Southern Spain. Right under the electric fence again (a different one). Mind the slippery bit and up we go into the fields. There is a huge badger's sett over there to the right - no photos - it is beginning to spit a bit so we need to step on it otherwise we will get soaked even more than we already are! As we are doing this bit in reverse it is going to be a bit weird to explain. This is where the stream comes out onto Mr Gay's land from ours. It passes under a tunnel/bridge made out of stone and is goodness knows how old. We think it goes back to the time when the monks farmed the land. This is where it goes through from our side. Now you can see the so called bridge and the walls. There are walls like this all the way up our hill in terraces. Someone reckons they are over 200 years old and as the house dates back to the 1770's I wouldn't be surprised. We are standing looking at this getting cold so we need to turn around and walk back towards the stream. Oh look. The Bluebells are starting to come out. Mental note to self to go back down and check next week. And this is nearly where it all starts from. If you follow the silver ribbon with your eyes and look way off into the distance you can see a clump of trees. The land drain starts there and runs down through the valley to the lavoir that we stopped at. It then turns right and goes through the fields we went through to the next lavoir and then starts its journey over to the otherside of the commune - about 3km as the crow flies - where it runs into a huge fishing lake and disappears.
It's beginning to turn a bit chilly so I think a turn around, up the hill to the left
and here we are back home again.
Take those wellies off and dry your feet out. Hope you enjoyed it and aren't too exhausted. That last bit up the hill can be a bit of a killer. Anyone for coffee, tea, chocolat chaud or even a glass of the red stuff if you can stand it. I think the wood burner is still in so we'll sit the kitchen and have a natter while waiting for DH to light the other one in the salon and then we can get the sewing out again.

7 comments:

Patti said...

How about hot chocolate with whipped cream and some peppermint Schnapps? Yum!

Kitty Couture said...

Seeing your beautiful pictures makes me very nostalgic. I am a country girl at heart, and wasn't meant to live in Paris! Aww...

Tonya Ricucci said...

Absolutely gorgeous, Clare. And lovely to see those little bits of color coming into bloom. Chocolat chaud - is that the drink I've heard of where you mix cream with pure melted chocolate?
p.s. love the wonky roof too. House that old deserves to be a bit wonky.

Gordon said...

What inspiring pictures, Clare. I must absolutely get out more instead of spending so much time sitting in front of this screen.

Lily Mulholland said...

Oh I love your house!!!!!!!!!! Count me in for chocolat chaud. Yummmmmmm!

Shelina said...

Thank you for a lovely walk. I love to see what other places look like and how other people live. And I enjoy talking walks.

Pam said...

Such a lovely tour of your countryside. It is amazing to have building being lived in for hundreds of years. Where I live I think the oldest building still in use are maybe 100 years old. Not much more than that. Old buildings are so full of character. It looks like you live in a great house.