A Walk in the Périgord Vert

Put that sewing down. We've done enough today. We are off on a ramble. You will need wellies as the ground is sodden. Out of the front door, into the porch (don't step on the rabbit) and down the steps into the courtyard. Through the courtyard and turn left outside the gate. Keep on the chemin until you get to the main road. That house on the right behind the chicken run belongs to our lovely neighbour Maryse. Look Tonya - its got a wonky roof! Here we are on the main road. Turn left and keep walking down the hill until you get to the bottom. I'll catch up with you once I've got this camera sorted out. I can't seem to carry more than one thing at a time these days and my "rambling" stick has got tangled up with the camera strap! We are now at the lavoir that served the next two hamlets. A bit further on is the one that served "Le B". This one is covered and is in good condition. Water was rushing through on the day I took this so you can't see the washing stones. Bit of a breather. Onto the next bit. We are going into the field behind the lavoir and walking through some rather boggy fields and streams to jump over. I won't use the camera just in case I drop it. Be warned - the water just may go over the top of your wellies. Hope DH built up the wood burner before we left. A bit of a breather - hope you didn't get too wet. Alex is determined to get well and truly soaked before we get home. The next bit is a bit slippy and there is a nasty downward slope at the end. Mind the electric fence. It isn't on but you might fall over it - the farmer hasn't done his yearly check yet and it is a bit slack. Oh look the first Cowslips. When I was little we lived at the bottom of Bepton Down, part of the South Downs, in West Sussex and the fields used to be covered with them. Not any longer so our first Spring here was like going home. The fields are covered with them. Only a few more months to go and the Cowslips will be replaced with Poppies. And this is the lavoir at the bottom of the hill - the one that served "Le B". You can just see the washing stones if you click on the photo to enlarge it. The stream that feeds this starts off way over the otherside, swishes down through our land and finally joins up here. It is really a land drain - dry in summer and overflowing in the winter and spring, like now. I'm going to call a halt for a moment. I need a breather and Blogger is taking an age to load the photos. Chat amongst yourselves for a bit (anyone got a flask?) and I'll be back as soon as I can.