Last days in France

Last Cote d'Azur hike with autumn colours and snow.

Back in Sydney we are experiencing temperatures over 25 degrees Celcius, humidity, green gardens (despite the ongoing drought) and flowers of all colours.

The last weekend hike

We hiked to a arsenic sulfate mine in the Vesubie Valley, only abandoned in the 30's. We used the handy table and chairs to eat our quiches and pain aux raisins. Despite the sun it was quite chilly. We only saw two other hikers and heard the shots of hunters, luckily in the distance.

Hiking

We were on a goat track up high on one of our latest walks in the Southern Alps. This one left from the Sanctuaire de Santa Anna just across the border into Italy. The little alpine lakes were pretty but the area was littered with WW2 bunkers and rusty barbed wire. I ate several delicious handfuls of raspberries from the bushes lining the track. We did another walk on Sunday after camping in a delightful all-season campground at Isola. The walk from St Etienne la Tinée wasn't as nice as the previous day as it was hotter down lower and three quarters of the route was on a steep gravel road. The free fruit compensation wasn't there either as animals, probably pigs, had stripped the bushes of raspberries and most of the leaves.

Bits and Pieces

Animal life: There was a large toad clambering around in the rockery by our car space a couple of nights ago. Also a couple of days ago a large group of sanglier (wild pigs) were hanging around in the car park behind Pat's work when I arrived to pick him up. The pack (what is the collective noun for pigs?) seemed to consist of a big mama, a couple of smaller daughters and a whole swag of piglets. As they trailed off into the pine trees we could see the last two were lame in their back legs. They were all quite dark and bristly. People here reckon their numbers have increased because there are less hunters. Certainly residents with gardens near forests regularly have them dug up. And I saw Australian "sanglier" being sold in a frozen foods shop here!

I also just remembered that on one of our walks in the Dordogne we encountered a hillside so covered with wild garlic we could smell it.

Today I cooked baked beans. It took more than 4 and a half hours. They will have to be better than the canned variety, which are hard to get here.

France had a Fete de la Musique on Monday night. We saw Harmonie Toot Sweet (they also sang at Adapt in France's 3rd birthday the Friday before) with Margaret and Francois Dutoit, one of Pat's previous managers.
We had a very good night of dinner and wine at Laurie Stevens house in Mougins on Tuesday. She also invited Joh, a dutch guy and Kim, who didn't show up because her younger child was sick. The plan was to stay the night because we had to get up early to walk with the hiking group at 9am.
The drive up with Gillian and Elizabeth was quite smooth apart from the fact that I had too much wine but it was all too good too pass up. It was bad for the drive up to Boreon - I was almost sick on the final bends. We had to wait for half and hour while the others finalised their hotel bills and finished breakfast.
The walk was from the parking where we went to Lac Negre and the five lakes in October but in the opposite direction, to Lac Adus. The group split up at one point so some could avoid crossing a large patch of snow. The six of us remaining saw a grassy col, marmottes, a chamois and the top view of the little lakes. We met there for a late lunch.

New photos in France posted at France 2004

Played tennis today in nice warm sun but still quite cold. Also went for hike on Friday with four Swedish women, Fleur, and an English couple who used to live here. It was up near Seranon off the Route Napoleon.

We have a lovely Peugeot 206 again, light metallic grey this time. Already it has acquired a dent in the bonnet (if it wasn't there to start with). We parked in the Decathlon carpark in between the rows and went in for tennis balls and a blow-up mattress and that's when we think it may have happened.

Skiing on March 28 was great - 5-10 cm fresh powder and lots of sun. Only 2 hours from home to be on the slopes. This after hiking up to the St Barnabe plateau (where the cache is) again but from the Cormes side this time - uphill from the Loup valley. It was cloudy again so we still didn't see the view. Had very short lunch out of the wind beside the very well constructed wall of a ruin.

Back hiking today with the women's group. Drove up with Anne and Nicki to the Col du Vence road and walked up to the top of the Baou des Noires et Baou des Blancs. Fresh wild asparagus, pink orchids, one browny-green orchid and other little flowers.

Pat has started playing more tennis now it's daylight saving and he feels unfit!