A morning walk!

Janet in Inverness wrote to me - "Never mind about taking photographs for Scotland, you could blog for Scotland as well!" Hope you mean that kindly, Janet!!!! (I think she's still with me on my travels!)

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We went for a walk the next morning, just to look at the scenery round about the hamlet. I was interested in the old bread oven just round the corner from the row of cottages at the back of Ian's. I think he would like to own this building too! A few vines were growing in some of the fields with large bunches of dusty-black grapes yet to be harvested. There are fields full of sunflowers too all waiting to be chopped down and the seeds taken to be processed into oil, etc. Quite a sight even if the yellow petals have died off now!

Sweet chestnuts grow in the gardens, maize in the sandy fields, and figs just wherever they like, it seems. This tree may have seeded itself outside the old barn....







A few sheep were outside in a field but I gather they are mostly kept indoors! Also, there were a few horned brown cows (Ha-oo na-oo, bra-oon ca-oo!!! You probably have to have my accent to make that sound like an elocutioned Eliza Dolittle ), but they too seem to be kept indoors, though where, I couldn't tell!












Autumn was beginning to show in the hedgerows, with brambles (blackberries) and other berries ripening in the sun!


Summer was finding it hard to let go though, and there were still some beautiful flowers in the gardens we passed, and more geraniums on window sills.


Eventually we returned through another outlying hamlet of the village and were amused by the hundreds of frogs that leapt into the pond as we approached it! This pond was once le lavoir, where the women would have come to wash the clothes, before running water was led into their homes probably about 100 years ago, or even less! Now it is covered in waterplants and inhabited by frogs and an occasional goldfish!

Having completed the circle we returned to the house and ate lunch - French bread, brie, smoked ham from Lionel's shop, tomatoes fresh off the vine, cucumber - a gift from Joel along the village - figs, all washed down with an obligatory verre du vin (glass of wine). Very enjoyable, sitting on the wall outside in the WARM sun! Eat your hearts out all ye who were at home, in the cold and damp of Scotland!

I'm going to finish here, as the next section will take up as much as this again, and it's time I was heading for bed!
So, talk again soon.