SUMMER WALKS, and other things...

Shame on me, yet again, last post in March - entitled Winter Walks and it's now high summer, tut, tut.
So many things missed out then, a month in Brittany, the emergence of the Languedoc Urban Sketchers chapter, lots of little trips away, and of course lots of walks. I won't promise I'll fill in those gaps as I can't even promise I can keep up to date.

To start with the here and now - today is a shopping in Beziers day, 'how exciting', been awake since 4 a.m. can't wait! To be honest the only reason for the excitement is this expedition for me pivots around getting final supplies for our holiday to Portugal next week to attend the Urban Sketchers 2018 symposium. Now that is exciting, and a bit worrisome, possibly around 500 sketchers in one place and yet me finding 40+ sketchers sitting sketching the same thing at the same time at the French urban sketchers get together rather alarming and had me off in the other direction like a shot, not comfortable with big groups. (Something else I need to blog on, that was the weekend sketching in Aix en Provence).

So next week Porto …. and last week?
Wednesday - market day in St.Pons, weather, as it has been for some time, glorious, high 20's, I had a destockage of old art pieces, a good morning, which included a Dutch neighbour I hadn't met before coming in to introduce herself , in the afternoon - not a peep, so I know not to do a all day sale again, at least not in such temperatures.
Thursday - again this summer is the weekly sketching day out, although we are depleted to 3 participants, the venue was the hameau of Ceps - will be the next blog entry (yeah, sure, in October?) Thursday evening we had the 'new' (moved in in December) English inhabitants of St.Pons around for aperitifs, the Craigs being social! they didn't realise how privileged they were!
Friday - WALKING! At last a photo -

 

Very pretty cross in Saint Martial

 

 

It was time to head out Minerve direction, (5 roads out of St.Pons and we take them in turn), parked off the main road before we got to Minervois itself and took to the back roads and paths in the hills with the destination being St.Martial and a circular route to return. Super, lovely (made up by me) walk, only gong wrong at the very end by missing a turning, so we had 5 - 10 minutes walking back down along side the main road with that unheard of thing  - Traffic.

 St.Martial was a pleasant little hameau, nothing spectacular, but well kept, a nice setting...

 

We saw a snake coiled up on a rock in the little river - that was the sum total of excitement. And a visble population of 1 man and 2 dogs, and a very nice man and dog they were too, and we would have probably understood the dog better if it could have talked than the man himself. I did grasp that he said the dog knew everything, after that, forget it.

 

 

And not a bark out of either of them, rare on walks past dogs.

 

The other wildlife appeared during our fruit break; a jewel like dragonfly and 4 walkers passed by.

 

 

Saturday, lazy day at home.

Sunday, WALKING, again

This time it was off along the valley (Jaur/Orb), as there was a fete in St.Gervaise sur Mare it seemed like a good enough place to be a starting point. Fete des vieux metiers - old skills, probably being the best translation, we've visited it a couple of times before, not a big fete but some interesting things to see. As with last year it was a roasting day and I felt sorry for the blacksmith toiling by the fire - the organising committee obviously pay no heed to him each year when he suggests 'what about having the fete in march instead, just a thought?'

 

 

The start of a hand made basket,  we bought a little one last time to hold our shallots.

 

It was a 'quick dash' around the stalls and demonstrators in the square (we had seen it all before, not much changes from year to year, plus it was only starting to get going), we had a walk to do!

Another one made up by me, paths, very minor single track roads and a tiny bit of main road that couldn't be avoided to get us to the destination of St. Genies de Varensal.

 

 

Wood, wood and some more wood in St.Genies.

 

The walk took in this village and 2 or 3 hameau, and for places you would consider 'the back end of nowhere' they all seemed rather affluent, surprising as St.Gervaise in true French form is quite down at heel.

 

 This was the most wonderful setting/house/garden we came across, and fortunately it had a bench by the roadside just on its property line so that was our lunch stop, gate crashing their view..

 

 

Sometimes its hard to find 'the ideal spot' for a picnic, this one was then followed up by a picnic table and 2 further benches spotted along the road all commanding excellent vistas. Not one mistake was made en route today, that doesn't happen often, so it was a great walk.

 

 

And we were plum tuckered out. Resting pig by St.Gervaise camp site.

 

To end Sunday off we visited the 'portes ouvertes' at our new local wine cave, far from atmospheric on a mini industrial estate beside the town decheterie (dump, recycling centre) but best of luck to this young couple producing their first 2 wines, very nice people, we will be back.

 

Monday; day of rest, reading, floating in the pool, painting, dander around the town, eating etc.

 

So that was the week that was, now off to BEZ.