tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75282029451587488002024-03-11T21:45:38.682-04:00TURKEYS ON THE SUNLOUNGER: the America I didn't expect.....A Londoner's musings from rural Western New York - and sometimes elsewhereAlenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.comBlogger1154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-22164537901240133772024-03-11T21:45:00.000-04:002024-03-11T21:45:04.959-04:00Feathered (and other) Florida Friends<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Dateline: Golden Beach, Florida</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Sad to report that our very own beached whale has, as expected, gone to his reward but not before hundreds of ghouls jammed the road down to Service Club beach to line the shore and watch. It was not something I wanted to do. But Service Club did have its brief moment of fame, the unfortunate whale (50 foot, 70 foot, depending on where you read about it) making page 2 of this morning's <i>Wall Street Journal. </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But how about some more cheerful flora and fauna stories. The little clockwork sanderlings were in good spirits, if stationary for once.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J4oFl1lyT23vitpFwtLl7FuefRoMpDMLYUfwUmo7ZL7OkzOlORpRD5ojPxEAPyLmfN240mDTAY16pgwvqJRIA3ozS_1oQjWwHSmttIKQSWKgbFX6gbSGaXDmTYYDizR9az8ENM3fXqpn_elaRZ2lzLR2foprLa9EGjDn1E9rQfs9Ryr95sQOi3KMub0/s4160/20240302_075132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J4oFl1lyT23vitpFwtLl7FuefRoMpDMLYUfwUmo7ZL7OkzOlORpRD5ojPxEAPyLmfN240mDTAY16pgwvqJRIA3ozS_1oQjWwHSmttIKQSWKgbFX6gbSGaXDmTYYDizR9az8ENM3fXqpn_elaRZ2lzLR2foprLa9EGjDn1E9rQfs9Ryr95sQOi3KMub0/w400-h300/20240302_075132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">And back in the garden someone was enjoying the orchid tree - or, as it is now, orchid bush. You may recall it fell down in Hurricane Ian but started to sprout again and now has some magnificent blooms, if an odd new shape.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvASqZU61e0NvfRcRWJAT6oqB3T7VAqdCkU2Eocd_Rnsu7rRdwb9mQb_48vI_LlWo1GiuaN07IYFGfnWSl3mGa8zsbGmBxEGtFVM_L4hDA7dDOkyqtqRxvkykPqq8etOSFfkARUtFv1mZiPG5Z0n87CpwcVpL-u9-tRB16sOj75vpSpFVmXmtR8oJ2TU/s4160/20240224_091428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvASqZU61e0NvfRcRWJAT6oqB3T7VAqdCkU2Eocd_Rnsu7rRdwb9mQb_48vI_LlWo1GiuaN07IYFGfnWSl3mGa8zsbGmBxEGtFVM_L4hDA7dDOkyqtqRxvkykPqq8etOSFfkARUtFv1mZiPG5Z0n87CpwcVpL-u9-tRB16sOj75vpSpFVmXmtR8oJ2TU/s320/20240224_091428.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Down the road in Maxine Barritt park the other morning it was too early for the alligators to start sunning themselves on the lake banks but the birds were at their familiar posts.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4SJeGWbNO6Mp_wsK5bv-HcghUFhbOdL4N8KlVvF3WBmaJrYM80oWh4S0iCYow-kMynvg0Bc1J1bJf6eitxuPHDMFuqvcUsoPtv87Y4BpT1p_uXQzy4Wh34zx2VePkYNiriy7sA-PipwIhCUpHGEr3JEXbi2wOkBJq91cQLEYIui2mBhob52_aO5JSpI/s4160/20240224_084722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4SJeGWbNO6Mp_wsK5bv-HcghUFhbOdL4N8KlVvF3WBmaJrYM80oWh4S0iCYow-kMynvg0Bc1J1bJf6eitxuPHDMFuqvcUsoPtv87Y4BpT1p_uXQzy4Wh34zx2VePkYNiriy7sA-PipwIhCUpHGEr3JEXbi2wOkBJq91cQLEYIui2mBhob52_aO5JSpI/w400-h300/20240224_084722.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This anhinga, aka snakebird looked a little peeved. "No need ter gawp, I'm just dryin' me feathers."</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWokAmgj86jqCtSg2M_FVJ5beTQXIOG0WaVtdp5HTrlICUU1gfh-mMt3D-XpnyHokMxIeV3P8fLnQgYiKdmZQlpDnOYWNxU4ZzaP2udx244Nv4yzK2Ye43B-jnGfu5WN0GvtyC2YwjUuUSuMZby_gET6JlY7Z37B3eAX5LQrvTT7h-Bi3UVVmGGg7uNg/s4160/20240224_084023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWokAmgj86jqCtSg2M_FVJ5beTQXIOG0WaVtdp5HTrlICUU1gfh-mMt3D-XpnyHokMxIeV3P8fLnQgYiKdmZQlpDnOYWNxU4ZzaP2udx244Nv4yzK2Ye43B-jnGfu5WN0GvtyC2YwjUuUSuMZby_gET6JlY7Z37B3eAX5LQrvTT7h-Bi3UVVmGGg7uNg/w300-h400/20240224_084023.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Not sure what this chap was after but whatever it was, I didn't have any.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF93v7gJvPkoNYxhf-aDTGRxmxpYRwjSEd5jjg5iIxfZw-6yAOMPvwPtAhao6aWNbW5jYT2AhpMZSyKxU4T0NZGm5lH2musoPpYklC2tXJgNCviwV6BZwdShiD1qxGuOgkkke6Df5IExosXz0u-WeqsWjyuj9rZYbb2JQ3IyGa0MqQSoxXoT6Z3sI-qTo/s1685/20240224_083716~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF93v7gJvPkoNYxhf-aDTGRxmxpYRwjSEd5jjg5iIxfZw-6yAOMPvwPtAhao6aWNbW5jYT2AhpMZSyKxU4T0NZGm5lH2musoPpYklC2tXJgNCviwV6BZwdShiD1qxGuOgkkke6Df5IExosXz0u-WeqsWjyuj9rZYbb2JQ3IyGa0MqQSoxXoT6Z3sI-qTo/s320/20240224_083716~2.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile there was no doubt what someone else was hoping for. The beach fishermen here tend to get saddled with uninvited guests, waiting for a handout.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQyh5da73yfLep1B89xVH8XS7jX55CCjh-FXBzUiX7NQpbUDrwIHHIr-x06K1yzbh9L8pHTwQFqa_9LHRcRwOrhRbAmv-nhGmjmu0rCmoGLR05SlKS3tIGsi1HhkEIdiqMQgZjCUtmfNBp3UjkwR-dM7BBhTLxHH2jDeaf1dCzqOnnOqyWzgDovyUy1M/s4160/20240217_073318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQyh5da73yfLep1B89xVH8XS7jX55CCjh-FXBzUiX7NQpbUDrwIHHIr-x06K1yzbh9L8pHTwQFqa_9LHRcRwOrhRbAmv-nhGmjmu0rCmoGLR05SlKS3tIGsi1HhkEIdiqMQgZjCUtmfNBp3UjkwR-dM7BBhTLxHH2jDeaf1dCzqOnnOqyWzgDovyUy1M/w300-h400/20240217_073318.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">And the other</span><span style="font-size: large;"> evening a tiny eastern screech owl was warbling from our oak tree (that one survived Hurricane Ian.) Sometimes I feel like telling the screech owls to give it a rest with their monotonous trilling all through the night but this time I didn't have the heart. He was so close you could almost touch him, oblivious to us, wrapped up in whatever his current enterprise was.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Our once sleepy bit of Florida is getting more and more built up by the day, with tourist season in full swing, the roads more and more clogged, the drivers and cyclists ever crazier. But nice to know you can still get to go a little wild.</span></div><div><p></p></div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-28257366602779625482024-02-15T16:31:00.003-05:002024-02-15T16:31:46.467-05:00Florida Foodie Interlude<p><i>Dateline: Golden Beach, Florida </i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Goodness, but it's been a long time, for which I give no excuses, save that it was a very chilly January by Florida standards and I've been in hibernation. No frost exactly but cold nights and mornings and a few north winds. Neighbours who've been here many years say it's the coolest they've known it at this time of year. Year-rounders are happy to wear their scarves and woolly hats for a change but I'm still enough of a newcomer to pine for the warm weather we signed up for. Still no risk of having to shovel snow though. It's always worse somewhere else. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Meanwhile Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras, has been and gone and I realised in conversation that "Pancake Day" doesn't mean much to Americans. My friends looked puzzled when I announced that hubby, ace American-style pancake maker, would this year be trying his hand at crepes. "That's nice" (with a veiled "so what?") was the slightly bemused comment.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyR4Ws-arvXZLXbUENBr_c65WWSeo-vqwOhX6U0NGreZq3LxaU2bRufM-1P787CumgXtBSinh7Xn7Q-wm5jnsa4gV1hPRlyJQv4fJv_a2Y3tjbQ3cChpQI5Mz4qsg_dLAOdY472m5OXEDBadZxeI_PEUBd58OEDXYlQs-9RQcsqT_E6hoFTypR70fy-c/s4160/20240213_183337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyR4Ws-arvXZLXbUENBr_c65WWSeo-vqwOhX6U0NGreZq3LxaU2bRufM-1P787CumgXtBSinh7Xn7Q-wm5jnsa4gV1hPRlyJQv4fJv_a2Y3tjbQ3cChpQI5Mz4qsg_dLAOdY472m5OXEDBadZxeI_PEUBd58OEDXYlQs-9RQcsqT_E6hoFTypR70fy-c/s320/20240213_183337.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And the crepes were indeed very nice. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU0pTJY4JTVWic03HICYwzkKqQOj4yBheLzSJBYDp7JDc3zu1FzR5BTn-KMEnVY0y0_Xtq_U3YJym27Kxw4veQZWHhNG-j4_6L0tRb0quIURjyGtVvB0aYEgdnIEZgBB3kRlKv2ShvBCMK_nzylIp8iLTe3m7IIwNPPC8Ym9wwG0wy1C1SFvu7qFd7Wo/s4160/20240213_184010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU0pTJY4JTVWic03HICYwzkKqQOj4yBheLzSJBYDp7JDc3zu1FzR5BTn-KMEnVY0y0_Xtq_U3YJym27Kxw4veQZWHhNG-j4_6L0tRb0quIURjyGtVvB0aYEgdnIEZgBB3kRlKv2ShvBCMK_nzylIp8iLTe3m7IIwNPPC8Ym9wwG0wy1C1SFvu7qFd7Wo/s320/20240213_184010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Note that the strawberries came from here in Florida - Plant City to be exact. I gather it's coming up to prime strawberry time and they'll be having a strawberry festival several months before Wimbledon. So it is really warmer than up north.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I couldn't resist adding another European delicacy to the mix - though not on the same day. Yes it was time to indulge in some British bangers again.</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0Tptlq8ldxN7OZi4c2Ape1_i0Njgvr_IRtrw31wgRwjdF6kl72wYXQ6-IrMll4nNZKfKnx8lpNxSedG3xPhp85ocwFgLuPbHdSG_dq_xBScYK6z61NOUuFe3mgxE2ltUEMcDKWwMI7TWl386b8NiGB6MHV2RShScJ6lrgDdvk1h9H6mZEmmQUeUflCE/s4160/20240121_131711~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0Tptlq8ldxN7OZi4c2Ape1_i0Njgvr_IRtrw31wgRwjdF6kl72wYXQ6-IrMll4nNZKfKnx8lpNxSedG3xPhp85ocwFgLuPbHdSG_dq_xBScYK6z61NOUuFe3mgxE2ltUEMcDKWwMI7TWl386b8NiGB6MHV2RShScJ6lrgDdvk1h9H6mZEmmQUeUflCE/s320/20240121_131711~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Not quite the Full English breakfast (no baked beans, mushrooms, bacon or fried bread) but near enough. Thank you to the German butchers' - of all people - for providing them. It took me a long time to find bangers here in Florida after the sad demise of the British sausage shop in Buffalo but it's been well worthwhile. Now, however, it's Lent and I'll have to restrain myself. Or at least try.</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-45031715460209157742023-12-24T12:53:00.002-05:002023-12-24T12:56:13.190-05:00A Florida Merry (Happy) Christmas<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We're not quite like the Aussies here - you can't guarantee it'll be balmy enough for Christmas dinner on the beach and sadly it looks like rain tomorrow. But last night was warm and tropical and along with what seemed like half the town, I checked out the arboretum, where different groups decorate and light up the trees. It was an adventure, with kids running excitedly around and signs warning about trip hazards like cables. First, one of those "only in Florida" moments.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1tmF7gihDbH3SXMv-aSABexRQU1iD92jeF_Pbca_E5QBaY0Bxm5IELaQ6pkuutFhlQ2afEbbTXpzzc9KTjSEIICiglpDXVEUnx12MI6OXeztO4z109WPKd1gyqKfMlvT3_i8K7YB6308ep5lS_V7uNpzjNsZxERmxl0XRCaZ3n0_7hwd5bohqfFy3f8/s4160/20231223_185615.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1tmF7gihDbH3SXMv-aSABexRQU1iD92jeF_Pbca_E5QBaY0Bxm5IELaQ6pkuutFhlQ2afEbbTXpzzc9KTjSEIICiglpDXVEUnx12MI6OXeztO4z109WPKd1gyqKfMlvT3_i8K7YB6308ep5lS_V7uNpzjNsZxERmxl0XRCaZ3n0_7hwd5bohqfFy3f8/w400-h300/20231223_185615.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">The gazebo was nicely decorated with tasteful Christmas music emanating - I didn't hear "Frosty" once. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8V0IvI3NhE1cKCgEGWNZrxWEydpE2nFr9Etpci0NYH0AY29ds8A_SeUDlwh4GrLt-4Z3uLbAJlp079bhxaCCZo_BDoMU5iNSQX_bDTlj88ur-mxzxOi3aMW2uw7rJVgYPc7TPLsAczjSipp6S-nESKypENb9JqIc9g7fywJb5Ey-j0Bim_bcs8fk2f4/s4160/20231223_190300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8V0IvI3NhE1cKCgEGWNZrxWEydpE2nFr9Etpci0NYH0AY29ds8A_SeUDlwh4GrLt-4Z3uLbAJlp079bhxaCCZo_BDoMU5iNSQX_bDTlj88ur-mxzxOi3aMW2uw7rJVgYPc7TPLsAczjSipp6S-nESKypENb9JqIc9g7fywJb5Ey-j0Bim_bcs8fk2f4/s320/20231223_190300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although it was rivalled by a decorated golf cart parked on the road blasting out some unrecognisable noise that might or might not have been Christmassy. But let's give them the benefit of the doubt. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here was our Golden Beach display, with the yellow historical marker and benches to watch the sunset.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5wCFEOfA6N-SwaXWIZzI-kxkGWKayZgz5VLOUzJcuoYMxzBbaho3NOjkKEZNPJ51dv4TroBl8oIhmXKEoiUvJkzIgLRO_lI41LNM6hbn7SZVxe_8rPLb90UEDCJQR-CKlDccxy85lLo5HLIOpVJe8AFBpGBr0ZNPJY2jNTPQ6GLlztlZAjkIV76KG_U/s4160/20231223_190218.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5wCFEOfA6N-SwaXWIZzI-kxkGWKayZgz5VLOUzJcuoYMxzBbaho3NOjkKEZNPJ51dv4TroBl8oIhmXKEoiUvJkzIgLRO_lI41LNM6hbn7SZVxe_8rPLb90UEDCJQR-CKlDccxy85lLo5HLIOpVJe8AFBpGBr0ZNPJY2jNTPQ6GLlztlZAjkIV76KG_U/w400-h300/20231223_190218.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Lions' Club charity had an appropriate theme - and in the background some classic Florida Christmas Palms. Not so silly - palm trees must have figured in the First Christmas.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJPU3cSLZaxaepfCHPaQlaQ9AUxVNBCvFT7lvXKbPwhUgy7lIS7ZS9Yn_1kbdL08nePu_PIOWz_odgmJXCNkDQsQCIGDATU_FSjqeLTLiAdx9hnsRvQ_Vs4bWP9Yxz0HDTWLk9BVbrFjX6JHNhxzHseoHqPRY-etIrbEoaTX110lfe8dbEqNO6Dn1MQ8/s4160/20231223_190021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJPU3cSLZaxaepfCHPaQlaQ9AUxVNBCvFT7lvXKbPwhUgy7lIS7ZS9Yn_1kbdL08nePu_PIOWz_odgmJXCNkDQsQCIGDATU_FSjqeLTLiAdx9hnsRvQ_Vs4bWP9Yxz0HDTWLk9BVbrFjX6JHNhxzHseoHqPRY-etIrbEoaTX110lfe8dbEqNO6Dn1MQ8/w300-h400/20231223_190021.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There seemed to be a bit of an animal theme.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-UFN7DbRV-8N133Hk_kfLJtjRxOD3oxlx7A-MmoGVGaI2t3MhWlVAZQCTVrOBIIF-TRd_MhHiotf7I44zyyeUoPtZNmztJw2guJjDG9DMlx9e6l6y1kBgimRoL2Yuv1QHaHlPPgvvMfqkEb09TBC_MLZtfLvsLiiwU_hcWVfyFPBGl9h_5uAe6Yvrw4/s4160/20231223_190353.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-UFN7DbRV-8N133Hk_kfLJtjRxOD3oxlx7A-MmoGVGaI2t3MhWlVAZQCTVrOBIIF-TRd_MhHiotf7I44zyyeUoPtZNmztJw2guJjDG9DMlx9e6l6y1kBgimRoL2Yuv1QHaHlPPgvvMfqkEb09TBC_MLZtfLvsLiiwU_hcWVfyFPBGl9h_5uAe6Yvrw4/s320/20231223_190353.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Including Rudolph with his shiny nose. Natch.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheshfNiIG7t9x4kW1fLFGZDYR1xRglWXO_fOsM5kRtVcpH28siKxe1R483-WXTHqZAL30i8M-qFz5w3Zo3_Yj1uZAtz9vxqaK4FMJd_FEbX_w0BwalT9DJc69WF_ZTp87D-BNmVjoCAKAy0BsWO-fhZ9hbcGiD1fcF66AjnN7Ewhu6-Kc04j5CpY7k6cQ/s4160/20231223_190459.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheshfNiIG7t9x4kW1fLFGZDYR1xRglWXO_fOsM5kRtVcpH28siKxe1R483-WXTHqZAL30i8M-qFz5w3Zo3_Yj1uZAtz9vxqaK4FMJd_FEbX_w0BwalT9DJc69WF_ZTp87D-BNmVjoCAKAy0BsWO-fhZ9hbcGiD1fcF66AjnN7Ewhu6-Kc04j5CpY7k6cQ/s320/20231223_190459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Somehow there seemed to be fewer displays this year - there were almost more lights festooned on the onlookers - picking their way in the dark with the help of glowing garlands and flashing mobile phones than on the trees. Well that's an exaggeration. But I'm guessing the last couple of big hurricanes did for some of the trees. And where were the Nativity scenes? I'm sure there used to be at least one or two displays from the churches.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Walking back along the island roads, there was my old favourite the jetskiing Santa</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlA843_LqwpCT6rb84jKYBuy280h_dIVo3S_I_KqLmp9I7BEDKpWkTi74Guf67SVP1Z2rr6s-t76fpBpITIKyKEirmlTN1SR4bLrl1mjobSajBwcV66uPKa4EleqcjO_E6S53TOH0HQVTmtWRH04GFvcFg8S1zFrKdjuGdVENvTIPR4tExvMuhgutz0A/s4160/20231223_192310.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlA843_LqwpCT6rb84jKYBuy280h_dIVo3S_I_KqLmp9I7BEDKpWkTi74Guf67SVP1Z2rr6s-t76fpBpITIKyKEirmlTN1SR4bLrl1mjobSajBwcV66uPKa4EleqcjO_E6S53TOH0HQVTmtWRH04GFvcFg8S1zFrKdjuGdVENvTIPR4tExvMuhgutz0A/w400-h300/20231223_192310.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With Prancer (or was it Dancer?) clinging onto the back.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33XfORsw2fhtJPSEs-AtYMzmbY9N_uzjFV1XuWuFASB_KHKeIuX9eHhvi2Jyq4dSvU8PtflpDEgDVYyeuJ0dOKQEFEb2u81wlqmpXe6J9oWpa1ADoFN5poGsMT0vKgo8g0HFCX6pOR1zmbpjF5qMd7kbm5Yvop6hf8f3Swjc0eyJAPZ1TCEIXNKe6CM0/s4160/20231223_192329.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33XfORsw2fhtJPSEs-AtYMzmbY9N_uzjFV1XuWuFASB_KHKeIuX9eHhvi2Jyq4dSvU8PtflpDEgDVYyeuJ0dOKQEFEb2u81wlqmpXe6J9oWpa1ADoFN5poGsMT0vKgo8g0HFCX6pOR1zmbpjF5qMd7kbm5Yvop6hf8f3Swjc0eyJAPZ1TCEIXNKe6CM0/w300-h400/20231223_192329.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then in one of the Golden Beach front gardens - I might be wrong but there was something that did look remarkably like...</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONvjguWIxzsZq4mD77tGIy7Kfu72WYO4IbUPJp0e1LOUMWQkOUV49iYKiQcwsdCPkchIG-6l6YTLVqjuQjbQFhAKmV0G0hvpJ0V7k_kKQl6cepKEj3MMN7Aid4z67JLEmofSB5f7xt69NzNoMapGgTKpZhsFGpqMmYiWfmKCq4XwvJvyM6AUQUEAvET4/s4160/20231223_194202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONvjguWIxzsZq4mD77tGIy7Kfu72WYO4IbUPJp0e1LOUMWQkOUV49iYKiQcwsdCPkchIG-6l6YTLVqjuQjbQFhAKmV0G0hvpJ0V7k_kKQl6cepKEj3MMN7Aid4z67JLEmofSB5f7xt69NzNoMapGgTKpZhsFGpqMmYiWfmKCq4XwvJvyM6AUQUEAvET4/w400-h300/20231223_194202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A Nativity scene!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hooray for them and a very Happy (Merry) Christmas!</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-31041501112760031982023-12-20T19:06:00.001-05:002023-12-20T19:07:47.839-05:00Festive Times at Golden Beach<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">There's a certain something something about palm trees dressed up for Christmas ....</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26XGlSrwCMakfDP99HH1AM6b-YX0PspjM6m2KdrEYpjjqHZSdR3SFp5quX9zXUaUxkNVsjmVpOn1717A8JSxurrOOCV1uoS9QX3LHFKDsU3R9uMrBb_KH5uX4S3GPlXO5P5kWJ5Sz0usW23muJ_0ec5wrxX2VM2QeCt_hi3m2_oRsmYsYHWbJfR8OwtU/s4160/20231214_183202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26XGlSrwCMakfDP99HH1AM6b-YX0PspjM6m2KdrEYpjjqHZSdR3SFp5quX9zXUaUxkNVsjmVpOn1717A8JSxurrOOCV1uoS9QX3LHFKDsU3R9uMrBb_KH5uX4S3GPlXO5P5kWJ5Sz0usW23muJ_0ec5wrxX2VM2QeCt_hi3m2_oRsmYsYHWbJfR8OwtU/w400-h300/20231214_183202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This year, our main shopping street, Venice Avenue looks even more spectacular than usual.</span><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxMpAyyppeQ6ccm3n-XMZ7yh7yv89E7Xix43xKWzKrQoJkM9JzKmmxhpG32Kf6OhXc_2wojijJ_KyDD6hcEQiWb-WuAcZ5cql4_1D1VdIDBI2Jmp0Vm9O6Fj1h9R0or0el0Kor77eMp1_kN2jq6Yz00sAoMusGCVk7GWeaF7xwQAmP7LddcNwwCobNB0/s4160/20231214_183000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxMpAyyppeQ6ccm3n-XMZ7yh7yv89E7Xix43xKWzKrQoJkM9JzKmmxhpG32Kf6OhXc_2wojijJ_KyDD6hcEQiWb-WuAcZ5cql4_1D1VdIDBI2Jmp0Vm9O6Fj1h9R0or0el0Kor77eMp1_kN2jq6Yz00sAoMusGCVk7GWeaF7xwQAmP7LddcNwwCobNB0/w300-h400/20231214_183000.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It seems that after the last two years' ravages thanks to Hurricanes Ian and Idalia, the trees have picked themselves up (probably not literally) and are happily strutting their stuff again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now we're well into December I can just about stand hearing the Christmas music in the shops (shoppes, as the estate agents like to say) so long as it's not Frosty the Snowman, or Winter Wonderland, or Rudolf, or the Little Drummer Boy, or Mary's Boychild (sorry) or..or. But I have to do the shoppes for stocking fillers (stuffers) for hubby as he hasn't yet discovered my favourite ones and I can get ahead of him. (One time I was in a gift shoppe and they started playing Bridge Over Troubled Water. Suddenly I realised that everyone of my vintage was humming along....a surreal moment.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile my kind neighbour donated some Christmas goodies. They did not last long and certainly not till Christmas. But we will have mince pies (mincemeat pies) courtesy of the internet.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieYnGKKvUkoJylMMOVLoPTcW3MIl6fpgftOFhkRBF-SCo1AXQZPD-BOMJdUfGPp0L1e-yAXWv-D9NrisGC9klxU6gDiYcnW_JlB1CChLVvTPsJQLUuO_7a3UiLd8ZFceqlrV4RdjuEhsgxP9vIHfBr300gUU4mm9MgBrh2OPOPqYjNVXeJomVVRp-Om8/s4160/20231208_183605.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieYnGKKvUkoJylMMOVLoPTcW3MIl6fpgftOFhkRBF-SCo1AXQZPD-BOMJdUfGPp0L1e-yAXWv-D9NrisGC9klxU6gDiYcnW_JlB1CChLVvTPsJQLUuO_7a3UiLd8ZFceqlrV4RdjuEhsgxP9vIHfBr300gUU4mm9MgBrh2OPOPqYjNVXeJomVVRp-Om8/s320/20231208_183605.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">But things have moved on since I came Stateside. A lot of shoppes now sell crackers and they actually call them crackers, not cracklers or crinklers or some other across-the-pond alteration. I remember when I was looking for crackers for my first Christmas up in rural western New York. I asked for them at the Party Shoppe. "No hon, you need the grocery store - in the cookie aisle", said the girl helpfully, "You can buy the cheese there too."</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone is in party mood, a lot of events, like parades and tree lightings resurrected this year. Also in party mood were some neighbours I saw from the beach. </span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsgM4C7cVDSZmXYAbJNwUftxF0d8ZK91_ERZxFj6FHm6tgiNMW5HFwbXjUiHH8Ly-dD6NtnOH7fXK3e7W4PGuWO6toy8eRVTKksvYZNGZw9LQrjFuN2B_ykOmXXMOAGDmUgthLvG-IPlgihMEeIfwFcdXIzfhTFKgGe9fafZhkdjWD-7mgdGKuuYpf80/s4160/20231209_071113.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsgM4C7cVDSZmXYAbJNwUftxF0d8ZK91_ERZxFj6FHm6tgiNMW5HFwbXjUiHH8Ly-dD6NtnOH7fXK3e7W4PGuWO6toy8eRVTKksvYZNGZw9LQrjFuN2B_ykOmXXMOAGDmUgthLvG-IPlgihMEeIfwFcdXIzfhTFKgGe9fafZhkdjWD-7mgdGKuuYpf80/w400-h300/20231209_071113.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I was walking along early in the morning, when, just a few feet away, where there's a sharp drop-off, I heard what sounded like a sneeze and then another one. I looked round and there were two dolphins, gambolling so close I could almost have touched them. As usual they were too quick for me to get a photo of their glossy arced backs - though I did manage a fin...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pw6jIAe1OmS8AYBKjljURy5hFEJfbjXo6f9FWWUzOnEQrWKO7W8bol1e-1HOltZgOmN5Wb7LOc3fNrHL_bVK6ug_Ve6Pha4-trfd3d4N7N0D369MB4REPYwa84NkOY0vm62hKtz-P5oOx6s3i3D-enCeXUbOFes9zqYcKwycyjpRuCuk568i1vA374A/s4160/20231209_070921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pw6jIAe1OmS8AYBKjljURy5hFEJfbjXo6f9FWWUzOnEQrWKO7W8bol1e-1HOltZgOmN5Wb7LOc3fNrHL_bVK6ug_Ve6Pha4-trfd3d4N7N0D369MB4REPYwa84NkOY0vm62hKtz-P5oOx6s3i3D-enCeXUbOFes9zqYcKwycyjpRuCuk568i1vA374A/w400-h300/20231209_070921.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">(A visiting friend saw one once and screamed, 'Shark!' Seeing that pic you can understand why, although they move entirely differently). The dolphins gambolled up and down the beach for a good few minutes and then gambolled off about their business.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Earlier there was Thanksgiving and a family visit for which the French bakery Croissant and Co did us proud. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieB0Qsgp2Wps72g2pG56Y72As0R0oOwqfY3kv3-tp1vSJRFgCRDxmTH8Uq8lLoE8ghx7aygqgXWKapGgs_zdMFhiZfDh0-m5GwwZu7m5M6P0RsHHaj98ViT1SYhk43TUMK8U5b4fjxSJD_X3ClEDEYMdoepGVmxyc6z6E6M04qkppA6v7VIA2ZUENh1Nk/s4160/20231123_102015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieB0Qsgp2Wps72g2pG56Y72As0R0oOwqfY3kv3-tp1vSJRFgCRDxmTH8Uq8lLoE8ghx7aygqgXWKapGgs_zdMFhiZfDh0-m5GwwZu7m5M6P0RsHHaj98ViT1SYhk43TUMK8U5b4fjxSJD_X3ClEDEYMdoepGVmxyc6z6E6M04qkppA6v7VIA2ZUENh1Nk/s320/20231123_102015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Not exactly pumpkin pie but the guests didn't complain. There was also a small pumpkin pie to satisfy the traditionalists.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And in the evening a chance to sample the local pastime of watching the sunset. Not a very spectacular one on that day.</span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV8OSu9KQZhVwFQWVUJiDFWMjpffPdm50OuRF49Pvl9zs7Z-hEjdg8sfCIPsf8JFg75XVj8UEE3crF7BPhnqQoTOzYvf6HTxQpfYRa8du-sRe8op5exAlP9QIJs12Y1VM0mY65nS0DfBtW0PvAQLYTsZJPmxBxDYlONHL1HirEjyP2JcIqhtRbd1ZD6I/s4160/20231123_172824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV8OSu9KQZhVwFQWVUJiDFWMjpffPdm50OuRF49Pvl9zs7Z-hEjdg8sfCIPsf8JFg75XVj8UEE3crF7BPhnqQoTOzYvf6HTxQpfYRa8du-sRe8op5exAlP9QIJs12Y1VM0mY65nS0DfBtW0PvAQLYTsZJPmxBxDYlONHL1HirEjyP2JcIqhtRbd1ZD6I/s320/20231123_172824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">But fun all the same.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgoYxj11MhDc1PUJxK6DZGN-yUf8hoiu2JO_4Si-UgF7iE3q6fZSvzXAvixcj2AbA2sWG7t9jPR-dvbkPEMscBtdr2hKDRUesYLn3Tv3e6giiiBAh142D37QgBRWsncXc02E09Eq_F7gERMF7W8ZFnA3mXuazRc84mvEsrR701SW9LWx3tynz2evh6_I/s4160/20231120_173640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgoYxj11MhDc1PUJxK6DZGN-yUf8hoiu2JO_4Si-UgF7iE3q6fZSvzXAvixcj2AbA2sWG7t9jPR-dvbkPEMscBtdr2hKDRUesYLn3Tv3e6giiiBAh142D37QgBRWsncXc02E09Eq_F7gERMF7W8ZFnA3mXuazRc84mvEsrR701SW9LWx3tynz2evh6_I/w400-h300/20231120_173640.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And on Black Friday we gave the shoppes a wide berth and went for a little alligator spotting in the park down the road. Yes it was only a little alligator but, hey, you don't get those in Ohio.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqv8J7MpO5BVMCyaoxkQr9jDamRgO24Hdv0dubi4_HmTCpaaWGarQyJO9UmMMGaVxybT715oXNL9o7-7Rw5PO3mo9os6Z51E2X3BzXlTrxJHLFsJrbvJMWFmtbKCLBFrMkFa7Gmsua3jkXX0UUrwNEb7l3roHw8fK0OjmkcEls3Rq7YV8S8b-dSYn6c/s4160/20231124_113733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqv8J7MpO5BVMCyaoxkQr9jDamRgO24Hdv0dubi4_HmTCpaaWGarQyJO9UmMMGaVxybT715oXNL9o7-7Rw5PO3mo9os6Z51E2X3BzXlTrxJHLFsJrbvJMWFmtbKCLBFrMkFa7Gmsua3jkXX0UUrwNEb7l3roHw8fK0OjmkcEls3Rq7YV8S8b-dSYn6c/w400-h300/20231124_113733.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Followed by an excursion to the fishing pier from which - unusually for our relatively sedate town - we spotted a group on the beach with a large flag celebrating a certain former President stuck into the sand and a lady sporting a bikini with "Trump '24" on the top bit and "Maga", literally, on the bottom. If I had spotted similar attire promoting any of his rivals, I would of course have reported it in the interests of impartiality but unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - I didn't. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One beachgoer wasn't all that impressed...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m-9THPJgBROZwuAw9XtE74Yep5jH2X2pMXRBWCQRuQI_keAcNaoiDJf49k8rIQytHGQ-6eQlfEE7ePhl04IF5dz4Ok9iTBlaMjLIluQFwT3-pZKJUKlAiRyijl0AXP5Bz6ghqNMT_9390txHrZ7fIs0AGhagewwTHlnEpqYzWRa3JHzVOhiE_jOSJA8/s4160/20231202_074923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m-9THPJgBROZwuAw9XtE74Yep5jH2X2pMXRBWCQRuQI_keAcNaoiDJf49k8rIQytHGQ-6eQlfEE7ePhl04IF5dz4Ok9iTBlaMjLIluQFwT3-pZKJUKlAiRyijl0AXP5Bz6ghqNMT_9390txHrZ7fIs0AGhagewwTHlnEpqYzWRa3JHzVOhiE_jOSJA8/w200-h150/20231202_074923.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If the recent sunsets haven't been that great, the dawns have made up for it.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbKen9qGYYbhlpoQwiiZl1-Y3KCUkpYoy3M1FY45K00lSBBJKgfmHREzfsUM57yFuvBZ-wjPkRNlKPe1QiYnAgZJOZxSMqO_OP8UOqBY2N6QdmfNjsHxcRG5y63RLikOC8nIuUqE3iGBZLdkeOTFiIV7AZNR0WTzTaDh-d8rc5Xv0c4LziMMluQzbvUQ/s4160/20231209_070409.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbKen9qGYYbhlpoQwiiZl1-Y3KCUkpYoy3M1FY45K00lSBBJKgfmHREzfsUM57yFuvBZ-wjPkRNlKPe1QiYnAgZJOZxSMqO_OP8UOqBY2N6QdmfNjsHxcRG5y63RLikOC8nIuUqE3iGBZLdkeOTFiIV7AZNR0WTzTaDh-d8rc5Xv0c4LziMMluQzbvUQ/w400-h300/20231209_070409.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm glad the family came when they did because now we're getting ready for Christmas with some chilly weather. And a storm sizeable enough to close the park by the South Jetty. The rain lashed down and some poor soul visiting from the north drove into the intracoastal waterway, mistaking it for a road. He was saved by a gallant barman from the nearby Pop's Sunset Grill, who spotted the mishap and raced to get him out of his sinking car just in time. Today my morning walking friends and I donned woolly hats and gloves. The year-round residents just love the chance to do that. Not a frost exactly but a cutting wind. If you can't have a winter wonderland you can close your eyes and pretend</span>. </p></div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-78601246475065836512023-11-08T20:26:00.001-05:002023-11-08T20:36:15.970-05:00French Interlude Revisited - Lovely Old Stone<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">The countryside of Correze reminds me of western New York - or maybe it's the other way round as France came first. Hills and forests and farms. But there's one thing that Cattaraugus County doesn't have..</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrq3784Nah6LWP9oGDNwQksaa_GcZtwkgIn84DnrOvQ9xr0B-hibmB-XQzLJ6ChDSz7iIS_PNbSDT46g6rk2CfdCnzhMh4N63i_PkXnBZ9bOf7OW8GAZVWNWJTG18xS7pRd6f0MCuhBBndcAgU4YLCgrtSCNLNm_9AElDVsGfvxhGXvLed9TtreUvFuY/s3264/20230914_151321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrq3784Nah6LWP9oGDNwQksaa_GcZtwkgIn84DnrOvQ9xr0B-hibmB-XQzLJ6ChDSz7iIS_PNbSDT46g6rk2CfdCnzhMh4N63i_PkXnBZ9bOf7OW8GAZVWNWJTG18xS7pRd6f0MCuhBBndcAgU4YLCgrtSCNLNm_9AElDVsGfvxhGXvLed9TtreUvFuY/w400-h300/20230914_151321.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the beauties of Correze is its old stone. Every little village has its ancient church, like this one at St Hilaire-Luc</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUdtiGu11K3v6ikwOx8NC1QiavlpkRofetbwgOcBkxGkdHNlPYFIUFACk67rn0ZohF7TESNn-tiGRTfusuMJS8AL2xPiTZK2cTSkmDLTUJq0Gk9eH_pbWPQw6SGzXkftfnLifGUpntM9eCQOAo-H2BFI38qvr8asGx7Arp-TedLrS296FVHIeJuvXw78/s3264/20230914_145125.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUdtiGu11K3v6ikwOx8NC1QiavlpkRofetbwgOcBkxGkdHNlPYFIUFACk67rn0ZohF7TESNn-tiGRTfusuMJS8AL2xPiTZK2cTSkmDLTUJq0Gk9eH_pbWPQw6SGzXkftfnLifGUpntM9eCQOAo-H2BFI38qvr8asGx7Arp-TedLrS296FVHIeJuvXw78/w400-h300/20230914_145125.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Some date from the 12th century or before. In those days you didn't travel far from your village. Even when I started coming here a few decades ago, most of the villages would still have Mass on Sundays. Not so now. But every old church is a gem. And every village has its quaint corners.</span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21VFKOfrv76QZJ2XScwsW7kJP7091RuvkxKr1rkzzkXti16ahr8K3qbpT5hxfp2BpXbyvIvBUl9zd50ibK1ayiP2q9CLLm7wSTvUhr8u0VZ8J9I3VoYHf-eWPeyU_5RMNZfF2XWmrq4ncjEdbCDLvspll_lYArbk0WRaqau9mpIFDg16xfGZh0YsoFZQ/s3264/20230914_145215.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21VFKOfrv76QZJ2XScwsW7kJP7091RuvkxKr1rkzzkXti16ahr8K3qbpT5hxfp2BpXbyvIvBUl9zd50ibK1ayiP2q9CLLm7wSTvUhr8u0VZ8J9I3VoYHf-eWPeyU_5RMNZfF2XWmrq4ncjEdbCDLvspll_lYArbk0WRaqau9mpIFDg16xfGZh0YsoFZQ/s320/20230914_145215.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cottages with climbing roses..</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYKkNCidxt3U9_gwPmEeJTYq5BQgYbLUaFJ54eOSB2fxJA7iyFCVhf7NLsLUMWZjoJRhVZFutXJzQ2fsWfdjAlT99YXMpeTFzJhrM6mUyXRxoN9RXcYe2MMkRna6gCbSmlseg7EfFRcnq6ofQfqy-5uPEObwh8De00L69kBkYRYHHLe0uCgRGax7bkww/s3264/20230914_151442.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYKkNCidxt3U9_gwPmEeJTYq5BQgYbLUaFJ54eOSB2fxJA7iyFCVhf7NLsLUMWZjoJRhVZFutXJzQ2fsWfdjAlT99YXMpeTFzJhrM6mUyXRxoN9RXcYe2MMkRna6gCbSmlseg7EfFRcnq6ofQfqy-5uPEObwh8De00L69kBkYRYHHLe0uCgRGax7bkww/s320/20230914_151442.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A ricketty gate - or an artwork?</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZRng3MsvKEAlgtHJKclRvYBFfdMtritoFRNMBkCxMqDZe76JPZPW42O6eKZDcUf8BHB_Vo8Isn5URvA7MinAZnJuyfespkyyeLi2Bgr_Uy7Lkme9get77Siotk-expfGNnxyxO-NsnhwIjf1qA07pjZkJ8nCS6BwuhlLWFwcuMP5NrriJTIiTuqZ34A/s3264/20230914_151520.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZRng3MsvKEAlgtHJKclRvYBFfdMtritoFRNMBkCxMqDZe76JPZPW42O6eKZDcUf8BHB_Vo8Isn5URvA7MinAZnJuyfespkyyeLi2Bgr_Uy7Lkme9get77Siotk-expfGNnxyxO-NsnhwIjf1qA07pjZkJ8nCS6BwuhlLWFwcuMP5NrriJTIiTuqZ34A/s320/20230914_151520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The war memorial surrounded by flowers</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayug4-2xKuwr5kooPEYPJkdIgXMpZrFud7VTdDO9e-WAOuHLgoRQUsvWLUuwBq7FQLM2xXOtXPmBhDMTYQDIeIlebff8UrRYKIY1hLf9V7tomf4NYiIldHUF_aexkQP4oKuc7sEOFrqEzlif_PN2Woh4RlDseLJJD5xl2vcD_hmLobYe9ApShEjW6BOQ/s3264/20230914_151604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayug4-2xKuwr5kooPEYPJkdIgXMpZrFud7VTdDO9e-WAOuHLgoRQUsvWLUuwBq7FQLM2xXOtXPmBhDMTYQDIeIlebff8UrRYKIY1hLf9V7tomf4NYiIldHUF_aexkQP4oKuc7sEOFrqEzlif_PN2Woh4RlDseLJJD5xl2vcD_hmLobYe9ApShEjW6BOQ/s320/20230914_151604.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And every war memorial has its poignant list of names, mostly from the First World War. And every time I see one I'm humbled anew by so many lives lost from such a tiny place. Many with the same family names.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5Tt_PidW76LjrEYa1Lh3_ZqUXHZ3Z5mp1UQkLoYUA2bO4xypO6qn7_MN0JPk3IJvwtVIRvrP7-01jrSEFYpYWszcpAJRxiEt4GB6p6wIbCUCd-TT79_O0wDBiYfr6vqImmyv8p-2kkMbHiDj5APDQAFw5Doc8NVre8LGV2mo0IGiKeQXmlAk6lcQ_sA/s3264/20230914_152038.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5Tt_PidW76LjrEYa1Lh3_ZqUXHZ3Z5mp1UQkLoYUA2bO4xypO6qn7_MN0JPk3IJvwtVIRvrP7-01jrSEFYpYWszcpAJRxiEt4GB6p6wIbCUCd-TT79_O0wDBiYfr6vqImmyv8p-2kkMbHiDj5APDQAFw5Doc8NVre8LGV2mo0IGiKeQXmlAk6lcQ_sA/s320/20230914_152038.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">St Hilaire-Luc is a little visitor-conscious though. A new type of person now comes to Correze and the back-to-the-landers, second homers love memorabilia. This is the back garden of the antique shop. They'd probably want an arm and a leg for that metal bucket.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKeHExDwrTFWaw5b7Vg5KYZQk0RKMbFADWfAsCGl3Xqvc854gYXs9sRr6Ph0Z9AYwXi6u0l0BiTAlTI4AuFql4VpputQ0SCljxlC5qQLS_cW5aInIuphpdrpREA4QHevgZk6JQCTM14d_Z6wPrmUoW3q55oqP4fW6N2d3VnPCGyMElDYvH160OZZnz1s/s3264/20230914_152311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKeHExDwrTFWaw5b7Vg5KYZQk0RKMbFADWfAsCGl3Xqvc854gYXs9sRr6Ph0Z9AYwXi6u0l0BiTAlTI4AuFql4VpputQ0SCljxlC5qQLS_cW5aInIuphpdrpREA4QHevgZk6JQCTM14d_Z6wPrmUoW3q55oqP4fW6N2d3VnPCGyMElDYvH160OZZnz1s/s320/20230914_152311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In a discreet way tourism has arrived here.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslbUsKO2ZJ-XmXUdT88Fzae4iQklWXAgQBwsc6TI2GRvmWPBmC_442jnODYpfCkFxmTqAwrI5sUBOiuryxBu5DlJts9GjAcYo62JCc9wQ-ob3mPUFiJikOOw9Y3qE0YCZTfpmXHyiFCz_7lApuujvVp8K7ChyWYxbzFHs1TlyHzkSWdzRuRVk4Qmnaw8/s3264/20230914_152712.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslbUsKO2ZJ-XmXUdT88Fzae4iQklWXAgQBwsc6TI2GRvmWPBmC_442jnODYpfCkFxmTqAwrI5sUBOiuryxBu5DlJts9GjAcYo62JCc9wQ-ob3mPUFiJikOOw9Y3qE0YCZTfpmXHyiFCz_7lApuujvVp8K7ChyWYxbzFHs1TlyHzkSWdzRuRVk4Qmnaw8/s320/20230914_152712.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">A few miles away is the town of Ussel - our local metropolis, home of the college, the hospital, the big Leclerc supermarket, the swimming pool. While hubby went swimming, I explored a town I'd only usually gone to for necessities. I'd forgotten what a gem it is, even though the snooty guidebooks consider it pretty run-of-the-mill. Trouble is, there's just so much of this in France. You're spoilt for choice. </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM84gUKhN0M_a0wwI5NbNECrSrY52coDSilyagH-F3hCfJdWdp0FSRdeOq8cg_Uxo4qbnWpovMBMOrG8gBSua0AJ3UE_dm8qvdXY_WfYttRUAUxNJIReF3i519Ivn-hUfdr1f3LrzMf6AuuPDTPmRIi5_UwuiGXgniDLQU20YsKlAsrpgFUQOsBLdPlFw/s3264/20230913_123547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM84gUKhN0M_a0wwI5NbNECrSrY52coDSilyagH-F3hCfJdWdp0FSRdeOq8cg_Uxo4qbnWpovMBMOrG8gBSua0AJ3UE_dm8qvdXY_WfYttRUAUxNJIReF3i519Ivn-hUfdr1f3LrzMf6AuuPDTPmRIi5_UwuiGXgniDLQU20YsKlAsrpgFUQOsBLdPlFw/w300-h400/20230913_123547.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This looked intriguing</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-_Wp8rQov76kF4H-k09MpIQWS5haz9gS7AVKtSxRU8uNHvWWJ4OlqqgtxNB2nvpEwl6_c_mvsrUXixkMdjSM-V6S8cIp-XKCWR2tKXZdWMkuofW9SvRH5NdiLOO9-2AAmHEZzvSYV2gY5CDIzF4y7uny3cWgwMLGtKDBdjQBw9x-NZPwrkuYXcO1eBY/s3264/20230913_124431.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-_Wp8rQov76kF4H-k09MpIQWS5haz9gS7AVKtSxRU8uNHvWWJ4OlqqgtxNB2nvpEwl6_c_mvsrUXixkMdjSM-V6S8cIp-XKCWR2tKXZdWMkuofW9SvRH5NdiLOO9-2AAmHEZzvSYV2gY5CDIzF4y7uny3cWgwMLGtKDBdjQBw9x-NZPwrkuYXcO1eBY/s320/20230913_124431.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And very fittingly led to a small shrine on the wall.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNKqfB2J-ngAN8WDqU_rR6Zk5wO0yyge8VtKLlAcsWKngSQquKzsyYRU7fZYcPct1r08Z1aFT5UdRUN195RIt6lamxK8QkFndyw2PNEIUS3VXLUKnpAqgUy3yT1-K8srFgXFCPcqTuXNqcK9xWlynT6MRYYsBHDYR_w4RS2eWswbrscDrQH5RY6RCgKU/s3264/20230913_124817.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNKqfB2J-ngAN8WDqU_rR6Zk5wO0yyge8VtKLlAcsWKngSQquKzsyYRU7fZYcPct1r08Z1aFT5UdRUN195RIt6lamxK8QkFndyw2PNEIUS3VXLUKnpAqgUy3yT1-K8srFgXFCPcqTuXNqcK9xWlynT6MRYYsBHDYR_w4RS2eWswbrscDrQH5RY6RCgKU/s320/20230913_124817.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What stories these old alleys could tell.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OzsAhBpl85cpRjgQmTBGWya0yNV4Jr8Ejyfyyy-bhY1uMK4q4QKMlBH3C2AMo-b9Q0SpTBnMsaxDXPTOY0K8iBQhhzC4sjm_yMub9tL5MPZ0Bp3FwS7apVzYVbA5sTC9gpqdBzkGGjJN8T8-Nb-csxRP-DW6C9wcu69im2s6k8vQWWyonjqYJb_swo8/s3264/20230913_124105.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OzsAhBpl85cpRjgQmTBGWya0yNV4Jr8Ejyfyyy-bhY1uMK4q4QKMlBH3C2AMo-b9Q0SpTBnMsaxDXPTOY0K8iBQhhzC4sjm_yMub9tL5MPZ0Bp3FwS7apVzYVbA5sTC9gpqdBzkGGjJN8T8-Nb-csxRP-DW6C9wcu69im2s6k8vQWWyonjqYJb_swo8/w300-h400/20230913_124105.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">And St Martin's Church, now the local hub, with only four priests serving a vast mission parish of outlying villages. And two of those have come from Africa.</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJukMvwjm8kwPFYRnoip6YIYOnRGHKkmwD8XUgypE3sdZekeYw_yMZEGNFIJHVR1tUFDbd2XzaTHrx0rTZ_xrc56dJYiR6bIKGr_l-WZ28xMvnO0WHzUtSpeM_-6GrD2DP46-6pH2-HOYTDY0CdMJySwQVMC-cbJ2QNiFcVDjH7ZmaaVQPwldZA_kWlg/s3264/20230913_123856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJukMvwjm8kwPFYRnoip6YIYOnRGHKkmwD8XUgypE3sdZekeYw_yMZEGNFIJHVR1tUFDbd2XzaTHrx0rTZ_xrc56dJYiR6bIKGr_l-WZ28xMvnO0WHzUtSpeM_-6GrD2DP46-6pH2-HOYTDY0CdMJySwQVMC-cbJ2QNiFcVDjH7ZmaaVQPwldZA_kWlg/w400-h300/20230913_123856.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">One year I went to a big bash in this square, honouring devotees of tete de veau (see below!), robing them in academic gowns and presenting them with spoof diplomas. They cooked the gloopy gunk in a huge cauldron and people sat at long tables enjoying the feast. That arch with the flower arrangement is always lovely.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18LLD3lLEJgw9UuRF3X19KsoWgrEVIR1_lD0mPvkh0-ICvDRirHse6gLaSBBe1D4flVl_oTCvX2IkPVuq7QqKUQXN4zKx1SPvNka3eQDHxFrcguGKoLUzIBe42IoT9BPO0aJDn4fguK88yR84H2bDuUc9hbo3pV9PNe8srj1GDhLLfURHv6noForxjB8/s3264/20230913_123502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18LLD3lLEJgw9UuRF3X19KsoWgrEVIR1_lD0mPvkh0-ICvDRirHse6gLaSBBe1D4flVl_oTCvX2IkPVuq7QqKUQXN4zKx1SPvNka3eQDHxFrcguGKoLUzIBe42IoT9BPO0aJDn4fguK88yR84H2bDuUc9hbo3pV9PNe8srj1GDhLLfURHv6noForxjB8/w400-h300/20230913_123502.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The little water fountains are typical too.</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJytBoU4oDC8mc0ghVLcAqnwxg57ny6R_EvOwhkQptCNdRbPgmqFBRK0ZU74oCg6Z3OzkuCBSvQ_JNcX6Y-H7p2UEfDdMNG6DXr8M8tNUQ8Y7tSAIjGET6jZ4aVwRwLaF50LEH8WY4Ny6vMWFcqJH1y9S7fOXoj7Ug2q7ZivYfKFZWH0TEj8C5otd9eug/s3264/20230913_123356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJytBoU4oDC8mc0ghVLcAqnwxg57ny6R_EvOwhkQptCNdRbPgmqFBRK0ZU74oCg6Z3OzkuCBSvQ_JNcX6Y-H7p2UEfDdMNG6DXr8M8tNUQ8Y7tSAIjGET6jZ4aVwRwLaF50LEH8WY4Ny6vMWFcqJH1y9S7fOXoj7Ug2q7ZivYfKFZWH0TEj8C5otd9eug/s320/20230913_123356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This is Ussel's most famous house - once owned by the Dukes of Ventadour as their town home. They had a big sprawling castle out in the countryside and had a lot of trendy troubadour connections back in the day. The friendly book shop owner said it's not open to the public - even though it features in all the tourist brochures. He was excited to see us - he said he had relatives in Charleston, South Carolina. And the bookshop was spectacular.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJpBvzptKNsyOXgh3Sxe7-Gb0wmU8uCsKMb5Wa2HN275FVG9Bnbejaktux4dDp3HOi-FV0cU8LRruLY-Rakctdx8Mk_rK0uouIesVD2IdYac40yEK6fZqSQgq2tUAAUm0XT8DUyq-Poub53dUpHRy5mpwRqees1E9JD7wgjnRcjwGHVLCOpiSjYxZyhs/s3264/20230913_123240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJpBvzptKNsyOXgh3Sxe7-Gb0wmU8uCsKMb5Wa2HN275FVG9Bnbejaktux4dDp3HOi-FV0cU8LRruLY-Rakctdx8Mk_rK0uouIesVD2IdYac40yEK6fZqSQgq2tUAAUm0XT8DUyq-Poub53dUpHRy5mpwRqees1E9JD7wgjnRcjwGHVLCOpiSjYxZyhs/s320/20230913_123240.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One Sunday we went to Mass at the Cathedral in Tulle, Correze's administrative centre, deep in the river valley. Again it's a town that isn't an obvious tourist spot but still worth exploring.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw9_TbaeOVpOZzc4PdsZJkj6Ijoo6PylcvXNWLtlqsaUzFXDWl8Vi0to6GgvnqXrbKCXbjNqOF7YnEt3-G-cIVWd0y9itaJyfTz_7q8nQPZz7KmetZj8RLO-HHoG2RKe_IKL754JTwK0mazosCLkPDakG1Q_M-XgBfQ625PCSCYCH1ohyBvJnq0GsIHw/s3264/20230910_141702.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw9_TbaeOVpOZzc4PdsZJkj6Ijoo6PylcvXNWLtlqsaUzFXDWl8Vi0to6GgvnqXrbKCXbjNqOF7YnEt3-G-cIVWd0y9itaJyfTz_7q8nQPZz7KmetZj8RLO-HHoG2RKe_IKL754JTwK0mazosCLkPDakG1Q_M-XgBfQ625PCSCYCH1ohyBvJnq0GsIHw/w300-h400/20230910_141702.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">With some grand town houses - some now being restored</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUAnMPg7VoO1tC-tyREqV7vGkKfVm18VbUlUjkvD59cvxQKHc879zTjJGnWuPPRp-O1H7z73RlWIdFGwNlJMqFZHmjCODxf_hxcP13NMLSsKgoazLIHj0h_NmUN0Gg-R6VxeF4qDUkLf94_wckKL76-4InwT6TKyLRJZf8ikj9Ip5LiBvM-qoUMe7kyg/s3264/20230910_141155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUAnMPg7VoO1tC-tyREqV7vGkKfVm18VbUlUjkvD59cvxQKHc879zTjJGnWuPPRp-O1H7z73RlWIdFGwNlJMqFZHmjCODxf_hxcP13NMLSsKgoazLIHj0h_NmUN0Gg-R6VxeF4qDUkLf94_wckKL76-4InwT6TKyLRJZf8ikj9Ip5LiBvM-qoUMe7kyg/s320/20230910_141155.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And more narrow cobbled streets.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis01Fg7eDh6uyNmi82q1WiOqFb1UABOKIjadFHOxO7_qhCqE5cum6gKWYPa1ag2bFfMAUTob18Gr7pWql5mkDjPvcuie7tIix__TX9yp3iEtxY2LtXP2av3-6xNIcGd6PpIwETdPeZnMoWUWvpIJtepZFX9KV9dkQcoqcNNMAadtQig79gbwUtyFtGznw/s3264/20230910_140440.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis01Fg7eDh6uyNmi82q1WiOqFb1UABOKIjadFHOxO7_qhCqE5cum6gKWYPa1ag2bFfMAUTob18Gr7pWql5mkDjPvcuie7tIix__TX9yp3iEtxY2LtXP2av3-6xNIcGd6PpIwETdPeZnMoWUWvpIJtepZFX9KV9dkQcoqcNNMAadtQig79gbwUtyFtGznw/s320/20230910_140440.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On Sunday it was deserted, with only one restaurant obviously open. Easy to think yourself back into the Middle Ages - without the noise and smells.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Nd7s2Irvg14lxZNri6kKEHIIBP7-ErVOwGbtStA7eSAd1KoxvNg7MP_l7zoHSokPJBQwkfy-BLcrVEs5J2c1Fs_3TPXhy1l1lGjzpgkDMcA2IwW-MDNdbHvUjAEsqegCLXrcse5GCSRSzVTAekso2VH49avp1dW4bcrlLRPouom86zdYYvfAviIrKs4/s3264/20230910_135539.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Nd7s2Irvg14lxZNri6kKEHIIBP7-ErVOwGbtStA7eSAd1KoxvNg7MP_l7zoHSokPJBQwkfy-BLcrVEs5J2c1Fs_3TPXhy1l1lGjzpgkDMcA2IwW-MDNdbHvUjAEsqegCLXrcse5GCSRSzVTAekso2VH49avp1dW4bcrlLRPouom86zdYYvfAviIrKs4/s320/20230910_135539.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to Ussel again and here's the little chapel of Notre Dame de la Chabanne, looking like one of those old German spiked helmets.<br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeEr30Udes_v6gkpmifWHfKWPjFITwkHJ2oSzsDeejzPbvjymGdeAiM5yVljtidAbhnWfVI6qKLgshoUlh95Ts2WBsW6noqYJDu0qKYJRWzZR0kl7PrOdPp3jSXIgw3tG0PIo_cLa9f1nWBykvv1eKtsDj88rsiiUGMzLAugfcTd_2Fnu8UgICSg0_Zs/s3264/20230911_124445.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeEr30Udes_v6gkpmifWHfKWPjFITwkHJ2oSzsDeejzPbvjymGdeAiM5yVljtidAbhnWfVI6qKLgshoUlh95Ts2WBsW6noqYJDu0qKYJRWzZR0kl7PrOdPp3jSXIgw3tG0PIo_cLa9f1nWBykvv1eKtsDj88rsiiUGMzLAugfcTd_2Fnu8UgICSg0_Zs/s320/20230911_124445.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The interior is glorious. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvmvKb3WGKGVwGc1RkdcZWLwZDezRiOOFBrNiZcumJ6YMtPTg61VvLpHQMJomcfCocL6ZU0OD_8F4Qzd7zZk_iX42euN04pMDDLEFzM1iYjRVKOZfRHl1sdUNnwT7wLkVi6A3KrjuORguxNdHpUDYUzASBVj0hVToifSgjivuTzHwodqfkyfZTehK98w/s3264/20230911_123336.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvmvKb3WGKGVwGc1RkdcZWLwZDezRiOOFBrNiZcumJ6YMtPTg61VvLpHQMJomcfCocL6ZU0OD_8F4Qzd7zZk_iX42euN04pMDDLEFzM1iYjRVKOZfRHl1sdUNnwT7wLkVi6A3KrjuORguxNdHpUDYUzASBVj0hVToifSgjivuTzHwodqfkyfZTehK98w/w400-h300/20230911_123336.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A few years ago we came here for the 8th September Nativity of the Virgin Mary feast. It was packed to the rafters, people singing lustily, "Notre Dam-e de la Chabann-e," We joined in, worrying about our Florida house in the throes of Hurricane Irma. And she came through for us. This year the chapel was much less full. Was it that so many people didn't go back after Covid? Or perhaps it was the rival procession in Eygurande, which also has a lovely shrine. Sadly, when we explored around there,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">I left my phone at home, so no photos.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>We happened to be in Ussel for Patrimony Days, a European Union thing - where various places not normally open to the public let the tourists in. The</span><span> Ventadour house wasn't on the list. But the Penitents' Chapel was. </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1MYLlU1ROQAHFF9aHwLARcgpRXPenpfNCegl6dbFxQ_m61YJEUIPkX_XsAL1I60l7abHdKcAUa0rOEA4j87r4KA7RKkwIaLbAJZK-_DK_5fDqVsSXIKl30BAh5xeLsUYLjGNVKTE6N8nByEXqtXMh1VlhhCLO2qWH3eYr6hYMfpwLcl3WY2F0W_q20I/s3264/20230917_140846.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1MYLlU1ROQAHFF9aHwLARcgpRXPenpfNCegl6dbFxQ_m61YJEUIPkX_XsAL1I60l7abHdKcAUa0rOEA4j87r4KA7RKkwIaLbAJZK-_DK_5fDqVsSXIKl30BAh5xeLsUYLjGNVKTE6N8nByEXqtXMh1VlhhCLO2qWH3eYr6hYMfpwLcl3WY2F0W_q20I/w300-h400/20230917_140846.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It's now a museum but on this weekend we could get in free.</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9X9zLupAHD71YI0Xzve6nRp-degLz3oBY0x_lvkE9siVIpvUW3LcfEtlQCH3pOZZmhOlubPgrtGcq7L2TcOhmGtrjipv7JPFMSkFWK3W8e45_ZT4U0u-smiXcXPkqJMr4mOyO2C3tEn53msd-Y-cOi5fla-YbEILBGk7nP2WKHGfqHfI5bkRMlIbGQ8/s3264/20230917_140902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9X9zLupAHD71YI0Xzve6nRp-degLz3oBY0x_lvkE9siVIpvUW3LcfEtlQCH3pOZZmhOlubPgrtGcq7L2TcOhmGtrjipv7JPFMSkFWK3W8e45_ZT4U0u-smiXcXPkqJMr4mOyO2C3tEn53msd-Y-cOi5fla-YbEILBGk7nP2WKHGfqHfI5bkRMlIbGQ8/s320/20230917_140902.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A horse pulling a hearse. Magnificently morbid.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwRJyqKaAOBsa743iuawboxbrX7zMZJte5ooWzx4Jp273knu793JKEPMumOkkyufM8lC-tb73Gzq94l_VfvaRdzHYL0_TquZytrregpU_GkX4iSBoLg6g57Gy8LJw7_bFLig8DlDNMmHnQc3vxoKwEuoSmrTBZIvts4N7GHBDKbtcW_bG3PsO-pzhd2w/s3264/20230917_141245.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwRJyqKaAOBsa743iuawboxbrX7zMZJte5ooWzx4Jp273knu793JKEPMumOkkyufM8lC-tb73Gzq94l_VfvaRdzHYL0_TquZytrregpU_GkX4iSBoLg6g57Gy8LJw7_bFLig8DlDNMmHnQc3vxoKwEuoSmrTBZIvts4N7GHBDKbtcW_bG3PsO-pzhd2w/s320/20230917_141245.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Across town in the other museum I was fascinated by these wall beds - a feature of some of the local old houses. Each was exquisitely carved and decorated with different patterned curtains. Though you'd have to have been pretty short to be comfortable in them. I only noticed the chamber pots after I looked at the photo.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c000CJKsNrxFvhYRMQa2OkTHj9FI-2OWVkCKkFfGZdwYvx1KzpJ92aTB1KHcg4giHFggpxT63sv2EA-IIVyXISak7AzZ2ya66aMl5x96l3Obth02QkjszAYByi-JHbIWg72R2ifTKX9AAg5fEDJVqbmKI8XFOSep6a6B1YQABCbRIW_cub444fwTu9g/s3264/20230917_145334.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c000CJKsNrxFvhYRMQa2OkTHj9FI-2OWVkCKkFfGZdwYvx1KzpJ92aTB1KHcg4giHFggpxT63sv2EA-IIVyXISak7AzZ2ya66aMl5x96l3Obth02QkjszAYByi-JHbIWg72R2ifTKX9AAg5fEDJVqbmKI8XFOSep6a6B1YQABCbRIW_cub444fwTu9g/s320/20230917_145334.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was market day too.</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiUORdCn8Db8ctY_2GKcDgRr3HSARBr6AnoVFwf5ugH-JbJjoWhcXCJhfHpqU2dwB673jRpOkjopIqJD5bCjgGh0aYS0DoXb8Chx7v9qTXEjyfU6c6nMDX_2AbuORQ50qkKQm2rMp_gZbPldTJrsbFOJz5rw8mtU-80vQ9M_9GslxnuW97ipxJ8rS79E/s3264/20230916_104855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiUORdCn8Db8ctY_2GKcDgRr3HSARBr6AnoVFwf5ugH-JbJjoWhcXCJhfHpqU2dwB673jRpOkjopIqJD5bCjgGh0aYS0DoXb8Chx7v9qTXEjyfU6c6nMDX_2AbuORQ50qkKQm2rMp_gZbPldTJrsbFOJz5rw8mtU-80vQ9M_9GslxnuW97ipxJ8rS79E/s320/20230916_104855.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Also open to the public was the Chateau de Theil, hidden away in a suburb behind the big box store district and in the process of being renovated. Judging by the photos on display, it had been a wreck before</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjL0SVqyR8AhlYjbJR9ekZy1cJ8q06wEKnvflZJoB14IKoEdHQs2hHopdJF5NIJVHi6J2HbMCQcqJY1yjUeQ6FocsPawxSX8eECCe8kIxyNb-rUjFK7QUrgM5wRAmRMsUFezySa7Z-83V7YvXNyyC8w0S97EB54x9rdbyCmjBXT4b5XV5BPci0qBcyNk/s3264/20230917_133053.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjL0SVqyR8AhlYjbJR9ekZy1cJ8q06wEKnvflZJoB14IKoEdHQs2hHopdJF5NIJVHi6J2HbMCQcqJY1yjUeQ6FocsPawxSX8eECCe8kIxyNb-rUjFK7QUrgM5wRAmRMsUFezySa7Z-83V7YvXNyyC8w0S97EB54x9rdbyCmjBXT4b5XV5BPci0qBcyNk/w400-h300/20230917_133053.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Now a group of optimistic young people are hoping to turn it into a luxury hotel. Good luck to them. There </span><span>are a lot of these sort of places in France, though admittedly not so many around here. </span><span>If it doesn't work out it won't be for want of trying. They've put a huge amount of effort into it. I said if they got a brilliant chef for the restaurant we'd definitely come back. We were walking towards the entrance when we heard what sounded like a siren going off and a lot of people shouting. We thought we'd set off some kind of alarm and wondered if we should make a quick getaway, when someone explained. </span><span>W</span><span>e were the 1000th visitors. All the excitement was for us.</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEb4P8FXeMqhfgX7bmDobvs5f_arWUMpK2KnMPqb2ws-Pbm_tgFTWSzZuRokBMZc9Bn6WAXnziY5tnqicY7-91sy46k8m6qg5dHKnKBV4dx00_Sv5l3w6Ww-Nr2kZUT0LAyrgna5pNI7UV1uwXH6LiNCJL1Ps1cY4hVW9sKbCPE5hqwhyphenhyphenIX-5DOe81Ig/s3264/20230917_133228.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEb4P8FXeMqhfgX7bmDobvs5f_arWUMpK2KnMPqb2ws-Pbm_tgFTWSzZuRokBMZc9Bn6WAXnziY5tnqicY7-91sy46k8m6qg5dHKnKBV4dx00_Sv5l3w6Ww-Nr2kZUT0LAyrgna5pNI7UV1uwXH6LiNCJL1Ps1cY4hVW9sKbCPE5hqwhyphenhyphenIX-5DOe81Ig/w400-h300/20230917_133228.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we said we were from America they cheered even louder. Sorry we couldn't promise them a lot of rich friends who might want to come and stay. But it was good to feel wanted. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Driving back to Limoges Airport we took in another couple of villages and churches.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This old well was at Lubersac - </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk77LSJOj5jXcF_jeUNB0US5nVx02S5OnOb6XGQYhvQlKZut3hRDCbjukKDnGh_Hu9zb5oQ94mQMNtkDkl14qDzGX5U5jyrS2Apg0fbHuTrCw5ZNordF_StAPWf1ww84VOD0ts7Gb0lcRK3ib9blTLrEALe9_othqoK7h5Zu_rgK4WsplYOJpZhu02yE/s3264/20230921_154550.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk77LSJOj5jXcF_jeUNB0US5nVx02S5OnOb6XGQYhvQlKZut3hRDCbjukKDnGh_Hu9zb5oQ94mQMNtkDkl14qDzGX5U5jyrS2Apg0fbHuTrCw5ZNordF_StAPWf1ww84VOD0ts7Gb0lcRK3ib9blTLrEALe9_othqoK7h5Zu_rgK4WsplYOJpZhu02yE/s320/20230921_154550.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">- the name derives from <i>Louparsat</i> in the ancient Limousin language, or <i>Loup Perce</i> in French. The pierced wolf. Apparently a knight killed the wolf to save a damsel in distress, in this case also his girlfriend. His services might be needed again. The local paper has been full of stories of wolves going forth and multiplying around the region. The farmers are less than happy. The pro-wolf camp say they keep the deer population down. But, the farmers point out that no self-respecting wolf is going to bother chasing a deer through the forest when he can grab a fat sheep in a field. They have a point. </span> </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a bleak, rainy day, the first after weeks of sunshine. </span></div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVoAWLpgduPFOXi1Uyspi7NB9DbiyVKmXE5ZhTLGMay0tzURVOrrHb3AsWjAEMb4EuzynqsqQuHiQs4vF7DgEmpihB2KR7mlvF0EEB9usxl3gxnsoFl126SZpiUtZf6fjYGyQT-soRFOroq5A_4DsThxm1Gm7SLbHaN6NGXE2Uq51PDU0jeKH1anj2s0/s3264/20230921_154101.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVoAWLpgduPFOXi1Uyspi7NB9DbiyVKmXE5ZhTLGMay0tzURVOrrHb3AsWjAEMb4EuzynqsqQuHiQs4vF7DgEmpihB2KR7mlvF0EEB9usxl3gxnsoFl126SZpiUtZf6fjYGyQT-soRFOroq5A_4DsThxm1Gm7SLbHaN6NGXE2Uq51PDU0jeKH1anj2s0/w400-h300/20230921_154101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Through the drizzle the church of St Etienne looked austere and gloomy, </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00TeQie-jpfKMnLm6Ae3nuVgeN2N8fSuSaRgs-pZ3f4W0tCOUmD7lF7s6JPNw9bAJ4gaMLJ0DQS99dOUn0sM2jial_IPTPBHTsUfiWw4a8CVONI8b8ZfJ1Dqr3lgYtVDkWFjzpMg1WcggJuYasDEoZ4iqE1MeSyP9TYr-OWzNiNGAkgZAgZj_SyFTMK4/s3264/20230921_153614.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00TeQie-jpfKMnLm6Ae3nuVgeN2N8fSuSaRgs-pZ3f4W0tCOUmD7lF7s6JPNw9bAJ4gaMLJ0DQS99dOUn0sM2jial_IPTPBHTsUfiWw4a8CVONI8b8ZfJ1Dqr3lgYtVDkWFjzpMg1WcggJuYasDEoZ4iqE1MeSyP9TYr-OWzNiNGAkgZAgZj_SyFTMK4/s320/20230921_153614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And the interior sombre, though there were some interesting wall paintings.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1wCPC5zOtjgBe3Uf5B-KTlU-R1VLtKuEksUKSfiYf3FimflBQ1rH22_xNsHQ39eeCoDiQtIG8uRmPnQvZ4aPdIF_4xAXD7XPJOyOsE065tC6giPrL1hJjDCq49KV6ziggSoPI4ygVvtWcmcKbz-9UtoEvIiBXsEsd9IDEK5RgadZWhNmr2l4HePswwg/s3264/20230921_153157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1wCPC5zOtjgBe3Uf5B-KTlU-R1VLtKuEksUKSfiYf3FimflBQ1rH22_xNsHQ39eeCoDiQtIG8uRmPnQvZ4aPdIF_4xAXD7XPJOyOsE065tC6giPrL1hJjDCq49KV6ziggSoPI4ygVvtWcmcKbz-9UtoEvIiBXsEsd9IDEK5RgadZWhNmr2l4HePswwg/w400-h300/20230921_153157.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A modern touch outside was a brand new dovecote.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU1aD3t9EnDHmWSY63J-7Z-e7y00vzHmltAQKSc42d-B35jCWBxqn3I2jegnoEg2dVYSyWg5NAE32uAO-zi_S4EQoNye4jv_9XKM94nI8E4LtOhO8vuIXxrAs-_v30BtpUmq4EUU7h6UrWt7vLfABmxLAPywXLIQP9B-Bc_jZVaqngEcaAVBf35PBwao/s3264/20230921_153912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU1aD3t9EnDHmWSY63J-7Z-e7y00vzHmltAQKSc42d-B35jCWBxqn3I2jegnoEg2dVYSyWg5NAE32uAO-zi_S4EQoNye4jv_9XKM94nI8E4LtOhO8vuIXxrAs-_v30BtpUmq4EUU7h6UrWt7vLfABmxLAPywXLIQP9B-Bc_jZVaqngEcaAVBf35PBwao/s320/20230921_153912.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A last stop at another little village, Meuzac this time, with a smaller, simpler church</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZzI7RUYgl0Y4eplNTHdpjGtNVKldEj_hO01r2BtAx-qE_Kc92CJzsQ93nHK9oVLlFO50gs7Ej0_WcnWck-w9MNKGTkKdb8te0D6omdKu4y09ghZLfqzrK67cEqqWFcrxBdONqQUyPTOnQvBmrLBzrPUc7H9S_Ehh5bF63Qrz7tbRIXT84hyphenhyphenvsSx_nH8/s3264/20230921_161500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZzI7RUYgl0Y4eplNTHdpjGtNVKldEj_hO01r2BtAx-qE_Kc92CJzsQ93nHK9oVLlFO50gs7Ej0_WcnWck-w9MNKGTkKdb8te0D6omdKu4y09ghZLfqzrK67cEqqWFcrxBdONqQUyPTOnQvBmrLBzrPUc7H9S_Ehh5bF63Qrz7tbRIXT84hyphenhyphenvsSx_nH8/w300-h400/20230921_161500.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">But memorable for its eye-wateringly steep staircase to the choir loft.</span><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyVm-X8jzPNlAxUa1eAHMlgn5-Aul28TW9jY7cs8C77wEJcHXchQswNBy7DbpPkATI8jF2Pbmr119cNxx4z1jOoYuC8hgPBmuZTzlPNMUfbeql3N9xlMx6e_G3kDsbAYPrZCp6MxOBX-Y9QxE4Bfo7r44O1lsx0Ff6Ld-mojpoGIewTEbTmqr9W0yaWM/s3264/20230921_161448.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyVm-X8jzPNlAxUa1eAHMlgn5-Aul28TW9jY7cs8C77wEJcHXchQswNBy7DbpPkATI8jF2Pbmr119cNxx4z1jOoYuC8hgPBmuZTzlPNMUfbeql3N9xlMx6e_G3kDsbAYPrZCp6MxOBX-Y9QxE4Bfo7r44O1lsx0Ff6Ld-mojpoGIewTEbTmqr9W0yaWM/s320/20230921_161448.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I wonder what 'elf n' safety would say about that. Presumably the singers made good use of the strategically placed confessional before attempting the ascent.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Au revoir for now!</span></div></div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-79883044670066882262023-10-12T18:55:00.001-04:002023-11-08T20:11:00.219-05:00Sunny French Interlude<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How wonderful to be able to spend three whole weeks in our beloved Correze and how even more wonderful that it was sunny almost every day! Usually, in September, it's rainy and getting autumnal but not this time. Lovely light effects from the top of the westernmost volcano of the Massif Central, a short walk up the hill from the house.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgFWxBQQ_kbTnNiDN72543N45PsrIFX5ChwyF6KpbuQsCdrzvU5ddZ_ajYJ64Nw289EnVZbnAPL3AWwVXzGUzFw475TzzSW_Anx9b8sC-0TfhsLLxDCqPiaNBCYJtTzVQWfSDc4NMdhUxEe8i97C6GeMjStIzNNYlzFQ8goo55p2-SpTSlrq2bW6jGNc/s3264/20230905_075907.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgFWxBQQ_kbTnNiDN72543N45PsrIFX5ChwyF6KpbuQsCdrzvU5ddZ_ajYJ64Nw289EnVZbnAPL3AWwVXzGUzFw475TzzSW_Anx9b8sC-0TfhsLLxDCqPiaNBCYJtTzVQWfSDc4NMdhUxEe8i97C6GeMjStIzNNYlzFQ8goo55p2-SpTSlrq2bW6jGNc/w400-h300/20230905_075907.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uKElRt9vhyAKELI5VMAlIrwln6sxYsCy7J6D5mo1sNsTdZR2jgVw_WGRhwmBV9-UBnIfm7Jdx0MwgAHAvD-IoC6T2CERDKP5AmBKAuoYV5q3onyUmAIVY9-gLboAtavLDZcgvwlUf0Qdn7YQWZs59YnkIo2U927G2vNI3chEsqL7mt-Ng-NNE3slUiU/s3264/20230905_075957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uKElRt9vhyAKELI5VMAlIrwln6sxYsCy7J6D5mo1sNsTdZR2jgVw_WGRhwmBV9-UBnIfm7Jdx0MwgAHAvD-IoC6T2CERDKP5AmBKAuoYV5q3onyUmAIVY9-gLboAtavLDZcgvwlUf0Qdn7YQWZs59YnkIo2U927G2vNI3chEsqL7mt-Ng-NNE3slUiU/w400-h300/20230905_075957.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I never get tired of admiring the Limousin cattle - funnily enough I once came upon a local farmer in Cattaraugus County who had a Limousin herd. He was impressed when I knew what they were. According to <i>La Montagne</i>, our local rag in France, they are getting more and more popular all over the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2tzylZ57N_a4vX4pIEfmjNhtzFWjcX31T0-H3SgZMsoabbhs8FFQKgXsaLBXNBpIyNY4yL_p1V9eBvECP2c7blx7kI7VdmZnuYK8vBCV84ih848TsgEqdoEJenbVhbJ843wdSkiKVHeFl63AUnqEQ5hFIcBVMXPd5j9W0T3K0beau5LO98eXxpua49Q/s3264/20230908_090432.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2tzylZ57N_a4vX4pIEfmjNhtzFWjcX31T0-H3SgZMsoabbhs8FFQKgXsaLBXNBpIyNY4yL_p1V9eBvECP2c7blx7kI7VdmZnuYK8vBCV84ih848TsgEqdoEJenbVhbJ843wdSkiKVHeFl63AUnqEQ5hFIcBVMXPd5j9W0T3K0beau5LO98eXxpua49Q/w400-h300/20230908_090432.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to those lovely forest lanes, although I didn't venture too far as it was hunting season - <i>La Chasse</i> - I may be doing them a grave injustice but I have a feeling the locals aren't too scrupulous about where they let fly. I don't know what they find to shoot though. In three weeks I never saw anything bigger than a red squirrel, though we've seen deer in the past.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGDqYOUauOf0kqy89BLQeQ2tyaRX9Y6XwYrbMgbR9yl9lFy5HDgzYJ5SInYCuDFCTO7Ybsqtn04lv_O37jud2-ERaX73r92_kSxzfcN9KXa7DxZLCpNt3DMuifhw-3dgo3Pu5urYWPGBVz9GT4OX1_UK0vQ7gFzzMQmliyY8OXn-_aITd945olrYrTfE/s3264/20230909_152640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGDqYOUauOf0kqy89BLQeQ2tyaRX9Y6XwYrbMgbR9yl9lFy5HDgzYJ5SInYCuDFCTO7Ybsqtn04lv_O37jud2-ERaX73r92_kSxzfcN9KXa7DxZLCpNt3DMuifhw-3dgo3Pu5urYWPGBVz9GT4OX1_UK0vQ7gFzzMQmliyY8OXn-_aITd945olrYrTfE/w300-h400/20230909_152640.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Plenty of rural relics here, though the area has become a lot more second homey since we started going there. (Well we can talk.) But the good thing is that a lot of the crumbling old stone houses and barns have been rescued. And the farm on the hill is still thriving.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2tj3ZrUgW7EMJ8QcspyBZ2b3WTzo9p6WjbcHScivEt0LqwOgxPgMs2UspacKJ3SMhHD2R_8WGaxfYM4oba7cTsWHzdTrLDN57EM0QyBFt5QLfH66xDOLQr6r5uJttmxk6oogrfvuQxMjZPTyl3G3wS2ygQgeZWvBPXa2-sQhdwHyA1sFUCLutTHB2o0/s3264/20230908_092648.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2tj3ZrUgW7EMJ8QcspyBZ2b3WTzo9p6WjbcHScivEt0LqwOgxPgMs2UspacKJ3SMhHD2R_8WGaxfYM4oba7cTsWHzdTrLDN57EM0QyBFt5QLfH66xDOLQr6r5uJttmxk6oogrfvuQxMjZPTyl3G3wS2ygQgeZWvBPXa2-sQhdwHyA1sFUCLutTHB2o0/s320/20230908_092648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">More light effects - I could fill a gallery with them. Every day was different.</span> </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNClQCwnKW5LrWL41k6kpthO2jw9lptkno5gmfqLUqR-Jg8zS2jAe_msGUqa-WeTb5z9LJVk30a1jM6pqpWeZxTGZgFkHvr_j7Uwgg_ScDnQWNIH151prxrz8bRNfi0Uww4NltTkNoYJ98Na9nl_qAGaDsYDi39dvcnSWRcxdOIGb9EBceD01AKxVmR4/s3264/20230911_082224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNClQCwnKW5LrWL41k6kpthO2jw9lptkno5gmfqLUqR-Jg8zS2jAe_msGUqa-WeTb5z9LJVk30a1jM6pqpWeZxTGZgFkHvr_j7Uwgg_ScDnQWNIH151prxrz8bRNfi0Uww4NltTkNoYJ98Na9nl_qAGaDsYDi39dvcnSWRcxdOIGb9EBceD01AKxVmR4/w400-h300/20230911_082224.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now here's a new <i>neigh</i>-bour (sorry). Since last year the palomino pony farm has expanded. This of course is not a palomino. What's skewbald in French?*</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ecL4o9rx3TxT9dX9T3w9vnW-TzDBPeLa_ntxnMmDwmIC_-7mRozzsL-zQ5IUvq5nKbUcucSfea1r65Qb1zWga2UcJuVkbnaHb1VOUklXHCi7E46P6bbKwtJppg2auQMF0iFFLkUlRTQm2SnylbElymBtN8ez_8XC1A6_r0I4SSndKn8HJ0_D1mgAn84/s3264/20230914_093355.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ecL4o9rx3TxT9dX9T3w9vnW-TzDBPeLa_ntxnMmDwmIC_-7mRozzsL-zQ5IUvq5nKbUcucSfea1r65Qb1zWga2UcJuVkbnaHb1VOUklXHCi7E46P6bbKwtJppg2auQMF0iFFLkUlRTQm2SnylbElymBtN8ez_8XC1A6_r0I4SSndKn8HJ0_D1mgAn84/w400-h300/20230914_093355.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The crossroads at Pisse (or Pisce) Lebre in the mist. That mail box stood with its door swinging open for ages and people still left their letters in it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02UtZt36dGVpN1l5K_xRXmYcF_qWCdfn2HAu377jo6ApDEr2a3WxCQN5n7I64F2KS8SA1gbtiH9bOIRhBkeO91v2-IaybIoAapCyoW4YQf5iNn3P0bFuzCOAsZZrh7rvgVY0yEeuGJGB_ClYqQCP4ptkYE7C_ST3wTRRkzKViexFBVfbEX7Wb0N-BvdI/s3264/20230914_094759.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02UtZt36dGVpN1l5K_xRXmYcF_qWCdfn2HAu377jo6ApDEr2a3WxCQN5n7I64F2KS8SA1gbtiH9bOIRhBkeO91v2-IaybIoAapCyoW4YQf5iNn3P0bFuzCOAsZZrh7rvgVY0yEeuGJGB_ClYqQCP4ptkYE7C_ST3wTRRkzKViexFBVfbEX7Wb0N-BvdI/s320/20230914_094759.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The lake was getting lower (it's actually a reservoir, controlled by the electricity company) so we couldn't sail. It didn't stop it looking pretty though,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORXGaQHmMDiPapVAfD9qBw2xxLbVBa3YSA2s__wj2tX_tZwjHkXvc1knWGDtVi3ONfpSUkTwavScAukTrVwAgotxIYNksQSPS7pOz1QqV4oxgACYYAULCMldu5Qq5DYatL_7N4RS6-d14n-nTmL2myDrP9v5Ek-h40ELiY7zmWc2mTDk5pMIMVxnrF2I/s3264/20230915_085018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORXGaQHmMDiPapVAfD9qBw2xxLbVBa3YSA2s__wj2tX_tZwjHkXvc1knWGDtVi3ONfpSUkTwavScAukTrVwAgotxIYNksQSPS7pOz1QqV4oxgACYYAULCMldu5Qq5DYatL_7N4RS6-d14n-nTmL2myDrP9v5Ek-h40ELiY7zmWc2mTDk5pMIMVxnrF2I/w400-h300/20230915_085018.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">with the morning mist coming off the surface. Warm enough to swim, even in September.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG8dGniGIS-NSk2jNzHD8Xo49nimjrFMoGX4eNSHvJhA58lRG4Y6RDDR-9_4kkg8DtU2WjHKogUUg6aBAKKpztKx1ecf4bU9KAwiZThrRdbF-uPWEP8touHLNCLYJwlBQgZJNdkcAlFxFOeAaXmLHnUrp43tvbFfV3z2T632UVUo0aQIaljHinn3CJaY/s3264/20230915_085034.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG8dGniGIS-NSk2jNzHD8Xo49nimjrFMoGX4eNSHvJhA58lRG4Y6RDDR-9_4kkg8DtU2WjHKogUUg6aBAKKpztKx1ecf4bU9KAwiZThrRdbF-uPWEP8touHLNCLYJwlBQgZJNdkcAlFxFOeAaXmLHnUrp43tvbFfV3z2T632UVUo0aQIaljHinn3CJaY/s320/20230915_085034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Earlier, up the hill, the mist filling the lake valley - just like western New York.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS1dWuY8HcAzGnSOZ8Hjfy8vjrCTmG-ZoFdKeURqDT9vJSPq1CKBnbGQ6wF82Tnv4C0EM5qHfTeNg4gguVSiNjPKPM2uUsTDs_cRmjvDkyBlYyB3lcuQ2BTIlTVD3jECZ7BddfjgLkJvSPBUnYpe1lVlX31eMe4e0o1Ja0YpsFLzbkHnwHGrQaP0oshE/s3264/20230918_083922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS1dWuY8HcAzGnSOZ8Hjfy8vjrCTmG-ZoFdKeURqDT9vJSPq1CKBnbGQ6wF82Tnv4C0EM5qHfTeNg4gguVSiNjPKPM2uUsTDs_cRmjvDkyBlYyB3lcuQ2BTIlTVD3jECZ7BddfjgLkJvSPBUnYpe1lVlX31eMe4e0o1Ja0YpsFLzbkHnwHGrQaP0oshE/w400-h300/20230918_083922.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">No second homers here yet - it's a proper working barn.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rTFZRSlCFAMXo5J6i7B92h3WTfmrgxj8kVpJoQUn3UhAQUe7u5dgBWvjmb4qWG_G-QfHYPIdSjBiBkmi5xEH5AD-hdwp84x9BcqAG4BpLOpVfzmIHNQDyq5mGD0ZTJ4URWfo4gvVUAmgmu-O8FpHxnVZZ24ezJodv8leUouJx1Q3Ntrda_GRMHR7c_o/s3264/20230918_083951.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rTFZRSlCFAMXo5J6i7B92h3WTfmrgxj8kVpJoQUn3UhAQUe7u5dgBWvjmb4qWG_G-QfHYPIdSjBiBkmi5xEH5AD-hdwp84x9BcqAG4BpLOpVfzmIHNQDyq5mGD0ZTJ4URWfo4gvVUAmgmu-O8FpHxnVZZ24ezJodv8leUouJx1Q3Ntrda_GRMHR7c_o/s320/20230918_083951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another view of the mist, this time from the top of the volcano.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_auZhuukzZ55tHkCspXpqe00nubUe7kOnsH52PMzNGPEpVdh9VAdPaYkhe8Z0U7IcCthZPxick9iNl37Y1Jf2WrDKLUHc1PNR6pN_BK4hhD1bhtQgvS-oviavNnYmoGpaHfM3imOhOjoRYZ-xQLxY5i6vfNAE0S3LZeZDnpdR1kacD7i_J3a0Rpywqu8/s3264/20230918_084329.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_auZhuukzZ55tHkCspXpqe00nubUe7kOnsH52PMzNGPEpVdh9VAdPaYkhe8Z0U7IcCthZPxick9iNl37Y1Jf2WrDKLUHc1PNR6pN_BK4hhD1bhtQgvS-oviavNnYmoGpaHfM3imOhOjoRYZ-xQLxY5i6vfNAE0S3LZeZDnpdR1kacD7i_J3a0Rpywqu8/w400-h300/20230918_084329.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And walking down the hill the other way and looking east, you can just see the Massif Central in the far distance.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde371u-H3vazvOJBjmhG3mbwGLy9hAfbF1L8442GhGMGIgOHwpyIWwwInLgC-sSit_22UyvnkHMipxWpqLeGcabk2vl0Vq1tGIdwKC3UHfzNUa9KjYEKbXSw9DoH-Kd3EShIYroqhSZVAhj0fVqGTFwIoIshFqVsHASpyNHG6JX1bYf8fdTe1TgdXcQw/s3264/20230918_085154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde371u-H3vazvOJBjmhG3mbwGLy9hAfbF1L8442GhGMGIgOHwpyIWwwInLgC-sSit_22UyvnkHMipxWpqLeGcabk2vl0Vq1tGIdwKC3UHfzNUa9KjYEKbXSw9DoH-Kd3EShIYroqhSZVAhj0fVqGTFwIoIshFqVsHASpyNHG6JX1bYf8fdTe1TgdXcQw/w400-h300/20230918_085154.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And on another day, a different shape to the mist.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPIWqBjl3oKD3jYp2LzcGp7ehsp2Fkx5nCVsC3PV1uux147FY4MCZC757PVz0V7hAEyAfXwWySyKRIjQxxBI_TrStOOHjbeJtO1N6tDBst_Fe_7seRYTvoGXFTd35xcJYPPh0HkdzcAzSeKNX1DIURj_hoSv-dr0cSM1uNjjHQlc1hODrJj7s5zdshpM/s3264/20230918_090204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPIWqBjl3oKD3jYp2LzcGp7ehsp2Fkx5nCVsC3PV1uux147FY4MCZC757PVz0V7hAEyAfXwWySyKRIjQxxBI_TrStOOHjbeJtO1N6tDBst_Fe_7seRYTvoGXFTd35xcJYPPh0HkdzcAzSeKNX1DIURj_hoSv-dr0cSM1uNjjHQlc1hODrJj7s5zdshpM/w400-h300/20230918_090204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Plenty of sustenance in the hedgerows. Though I sometimes wondered if the cows had been at them before me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerzSa2uSL-E_iryAJBZNAp8mkMXNUmE1vvaCDrGt9Ycb6iFT874O4c5GZWE3mIpezXgix-0mndAm6HcTLfBTy6BGKYRHNjiChgy7IG2Zbcr41IssglDeMrQZoMYPAjpSZYl3AKooBwyUmnWBF_8NgI1POq2lG93eFXubFjBdSC-n3_HZ_HB9lBFH1CD4/s3264/20230918_090422.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerzSa2uSL-E_iryAJBZNAp8mkMXNUmE1vvaCDrGt9Ycb6iFT874O4c5GZWE3mIpezXgix-0mndAm6HcTLfBTy6BGKYRHNjiChgy7IG2Zbcr41IssglDeMrQZoMYPAjpSZYl3AKooBwyUmnWBF_8NgI1POq2lG93eFXubFjBdSC-n3_HZ_HB9lBFH1CD4/s320/20230918_090422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another view of the lake - from the tiny beach where a Resistance memorial commemorates a 1944 gunfight here - our little bay is obscured.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GiWYfbQQ4jCb4qSds95XDX3LprRQH9ng-d_HM-PQVJ2Yf-_2QywEMuZu_CtFzC2I9bMLZXYHwfqvQf6l6zk-DyMvd3js1hYNulCz0LKparTGWJ0jODGI-qNA1IYOTTy_QZFzijsJlX_y01ztGZdZbo6nz-JCYQnv9kLuCQHJo-t9sIGp-EKjxFdgrrU/s3264/20230918_092715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GiWYfbQQ4jCb4qSds95XDX3LprRQH9ng-d_HM-PQVJ2Yf-_2QywEMuZu_CtFzC2I9bMLZXYHwfqvQf6l6zk-DyMvd3js1hYNulCz0LKparTGWJ0jODGI-qNA1IYOTTy_QZFzijsJlX_y01ztGZdZbo6nz-JCYQnv9kLuCQHJo-t9sIGp-EKjxFdgrrU/w400-h300/20230918_092715.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Limousin calves are reared "sous la mere" - out in the pastures with their mothers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13KF5_Q8-DOvnZWUWk14c-pQ-XXyY4FbMeiel3_SE9HVUrTOzGJqQvRNOd23ouChx4zwBs2V3VMas_q7jE-sQQII2F1BUbcbJm09PJn84b0rFBUAjTS2SYHkZoXXwkuPrm9cXchelBLgZ_AW53Aw84dMwxU_MlKArvGkkah2oYSktDzzPz1qDMIK5lzg/s3264/20230919_083915.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13KF5_Q8-DOvnZWUWk14c-pQ-XXyY4FbMeiel3_SE9HVUrTOzGJqQvRNOd23ouChx4zwBs2V3VMas_q7jE-sQQII2F1BUbcbJm09PJn84b0rFBUAjTS2SYHkZoXXwkuPrm9cXchelBLgZ_AW53Aw84dMwxU_MlKArvGkkah2oYSktDzzPz1qDMIK5lzg/s320/20230919_083915.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Though unfortunately for them, <i>Tete de Veau </i>is still on the menu here. It was former President Jacques Chirac's favourite dish. He was a local boy.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNgaBJlh0vMp5vfYhw8spDDSrVwDRXtPgg-O3KfTQsY0LDhH1IorYOlyCx9b81lEUkPV3AQZMt1zDSfCZWiv2orxHN02bJI93YSkiSx2bUCTAdNkV38nn2FltwgLC6_duFKLm5VFu3QqXMZb_OFu-SB4OpBCXQRF545rfsiLaIpfS3w5RyqUAbIRv1-g/s3264/20230919_083945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNgaBJlh0vMp5vfYhw8spDDSrVwDRXtPgg-O3KfTQsY0LDhH1IorYOlyCx9b81lEUkPV3AQZMt1zDSfCZWiv2orxHN02bJI93YSkiSx2bUCTAdNkV38nn2FltwgLC6_duFKLm5VFu3QqXMZb_OFu-SB4OpBCXQRF545rfsiLaIpfS3w5RyqUAbIRv1-g/w400-h300/20230919_083945.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">These pink flowers were everywhere - they look like orchids but I wish I knew what they're actually called.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd8sd4X6QsKXK2tY-BJxg66oUZ_Jlf2_aP8wbAolONhNGOvFaWB8tUq2fk4dXeaY-enXYgs7ptlUofmn2vVZToUSVTEMAc5SizezPFjJo1sWLB8jZqejvwR7_Din0ylgGQn4nvWrhWRnH_oMh6FQ9VW0nDOcUJjcnbh_v-ULoIQUhrNiYzkODz82_UyE/s3264/20230919_084116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd8sd4X6QsKXK2tY-BJxg66oUZ_Jlf2_aP8wbAolONhNGOvFaWB8tUq2fk4dXeaY-enXYgs7ptlUofmn2vVZToUSVTEMAc5SizezPFjJo1sWLB8jZqejvwR7_Din0ylgGQn4nvWrhWRnH_oMh6FQ9VW0nDOcUJjcnbh_v-ULoIQUhrNiYzkODz82_UyE/s320/20230919_084116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the mist lifts, a view to the west, over the Plateau de Millevaches and the Monedieres mountains. Keep going for a couple of hours and you'll get to Limoges.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71fKtWQc3Crrfv7OESUsYSu3P6tDykc9-jW5NZxnDaboiaEZoDMLMgpDDCKK9km7FsbuvH3tBdwCQ5H-A0zuoOIo4q7_fpkFxIF2A6CJ0uXhxFiqYRuJiEF4ds5hSwxswHrMk0ccd8ItM8nECyfNCo-Q1U19bKDRmHJbEKH0G6b3l9wfn9jIlvd9gfQc/s3264/20230920_081139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71fKtWQc3Crrfv7OESUsYSu3P6tDykc9-jW5NZxnDaboiaEZoDMLMgpDDCKK9km7FsbuvH3tBdwCQ5H-A0zuoOIo4q7_fpkFxIF2A6CJ0uXhxFiqYRuJiEF4ds5hSwxswHrMk0ccd8ItM8nECyfNCo-Q1U19bKDRmHJbEKH0G6b3l9wfn9jIlvd9gfQc/w400-h300/20230920_081139.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">King Charles was visiting Paris - French television was obsessed and we had wall-to-wall coverage. I hope they fumigated his room for bed bugs. When they ran out of things to say about Brexit, the French TV talking heads brought on the team of chefs preparing the Royal banquet at Versailles. They lamented the fact that the drought had meant a lack of mushrooms. "We need a good thunderstorm". Well on our last evening down in Correze we had a good thunderstorm and guess what ....</span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIWCZxGBmsUPErKajqNfVakpCddcR5_c7X3JA1U8g0Jr3WOu3MpT2kNnqNFhbpZqahQhakUW_czWustYcWrfUfEBHHfgLrSdEQeNA3FRBKiVJZYcvP4_H-nYHraXu-gcfzz7Qp2MGX0_gdiZXXVCe5PEFWq9Rs0eOlbn8tMTT4AJ2L0eAEDAcGNU1NEE/s3264/20230920_192026.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIWCZxGBmsUPErKajqNfVakpCddcR5_c7X3JA1U8g0Jr3WOu3MpT2kNnqNFhbpZqahQhakUW_czWustYcWrfUfEBHHfgLrSdEQeNA3FRBKiVJZYcvP4_H-nYHraXu-gcfzz7Qp2MGX0_gdiZXXVCe5PEFWq9Rs0eOlbn8tMTT4AJ2L0eAEDAcGNU1NEE/s320/20230920_192026.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Perfect cepes for a perfect breakfast. Sadly not enough to share with HM though.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>*Pie. I looked it up. (But what's piebald then? It seems the French are like the Americans, who use "paint" for both. Is English the only language that differentiates?)</div><div><br /></div><div>To be continued.....</div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-61855077128058519172023-10-09T20:47:00.000-04:002023-10-09T20:47:12.518-04:00A Beautiful Autumn Return<p><i>Dateline: Cattaraugus County, western New York state </i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After six weeks in England and France - on which more later, we came back to a wonderful autumn.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU7uAZsaetGaDwqzrXTpw0nqkIwcAqiyGTkgFWWRlAQSvFWbmHAzSds9PFJwafakt-oUgZ5sSHdagLZkWBOId9rAu1aXiKVp5L000VzQ-GYlSHXQAKOS87YUbPobvQZ4w6hQRc8kohVCGAUNGl8LYKHvlOTqvpEp3kMhhz00wd31zZk_HoWHoakX-H_c/s4160/20231004_163225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU7uAZsaetGaDwqzrXTpw0nqkIwcAqiyGTkgFWWRlAQSvFWbmHAzSds9PFJwafakt-oUgZ5sSHdagLZkWBOId9rAu1aXiKVp5L000VzQ-GYlSHXQAKOS87YUbPobvQZ4w6hQRc8kohVCGAUNGl8LYKHvlOTqvpEp3kMhhz00wd31zZk_HoWHoakX-H_c/w300-h400/20231004_163225.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A few days of bright blue skies, warmth and gorgeous colours. Leaves falling like golden snow and a Byzantine mosaic covering the ground.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XKA8oOWcZx33Aup4_d2soz6-t4D6j95663yxv018NRa7mNwKRY_snM2A-MV5koUQ5DEB4eMrYRi7JrAsIDZ7fVHRKajbDwA8ZhxVZ7dZ_yxmzIUIZp8jzzd2j1vGVgPcUjCcJo5pRs4zSM1-L83e13tJMX1q2ht5lwAA4ee1JT5M9H6WZgTbMfQxWes/s4160/20231004_101303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XKA8oOWcZx33Aup4_d2soz6-t4D6j95663yxv018NRa7mNwKRY_snM2A-MV5koUQ5DEB4eMrYRi7JrAsIDZ7fVHRKajbDwA8ZhxVZ7dZ_yxmzIUIZp8jzzd2j1vGVgPcUjCcJo5pRs4zSM1-L83e13tJMX1q2ht5lwAA4ee1JT5M9H6WZgTbMfQxWes/w300-h400/20231004_101303.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">After a long dry spell, the leaves were particularly vivid - though I need a better camera to do them justice!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbjDN9hp_Fr8QuggOgGWP0LZRCFd6ezcnyiy-trjrsIHj9ebJQuHXfUnjrQ4reER9YXV8KPmiFfJ2BU1QH93wkE_m_PKHbAuWt9nzAQbtm9RAf8NjHdttFUgaiYNoNHL7u4Hmhyphenhyphenro4ThXUuFRCQYK3Ixfbx5Wc_vwlZJtJYNBiUA1BU_dtR9UPoHlyR4/s4160/20231004_100220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbjDN9hp_Fr8QuggOgGWP0LZRCFd6ezcnyiy-trjrsIHj9ebJQuHXfUnjrQ4reER9YXV8KPmiFfJ2BU1QH93wkE_m_PKHbAuWt9nzAQbtm9RAf8NjHdttFUgaiYNoNHL7u4Hmhyphenhyphenro4ThXUuFRCQYK3Ixfbx5Wc_vwlZJtJYNBiUA1BU_dtR9UPoHlyR4/w300-h400/20231004_100220.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's always lovely to see the morning mist lying over the valleys...</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcjaEj0nEEHlKIZU3BKvY-xdfjxyUnN0A2J_WQFC9GsmPFLwrUNT_-VjNhuBVc9FUKz5psLtwYU8NJxTFqIE24W-Qk7Z-ISgJbAWgmMs2dbZbwfOLYZkexynMb-RHta9pNDmyyId04z_FjVOw9becm1Sn1Iw2Y3coUMzU-GOvjq4B__oQSTw277dA2v8/s4160/20231004_100926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcjaEj0nEEHlKIZU3BKvY-xdfjxyUnN0A2J_WQFC9GsmPFLwrUNT_-VjNhuBVc9FUKz5psLtwYU8NJxTFqIE24W-Qk7Z-ISgJbAWgmMs2dbZbwfOLYZkexynMb-RHta9pNDmyyId04z_FjVOw9becm1Sn1Iw2Y3coUMzU-GOvjq4B__oQSTw277dA2v8/w300-h400/20231004_100926.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">...wherever you look.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlNak1DWsohMQuQLVNIvBHcAjAB-F00jSS28mg48FxW_TGlJzkDnzbuWIiy1N8tuqYzbOLYByToqRwF50vwLPyib8yH5RMx70jjzUOCysBy59eYBO9VIq3Y-yPLOXFrBNKHXvtZExvoOjekKQaiklP0ZbxDHYMY0UIbjuci69Uudc_SVBmAWGSxLfiok/s4160/20231004_093409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlNak1DWsohMQuQLVNIvBHcAjAB-F00jSS28mg48FxW_TGlJzkDnzbuWIiy1N8tuqYzbOLYByToqRwF50vwLPyib8yH5RMx70jjzUOCysBy59eYBO9VIq3Y-yPLOXFrBNKHXvtZExvoOjekKQaiklP0ZbxDHYMY0UIbjuci69Uudc_SVBmAWGSxLfiok/w300-h400/20231004_093409.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The sumacs by the side of the lane always put on a brave show.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4IVSuxqQR_yBiWNUhjDduUgNgxdk4TGkWqfs6YDBwhvyTCkFNI1cmtXr3S8ONVk6LmOWhnXIJegTfD_IFE20PzRjSFkeeVPF1eOkoZpSTA1DQoqj-e6QEdIowrraIRKllW_MoKCcU73chQIeNIhFjwIYM0Ct9UXkdvYJk5pXZCVnSRKPyS8hKw3NrMM/s4160/20231004_095028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4IVSuxqQR_yBiWNUhjDduUgNgxdk4TGkWqfs6YDBwhvyTCkFNI1cmtXr3S8ONVk6LmOWhnXIJegTfD_IFE20PzRjSFkeeVPF1eOkoZpSTA1DQoqj-e6QEdIowrraIRKllW_MoKCcU73chQIeNIhFjwIYM0Ct9UXkdvYJk5pXZCVnSRKPyS8hKw3NrMM/w400-h300/20231004_095028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, in the jungle garden, some flowers cling on.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o6Nu3oJfM7dnDBkPaXBOH4UWT0nr9wkxbMyduCMBeqO74C3ye7rjXkbgmz80iwGZBuWCnrIs5hYyGxrlVpfTGsDUAg1ARn8amwu_ZTrA11DphXg1PqekXK223ZKOScK6R_tn3UMJXbH_kU-CVNBN5Dq_i5cnrZyQloOk9fiele1bL0m3bMOULfQ0AQU/s4160/20231003_132754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o6Nu3oJfM7dnDBkPaXBOH4UWT0nr9wkxbMyduCMBeqO74C3ye7rjXkbgmz80iwGZBuWCnrIs5hYyGxrlVpfTGsDUAg1ARn8amwu_ZTrA11DphXg1PqekXK223ZKOScK6R_tn3UMJXbH_kU-CVNBN5Dq_i5cnrZyQloOk9fiele1bL0m3bMOULfQ0AQU/w300-h400/20231003_132754.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">That lovely, slightly neglected autumnal look - well we have been away!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnla0djO1_6HMu0fBMfD7bev7jsnCa3jskWHQi2yTvqk6VDKtlVVJFMrY_FPjkM6X_WBsj2UlXgCYF3IiOOkNPljKbzQK9T_8ulD47t7_ab3WC5_fYcY-7ewwGbnzNNJ15g2Nm_8TaQYKpEB19yRMvgE2oi7_J_0EJ8fRIYVGKuxwCQP2AnaSPvwp6AA/s4160/20231003_132418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnla0djO1_6HMu0fBMfD7bev7jsnCa3jskWHQi2yTvqk6VDKtlVVJFMrY_FPjkM6X_WBsj2UlXgCYF3IiOOkNPljKbzQK9T_8ulD47t7_ab3WC5_fYcY-7ewwGbnzNNJ15g2Nm_8TaQYKpEB19yRMvgE2oi7_J_0EJ8fRIYVGKuxwCQP2AnaSPvwp6AA/w400-h300/20231003_132418.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I've given up trying to keep the deer away. I put some half-hearted netting around the rhododedrons but the rest will have to fend for itself. I just chased two impertinent deer away this evening. One stood brazenly staring at me, not at all frightened. They know we'll soon be going south and then the place will be theirs.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUlGg4FJh0S5v90zMQc2PineZ7ScSG7qifLHM9MdMOl1bEmhfLpHgoQBV_-8I3NBJGUytpQy1rtx_pN3DEHKcCt2AP08IX3-6gp3Xe-hVC3udi9934Oz42pDacRfJZOrkqHd8MlRp5_pGLIuQH4SdONxh3yPG3JH9eCanqbVj6sDPIGsWqNn-rEJyPQM/s4160/20231003_132404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUlGg4FJh0S5v90zMQc2PineZ7ScSG7qifLHM9MdMOl1bEmhfLpHgoQBV_-8I3NBJGUytpQy1rtx_pN3DEHKcCt2AP08IX3-6gp3Xe-hVC3udi9934Oz42pDacRfJZOrkqHd8MlRp5_pGLIuQH4SdONxh3yPG3JH9eCanqbVj6sDPIGsWqNn-rEJyPQM/w400-h300/20231003_132404.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But these were the last warm days.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTfIMDV2E4eoQ-BDkGiRS_GuhV1LpmGN4Z0iRKQs3YnFEKvj9j8qZ_X0PvS4mhM1MC6gHFSUnSdaO-HsJroX-FmEiG4KCB_KyTSYKgGjOhw8CtR5em86lxY6TCkcHeVjbxigxQzEEzZk6iOURpZ1p_dDWbeyC1jbIbzSfVZ1Ov_FT6TJQMBcjOU8ez0g/s4160/20231003_132349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTfIMDV2E4eoQ-BDkGiRS_GuhV1LpmGN4Z0iRKQs3YnFEKvj9j8qZ_X0PvS4mhM1MC6gHFSUnSdaO-HsJroX-FmEiG4KCB_KyTSYKgGjOhw8CtR5em86lxY6TCkcHeVjbxigxQzEEzZk6iOURpZ1p_dDWbeyC1jbIbzSfVZ1Ov_FT6TJQMBcjOU8ez0g/w300-h400/20231003_132349.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Suddenly, at the weekend, it turned cold, biting cold. Well not exactly winter cold but for us, now too used to Florida, quite cold enough. Time to pack. Ready for another road trip for me, another flight for hubby. But wherever I am, I'm always sorry to leave.</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-43807399577478052282023-08-31T10:39:00.027-04:002023-08-31T10:39:00.140-04:00The Jungle in August<p> <i>Dateline: Cattaraugus County, western New York State</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The woodland cottage garden look is just about reaching its peak.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcU2fP08LG7B39bom5QJvQYXxYq1qJmQmW5dmjpkhu7znMds-w0SAkkhBao3NbV2YkeZEvtRMl6pRpBtdhrEkmtv3qFUbYdSgEeGCCIlohfFIrqY_Kn0IsYYEcEVXX5vIxswePajl1ylIuxQAGIg61RBG-Z7d3tAlbNQsZ7RcM6fWVRJTVtFGimrko8I/s4160/20230810_184308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcU2fP08LG7B39bom5QJvQYXxYq1qJmQmW5dmjpkhu7znMds-w0SAkkhBao3NbV2YkeZEvtRMl6pRpBtdhrEkmtv3qFUbYdSgEeGCCIlohfFIrqY_Kn0IsYYEcEVXX5vIxswePajl1ylIuxQAGIg61RBG-Z7d3tAlbNQsZ7RcM6fWVRJTVtFGimrko8I/w300-h400/20230810_184308.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course it wasn't originally going to be a wild woodland English cottage garden but a perfectly manicured American-style one with neat clumps of the same time of flower separated by lots of mulch. That strategy did not work.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpUsjKAo0GaB5-BFunfTSwO9Q9JB3EfS2FOHqbwGQzLoV8D07JC_Rezp0zn3xAjQiKpxDNNUfSnM91RLQulfrRhpsH8yTMHVIEaBvsYQ52DUXvjjLoOOg6q-GIRH-ylZyZMVEpALsfJYI46rt0aHN4-WaX4X_74TPeVT6kDHNXw6T8G-O1gzq85dcs7Y/s4160/20230801_093214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpUsjKAo0GaB5-BFunfTSwO9Q9JB3EfS2FOHqbwGQzLoV8D07JC_Rezp0zn3xAjQiKpxDNNUfSnM91RLQulfrRhpsH8yTMHVIEaBvsYQ52DUXvjjLoOOg6q-GIRH-ylZyZMVEpALsfJYI46rt0aHN4-WaX4X_74TPeVT6kDHNXw6T8G-O1gzq85dcs7Y/w300-h400/20230801_093214.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Even if the garden shed always manages to look tidy.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWMO5eiE6BNywCD7LqvQ1KUteaL3p6076wuRHVaM_y8JjQAJw7ErGRM5f0K6OOVg-hB7Gp787T98ir9zElZvSkyLwQFAX2tzu3TavWkEIgBB3pM8wnX8lsb5fFfegrY-ij8l51SoPsfYgvxo_AAqqDN4RlpjelLZrgNaXK5miCSjQDUgmxaW86RNIrds/s4160/20230722_134954.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWMO5eiE6BNywCD7LqvQ1KUteaL3p6076wuRHVaM_y8JjQAJw7ErGRM5f0K6OOVg-hB7Gp787T98ir9zElZvSkyLwQFAX2tzu3TavWkEIgBB3pM8wnX8lsb5fFfegrY-ij8l51SoPsfYgvxo_AAqqDN4RlpjelLZrgNaXK5miCSjQDUgmxaW86RNIrds/s320/20230722_134954.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I caught a few dastardly Japanese beetles but thankfully their friends appear to have taken fright and scarpered and we didn't have any more trouble. I think the majority opinion around here is that traps just attract more of the brutes. So it's a case of grabbing them and chucking them in the slug bucket.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsLzaw0iQEjRITSbn7l4RIhCzsSWHQfVo4CMSFnsC0UfSHbQxNirLlSWh2hgUYe_rJgZGtA3h1hoLrJpwWSc33IjeOksS4w2kIsaYdGv-EdlrEQxzB1jVCqzsqAk_QXpxI6Jpmkni8rFRS_6V_Syx3Ik6Xmiu8WAr8lDA8H4DHRpmGcRasYZRtis9k-w/s4160/20230722_135103.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsLzaw0iQEjRITSbn7l4RIhCzsSWHQfVo4CMSFnsC0UfSHbQxNirLlSWh2hgUYe_rJgZGtA3h1hoLrJpwWSc33IjeOksS4w2kIsaYdGv-EdlrEQxzB1jVCqzsqAk_QXpxI6Jpmkni8rFRS_6V_Syx3Ik6Xmiu8WAr8lDA8H4DHRpmGcRasYZRtis9k-w/s320/20230722_135103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in July, Jack Daniels, as I call him, was at his best.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95YnN4WxxHbGYn5VEQi3RIzhj1LqD_3XYpZD4YLWaVFhBfOq6nXM-TSqm-5utlziAZRzWcB7RTDm-W6eByvPTg7QT5kvphQi_Yh6y2OziLE-80GGIDHg0mwu3tuv-Br03hzuS27-VLVAwA5gqmC1wQLX63GOaiT9Js5lZyBJ9yrKM0i0gGTEHVnp--YI/s4160/20230722_150210.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95YnN4WxxHbGYn5VEQi3RIzhj1LqD_3XYpZD4YLWaVFhBfOq6nXM-TSqm-5utlziAZRzWcB7RTDm-W6eByvPTg7QT5kvphQi_Yh6y2OziLE-80GGIDHg0mwu3tuv-Br03hzuS27-VLVAwA5gqmC1wQLX63GOaiT9Js5lZyBJ9yrKM0i0gGTEHVnp--YI/w400-h300/20230722_150210.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Later came the obedient plants - spreading everywhere. They're almost as bad as what I call the yellow perils. But they are very pretty.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eptppCTQ142ChR_i5BX-SSZEnqTc1KadrtiLImeeaRskUOz1D-F4Ya4EPIgWHXTXnIqo8Wuv8L72MRvdJzgIuzspSkPidRlxHF6r574I0mol0_kMjh1CTV48s16UW6KYRm11Xb1DS3vlMMmm5AgJppTgRkU2frrArnx1dyDm0V_X8Ljwmmt6KIyt_Ak/s4160/20230810_184813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eptppCTQ142ChR_i5BX-SSZEnqTc1KadrtiLImeeaRskUOz1D-F4Ya4EPIgWHXTXnIqo8Wuv8L72MRvdJzgIuzspSkPidRlxHF6r574I0mol0_kMjh1CTV48s16UW6KYRm11Xb1DS3vlMMmm5AgJppTgRkU2frrArnx1dyDm0V_X8Ljwmmt6KIyt_Ak/w300-h400/20230810_184813.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've never seen so many bees on a small clump of flowers. There must be something in them they love. This chap couldn't get enough.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDQbJoURcZGkyGQF1ET4CqLW7eLfLeT_mRitk3mbXrTV--6ICsKof_Etv9D7bpcYaEqX2d7t77dAK6654RDn4RjV6abSoVHwmwPQu0JFt9YlvLFAItU-CjtcCeKTJ6o8Y6qcVRExiY6FG50TZCq936MBcTfrrwb9U4Bji_uP5RJocYxixtKhX-lEzPGw/s2080/20230810_185327~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="2080" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDQbJoURcZGkyGQF1ET4CqLW7eLfLeT_mRitk3mbXrTV--6ICsKof_Etv9D7bpcYaEqX2d7t77dAK6654RDn4RjV6abSoVHwmwPQu0JFt9YlvLFAItU-CjtcCeKTJ6o8Y6qcVRExiY6FG50TZCq936MBcTfrrwb9U4Bji_uP5RJocYxixtKhX-lEzPGw/s320/20230810_185327~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The trumpet vine is out of control. The gift from my master-gardener brother-in-law that just keeps on giving.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPdNsiaZqEAwlsITGPTo5UeESojyPTTi5YlbrTKRMQfWDRK54XYSqE2niF8v4GwNsy-H-T8QDgDV5ei7uJaHtHQwzKvCrtXeiu9qACaRp1ZCGQGmbLPLHjJCAxifn-gHyrfOIYKVh-6ZRFOCbcnkLeltbimEKD6KC0PSrElUX2e-fC0feDKroZlm_0RQ/s4160/20230820_132910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPdNsiaZqEAwlsITGPTo5UeESojyPTTi5YlbrTKRMQfWDRK54XYSqE2niF8v4GwNsy-H-T8QDgDV5ei7uJaHtHQwzKvCrtXeiu9qACaRp1ZCGQGmbLPLHjJCAxifn-gHyrfOIYKVh-6ZRFOCbcnkLeltbimEKD6KC0PSrElUX2e-fC0feDKroZlm_0RQ/s320/20230820_132910.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">No more flower beds but meadow beds. A free-for-all but I' was heartened again by this year's Chelsea Flower Show which seemed to favour the untidy look.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pM1vhEYwiti-Kfyh8tf-F9aSX6329Lq8GM8dtRM8t4aA-P3otGAxj7YUKaeDqFtwl2NK5kVP4Pa4_UfJ_Ajj04xomN-xrQByY2OMcyyW-UaUUEv4M-RSkPYMKg7vViPYK9W91EW1_0jxeXfaOWK8WX_-Hntz6ECZRDjt96fsqfd_80VJ8ieUrk5lifU/s4160/20230820_145656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pM1vhEYwiti-Kfyh8tf-F9aSX6329Lq8GM8dtRM8t4aA-P3otGAxj7YUKaeDqFtwl2NK5kVP4Pa4_UfJ_Ajj04xomN-xrQByY2OMcyyW-UaUUEv4M-RSkPYMKg7vViPYK9W91EW1_0jxeXfaOWK8WX_-Hntz6ECZRDjt96fsqfd_80VJ8ieUrk5lifU/w400-h300/20230820_145656.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In front the daisies are always good value though one morning I came outside and found something large had landed in the middle of them and left a trough. Maybe the same culprit that uprooted everything earlier in the year.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJb6CEgWu1YwJrHAglqXtMmhLOGYctOrB9cRbYLZexATTJe9eQzk26I0SxVGWuA_5Szmrf1164Ylcgg9v1JPax9BCwIW0CgWxF25pEoUklGH2n93QiJ_9zB9VEEqZbUOhcwj3KID_zb1_QMjYh_LWK4q23BZpV_yEPHCSU7fCDDtmFLdJpm9Q-UidqCgI/s4160/20230820_150033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJb6CEgWu1YwJrHAglqXtMmhLOGYctOrB9cRbYLZexATTJe9eQzk26I0SxVGWuA_5Szmrf1164Ylcgg9v1JPax9BCwIW0CgWxF25pEoUklGH2n93QiJ_9zB9VEEqZbUOhcwj3KID_zb1_QMjYh_LWK4q23BZpV_yEPHCSU7fCDDtmFLdJpm9Q-UidqCgI/s320/20230820_150033.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The hardy hydrangeas are getting massive. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1dEiixV5NBJXtfP4-ZYMdhNeZ_tOpSqpWJcR8yftpSkCBX8Yw6-TjKHb1O6lKRuXYVOv4eNAKymYdtrZI7z12U5KUxBAHmmel70p_Ny3V_ECTTbV_PP9Asuc7I1a07rcTq4Yd25WhA3xG-Zy8SULjIAFnJf7m9U_ofxSyMU1htfrkF-XTDwtYA6S0JA/s4160/20230820_150440.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1dEiixV5NBJXtfP4-ZYMdhNeZ_tOpSqpWJcR8yftpSkCBX8Yw6-TjKHb1O6lKRuXYVOv4eNAKymYdtrZI7z12U5KUxBAHmmel70p_Ny3V_ECTTbV_PP9Asuc7I1a07rcTq4Yd25WhA3xG-Zy8SULjIAFnJf7m9U_ofxSyMU1htfrkF-XTDwtYA6S0JA/w400-h300/20230820_150440.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have to say that, although I complained about the slugs earlier in the year and they devoured all the lupins, they don't seem to have waddled off to eat anything else. Perhaps the melon rinds I scattered around enticed them and they got indigestion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another foe, the deer, do seem to have repelled by the Irish spring soap, judiciously tied to bamboo poles and smelling like inside of a minicab.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCLvBcighsHv_vvUd4Bl_d-sw9R-lOYXH3fwQNlu2G2dYTh8F1FByHKEHe9Zkn6jfdt5Uf5TCqbMxcfQwdltmz_xcBJBnwe5Qxv49DwpICz0tQ1_mVYBRVV1TsRApExpwvy6UPL18buc6KIK_XAn25eWaZ-d-bX57tWRjKNJeiabsTWs1Ro6K95-1eDc/s4160/20230820_151548.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCLvBcighsHv_vvUd4Bl_d-sw9R-lOYXH3fwQNlu2G2dYTh8F1FByHKEHe9Zkn6jfdt5Uf5TCqbMxcfQwdltmz_xcBJBnwe5Qxv49DwpICz0tQ1_mVYBRVV1TsRApExpwvy6UPL18buc6KIK_XAn25eWaZ-d-bX57tWRjKNJeiabsTWs1Ro6K95-1eDc/w300-h400/20230820_151548.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alas all the blueberries got eaten once again, whether by chipmunks or birds. One attacks from above and one from below. We'll have to think up a new strategy next year. But on balance I think I can claim some modest success.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-39768356404684633132023-08-20T21:03:00.000-04:002023-08-20T21:03:19.614-04:00The Battle of Monmouth 2023<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Here's a bit of a flashback - in more ways than one! June found us in Monmouth County, New Jersey on the trail of hubby's ancestors. As it happened, they were re-enacting the Battle of Monmouth, which took place in 1778 (that's not the one that happened in Wales in 1233.) In this Battle of Monmouth, George Washington led the Continental Army - including one of the ancestors - against the British redcoats, seen here preparing for the fray. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00hbWGfqiPi0UTZECB2lceEVwqqV1A5ALeJ0pGgmKVf66Lg8xBw9oR17RAvxRa9OrfoPvMJ_k_uPuTqNjjTGvsnW2ZQheZORH5zgp4RFZbQMhX39AvfwC77D7LK-smcZmrmuyaSgGpJUHp_ZRthPRu1Imq_WKRNv0kLMSMylM97Oy-1ozZk3RQ4TjDzs/s4160/20230617_133957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00hbWGfqiPi0UTZECB2lceEVwqqV1A5ALeJ0pGgmKVf66Lg8xBw9oR17RAvxRa9OrfoPvMJ_k_uPuTqNjjTGvsnW2ZQheZORH5zgp4RFZbQMhX39AvfwC77D7LK-smcZmrmuyaSgGpJUHp_ZRthPRu1Imq_WKRNv0kLMSMylM97Oy-1ozZk3RQ4TjDzs/w400-h300/20230617_133957.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">And here some stalwart chaps are having a little break - they've all sleeping in those tents and have another night to go. Very authentic. No hotel comforts for them.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7McxzeT9W5sPxm_IUAb6nI48-DO7mSXNnwZGb2_Uw88V2GaYmzrPxHcOKzg92YyzR1zzcrOBNVXptNQ9XkrWcJxysjyoWFbDFh1l6pOCQtoieVubaJLYEvQIobqC-Xmvcu5eC1ebL-YCZl0SRrUrZKIb2v9mfjWQudi-0pNhfZMG4eLs5Cv813M5dXA/s4160/20230617_153949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7McxzeT9W5sPxm_IUAb6nI48-DO7mSXNnwZGb2_Uw88V2GaYmzrPxHcOKzg92YyzR1zzcrOBNVXptNQ9XkrWcJxysjyoWFbDFh1l6pOCQtoieVubaJLYEvQIobqC-Xmvcu5eC1ebL-YCZl0SRrUrZKIb2v9mfjWQudi-0pNhfZMG4eLs5Cv813M5dXA/w400-h300/20230617_153949.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We asked these lads what the green uniform was. They replied curtly, "We are Jagers from Germany", as if we were clueless for asking. In this case they were helping the British.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxmL7CIJEOtArc9qOF5itoJ3w6fdZ9vJ7eXTtYQ54C7VhJMjzk_EGIDR8QnhaPNOtvltF5tVKu23u9fRonEFd-Cnr7jeKsCCTbeVVAPlyeetcGQTGNJdqyq0cSdaaUDHKf8bqb3h-pftmylXl-ezG516d_BzzcASFZ0EfF4aH_qDPcYf7OFWTytOx0Bw/s4160/20230617_154117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxmL7CIJEOtArc9qOF5itoJ3w6fdZ9vJ7eXTtYQ54C7VhJMjzk_EGIDR8QnhaPNOtvltF5tVKu23u9fRonEFd-Cnr7jeKsCCTbeVVAPlyeetcGQTGNJdqyq0cSdaaUDHKf8bqb3h-pftmylXl-ezG516d_BzzcASFZ0EfF4aH_qDPcYf7OFWTytOx0Bw/s320/20230617_154117.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Re-enactments are tough work.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pj-plbtFvaR6slK5oVI8TeU2XwvANWbvXqynKViqgXi8iyI1kSL0yQPB4cAuz4iI47HMAlJJrhJFmdiZKvU_uY0ICiLSIb_h_kgiJzFpTX2uJUlWmOS0Qkg0WWaPm7gCSlMapSjLTu8IrmW-Vt0M45YFsjvGVVWl9Hse43u0aqRrvVnC9fme0MKq7wU/s4160/20230617_154145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pj-plbtFvaR6slK5oVI8TeU2XwvANWbvXqynKViqgXi8iyI1kSL0yQPB4cAuz4iI47HMAlJJrhJFmdiZKvU_uY0ICiLSIb_h_kgiJzFpTX2uJUlWmOS0Qkg0WWaPm7gCSlMapSjLTu8IrmW-Vt0M45YFsjvGVVWl9Hse43u0aqRrvVnC9fme0MKq7wU/s320/20230617_154145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Everything the stalls sold was authentic too - sweets, tools, shoes... We bought some tea, as thrown overboard in Boston.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ89avNyzuec96OUsMsawTIDl5HjNWp7m_QXevq7F_8cKgctGm8Fx4s9gP9sjY11yBHYu5X64fVSQ5aXYYLiRT5m43jBMTVRC4vy2flSpI5PZx8CPoIJaFnH00KY5iExnHjRi1XOlsi297AxpQ1vzJbrEJmh8bjqcWQ_vvltInbcKhWOemr-NZLr2STc/s4160/20230617_154527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ89avNyzuec96OUsMsawTIDl5HjNWp7m_QXevq7F_8cKgctGm8Fx4s9gP9sjY11yBHYu5X64fVSQ5aXYYLiRT5m43jBMTVRC4vy2flSpI5PZx8CPoIJaFnH00KY5iExnHjRi1XOlsi297AxpQ1vzJbrEJmh8bjqcWQ_vvltInbcKhWOemr-NZLr2STc/s320/20230617_154527.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They didn't so selfies in 1778 - had to ask a friend.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDlKNj531a1kDTPkoWf6C5Rqp9C_UVmqBCZj3aNxmrUv80g-kGHGcYtuPkljmny9SDeyyedYaj0Ja0WN04Wet-D7eYATZ82Z8Pdq0iFCruOacQfqAKG5fdIXEijbX2xKXLTQxJObIFKDzGcxuibx-BseRnPLOPopvOjB_dhM43lqt9rnUEo8WqLZUXnc/s4160/20230617_153824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDlKNj531a1kDTPkoWf6C5Rqp9C_UVmqBCZj3aNxmrUv80g-kGHGcYtuPkljmny9SDeyyedYaj0Ja0WN04Wet-D7eYATZ82Z8Pdq0iFCruOacQfqAKG5fdIXEijbX2xKXLTQxJObIFKDzGcxuibx-BseRnPLOPopvOjB_dhM43lqt9rnUEo8WqLZUXnc/s320/20230617_153824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">George Washington chivvies his elegant officers along. The road does look a bit modern ....<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXce8RlbPNYIwBGUTQZNwIWBeMylWFn8qR___yW5MsK0NXOckzfJMAf0fqwP_pAtUs4MJ3g-v8cB8P79H6fSlMXyjsKawb623EHxC8aOrkl2wHsBBCU5mpI8c4_1jm0Ot1CuRZ3uhgTqYC79Ke-HxlxvWY9DSi-NR55xYhiWbUZ-J8O2lUlrVWn2UcnA/s4160/20230617_153752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXce8RlbPNYIwBGUTQZNwIWBeMylWFn8qR___yW5MsK0NXOckzfJMAf0fqwP_pAtUs4MJ3g-v8cB8P79H6fSlMXyjsKawb623EHxC8aOrkl2wHsBBCU5mpI8c4_1jm0Ot1CuRZ3uhgTqYC79Ke-HxlxvWY9DSi-NR55xYhiWbUZ-J8O2lUlrVWn2UcnA/w400-h300/20230617_153752.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">But most other things were exactly as was. Including, campfires, cooking utensils</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA-3m9zxn5KBUeP4KMGgf_w7IJGEGK_9nfTeNTTk6VKi9LG49qWUtnYF8qByBlO_dNNu_Tb8IEoqwyJu6ZYdIuJx-QI1ssEwS_5wykgmLzf61nP7C9CZUr3TCjWc8EKwjqrkv1gMJ0TxxCXAsZyuGN7vf33esyWRrQ4d3JUG7cS0i2yGd7Btm4dmnWx0/s4160/20230617_134046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA-3m9zxn5KBUeP4KMGgf_w7IJGEGK_9nfTeNTTk6VKi9LG49qWUtnYF8qByBlO_dNNu_Tb8IEoqwyJu6ZYdIuJx-QI1ssEwS_5wykgmLzf61nP7C9CZUr3TCjWc8EKwjqrkv1gMJ0TxxCXAsZyuGN7vf33esyWRrQ4d3JUG7cS0i2yGd7Btm4dmnWx0/s320/20230617_134046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And the food</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN82SRpAQm6ad6NZt86xpab_R18eIxPYsU2aPcgK8CvpDsMPQS9Iv4ts4BuBbE6trM-tsqJNe2ORDSqSTdt5airkjPCqLLvCxXfipZAHbe6ZvCXUBLZ6q4htSemtsbaMuHraolVk3BcF75nJnWgf93Oqf-bT0QToKye3qCVDRkl6PcWUB8IglMJyAG6k/s4160/20230617_134042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN82SRpAQm6ad6NZt86xpab_R18eIxPYsU2aPcgK8CvpDsMPQS9Iv4ts4BuBbE6trM-tsqJNe2ORDSqSTdt5airkjPCqLLvCxXfipZAHbe6ZvCXUBLZ6q4htSemtsbaMuHraolVk3BcF75nJnWgf93Oqf-bT0QToKye3qCVDRkl6PcWUB8IglMJyAG6k/s320/20230617_134042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Though the clothes and uniforms...</span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAnYGlwM8CIa6WIXjHNcHZ8H12bQxM8OR4MSw3BaK1-5o4o9aM0JkahkLcvoWbcBlU2D817ufzjk7UO5H5ovLgwCedrloUK1CGewkicnD0CSK14lTOcxRnY02qIYDYfQkRehgu57hZuM_D5xl_kwBJoHj_oTFBA_tCYNBLUEV4dvUt13rZinl254IXUk/s4160/20230617_152844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAnYGlwM8CIa6WIXjHNcHZ8H12bQxM8OR4MSw3BaK1-5o4o9aM0JkahkLcvoWbcBlU2D817ufzjk7UO5H5ovLgwCedrloUK1CGewkicnD0CSK14lTOcxRnY02qIYDYfQkRehgu57hZuM_D5xl_kwBJoHj_oTFBA_tCYNBLUEV4dvUt13rZinl254IXUk/w400-h300/20230617_152844.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">may have been a little less pristine back in the day.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RyqBYT_TJGVhVO4wad6jxasDt3nRN0aiFg4ZqYzxapqPtzp8xRYPMkZqZVQ7kgpuryuX1j6r5WUFAz_p2pqDkdDAMNsz-91f5PuxqxGpyLZ7vornqoxsAIzxzBRkd9r9OcEqOBbwSnkqd7OtGpbC6RxF02cdgfRAO9fvv_1erAf3xBlxLWvJixeS79Y/s4160/20230617_152821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RyqBYT_TJGVhVO4wad6jxasDt3nRN0aiFg4ZqYzxapqPtzp8xRYPMkZqZVQ7kgpuryuX1j6r5WUFAz_p2pqDkdDAMNsz-91f5PuxqxGpyLZ7vornqoxsAIzxzBRkd9r9OcEqOBbwSnkqd7OtGpbC6RxF02cdgfRAO9fvv_1erAf3xBlxLWvJixeS79Y/w400-h300/20230617_152821.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just before the battle started there was an almighty clap of thunder and the rain poured down as we cowardly spectators rushed for cover, unlike the gallant combatants. But it was worth coming back as the sun soon returned.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAetqM5C0FlU9wC9ogPLEcPVKqYPGWr-Jej3zjrb9b9IUfIlTgHhnBx9co0NISJEtrKi7WYPxY_f29o58uQSL3HwreUtM_-le41RimdiJ-MNpMziN-eCaBV8Vjd1IMO6EE0XgvEzor3VYaEqX8vmB8MB47akliuCl2-OL849WEZzaIlFkKJGXUdsP02o/s4160/20230617_150436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAetqM5C0FlU9wC9ogPLEcPVKqYPGWr-Jej3zjrb9b9IUfIlTgHhnBx9co0NISJEtrKi7WYPxY_f29o58uQSL3HwreUtM_-le41RimdiJ-MNpMziN-eCaBV8Vjd1IMO6EE0XgvEzor3VYaEqX8vmB8MB47akliuCl2-OL849WEZzaIlFkKJGXUdsP02o/w400-h300/20230617_150436.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And amid a lot of loud bangs of a different kind, the skirmish continued.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1nqGKX5XtWpHOptd3DlWv_GmT7Z9HpWZDy2mVTLSbdqnkSUOpqQuBTJnXjPHqHLTh8FcqpqjwIwkAzg7bc99AAcIp3CzOR5D0OCH7Rq7Sj1fy3Mdin7iCTKbE-z5-CHfuNGJV0fyIj1cYiSQgBfnoATCKkcKofgAbODBR9Q1xlekeWFVDAfeFr5fjn4/s4160/20230617_150321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1nqGKX5XtWpHOptd3DlWv_GmT7Z9HpWZDy2mVTLSbdqnkSUOpqQuBTJnXjPHqHLTh8FcqpqjwIwkAzg7bc99AAcIp3CzOR5D0OCH7Rq7Sj1fy3Mdin7iCTKbE-z5-CHfuNGJV0fyIj1cYiSQgBfnoATCKkcKofgAbODBR9Q1xlekeWFVDAfeFr5fjn4/w400-h300/20230617_150321.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">That was a good one!</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSTWDG7rCe8e_s-rDQn4KvGs75k-I2VzXK5bvULK_orDlKjMccmgCPVATwdOvUPbEOcf1Mi4eiGUatPEM-JKWir5SNbN3FGOpRwRlO7U_2XZG4aRqxrUxm0PeIRNu4AWrZ49fV3-u_vxY5eu6cpyMfwU5kRW-573nBJYBve6nz4ZlyE0sf5D2DzZsAeQ/s4160/20230617_145916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSTWDG7rCe8e_s-rDQn4KvGs75k-I2VzXK5bvULK_orDlKjMccmgCPVATwdOvUPbEOcf1Mi4eiGUatPEM-JKWir5SNbN3FGOpRwRlO7U_2XZG4aRqxrUxm0PeIRNu4AWrZ49fV3-u_vxY5eu6cpyMfwU5kRW-573nBJYBve6nz4ZlyE0sf5D2DzZsAeQ/w300-h400/20230617_145916.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was all stirring stuff but, not following the commentary on the tannoy very well, I had to ask hubby who won. "Well the British left the field,", he said, "but I suppose you could call it a draw. Though", he added, what matters is that WE won the war." OK ok, family pride, I get it! There were plenty of dead bodies strewn across the field, exhibiting remarkable self-discipline. None of them moved till the spectators started to disperse.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR3--p9MFkFLEIk9UqfOPe9FBl4PjnrLh0e8ygug1QAPwHaWdvUCvmQoyozr0CGRxEx15MTE7lJeG655pxD0NdbQNFhivJA-gs-NeQocNfkxgIcWk1akYH2h7WcVaUYMNuRe7monAT9Ff4Dc0D2oGvbuli_yvVXIKuk3DlupSADYZTJ0W7BcqZg6H2Ns/s4160/20230617_150631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR3--p9MFkFLEIk9UqfOPe9FBl4PjnrLh0e8ygug1QAPwHaWdvUCvmQoyozr0CGRxEx15MTE7lJeG655pxD0NdbQNFhivJA-gs-NeQocNfkxgIcWk1akYH2h7WcVaUYMNuRe7monAT9Ff4Dc0D2oGvbuli_yvVXIKuk3DlupSADYZTJ0W7BcqZg6H2Ns/w400-h300/20230617_150631.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was very impressive and I take my bonnet off to them. I'm always amazed at how fervently they do their history this side of the pond. Perhaps because they have somewhat less of it than the British, they preserve and cherish it more. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic, including a lot of children. Great that they were so interested in their heritage - or perhaps it was all the bangs and smoke. I bought hubby a T shirt that said "Battle of Monmouth 1778". I made sure it was a red one though.</span></div></div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-48017502994591517212023-07-12T22:43:00.002-04:002023-07-12T22:45:28.337-04:00Meanwhile Back in the Jungle...<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">An update: after weeks of drought we've had days of torrential rain - yes, believe it or not this was yesterday ......</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebdSdUlQEuTC2xs_E7I3Mp_z1Goh3FvlN_gnqHGLLNwy2vW59AJlR5GVDYyMlpIZLI34RBdvog8wW2b-2naIwlHycUaRcyKQfxajstm9kKZWL2PC73LtoTFTb_SL0OgPvnGtHdb2IHmQXdC4AZbf4MW3azMMsPLDQ1GonwgjSk2EpmQpnAQhf_6WpNaU/s4160/20230709_075858.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebdSdUlQEuTC2xs_E7I3Mp_z1Goh3FvlN_gnqHGLLNwy2vW59AJlR5GVDYyMlpIZLI34RBdvog8wW2b-2naIwlHycUaRcyKQfxajstm9kKZWL2PC73LtoTFTb_SL0OgPvnGtHdb2IHmQXdC4AZbf4MW3azMMsPLDQ1GonwgjSk2EpmQpnAQhf_6WpNaU/s320/20230709_075858.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And the jungle is slowly creaking into bloom...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLQ1LoM8FpmTEcEvcJzPffqXBNrEi6Nj42zOv3BQ67haY7KQ0KaL5dqzppSJADY13AwsSKnJw3kgATf4MUuvKJmk-0rc6c8CAqtvDaEwC4iujY1JmpataiccSKRdzWy5DOVynxIgv4l7x9tklMiE1cIN6fppMSStX0SPwvtrKu6qgaDTG-RY73E606WE/s4160/20230625_103856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLQ1LoM8FpmTEcEvcJzPffqXBNrEi6Nj42zOv3BQ67haY7KQ0KaL5dqzppSJADY13AwsSKnJw3kgATf4MUuvKJmk-0rc6c8CAqtvDaEwC4iujY1JmpataiccSKRdzWy5DOVynxIgv4l7x9tklMiE1cIN6fppMSStX0SPwvtrKu6qgaDTG-RY73E606WE/w300-h400/20230625_103856.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Though, unfortunately, with the rain have come the slugs, munching on the tender lupin leaves and stripping half the buds before they even have a chance to open. I studied the excellent book, "Fifty Ways to Kill a Slug", by Sarah Ford, which gave the family a lot of laughs, the remedies including sawdust, cat hair, grapefruit and running over the slugs with your car. Sadly none of them have worked so far. Then I read somewhere else that melon rind can be a decoy. I tried it one evening - the next morning the melon rind had gone and not a slug in sight. Perhaps one of our furry friends had made off with both. But it only works with canteloupe. Watermelon is no good. Visiting family brought one the size of the Dam Busters bomb and assiduously pared off the peel but the brutes weren't interested, so now I have a bucket of watermelon peelings for the compost heap. Oh and the canteloupe has to be sweet and ripe, so now I'm waiting for another one to mature, as it were.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Meanwhile the hardy hydrangea is starting to bloom, though a little less than in previous years. Perhaps it's getting tired. I know the feeling.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijenEgUOLs7DyXL1wnXnz8S9cZ0iBS-wUzcWEy_oWtc1Ui6KPT4aZBJg9Q4JZ_O-r3atbrVcdIaZjMUCXT-8eFdMtB7Zxt1NqS3n0JiOSJv8_HlZFgjLjAGemun7gOlvjURNxH9qsuLS74z8s3mQrhOJKnZ7zQGJGLroUBHrtXfAbug9vEEFnXycEudE/s4160/20230706_160740.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijenEgUOLs7DyXL1wnXnz8S9cZ0iBS-wUzcWEy_oWtc1Ui6KPT4aZBJg9Q4JZ_O-r3atbrVcdIaZjMUCXT-8eFdMtB7Zxt1NqS3n0JiOSJv8_HlZFgjLjAGemun7gOlvjURNxH9qsuLS74z8s3mQrhOJKnZ7zQGJGLroUBHrtXfAbug9vEEFnXycEudE/w400-h300/20230706_160740.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> After last year's tragedy, I've gone all out to keep the deer away from the lily buds - Bobbex spray, Irish spring soap suspended on sticks (but might the respective revolting aromas cancel each other out?) nets, the works and so far there have been some good results ...</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz463fB2-5uD4rBn92Kiah-Y04A9SQyB_5hoGeUtmulW7Wml9Ho_yT6SnTqzuSaFAKHEeUpkMaaDb26HR-qRMWX4ymKZFXUebgG3QvF7vL7OBHHGCAlQML_STBJZXLs0YvGodlMlbgrHs8vew1JIg6jv0Tj8Ae0iH_iVvISbQ7yNusZk6DkOO8mifY8BM/s4160/20230711_145914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz463fB2-5uD4rBn92Kiah-Y04A9SQyB_5hoGeUtmulW7Wml9Ho_yT6SnTqzuSaFAKHEeUpkMaaDb26HR-qRMWX4ymKZFXUebgG3QvF7vL7OBHHGCAlQML_STBJZXLs0YvGodlMlbgrHs8vew1JIg6jv0Tj8Ae0iH_iVvISbQ7yNusZk6DkOO8mifY8BM/w300-h400/20230711_145914.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">..but I'm not holding my breath. On the other hand, the window boxes on the garden shed are, for some reason, an optimum growth environment - even though a few slugs still manage to shin up there. (Sarah recommends copious application of Vaseline but you'd need a shipping container of it). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And peeping from around the corner ....</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjnGzqqxg9Aja8MQNgyeN7MfeVez4O9T1ZkFj6lCUvpNetfPHMlumAgjjzK9VUEM_Ic_U3zq5nnIXJEQDh8c9OeAM6DdC-USbUtkjECVsPUCf7GVZeR4BcfYgQOAFJEjP_md4aEDcwlgGzuu-yl1rdUbp-JqrP7eXFUzMZPmve34_nQTLrNcRzBwONwo/s4160/20230711_145832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjnGzqqxg9Aja8MQNgyeN7MfeVez4O9T1ZkFj6lCUvpNetfPHMlumAgjjzK9VUEM_Ic_U3zq5nnIXJEQDh8c9OeAM6DdC-USbUtkjECVsPUCf7GVZeR4BcfYgQOAFJEjP_md4aEDcwlgGzuu-yl1rdUbp-JqrP7eXFUzMZPmve34_nQTLrNcRzBwONwo/w400-h300/20230711_145832.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes! Jack's just getting into gear.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0nfaOnMkFDNhd6TeTXliKaF7kxH7MfF6iRjPXiD2HW_rbPqgfaKG9wWGaa-FX-RQvEDIwwZmtOm6iFr65BUolrGfkrB5aZMejTaADLWzVMmQvrtR35zle7f1tcm1tgaagzCh-_y-ifhsT_mRS6aE8F_-3efJWm9Wxrwcjy0O-bksc9ucBOxtRXRjXnE/s4160/20230711_145843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0nfaOnMkFDNhd6TeTXliKaF7kxH7MfF6iRjPXiD2HW_rbPqgfaKG9wWGaa-FX-RQvEDIwwZmtOm6iFr65BUolrGfkrB5aZMejTaADLWzVMmQvrtR35zle7f1tcm1tgaagzCh-_y-ifhsT_mRS6aE8F_-3efJWm9Wxrwcjy0O-bksc9ucBOxtRXRjXnE/w300-h400/20230711_145843.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So it could be worse. Not so much a losing battle against the predators but a sort of precarious stalemate.</span></div><br /><p></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-9357504309573870392023-06-07T14:36:00.001-04:002023-06-07T14:36:33.490-04:00A Hazing from Canada<p> <i>Dateline: Cattaraugus County, western New York State</i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">...and apologies for the long absence, necessitated by the arduous business of packing, travelling and unpacking to come back up north, plus family visits. We left hot and sunny Florida (small digression - here's the first turtle nest identified on Golden Beach...</span>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnGj-MM9O504KexrDAWeOZ2uf1kSRWouCFQcPdUGJQLVZv5BskxKhfWh8zTeQ-mWJfo5BN7hxzuaLKUix87yN4pLw4mMShRudarSHDw9V_OLtmojacdURZSi-A9HYvlqY9WYPjmMQCkIjdy2ZI9T_3Q_7W2ItddV0EHOhHBqZfcNIxYlmukH5knfB/s4160/IMG_20230512_065704668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnGj-MM9O504KexrDAWeOZ2uf1kSRWouCFQcPdUGJQLVZv5BskxKhfWh8zTeQ-mWJfo5BN7hxzuaLKUix87yN4pLw4mMShRudarSHDw9V_OLtmojacdURZSi-A9HYvlqY9WYPjmMQCkIjdy2ZI9T_3Q_7W2ItddV0EHOhHBqZfcNIxYlmukH5knfB/w400-h300/IMG_20230512_065704668.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> ....., not that you can see anything.) And now we're in foggy western New York. Herewith the view from the Baptist Church car park at the bottom of our lane:</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lOuwYWeH0KYf_wP4bST6gxiybqUJ9ZcX1kss5C-cvlOoQ0dhcGqiwfIcAC1vdjHVAErO-kzj4Ex-WoxfRL2yqn28J2wIUDme6wB2UE1EW_54FUPv6r7xuaC5GsQ_nJfcdq1HtO2cDf2vaxofjqovsa--wW4PYWJE5K4cRVrFFtg-V7yDSHdrKpWi/s4160/20230607_113218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lOuwYWeH0KYf_wP4bST6gxiybqUJ9ZcX1kss5C-cvlOoQ0dhcGqiwfIcAC1vdjHVAErO-kzj4Ex-WoxfRL2yqn28J2wIUDme6wB2UE1EW_54FUPv6r7xuaC5GsQ_nJfcdq1HtO2cDf2vaxofjqovsa--wW4PYWJE5K4cRVrFFtg-V7yDSHdrKpWi/w400-h300/20230607_113218.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> We were wondering over the last couple of days what was causing the haze and then suddenly last night the news media caught up with the story. It's all being caused by smoke from forest fires in Canada blowing southwards. Today you can certainly smell the smoke. In New York City, apparently, they are digging out their masks again and everyone is being urged to stay indoors. I certainly haven't seen anything like it in all the time I've been here. Plus it's made everything chilly and the temperatures are going down to the 30sF tonight, playing havoc with my gardening plans in the Jungle. We hope for some rain in the next couple of days.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Strange that the Canadians export their Canadair firefighting planes all over the world but seem powerless to help themselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I have nothing against Canadians but they do cause us a lot of trouble - the lake effect snow in winter being a prime example. Cold Canadian air travelling over the warm waters of Lake Erie causes huge dumps of snow. Thankfully we're not here to see it any more. And now they're hazing us!</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-77921434583410201142023-05-12T10:54:00.001-04:002023-05-12T10:55:45.739-04:00Stunning Houses! Dream Homes!<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <i>Dateline: Golden Beach, Venice, Florida</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSNi6-2i7rZhZEp8BrQULyHKqzEZTc5PpnWOFm0jukmwo7KYokzqyZQNvuT1JcqQkPoz3dwBXvsAASi2HC6LcnidllDGIEhPJJukfHKeBXSiGqTxSmKBW5uCPNMCGMU1tztTZY9X-TLQTmvB0F3ng-W6vWhH-HeHeTv51GQjEaUIZYOPCOOKhGihU/s4160/IMG_20230512_072012805_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSNi6-2i7rZhZEp8BrQULyHKqzEZTc5PpnWOFm0jukmwo7KYokzqyZQNvuT1JcqQkPoz3dwBXvsAASi2HC6LcnidllDGIEhPJJukfHKeBXSiGqTxSmKBW5uCPNMCGMU1tztTZY9X-TLQTmvB0F3ng-W6vWhH-HeHeTv51GQjEaUIZYOPCOOKhGihU/s320/IMG_20230512_072012805_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A major conversation topic when I set off on my early morning power walk with my neighbours is house sales and house prices. Which makes Golden Beach no different from London. Despite rising interest rates, house sales here show no sign yet of calming down. The pretty cottage up the road has just sold and I hope the new owners will be of the Small is Beautiful persuasion and not want to pull it down and build their own version of Mar a Lago - which is happening all too often around here. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwo79gK8UozHhvSJpgz04ZVxFUGC-UX5WVgB3zMPkVC31o6nsOb57zNTi9R93MOOrSjtPqU0YV2O5T8peVh5_bOOuO3-eDSKOwRNKLn7crQe_kuiQUlV2I0YEU2AgTHBN4V9gV21hjn_bgqDN72auBO52c9hV5IH3teKJXDcCeTKXj6_HT3f6EYGj/s4160/IMG_20220115_101346994.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwo79gK8UozHhvSJpgz04ZVxFUGC-UX5WVgB3zMPkVC31o6nsOb57zNTi9R93MOOrSjtPqU0YV2O5T8peVh5_bOOuO3-eDSKOwRNKLn7crQe_kuiQUlV2I0YEU2AgTHBN4V9gV21hjn_bgqDN72auBO52c9hV5IH3teKJXDcCeTKXj6_HT3f6EYGj/s320/IMG_20220115_101346994.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> There are some transatlantic differences in the way estate agents/realtors conduct their business. Here they don't sell "houses", they sell "homes". Once you've got that linguistic nuance out of the way, there are other, far more pronounced differences. Just read the blurb on the online house ads, which I'm far too fond of browsing. In Britain it'll tell you stuff like how many bedrooms and how close to the railway station. In short it's about the house. Here in the US it's all about how you will live your life once you're lucky enough to buy the house, sorry, home. Well, for a start you're going to be doing a lot of "cozying" [sic]. As in "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">Cozy up in front of the wonderful stone fireplace in the
great room. Play a game of cards in the dining room while you’re cooking a
crockpot of chili in the kitchen. "</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"> Like it or not, you're going to be the host/ess with the most/est, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">Picture Sunday brunches with friends and family! You'll love the extra-large kitchen that opens to the spacious laundry room with ample shelving for your canned goods and supplies! The formal dining room is wonderful for those sit down, holiday dinners! And while the chefs are busy whipping up their gourmet dishes, your guests will have plenty of room to roam between the parlor and formal living room - each displaying a beautiful fireplace!" Presumably keeping their sticky fingers away from the family silver.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span> Next, you're going to be doing a lot of coffee sipping (it's always "sipping", which sounds more genteel, I suppose, than slurping or chugging). This may happen on the patio, or the balcony or, if you've dished out enough dosh, by the (always) sparkling pool. When it's time to watch the sunset, you'll change to a "cool drink". Intellectual pursuits aren't forgotten, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span> "T</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">he spacious master suite features a beautiful fireplace and sitting area, great for an evening in with a book." </span></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a33;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;"> And in case you don't know what to do with that "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">office/bedroom/flex room with closet", worry not - it'll be "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">perfect for those guests who come to dinner and never want to leave." </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpAkOs_sAaqi2eZZserwzPj_PbG6FbJJMJ9CyCpEh8fKleNmqvTgnq5reVI_4B4ntl1EG1DF8MAO9Dcp7hKo_298lpQBsdWiwCOObU9VgBabkCd3cvhb4D3MwB8VKGpautG1XLXriHBpg-kssK4H-qu4M14U7W-hUtJUWMNLvgyzFVRWZAOhoiUpx/s4160/IMG_20230512_071632936_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpAkOs_sAaqi2eZZserwzPj_PbG6FbJJMJ9CyCpEh8fKleNmqvTgnq5reVI_4B4ntl1EG1DF8MAO9Dcp7hKo_298lpQBsdWiwCOObU9VgBabkCd3cvhb4D3MwB8VKGpautG1XLXriHBpg-kssK4H-qu4M14U7W-hUtJUWMNLvgyzFVRWZAOhoiUpx/s320/IMG_20230512_071632936_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;"> You'd better lock your guests up and get some rest because you'll be leading an adventurous life, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">This active and social community hosts many
events and gatherings, one is sure to peak [sic] your interest". But if you, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">Take a spin on your golf cart and enjoy the beauty around you and your friendly neighbors", just don't run them over. They could turn nasty.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a33;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> And if you're risking buying that partly-demolished beach house in a town devastated by Hurricane Ian, you can still enjoy "priceless pleasures only such an island
location can provide; and be blown away (oops) by its renowned sunsets."</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a33;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"> A neighbourhood in Britain is merely "sought after" (or in some cases "sort after" - a weak grasp of grammar uniting estate agents on both sides of the pond); here you won't have to let your imagination run riot - they'll do it for you, "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">No loading up the car, no walking across streets with your
beach gear, no waiting in traffic looking for a parking spot. Just bring your
friends and family and walk out to the beach to enjoy the blue waters and
beautiful Sunsets of West Coast Florida! Enjoy live music while dining
or (of course) having coffee. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a33;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">
</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;"> The agents also offer dubious sartorial advice, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a33; font-family: times;">Pack your flip-flops, your Paradise is waiting!", or, scarily, "No shirt! No shoes! No problem!"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a33;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> Unless they're actually falling down, houses for sale in Britain are invariably "stunning". Here, though, they're always "your dream home", offering the "life you deserve". Amazing how they know.</span></span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-54192378542353178712023-04-24T17:36:00.001-04:002023-04-24T17:36:03.578-04:00The Dry<p> <i>Dateline: Golden Beach, Venice, Florida...</i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">aka the Florida Sahara....</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We came back from Britain to find ourselves in a desert. I've never seen it so dry here. My neighbours tell me it did rain once in the last few weeks but it seems to have made precious little difference. The soil, meagre at the best of times, is now just a fine powder. The poor orchid tree at the back which is usually a festival of white blooms at this time of year, is virtually bare. Though the one at the front, the Tree that Came Back from the Hurricane, is still hanging in there. Still more bush than tree but maybe that will change.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqqJBLAoCxT2Mk-xoleRSbu2AOHhBt8EDu02dlQ1cwvp3-jpEsDcmZGrhq-CV7D0nZsCXkVEnZPhFsMaOYBfUfk_IyaoFHAgKCLa0kKE54XTPROPjIK9bvvzYRH-ftot59gZEMCkO1aMOOoMKJXlD8BlSJ5PSgV3E8Q49CKEomRzLjVu3pJD-puLe/s4160/IMG_20230422_075338562_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqqJBLAoCxT2Mk-xoleRSbu2AOHhBt8EDu02dlQ1cwvp3-jpEsDcmZGrhq-CV7D0nZsCXkVEnZPhFsMaOYBfUfk_IyaoFHAgKCLa0kKE54XTPROPjIK9bvvzYRH-ftot59gZEMCkO1aMOOoMKJXlD8BlSJ5PSgV3E8Q49CKEomRzLjVu3pJD-puLe/w400-h300/IMG_20230422_075338562_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly the passion flower vine - an indirect hurricane victim, having been butchered of necessity to make way for our restored garden fence - is just one plant that seems to have died completely. We expected rain today but nothing happened and the percentage chance went down, down, down.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is, however always a bright spot. The frangipani branch I broke off from the parent tree and stuck in the ground appears none the worse - in fact you'd think it was actively relishing its environment.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA4qYoBwIq5U_wPNyK5WTeRb2lx2LQwsWkQX7hpL8mRvQZ1BAYWxh0czIdQw-6TVDLlx5oQDTgRlDKce_VsIbYfEDMTWKiYzQoCUY29IEzcd9HcyCAU_T6-PeFZHGH_6xjO_mBqSKF6ymWhOaHWcfuvFL7K-VimfZa1uqzyqa3vM-DSeDFtabGR18/s4160/IMG_20230421_085352707_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA4qYoBwIq5U_wPNyK5WTeRb2lx2LQwsWkQX7hpL8mRvQZ1BAYWxh0czIdQw-6TVDLlx5oQDTgRlDKce_VsIbYfEDMTWKiYzQoCUY29IEzcd9HcyCAU_T6-PeFZHGH_6xjO_mBqSKF6ymWhOaHWcfuvFL7K-VimfZa1uqzyqa3vM-DSeDFtabGR18/w300-h400/IMG_20230421_085352707_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The parent isn't doing too badly either.</span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE00mLd6g7TD2xpTg_p6s9F2zoUipYCDdp1rL6Xde9UElBS_lfr9Nq5niOVmwoA2ilh94qmBETGaXW9zvZBn1MTVqQqf8Cg7MIHthySnHHn1yzwae6lZG6Rb-UxSIk27UF-dS9sWehFT7m9gIJmgJekTuGAoEDnImxNXEi7v_4HbgcClzEl3jr7c92/s4160/IMG_20230421_085442213_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE00mLd6g7TD2xpTg_p6s9F2zoUipYCDdp1rL6Xde9UElBS_lfr9Nq5niOVmwoA2ilh94qmBETGaXW9zvZBn1MTVqQqf8Cg7MIHthySnHHn1yzwae6lZG6Rb-UxSIk27UF-dS9sWehFT7m9gIJmgJekTuGAoEDnImxNXEi7v_4HbgcClzEl3jr7c92/w400-h300/IMG_20230421_085442213_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And there's still water in the Gulf</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPNtcpgY84VvdvEzW07IyHU7Q8AsD4GyEQJb5Ig_pCXJ_24u77h46TrBWfKyseT8XauwmwUwsQ91HsH_i6aNCxcfltUJHoilX-AfNZmt-YDDvM25BH8bfHBUyGuOQzuChN6R1ZfEO_sA2DDzLSQYuvfQ3Fl1-xq15J1GdMYCIX_MQ-BCTdQg-gmwI/s4160/IMG_20230422_072804963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPNtcpgY84VvdvEzW07IyHU7Q8AsD4GyEQJb5Ig_pCXJ_24u77h46TrBWfKyseT8XauwmwUwsQ91HsH_i6aNCxcfltUJHoilX-AfNZmt-YDDvM25BH8bfHBUyGuOQzuChN6R1ZfEO_sA2DDzLSQYuvfQ3Fl1-xq15J1GdMYCIX_MQ-BCTdQg-gmwI/w400-h300/IMG_20230422_072804963.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Or there was at dawn on Saturday. Though, ominously, these patches of seaweed could be precursors of the gigantic blob of sargassum - all 13 million tons of it - that's allegedly heading purposefully for Florida.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFcZx1yANurE1rdkarqSwOgXYBB1BxdMvuRZgNhgyt8J8I--p3z3NojRDbSMOfAaJgIGK98NIlzQmwHFLh43efhXeiceK-lp8ZJ7ctFG0OG-yjnVXTnkK6D7xc2IgsATADGNhMv9yO3O073x1jW6LL07x4xr2qgJMx6KCp_8FaCvdI2gjwzV88YKw/s4160/IMG_20230422_072717833_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFcZx1yANurE1rdkarqSwOgXYBB1BxdMvuRZgNhgyt8J8I--p3z3NojRDbSMOfAaJgIGK98NIlzQmwHFLh43efhXeiceK-lp8ZJ7ctFG0OG-yjnVXTnkK6D7xc2IgsATADGNhMv9yO3O073x1jW6LL07x4xr2qgJMx6KCp_8FaCvdI2gjwzV88YKw/w400-h300/IMG_20230422_072717833_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We may be back up north when it hits, so won't need to hold our noses, but we'd better not get too smug. It may still be there to welcome us when we get back.</span>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-1984379373345613552023-04-08T12:47:00.000-04:002023-04-08T12:47:02.187-04:00A Happy Easter from Across the Pond!<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Greetings from a London that's letting us have some sun for a few days (all change on Monday though). There are spring primroses</span> ...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkaQGLKktohfcft8X21GpTDV7JO6opYjr2cO2ZiGXsz17B044bdRiJBHyxcU0EnbfRpmV8fgN-PBAMrsWkGKxWj_pIsl5o05MxtA5EBEiXIbAs36xu_-aCpHRXcT68B3CzpjcAKv_LAT_9vNhOCJ2mwM6Gf2r6aG1BCwjmITmBVFg4AI94y5CYwcQ/s3264/20230405_152659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkaQGLKktohfcft8X21GpTDV7JO6opYjr2cO2ZiGXsz17B044bdRiJBHyxcU0EnbfRpmV8fgN-PBAMrsWkGKxWj_pIsl5o05MxtA5EBEiXIbAs36xu_-aCpHRXcT68B3CzpjcAKv_LAT_9vNhOCJ2mwM6Gf2r6aG1BCwjmITmBVFg4AI94y5CYwcQ/w400-h300/20230405_152659.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">....and other flowers springing outside our building</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9ib2nvGazL9MgUwUXKF-V67bh6vxQOU5NijKH3pu-PnkSfyLs_sRwUG8fuCfiG-ba558u55uC92FK1_b95rV4_DEBj7v3sIsqWIi57ppZMFzfRUn2PgF5oVEnU5kTK32PDPDWu1-Fi14ik73Jw_hbh_Z6gkg184ucRHZImNpmmQI6Po0LvGcyZ_B/s3264/20230405_152828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9ib2nvGazL9MgUwUXKF-V67bh6vxQOU5NijKH3pu-PnkSfyLs_sRwUG8fuCfiG-ba558u55uC92FK1_b95rV4_DEBj7v3sIsqWIi57ppZMFzfRUn2PgF5oVEnU5kTK32PDPDWu1-Fi14ik73Jw_hbh_Z6gkg184ucRHZImNpmmQI6Po0LvGcyZ_B/w400-h300/20230405_152828.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">and though the trees on Wimbledon Common are still bare, </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3Sp0ZHVCehg6o5m1QT3Um_rAdPcv2r9FwbkgQ89OczwNgiQyy7JMXh443jfxaWBgIkvY0r4clQi0mvD6IG775sqHrFkITMLP7SbpBWwidnkjkxt800r5YfG0dR-rzp8tlIfQAahCFghyHM6cMfM2oHJDseplM0uiEyPRi8HDu0XarczT1ZmdKHOZ/s3264/20230405_151324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3Sp0ZHVCehg6o5m1QT3Um_rAdPcv2r9FwbkgQ89OczwNgiQyy7JMXh443jfxaWBgIkvY0r4clQi0mvD6IG775sqHrFkITMLP7SbpBWwidnkjkxt800r5YfG0dR-rzp8tlIfQAahCFghyHM6cMfM2oHJDseplM0uiEyPRi8HDu0XarczT1ZmdKHOZ/w300-h400/20230405_151324.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">there's plenty of new life out there...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLb-_d-EQ3GgyPKOxe4ybtoBQKRVX81XuK6xkucQVnFjyHsRGH2biKAf94Jzbr820DTEcL64WtG5BlNRTaVoa9FfR5qpFp6dIBIIjkyEqYkav6ALl2bmCNnbjki32IW-LFUlpWHc2JyEDtRmdaRUCgQZeSG01AdvfoScQY0S_iqbd7XB_VC75ON75/s3264/20230405_152643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLb-_d-EQ3GgyPKOxe4ybtoBQKRVX81XuK6xkucQVnFjyHsRGH2biKAf94Jzbr820DTEcL64WtG5BlNRTaVoa9FfR5qpFp6dIBIIjkyEqYkav6ALl2bmCNnbjki32IW-LFUlpWHc2JyEDtRmdaRUCgQZeSG01AdvfoScQY0S_iqbd7XB_VC75ON75/w400-h300/20230405_152643.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It seems that every time I come back, there's something new. Now we can't go more than twenty miles an hour on our road and we'll soon have to pay 12.50 just to drive my venerable car out of the gate, thanks to the Mayor of London's new Ultra Low Emission Zone, aka the Dreaded Ulez. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But in the little park around the corner life goes on. You can just about see the moorhen sitting on her nest - the upside down buildings are a reflection. Spring sun on the water makes even the back end of the medical centre look sharp!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusB6j7oh5m1tRCRM_Xftg0mE7Z_lZjj-cJOkUdV6PfROWknmZ8_mP3B8kTI2MqNxc3pFAt5bcSOkcV_z9pdz3_y5zH-mSIAD3ewC3btTHK7eTi2A7dxCnmxdZxG1ADeU7jRZnt3ZZybFbjdsQcGztvf-RIH4zRbUTTicb4-4au9P-AcpWVREJ3b8_/s3264/20230407_164543%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusB6j7oh5m1tRCRM_Xftg0mE7Z_lZjj-cJOkUdV6PfROWknmZ8_mP3B8kTI2MqNxc3pFAt5bcSOkcV_z9pdz3_y5zH-mSIAD3ewC3btTHK7eTi2A7dxCnmxdZxG1ADeU7jRZnt3ZZybFbjdsQcGztvf-RIH4zRbUTTicb4-4au9P-AcpWVREJ3b8_/w300-h400/20230407_164543%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, wherever you might be, enjoy the blessed message of Easter!</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-38835400903599439762023-03-20T21:30:00.002-04:002023-03-20T21:30:40.010-04:00A Brave Bloom<p>You may remember our casualty from Hurricane Ian - the poor orchid tree in the front of the house that had graced us with its pretty scented blooms for several years. And then how it started sprouting again from the stump.....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28IuBMBuPrYpaAvIRZ4-1lRbSelU0_wCO0AGTubOMavUnYY172UWMpZ4H9QWQ0MYUkThlbSz4-mfLyZIl4zUbtKbNZ579PHxkZl4uKZKYbmACYT1vqrZympTXN_wNqmqFvu5HrWxCPi1XCVw27g15aDmaXCRMRIT2cxgyZ7x6IYGAeVr23MxaL0jh/s4160/IMG_20221107_145756823_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28IuBMBuPrYpaAvIRZ4-1lRbSelU0_wCO0AGTubOMavUnYY172UWMpZ4H9QWQ0MYUkThlbSz4-mfLyZIl4zUbtKbNZ579PHxkZl4uKZKYbmACYT1vqrZympTXN_wNqmqFvu5HrWxCPi1XCVw27g15aDmaXCRMRIT2cxgyZ7x6IYGAeVr23MxaL0jh/s320/IMG_20221107_145756823_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>.....well it's a bit bigger now and what's more, it's actually flowering!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p4Ro5dYzThT7KPKzaAxMjmG0_2-T_bok6N1-NZrSWRfdOx4FoLiSeowCpEh9AcFJpPhgD00CplV1lvRqaH5MIL2JNQ2zN2hAUf_9onCtSSvcOry0oOQMnM1xRmwNY55tqfPSn8iAvU3SgIddNaeCHnnwqSkz1xf1zJBAAQ_NbafZ_HkBdxQdDFhY/s4160/IMG_20230314_105151323_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p4Ro5dYzThT7KPKzaAxMjmG0_2-T_bok6N1-NZrSWRfdOx4FoLiSeowCpEh9AcFJpPhgD00CplV1lvRqaH5MIL2JNQ2zN2hAUf_9onCtSSvcOry0oOQMnM1xRmwNY55tqfPSn8iAvU3SgIddNaeCHnnwqSkz1xf1zJBAAQ_NbafZ_HkBdxQdDFhY/s320/IMG_20230314_105151323_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's more of an orchid bush than a tree but the flowers are still lovely.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuYpOOPzTTNeyyD5YCYk6RMad_F1u9GrsovGK7ef65JUxSoQScTYADeVyNIw354B7DnwkeEDGJOcIBJJh1M99Exa7Vu5p9whZVtoAx5VTEP7Xw5VFaLvavH6JXEdWZ5-zoJRYHmCTT_xILaMRPTJ0G3t1bwDae8X8LdQ0QilWmcXE-IMLTEKmoqQz/s4160/IMG_20230314_104652270_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuYpOOPzTTNeyyD5YCYk6RMad_F1u9GrsovGK7ef65JUxSoQScTYADeVyNIw354B7DnwkeEDGJOcIBJJh1M99Exa7Vu5p9whZVtoAx5VTEP7Xw5VFaLvavH6JXEdWZ5-zoJRYHmCTT_xILaMRPTJ0G3t1bwDae8X8LdQ0QilWmcXE-IMLTEKmoqQz/s320/IMG_20230314_104652270_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We were finally able to rebuild our garden fence but some people are still waiting for their repairs and, south of us, in Fort Myers Beach, which was badly hit, there are forlorn patches of land for sale where a house used to stand. Mind you they still want an arm and a leg for the land - on which you can build your mega mansion, supposedly fortified against whatever nature can throw at it. No more small, modest houses, sadly. It will be a very different neighbourhood. <div>Meanwhile, here in Golden Beach, the orchid tree/bush is doing its best to cheer everyone up.</div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-52054859303421647482023-03-04T19:53:00.000-05:002023-03-04T19:53:05.041-05:00A Little Comfort in a Crazy World<p> The Marie Selby Gardens in Sarasota are always a good bet for a relaxing, inspiring visit. Well we needed to relax after battling the horrendous traffic on US41, the Tamiami Trail, at its worst in the current tourist season. The Gardens' big exhibition at the moment is gloriously imaginative - linking Louis Comfort Tiffany's stained glass designs with the Marie Selby flowers and plants. It's good to choose a time to go when the afternoon sun plays its coloured patterns on the ground.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC81NLUP4cnPVuyb2jEqA2q9YGQn6smGP72YH9jyL6QOOXx5KqOpZcltfq-WQQTjPTXS8rE_Zd25QBdymmRBOVtZ2HpiSL1EVWTFE3jFEpAzxnW8VsIBAxLeKB4mhthaOL3K63oE0lCvQNCi0DUQw25P9dI76WGF1yjfPtNNShxgpc1aCyV6HoNfcB/s4160/IMG_20230222_150758732_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC81NLUP4cnPVuyb2jEqA2q9YGQn6smGP72YH9jyL6QOOXx5KqOpZcltfq-WQQTjPTXS8rE_Zd25QBdymmRBOVtZ2HpiSL1EVWTFE3jFEpAzxnW8VsIBAxLeKB4mhthaOL3K63oE0lCvQNCi0DUQw25P9dI76WGF1yjfPtNNShxgpc1aCyV6HoNfcB/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_150758732_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>This pavilion, in the shape of a Tiffany lamp, is a prime photo opportunity. The peaceful serenity is deceptive - you have to wait till all the people taking selfies get out of the way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvtcm5-LSU1NDB5QsKYIWDqhz6ACuYh6eSlNuzNpLfVWZHojSrkCl3fHBPQz-c0FfKLLVMUlszb_S2wqNHK_VxsDVDkXzBamLs_ppXKD4WHPLolgo8GynC5hied6DGtzBoFM2iAG86nsPVmj8Ut1XJv2Czlq7v3TvtrqbOH7jLOkRpq-p-UMN258w/s4160/IMG_20230222_152153708_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvtcm5-LSU1NDB5QsKYIWDqhz6ACuYh6eSlNuzNpLfVWZHojSrkCl3fHBPQz-c0FfKLLVMUlszb_S2wqNHK_VxsDVDkXzBamLs_ppXKD4WHPLolgo8GynC5hied6DGtzBoFM2iAG86nsPVmj8Ut1XJv2Czlq7v3TvtrqbOH7jLOkRpq-p-UMN258w/w400-h300/IMG_20230222_152153708_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There are glass installations round every corner.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1-nHbdP1pnopaOd_GUwd7qxZrm02N4gWDEznYptSJAqgklYYlR3Jcpjp-FnVIWx510eWdqT1C5oOOfo_4To6rp5WOhqCUB9KrOO2FHTTxQ0j6UhZpj_N_OIvGeNzh8kaIVJLzQUHUkBirghNMJc5mACNPznGu2u4q_CCRqSNMfHJh3kRFs1SwcHt/s4160/IMG_20230222_154126109_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1-nHbdP1pnopaOd_GUwd7qxZrm02N4gWDEznYptSJAqgklYYlR3Jcpjp-FnVIWx510eWdqT1C5oOOfo_4To6rp5WOhqCUB9KrOO2FHTTxQ0j6UhZpj_N_OIvGeNzh8kaIVJLzQUHUkBirghNMJc5mACNPznGu2u4q_CCRqSNMfHJh3kRFs1SwcHt/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_154126109_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cleverly set among the succulents and Florida flowers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8bgNZBj63tFeiyd_zR6oDQSY1aUsL4uj-9_JrllwsKpz3wPia6k6bY-OgZwjKPf0tyivAGdMj-dAKkt3PvgOchnvoyAnmZA4e2wvrRNqZo_L1QGsAul_wYd3OQIhB0kSlYvSS-i7q5N7HT7E1wl1l4T13cM2Aq4jTvJQujXweKfdsUwiI5zjZwvM/s4160/IMG_20230222_151806427_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8bgNZBj63tFeiyd_zR6oDQSY1aUsL4uj-9_JrllwsKpz3wPia6k6bY-OgZwjKPf0tyivAGdMj-dAKkt3PvgOchnvoyAnmZA4e2wvrRNqZo_L1QGsAul_wYd3OQIhB0kSlYvSS-i7q5N7HT7E1wl1l4T13cM2Aq4jTvJQujXweKfdsUwiI5zjZwvM/w400-h300/IMG_20230222_151806427_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here's an impressive fig tree - the flowers in between the roots planted for a Tiffany effect - though you might not want those roots too close to your house.</div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPwWM3XYZbAqFykLGhSWkA9hDYOxLYCdm44tJt-TjlYDhx5lTkKnN2CVCBZFrM49C5S6QIg2GqvMUfkQlWd7ybnhNTDlzUG9Zq35tifeG2FzkRJ2T2D6TCivt03H3LmB5eS_K0osaFGiANfDB48om9_7UPLMro2qGDynPS4idBoCHCcB7VI4wIKin/s4160/IMG_20230222_145329791_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPwWM3XYZbAqFykLGhSWkA9hDYOxLYCdm44tJt-TjlYDhx5lTkKnN2CVCBZFrM49C5S6QIg2GqvMUfkQlWd7ybnhNTDlzUG9Zq35tifeG2FzkRJ2T2D6TCivt03H3LmB5eS_K0osaFGiANfDB48om9_7UPLMro2qGDynPS4idBoCHCcB7VI4wIKin/s320/IMG_20230222_145329791_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Tiffany got a lot of his ideas from nature.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJPyzYiE3d6e5dlSzB1Tq2rvoqibJWiJUAOviBoq4T-HJDdOw9AumHEJ8A-ZlSCNBU2B4ZxbDABsDdZQtgzLXWJ6hw599U8hb_djkP6S3OE7tyaG9Fwnn1uGl5b9HJoa93Rwpi0Kj5AlZj_pYgOuQJHVcf7gM1aHx-GCtnOmDKr8h9DAaXnuivics/s4160/IMG_20230222_143541449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJPyzYiE3d6e5dlSzB1Tq2rvoqibJWiJUAOviBoq4T-HJDdOw9AumHEJ8A-ZlSCNBU2B4ZxbDABsDdZQtgzLXWJ6hw599U8hb_djkP6S3OE7tyaG9Fwnn1uGl5b9HJoa93Rwpi0Kj5AlZj_pYgOuQJHVcf7gM1aHx-GCtnOmDKr8h9DAaXnuivics/s320/IMG_20230222_143541449.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And it's all a magnificent backdrop for the Gardens' famous orchid display.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsoUegjCFRel8P_Ky6crhT2TAIKhfBRJJZ0Og_R5F-CfbPJXPHRe1xk-aRlQTeqFpoyPH88x6dwi6dsQSdKCv2OXxWNKFZtw-JnlRokmTDqL6oNMVoY_GzdSG2UiyL57ix64yySScWABgRP6YVSvAhusXmO8Owe9MWPBOJKJAz4fpFxZaSiokKyvw/s4160/IMG_20230222_143751834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsoUegjCFRel8P_Ky6crhT2TAIKhfBRJJZ0Og_R5F-CfbPJXPHRe1xk-aRlQTeqFpoyPH88x6dwi6dsQSdKCv2OXxWNKFZtw-JnlRokmTDqL6oNMVoY_GzdSG2UiyL57ix64yySScWABgRP6YVSvAhusXmO8Owe9MWPBOJKJAz4fpFxZaSiokKyvw/w400-h300/IMG_20230222_143751834.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Though nothing can match the wonder of a real, live bloom,</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxB_VfInjLX9klirbjrMZS-aiMCk2fqbyWNnIezTGgAIS22lE0qRFV-Vf44x6s-CMhP5LXDpHgxy5arpyMGW_GyQgdANFVyeHsO8mrWh29POC65ag78_M6nZeJT3pv1OjAwnDGIskvdIw89U8UWF4zbKIunPx3PN67OovmqErQVLHzMeJl-iWQ9-J/s4160/IMG_20230222_143740065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxB_VfInjLX9klirbjrMZS-aiMCk2fqbyWNnIezTGgAIS22lE0qRFV-Vf44x6s-CMhP5LXDpHgxy5arpyMGW_GyQgdANFVyeHsO8mrWh29POC65ag78_M6nZeJT3pv1OjAwnDGIskvdIw89U8UWF4zbKIunPx3PN67OovmqErQVLHzMeJl-iWQ9-J/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_143740065.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div>Shocking pink glass</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipifEBlUbOHKble7xo920PcCGBWNKevQA1MBVjxYxUxm_SgxqULAiyhBA7VF3t-1WyNA4sJPue2CvBgHL5ixdtPbcWegTjI_OK2mAbAF7NDH5dNUN5ZgtVZCE_hIP_PsLE1-kafR10v367yynTiTiVB578sFhxld5b5Tq19PqQs4JisolMoYppMCjA/s4160/IMG_20230222_143401639_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipifEBlUbOHKble7xo920PcCGBWNKevQA1MBVjxYxUxm_SgxqULAiyhBA7VF3t-1WyNA4sJPue2CvBgHL5ixdtPbcWegTjI_OK2mAbAF7NDH5dNUN5ZgtVZCE_hIP_PsLE1-kafR10v367yynTiTiVB578sFhxld5b5Tq19PqQs4JisolMoYppMCjA/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_143401639_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Teams nicely with a shocking pink orchid.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZGq4apb_XMZpfjcEuoKDl3B0mgZbVvVXwWSDTcAbyef0lo-DKvXjTRqD44ug5NDSPbF5Ek0rx0Mr_i0RDR6SBY_kiqx6e8K-Sb-zbSubEqJKsQdzEXLOAuyx38kCCMdW7FELLukTfQ0pPknUxvVQViff5CkVAC2X2qGu1THgoB-G3rSK2gzegn9z/s4160/IMG_20230222_142832316_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZGq4apb_XMZpfjcEuoKDl3B0mgZbVvVXwWSDTcAbyef0lo-DKvXjTRqD44ug5NDSPbF5Ek0rx0Mr_i0RDR6SBY_kiqx6e8K-Sb-zbSubEqJKsQdzEXLOAuyx38kCCMdW7FELLukTfQ0pPknUxvVQViff5CkVAC2X2qGu1THgoB-G3rSK2gzegn9z/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_142832316_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Not to mention the pink trumpet tree. (You will gather that it's nice and warm here in Florida... apologies to you people from chillier climes.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq464pfrPINw9IZc--k567okGfE2hwf6EX61blzZLW-F26XP5_9W9xHLZVoK1B_lXOg0Cdvld4w9lW7hmxltCwDD5WkQFm3Y0_a0YtoPpvuNhlpqrFJIHlLgdiaudV0Qn6GHjMTvjcjQ6mVVctHHf7O3StLSTfjjftS0Ri8RZ0u1wltbLay5cEQ2YC/s4160/IMG_20230222_150455197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq464pfrPINw9IZc--k567okGfE2hwf6EX61blzZLW-F26XP5_9W9xHLZVoK1B_lXOg0Cdvld4w9lW7hmxltCwDD5WkQFm3Y0_a0YtoPpvuNhlpqrFJIHlLgdiaudV0Qn6GHjMTvjcjQ6mVVctHHf7O3StLSTfjjftS0Ri8RZ0u1wltbLay5cEQ2YC/w300-h400/IMG_20230222_150455197.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Tiffany's middle name is appropriate. Beauty is indeed a Comfort in our crazy world.</div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-52137735121012648002023-02-20T18:46:00.001-05:002023-02-20T18:48:57.532-05:00Crazy Driver Season<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4u64r2yUAO37zcMY3JfpE213gBVdVHJunI2a9bDre0PG9v-ngVuUtCAU-ZnDWsCbMRnwbc7JmzoFQlmfVJ258rb128SIXdfk0W9f3MbAtpF0XiZHmZYFVmqkWCWSzQChQXlmUciNeMBwK8gb2A8tIN-KwmU1TfuKlkP9Qqy36G8Ck1Xw8zM58bCt/s4160/IMG_20221218_161106348_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4u64r2yUAO37zcMY3JfpE213gBVdVHJunI2a9bDre0PG9v-ngVuUtCAU-ZnDWsCbMRnwbc7JmzoFQlmfVJ258rb128SIXdfk0W9f3MbAtpF0XiZHmZYFVmqkWCWSzQChQXlmUciNeMBwK8gb2A8tIN-KwmU1TfuKlkP9Qqy36G8Ck1Xw8zM58bCt/s320/IMG_20221218_161106348_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It was only a matter of time. A few weeks ago, hubby was going up Harbor Drive (pictured) when a car coming from a side road ploughed (plowed) right into him, spinning his beloved old Volvo and writing it off. And then a few days later, he witnessed the car in front of him entering a four-way-stop crossroads (I always think these are fiendish, relying as they do on other people's good manners - it would never work in some countries I could name) and another car hitting it. When hubby drove off, understandably shaken, the horn on one crippled vehicle was still surreally blaring. And a couple of days later he saw a cyclist defying a red light all but get himself killed. And I once had a massive pick-up truck reverse into my little car with a sickening crunch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> This time of year, the end of every unscathed journey is a blessing. We stagger back into the house mopping our brows and breathing sighs of relief, "You wouldn't <i>believe</i> what I saw that driver do!" Likewise with friends' tales - of drivers swerving across four lanes because they just remembered they had to make a left turn, drivers taking a chance and crossing the road in front of you with inches to spare, more often than not with a trailer in tow, impatient drivers slaloming through the palm trees in the central reservation (median), drivers shooting red lights, drivers mowing down cyclists and pedestrians. The 70mph speed limit on the motorway (Interstate) is a mere suggestion. It's either a race track or a car park (parking lot) depending on where the latest pile-up's occurred.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> To survive we live by our wits. Any car poised to enter traffic, until proven otherwise, is a mortal foe. We were driving down a suburban road and saw such a car. "He's not going to go is he?" I said as we got closer, "No he can't possibly go". And just as we reached him, "<i>He's going to go!</i>" I screamed and hubby slammed on the brakes just in time. The driver, tired of waiting, had decided it was time to go, whether anyone was coming or not. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It's my theory that motorists around London can be aggressive and obnoxious but they mostly know what they're doing and where they're going. Whereas here in coastal Florida there's a fatal combination of bewildered tourists, frustrated locals and some people who, let's face it, shouldn't really be driving at all. Except, unlike London, there's not much in the way of public transport. There are visitors wobbling along, helmetless, on their holiday bikes, groups of pensioners (retirees) seeing how fast they can go in their golf carts, motorcyclists, also frequently helmetless, weaving in and out, downtown shoppers and their dogs sauntering nonchalantly in the middle of the road. Signalling left or right appears to be optional. Rules are ignored (see above again). And of course all of us are capable of making the odd stupid mistake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every winter season the huge influx of traffic gets worse, with congestion - and roadwork(s) trying to deal with the congestion - just adding to the toxic mix. And as yet more lanes are added, yet more houses are built. And yet more lives are lost. Hard to know what could be done. Oh for the quiet country lanes of Cattaraugus County, (preferably without the snow) - or for the 93 bus!</div><p></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-33412549144486066142023-02-09T15:05:00.001-05:002023-02-09T15:06:09.764-05:00Back to Beach Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjVCz8CH-9MqWTIZk_-h3LpfKEpNqJ-2DxDZhi3ryUgvomOWxHj0A4lkNcAH0BKYVIehCRczKjbrppRUmzCjvnQXMGIin67BZ575OzkTot6-o97_nKNCyoUXSNsgpwCobc64ogJIiHtwdeHTw7hBCidDPNolWhOzU9qPWRlU0CWVPnAaafNW1-Ts6/s4160/IMG_20230131_094346118.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjVCz8CH-9MqWTIZk_-h3LpfKEpNqJ-2DxDZhi3ryUgvomOWxHj0A4lkNcAH0BKYVIehCRczKjbrppRUmzCjvnQXMGIin67BZ575OzkTot6-o97_nKNCyoUXSNsgpwCobc64ogJIiHtwdeHTw7hBCidDPNolWhOzU9qPWRlU0CWVPnAaafNW1-Ts6/w400-h300/IMG_20230131_094346118.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I've been neglecting the beach. In between lots to do, chilly weather and the vestiges of the Red Tide cough-inducing algae menace, poor Golden Beach somehow slipped through the net. But the other day I made amends. You are so lucky, I had to remind myself, we have our own neighbourhood beach just a short stroll away. It seems somehow ungrateful not to take advantage.</p><p>So I took myself off with a beach chair and a book and sat in my favourite place, as the little ruddy turnstones picked and pecked their way around me, friendly and fearless, looking for goodies in the sand, while, out over the water, pelicans plunged like knives into butter. Far away on the horizon fishing boats chugged past. And in the middle distance, a pair of dolphins gamboled along, close enough to see the sleek oily black of their backs. Their fins still make me nervous. A friend of a friend saw one for the first time and screamed, "Shark!" Everyone laughed but she had a point. A fin is a fin, even on an innocent dolphin. And there are sharks here of course, not all of them prehistoric and benignly surrendering their teeth to the searching tourists and their rakes.</p><p>I know I should do this more often. But I realise that, over the years, I've slipped out of the excited, romantic phase that is tourist mode. The main thing about our beach is that it's there - to sit on in the sunshine and walk along in the quiet dawn and meet friends to gaze at the sunset. A bit like living in London and not going to the theatre for ages but being constantly reassured that, should I want to go, the theatres are there. And should I want to go, our beach is there. What a luxury. </p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-24114859387281390712023-01-25T10:11:00.000-05:002023-01-25T10:11:11.993-05:00A Big Hand for Ukraine<p> You have to love this country. Our bit of Florida - and not just our bit - is a useful place to be if you like classical music. It's common for renowned orchestras from chillier climes to gravitate here during the winter months. We went to a performance of an excellent Polish orchestra in nearby Sarasota which will this winter also be welcoming the English Chamber Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic among others - all glad to get out of the cold. But last week was special. Here in our snazzy High School Performing Arts Center (sic) we, in little old Venice, were privileged to encounter, for one night only, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine.</p><p> "We've got to get to this", hubby exclaimed and snared us a couple of tickets. As expected, the event was soon sold out - they urged us to arrive early if we wanted to have a hope of parking. The conductor, Theodore Kuchar, made a short speech. They'd arrived in the US six days previously and this was their sixth concert. There were going to be forty concerts in the US altogether. Forty! And they played their hearts out as if this was the only one. Dvorak's <i>From the New World</i> was particularly poignant. Everyone of them, the conductor said, had families, parents, siblings, children, in Ukraine, some of them fighting. They were doing their own sort of fighting.</p><p>They didn't need to work much on hearts and minds here in Venice. They already had our hearts. There's a big expat Ukrainian community nearby, with two Ukrainian churches and right at the start of the conflict, a giant truck appeared in the library car park collecting clothes, blankets, medicines, anything that might help. An endless queue of cars edged its way round the car park, people handing over bundles and bags, people shouting "good luck!" So many wanted to do something, however small. </p><p>The audience at the concert stood and cheered and shouted "bravo", several waving Ukrainian flags, one girl wrapped in a giant one. The back row of the orchestra unfurled their own flag. It was heartwarming and unforgettable.</p><p>Wonderful, hubby said, but they need more than cheers.</p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-69055579577917160922023-01-09T17:36:00.000-05:002023-01-09T17:36:52.865-05:00Books Corner: Lost in Translation <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54DP00eQYze-1UTf4lw3E82mMP0x5oDWayaNZob_DukuCt06EwCh6fivx6CkBupwXGZonGWj9dvJ1GwKLRHJlSnDa1GiaM__9AmzZwfGB1oNkvzFBhfW56laZb1W6UiEXgMtKf8tos0RbUtAEkURc0Lt6N1ZqP0Sp8-JKr8EDFBfqEXlo0pJh2b1p/s4160/IMG_20230107_142416978_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54DP00eQYze-1UTf4lw3E82mMP0x5oDWayaNZob_DukuCt06EwCh6fivx6CkBupwXGZonGWj9dvJ1GwKLRHJlSnDa1GiaM__9AmzZwfGB1oNkvzFBhfW56laZb1W6UiEXgMtKf8tos0RbUtAEkURc0Lt6N1ZqP0Sp8-JKr8EDFBfqEXlo0pJh2b1p/s320/IMG_20230107_142416978_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p> A neighbour has placed this bibliophile fox next to his Little Free Library. One of the nicest things to happen in local communities these past few years has been the proliferation of those wooden boxes on sticks where you can exchange books. Though second hand book shops probably aren't thanking them. My idea of heaven is sunshine, coffee and a good thriller, preferably a good British thriller. And you can get a lot of those here from libraries little and large.</p><p> There is, however a fly in the ointment. As I've complained before in these pages, there are few things more calculated to bring out my latent Disgusted, Tunbridge Wells syndrome than British books republished in American translations. </p><p> A recent example is <i>The Appeal,</i> by Janice Hallett. British author, British characters, book set in Britain. It's a clever novel, based entirely on emails and texts between the various protagonists and I was enjoying it when I noticed something odd. The amounts in the charity appeal on which the story is based were written in dollars. <i>Dollars?</i> Surely even the dimmest reader would understand that the Brits do things in pounds. And then, horror of horrors, a character faced with an emergency dialled "911". In Britain. That wouldn't get them very far, except perhaps to the mortuary. I had already encountered this same atrocity in a previous British book and had a friendly correspondence with the author, who said it exasperated her just as much as it did me but she was powerless to do anything. The American publisher insisted on it. </p><p> I note that Philip Pullman had a rant about this in the <i>Times </i>the other day. I hope someone takes notice but if a writer of his stature can't do anything about it, I wonder who can. Perhaps it's up to American readers (and I haven't met a single one who approves of the practice) to put their collective feet down. After all it's nothing other than insulting. Do the publishers think Americans are stupid or what? Note that it doesn't happen the other way around. When I was a child I happily read American books like <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> and <i>What Katy Did, </i>which were full of American words. I understood them perfectly well and it was a good learning experience. Yes, America has different words for things. Interesting. </p><p>If you read a book set in another country you might just want to know how people there speak and not be confused by artificial mid-Atlantic mish-mash.</p><p> The American translations I've found infiltrating British books include "football shoe", "row house", "baby carriage", "drapes", "dollhouse" and "garbage can" (although they forgot to change it from "dustbin" again further on) and that's just what I scribbled onto a bookmark in one reading session.</p><p>If I was back living in London I could get the good old original British edition from the library. But not here.</p><p>Why? I would dearly love an answer.</p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-85605831881909994772022-12-24T16:09:00.003-05:002022-12-24T16:09:57.082-05:00A Happy/Merry Christmas!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbpoz4oe7rfAaszXZKak7-1gp8VwyYA9n-pTPq0WD6UHg7wd_PqENZhLDqYb6LRbE38cW54pNoYUAcyfCqtEDyWdKP16Ll54ftp5HjaeZiAygCzWVKbymwhDM08EDp_q-YOxD4P5KDfDKT6HfbVZpWLGiyM2vziYtfX_jhmxq1SxW6G4AhY89WMXM/s4160/IMG_20221224_112301760~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbpoz4oe7rfAaszXZKak7-1gp8VwyYA9n-pTPq0WD6UHg7wd_PqENZhLDqYb6LRbE38cW54pNoYUAcyfCqtEDyWdKP16Ll54ftp5HjaeZiAygCzWVKbymwhDM08EDp_q-YOxD4P5KDfDKT6HfbVZpWLGiyM2vziYtfX_jhmxq1SxW6G4AhY89WMXM/s320/IMG_20221224_112301760~2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As we shiver here in Florida, complaining when it's 40 degrees (that's F not C) out. It's much much worse up north. In short, glad we're not there. </p><p>And up north you wouldn't get Santa on a jet ski. This is not at our house, I hasten to add.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlNO7gnwzb4sGz73RoDPGHEChSFkOyUn11iCqAhDPZUReloXWnFDTICx2sBqJ7-kjVwnDqriRx_odJqvP1HPXDUsLXXKGXqKDP9J6o2k3g4xsnAYlMtGAKdpPgha7ZG9OZ5mazRvNNQh5e-zRcFDqo5nQzW0i24rQn4F8N4WwSV-y8LgPCGpr8RcH/s4160/IMG_20221218_161452951_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlNO7gnwzb4sGz73RoDPGHEChSFkOyUn11iCqAhDPZUReloXWnFDTICx2sBqJ7-kjVwnDqriRx_odJqvP1HPXDUsLXXKGXqKDP9J6o2k3g4xsnAYlMtGAKdpPgha7ZG9OZ5mazRvNNQh5e-zRcFDqo5nQzW0i24rQn4F8N4WwSV-y8LgPCGpr8RcH/s320/IMG_20221218_161452951_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Well it had to happen sooner or later.</p><p>Have a good one!</p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-58152907314150748962022-12-17T19:18:00.002-05:002022-12-17T19:18:22.858-05:00Revolutionary Talk<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">It's been a while, I know - a combination of utter despondency at Harry Kane's penalty miss and the usual hassle running up to Christmas.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I had an interesting time today at the monthly meeting of a group called the Sons of the American Revolution, of which hubby is a proud member. They all have to be descended from someone who fought for the American side in the War of Independence and are keen on promoting better knowledge of history and the US Constitution. They are impressively patriotic in a good way and refreshingly free of party politics. I was quite touched by how they welcomed me - even though I'm British. I assured them that, in 1776, none of my ancestors were anywhere near Britain and had no role in persecuting the gallant American colonists. Maybe one of the central European ones even went to fight for the American cause, in which case I could join the Daughters, who have their own organisation - but I expect I'll never know.</span> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The SAR often have interesting talks about little snippets of Revolutionary War history. Today it was about a chap called Pedro Francisco, known as the Giant of the Revolution, who wielded a six foot sword and was wounded six times and allegedly lifted an 1100 pound cannon, single handed. Hubby though that might be embroidering the truth just a little.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And last month visiting speakers dressed up as Abigail Adams (wife of the second President), her son John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPniI3y966cpr2pcUbgsij2yT55K0ytx1XzTWs-vdJemcT3IY0TcggrhBuC5KvLINDn4QL_74G8-Usk-mA017BH2qzO61qwL2eb99E_USEBP7uVd-PLSMbjKf4DgE9I1rgFgKiboVGsh1ooBcVzl5VpJxQ7kVlZOtBX8W0FTzRvAzK9kLCycsYiWww/s4160/IMG_20221119_133648979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPniI3y966cpr2pcUbgsij2yT55K0ytx1XzTWs-vdJemcT3IY0TcggrhBuC5KvLINDn4QL_74G8-Usk-mA017BH2qzO61qwL2eb99E_USEBP7uVd-PLSMbjKf4DgE9I1rgFgKiboVGsh1ooBcVzl5VpJxQ7kVlZOtBX8W0FTzRvAzK9kLCycsYiWww/s320/IMG_20221119_133648979.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">and read from some of their letters to each other. Letters full of learned quotes and beautiful - and courteous - language, as far removed from Tweets and other examples of what passes for modern communication as you could imagine. That's the forward march of civilisation for you. Interesting that, after Independence, both the Adamses and Jefferson spent time in Paris and London. It must have been one heck of a difficult journey but people just got on with it. And here we are in 2022, complaining about delayed flights.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And while I was chatting with people around the table I was struck by how the conversation invariably turned, as it often does here in America, to people's ancestry and - yes - where they <i>really</i> came from. And guess what, no one was offended. A different culture here, I suppose. Most people originate from somewhere else and can't wait to be asked about it.</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-74343599185619299812022-11-29T19:54:00.002-05:002022-11-29T20:37:37.047-05:00So Everyone's Happy - For Now<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I'm talking about hubby and me and our transatlantic relationship which survived a challenge on Friday when England drew with the US in the World Cup. The most heated clash since Bunker Hill, according to the <i>Wall Street Journal. </i>Steady on. Today the US were playing Iran and England playing Wales at the same time, so we had a couple of screens going and fortunately were able to yell for the same sides. (Sorry, Wales and Iran). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am pleasantly surprised at how things have progressed here. When I first came to the US I seriously wondered if I could live in a country where our local paper referred to the World Cup as the Men's World Soccer Championship and gave it about three lines at the bottom of page six. But now they're covering it on two mainstream TV channels - and yes, they showed the England match too. And they cut to shots of American fans celebrating wildly in a bar - it could almost have been London. I noticed some of the fans wielding banners proclaiming "It's Called Soccer". And there's a whole TV commercial, starring David Beckham, devoted to the subject. Of course Americans call football soccer, to differentiate it from the weird game where beefy hunks in helmets and huge shoulder pads do little else but charge manically at each other for a few seconds, then stand around waiting for the TV commercials and hardly ever actually kick a ball.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm also pleasantly surprised by the American commentators, who are far more diligent about telling you what's actually happening on the pitch than their blase British counterparts. It's called the zeal of the convert. But they did go a bit overboard when Chelsea's Christian Pulisic, aka Captain America, who's had a bit more experience of the Beautiful Game, as played across the pond, than most of his confreres, got a nasty blow to his tummy while scoring the one American goal. He sacrificed himself, they gasped dramatically, nobly taking a fearsome injury for the good of the team and the glory of his country. Welcome to real football, chaps.</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-60168124924321384382022-11-17T19:18:00.000-05:002022-11-17T19:18:10.108-05:00Road Trip at Random<p> The beauty of the annual meandering road trip sister-in-law and I take down to Florida is that you never know what you're going to come across. Like getting passed by a string of Corvettes, all different colours.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTRop-kveOEHmlMyg60Ho5jKv5DvDww9iZH-Ff6ANqKhqbqM4KsbICElArKe5KX_rUPcU0tQOYQ787tILoX9rUVN3Su3QqXJGPK2hsYWcQcFOvZdBXRjmhSilssptr12A_UdO-f-JuRiAwO6yliwhgYbv-NQLyAjQCgbptVN0qHGFgHQ0sHfY05mm/s4160/IMG_20221015_103631122_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTRop-kveOEHmlMyg60Ho5jKv5DvDww9iZH-Ff6ANqKhqbqM4KsbICElArKe5KX_rUPcU0tQOYQ787tILoX9rUVN3Su3QqXJGPK2hsYWcQcFOvZdBXRjmhSilssptr12A_UdO-f-JuRiAwO6yliwhgYbv-NQLyAjQCgbptVN0qHGFgHQ0sHfY05mm/w300-h400/IMG_20221015_103631122_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Or accidentally stumbling upon <a href="http://www.shadetreerarebooks.com/">Shade Tree Rare Books</a> Chatham, Virginia. It was just a small town, with a small, friendly shop selling used and antiquarian books. They had an extraordinarily eclectic selection (what was Nigel Nicolson's autobiography doing in Chatham Virginia?) and some lovely tomes about local history but nothing prepared us for what lay beyond the door at the back. "You must see our reading room".</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMAur581ZuK-fZ_QyOFnVBMuWI27xsWp3XSoqbOl42RGnAGYN6Eu4BybsFq8fDE03LPJ0HwNYHQkStaKSVlEUzBseGBYvEij3P0Y94slUQ_HcMCD5kEcW3bBhAy_tV3MieEO1cuf0tVtwbUtBq4nY5cWBDvIftcyQjWU7SWytqmUUbBGc5UaqI10M/s4160/IMG_20221015_135626116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMAur581ZuK-fZ_QyOFnVBMuWI27xsWp3XSoqbOl42RGnAGYN6Eu4BybsFq8fDE03LPJ0HwNYHQkStaKSVlEUzBseGBYvEij3P0Y94slUQ_HcMCD5kEcW3bBhAy_tV3MieEO1cuf0tVtwbUtBq4nY5cWBDvIftcyQjWU7SWytqmUUbBGc5UaqI10M/s320/IMG_20221015_135626116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And what a reading room! I could spend several happy hours just browsing. The proprietor, Henry Hurt, is himself an author as well as a passionate booklover. Do check it out if you're ever around that way.<div><br /></div><div>Rather less intellectual are some of the restaurants we've come across. This barbecue place offered a dish that was not for the faint-hearted (in every sense.)<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOK115l7-meC83foaF-hOSF1NG-MORoObLriCD--_ApZ5hhYTjsYb16qFAhQYQGmEG8T-raYhdMSLpDhBR24jAAqduxqkDCZfPB9N8pZzF3MiwuLP6oCoqzbJBvPuv-YmRCbXaMUwcm_W-bht1UQxZfAfhYbofFQTavPaWj5MztUNthcowtK7Q4Yt/s4160/IMG_20221015_174050629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOK115l7-meC83foaF-hOSF1NG-MORoObLriCD--_ApZ5hhYTjsYb16qFAhQYQGmEG8T-raYhdMSLpDhBR24jAAqduxqkDCZfPB9N8pZzF3MiwuLP6oCoqzbJBvPuv-YmRCbXaMUwcm_W-bht1UQxZfAfhYbofFQTavPaWj5MztUNthcowtK7Q4Yt/w400-h300/IMG_20221015_174050629.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>No I did not chomp on the 7 Meat Feast for 135 dollars, just took a pic of the menu. I contented myself with some very lean and tasty brisket. And there was a lot of it. Thank goodness for the American custom of doggie bags. We had enough for sandwiches for the rest of the trip.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now here's a place that's gone down in legend. Remember Jimmy Carter? The venerable former President is still living in the tiny town of Plains, Georgia.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J3atpwEJGCArtmYRr7nQx_IiMkSX3ipz6O9nWJ4LVxwnUEx4D49dE_VgCgUV7VfPAxQl7e1zUutV-GpQAOAJWNtWJo5kWr4PUP1RX6Cy910L80O5x_o-e9xHE7u2XPnFv8kl9aCE0_sUjgaINrwD7xoG9Ezix-ChV41yJCQAUsiIwLU4SS3YaXG_/s4160/IMG_20221017_133146338_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J3atpwEJGCArtmYRr7nQx_IiMkSX3ipz6O9nWJ4LVxwnUEx4D49dE_VgCgUV7VfPAxQl7e1zUutV-GpQAOAJWNtWJo5kWr4PUP1RX6Cy910L80O5x_o-e9xHE7u2XPnFv8kl9aCE0_sUjgaINrwD7xoG9Ezix-ChV41yJCQAUsiIwLU4SS3YaXG_/w400-h300/IMG_20221017_133146338_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And long may he do so because the town has obviously thrived on his name. There's a row of Jimmy Carter themed gifts shops, a restaurant, a Rosalynn Carter garden, a museum. And of course peanut motifs everywhere.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHxkneBts7nhRpZ1giKVx9CXadzKXhYd6XC9VWzjTiPi3nZm44R-celEKjNeTaQuPXAmloU5fmkzSYBNdV6jH3mpHCXJ03Is3TCUXjVlf8kz2S3xBHRe8xAc4Tof_JMDiHbpZyTM_oXDvXwyu97EQpQx5fsdZXi1cpPMebCQK_zGidX_tPfEbbwGG/s4160/IMG_20221017_133209750_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHxkneBts7nhRpZ1giKVx9CXadzKXhYd6XC9VWzjTiPi3nZm44R-celEKjNeTaQuPXAmloU5fmkzSYBNdV6jH3mpHCXJ03Is3TCUXjVlf8kz2S3xBHRe8xAc4Tof_JMDiHbpZyTM_oXDvXwyu97EQpQx5fsdZXi1cpPMebCQK_zGidX_tPfEbbwGG/s320/IMG_20221017_133209750_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>When he campaigned for President in 1976, Carter was described in Britain as a peanut farmer, though he was other things besides, including a former Senator and Governor of Georgia. When we were in Plains he'd recently celebrated his 98th birthday and the locals were allowed to stream past his family home to pay their respects. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then it was on to Florida and Seaside an early architect-designed model town with its pretty-pretty white fences and charming buildings and a small, snooty eatery that wouldn't serve us coffee despite calling itself a cafe. Well I suppose words mean different things here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVgf_Tsvu0ccQVVEsPsyJs8p1xrFukUwHRd871S8QuRqJTZOTjQo_1IiSmCnU5_hp_HS3rI3dvU4SSIQ1RMcvLUgrhZNEl39ai-eaVlA6wJ_SQzqEbIiVymKTWMlMkoCpBkzX5iiWkk2EWbWkNeiAi64s7UCBVM1iA_N5cONI6Pa300EtC8e9yRIU/s4160/IMG_20221018_111805694_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVgf_Tsvu0ccQVVEsPsyJs8p1xrFukUwHRd871S8QuRqJTZOTjQo_1IiSmCnU5_hp_HS3rI3dvU4SSIQ1RMcvLUgrhZNEl39ai-eaVlA6wJ_SQzqEbIiVymKTWMlMkoCpBkzX5iiWkk2EWbWkNeiAi64s7UCBVM1iA_N5cONI6Pa300EtC8e9yRIU/w400-h300/IMG_20221018_111805694_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Seaside is where <i>The Truman Show</i> was filmed. The one about the chap supposedly living in an idyllic small town, with a perfect wife, who realises he's spent his whole life on a film set, being ogled at. He finally escaped - as did we.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apalachicola, however is still a genuine fishing village.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8TAS9uNmzB2KoD4cCFudsmB7PprWnImOdk8yvGzP3aJsG4K5NwfsDfjrHmFIZ0FFOB0tDSCQKK75VyohlmDPNpP1CuXbTpIChip6TjzJBuHXLdVE0Ig4nCYP6VYSLV4UzXZ1592uT_K2vNHJUHp3sc00DrHvVLyRQQ3SlYmdCK3nQcG2AmHQp-3q/s4160/IMG_20221018_140732039.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8TAS9uNmzB2KoD4cCFudsmB7PprWnImOdk8yvGzP3aJsG4K5NwfsDfjrHmFIZ0FFOB0tDSCQKK75VyohlmDPNpP1CuXbTpIChip6TjzJBuHXLdVE0Ig4nCYP6VYSLV4UzXZ1592uT_K2vNHJUHp3sc00DrHvVLyRQQ3SlYmdCK3nQcG2AmHQp-3q/s320/IMG_20221018_140732039.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div>Albeit a touristy one.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqioXdebwwkJb7IUd1JPswAWp9ZSOnG3b8aMiCumhcueI90UXNL1hN72z0R3cfmFIIegntts5WtGSjC9W3kGzJO9nYXaUY18FQCeK1c89WupMMy7eKiqswAhyoZftm9p7O-UQVKaFFiSrvVRKbxNhcBWJMBKpzlOTOwNuYXyU64GbUwsOiXvPc1I_I/s4160/IMG_20221018_142411230_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqioXdebwwkJb7IUd1JPswAWp9ZSOnG3b8aMiCumhcueI90UXNL1hN72z0R3cfmFIIegntts5WtGSjC9W3kGzJO9nYXaUY18FQCeK1c89WupMMy7eKiqswAhyoZftm9p7O-UQVKaFFiSrvVRKbxNhcBWJMBKpzlOTOwNuYXyU64GbUwsOiXvPc1I_I/s320/IMG_20221018_142411230_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The only trouble with it was that we couldn't find anything to eat. We'd forgotten that we had to re-cross the time line and it was an hour later than we thought - and too late for lunch.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time we got to our overnight digs in Perry we were pretty hungry. We did not patronise this place but just had to take a photo. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHzq8ac8d1kjUmS8MT1e8bygkBMovNl9DylA9ao3IRTTUj7KdMNWmUvBB44KljZzacwnzE3u74-MiXQcoC2kPMPML_iepqm4SVyYj5EANbZflIIqfJWUCJ3thlTLERYqvJgKg3NKocY_SmeG47M-PdGJ9VtfIcWdz92rXu4EWX8bQZ2hUYD-TSn82/s4160/IMG_20221018_195846131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHzq8ac8d1kjUmS8MT1e8bygkBMovNl9DylA9ao3IRTTUj7KdMNWmUvBB44KljZzacwnzE3u74-MiXQcoC2kPMPML_iepqm4SVyYj5EANbZflIIqfJWUCJ3thlTLERYqvJgKg3NKocY_SmeG47M-PdGJ9VtfIcWdz92rXu4EWX8bQZ2hUYD-TSn82/s320/IMG_20221018_195846131.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>OIA. Only in America.</div><div><br /></div><div>And just to point out that Florida isn't all ten lane highways.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMvcx_TIrO2SLwiIfTVJkRq7gvfyRh_Zx0jJt8stWfx9V24RCquq6sBXvWFhMWMDYx-DsL2m-JRd0P3iUO7AyYKtptU_bXEFPuXAZ_zc2vAcpiC45foXpsz9ilH7bTtaq6DBvjq451vElfwh-3neANY5LSBFWqEie2Fo84eCmfj87iurbSUzCkWdS/s4160/IMG_20221019_123646774.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMvcx_TIrO2SLwiIfTVJkRq7gvfyRh_Zx0jJt8stWfx9V24RCquq6sBXvWFhMWMDYx-DsL2m-JRd0P3iUO7AyYKtptU_bXEFPuXAZ_zc2vAcpiC45foXpsz9ilH7bTtaq6DBvjq451vElfwh-3neANY5LSBFWqEie2Fo84eCmfj87iurbSUzCkWdS/s320/IMG_20221019_123646774.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our friendly robot, Carmela, took it on herself to send us down a dirt road. It was fun - for a while. Such are the pleasures of staying off the highways.</div></div></div>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528202945158748800.post-68387816017978872472022-11-07T15:19:00.003-05:002022-11-07T15:19:56.151-05:00Not a Trick Photo<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">More on the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. This giant tree, with a root ball like a monstrous paw, toppled around the corner from us.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxUUgo34fHyTpDXqW6Z63lz7xCcFsOh4FqoLn69_cDj3hhYaMKcafN22mUyhs1X9O7-Rz2HxoE4aBUyGaEB1YRVcITw-atFbQKzEtZ1j8USQGgTJQUqqhiTZE7JdDdM-i1fChbKQ6JZGvLw9h3sZ4z1MuHdTpwJFLzNbehADzJ0skbCz_3E9-AjNQ/s4160/IMG_20221026_160728881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxUUgo34fHyTpDXqW6Z63lz7xCcFsOh4FqoLn69_cDj3hhYaMKcafN22mUyhs1X9O7-Rz2HxoE4aBUyGaEB1YRVcITw-atFbQKzEtZ1j8USQGgTJQUqqhiTZE7JdDdM-i1fChbKQ6JZGvLw9h3sZ4z1MuHdTpwJFLzNbehADzJ0skbCz_3E9-AjNQ/w400-h300/IMG_20221026_160728881.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I couldn't see what happened to the back of the house but it certainly must have come close. It looks like something out of a horror film but I can assure you it's genuine. Lots of people seem to be saving bits of their cherished trees, perhaps to make into coffee tables.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile the beach has some interesting new contouring.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDZ7ks5PwGpBwCDpMyKggeQiYwXg2dSuFIRiQTio3fMcT_ZwNiqsliV8x7bCFBohGtQufsqNpmjqmmW7zECFlcyMbXla2ZqTS8uUbqNtbva68yAYbQiU1AQDFAPrgz7rwqzVtt2c3eoF4uH9ni_yZipFfSoizQVGyBsmuBgm2iCEqc5zYSkMKuQ2q/s4160/IMG_20221029_082142391_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDZ7ks5PwGpBwCDpMyKggeQiYwXg2dSuFIRiQTio3fMcT_ZwNiqsliV8x7bCFBohGtQufsqNpmjqmmW7zECFlcyMbXla2ZqTS8uUbqNtbva68yAYbQiU1AQDFAPrgz7rwqzVtt2c3eoF4uH9ni_yZipFfSoizQVGyBsmuBgm2iCEqc5zYSkMKuQ2q/w400-h300/IMG_20221029_082142391_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Though otherwise looked peaceful early in the morning.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm65vlDe2OaLK2kJSqS9y2bsEypWCCxqJ3AlYtfroy-6ctRXXKojGMullUdovCxnxZoHj4kCsUyPViajpVYVD4B5nrNDBHZAcv5cU_WP0Lw9xU9flKmNxM_CllHV_irIjFqcHvMrqKfamfiqUdpnG1FXYtom1qSRLXHo_csPCJWLdfGcYxotFgyvGj/s4160/IMG_20221025_071739238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm65vlDe2OaLK2kJSqS9y2bsEypWCCxqJ3AlYtfroy-6ctRXXKojGMullUdovCxnxZoHj4kCsUyPViajpVYVD4B5nrNDBHZAcv5cU_WP0Lw9xU9flKmNxM_CllHV_irIjFqcHvMrqKfamfiqUdpnG1FXYtom1qSRLXHo_csPCJWLdfGcYxotFgyvGj/s320/IMG_20221025_071739238.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have to say they've been remarkably efficient in carrying away the piles of debris by the roadsides. There's still some there though and, horror of horrors, we've just heard that there's another potential hurricane approaching later this week. Well goodbye to what's left of our garden fence.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But here's a little bit of cheer. Our poor orchid tree that succumbed to Ian appears to be sprouting. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHadle0WmOYtz7VuifuPco4qcU0MGdfdVbt2wq4sFaiJy5Q3kNmXPZaT-cIoVSFmE_YKwLypGbut-DH0CXNdBYDl8Ci4gglUoB5p7onvQNP4DE4JKX0p7_cCg2AA2XRTEMBw2Sm32FofT7RErhBsRqB5VaxvQv8a_uaLQv_oYhAdnTmCJfa-Ijmzq/s4160/IMG_20221107_145756823_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHadle0WmOYtz7VuifuPco4qcU0MGdfdVbt2wq4sFaiJy5Q3kNmXPZaT-cIoVSFmE_YKwLypGbut-DH0CXNdBYDl8Ci4gglUoB5p7onvQNP4DE4JKX0p7_cCg2AA2XRTEMBw2Sm32FofT7RErhBsRqB5VaxvQv8a_uaLQv_oYhAdnTmCJfa-Ijmzq/s320/IMG_20221107_145756823_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We're going to let it go and see what happens. If it grows again it'll be much better than a coffee table. It will be a miracle.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, speaking of hurricanes, it's election day tomorrow. Except at our local library it's been election day every day for the past few weeks. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSY197cIrLYr9a0C2EesTewzxCsq9l7LQCDDFiKYV43zfwvaOZnr4fah1z-C3Q8nRJLKF1WocwuYCTzsKPm8tp6HsufocZ3MR-79SNz5TPFl8-YL_fHuMXH6Zxa4uQJ3xJTtpDKzGcD7dS52g-Lomkyfn8vovvoSMb--mIcow-RgkJTZAo29AGRgo/s4160/IMG_20221027_112426792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSY197cIrLYr9a0C2EesTewzxCsq9l7LQCDDFiKYV43zfwvaOZnr4fah1z-C3Q8nRJLKF1WocwuYCTzsKPm8tp6HsufocZ3MR-79SNz5TPFl8-YL_fHuMXH6Zxa4uQJ3xJTtpDKzGcD7dS52g-Lomkyfn8vovvoSMb--mIcow-RgkJTZAo29AGRgo/s320/IMG_20221027_112426792.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you don't know what the bumper sticker stands for, I'm not going to enlighten you. You can look it up. I didn't see the other side's equivalent or I would have included it, in the interests of fairness.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's been quite a circus, with tents put up next to each other for Republicans and Democrats and some just urging people to vote early (and, I hope, not often). There were substantial queues snaking into the library conference room. A nice lady thanked me for voting but I pointed out that I was a foreigner and a disinterested observer. "Well thank you for using the library then!" she gushed.</span></p>Alenkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16226071842526744079noreply@blogger.com0