Ossese, bonrepos, marterat

Susie is keen to improve her mountain fitness before our trek in September (as am I), so today we made another excursion. The rarely used trail to the cabane to bonrepos has reappeared on the latest edition of the IGN 1:25000 map, a trail I followed in descent in 2009 but have failed to find in the other direction several times. 

We started from Ossese, climbing steadily until emerging into the hanging valley above the Cascade de Lastien.

This time we found the faint paint markers towards the Cabane de Bonrepos but for the first 400m or so it was more luck than judgement that we found the correct way. There is no path anymore just occasional red paint marks often hidden below the vegetation which we managed to stumble upon.

Section of chains and cables aid the way through some steep rocky sections then its a long rising traverse across the mountainside.

At last we arrived at the Cabane de Bonrepos a tiny cabane for 3 people - one of my favourites in the Couserans.

We had a couple of options from here but decided to try and find the path to the Cabane de Marterat (another path that has appeared on the map). It looks unlikely that a path could get there through the steep terrain and there is no sign of it from Bonrepos. The climbs steadily once more towards the Col d'Aliot, but once above the steep couloir descending into the valley below it crosses the scree and skirts below the high cliffs again with markers but no trail.

Another climb upwards and some more cables and we arrived at the cabane.

All that remained now was the descent by the well trodden GR10 - interspersed with wild raspberries and bilberries! Spotted a ring ouzel on the descent.

7hrs for the trip with 5000ft of ascent.

Even the sheep like raspberries!

Traditional stone roofs at Ossese

Back home, the rams had started fighting (we haven't managed to sell Moechee yet) perhaps because the pasture was getting poor and this was accelerating the ewes were coming into season. We split him from the herd, but he soon escaped and rejoined them. So we put the sheep into the big field in front of the house - which involved some new fence building and making a new gateway through the hedge, hoping that the better pasture would retard the ewes. Today things are calmer so our fingers are crossed that we have bought some time to sell Moechee before tupping time comes.

Pic de la Calabasse

Mr Quincy

With the return of good weather and plenty of hay safely in the barn, I've cut the rest of the big field. We'll put the sheep in it in the autumn. Celine our neighbour who is a beekeeper, volunteered to eradicate the asiatic hornets (they kill her bees), which she did very effectively!

It's been too long since we were in the mountains, so today after a not very early start, we set off to Pic de la Calabasse. The ascent from the mines at Rouech to the Peak via the Col de l'herbe Soulette and the north ridge is quite steep and unrelenting and Susie found it a tough slog. We eventually made the summit after 2 1/2 hours but quickly descended to have lunch at the Roche des Gours because the summit had a lot of flies and people.

The ridge is a splendid view point for the peaks from the Neouvielle to Valier

We completed the ridge crossing Pic Paumaude, the twin tops of Tuc des Pans and finally the narrow ridge leading to Tuc de Loubech. From here we descended to the humorously named Col des Quims before descending to the barns at the Pres de Paris - a horrible cattle trail with plenty of juniper bashing. We then gained the descent trail, but there is a lot of forestry work going on at present the track which returns to the mines is a horrific mudbath gauged out by the forestry machines. 6 1/2 hours for the circuit including stops, 9 miles and 4350ft of ascent.

Aneto and the Maladetta

Looking back to Pic Paumaude and Pic de la Calabasse

Vulture

Last peak of the day Tuc de Loubech

A sly old fox spotted on the descent

New Sheep

Four more ewes to join our little flock of ouessants - 10 in all now, although we'll try to sell the black ram as we already have a white ram. Our sheep are now Moe-chee (black ram), William (white ram), Thelma, Louise and Faith (ewes), Comfrey (male lamb), Apache, Hopi, Sioux and Nanook (female lambs).

Scything the top field I managed to stumble upon a asiatic hornets nest on the ground, famous for their aggression and powerful sting I got stung on the head above my ear. Incredibly painful for 24 hours. The pompiers used to remove nests free of charge as they are considered dangerous (several attacks have lead to deaths in the past in France) but apparently this is no longer the case. I'll have to buy a special product if I want to go in the field again this year.

Animals and vegetables

Very changeable weather at the moment, either incredibly hot and humid, or stormy or drizzly. Susie rescued a field vole from a weasel - having saved him, he then bit her to say thank-you!

The onion harvest is in.

Plenty more produce to come in the polytunnel and vegetable garden.

Sheep are still doing well and will soon be joined by another 4 ewes.

Emily (Susie's niece) is staying for a few days. Yesterday we did the Cascade d'Ars / Etang de Guzet circuit in the morning as a big storm was forecast for the afternoon but it never really arrived. Today we'll probably head to the swimming pool/spa in St Girons.

One of chickens has had a respiratory problem - wheezing and coughing - which is always cause for concern. We isolated him from the other chickens and have been keeping a close eye on him. There are no other symptoms (like inflamed comb, running eyes or nose) so we're hoping its nothing too serious. None of the other birds are showing any signs either, so we'll keep them apart for 3 days as a precaution.

Old Man of Woods

A lovely meal and catch up with Alun and Breezy last night - and wicked fruit gin!
Today a rare find - old man of woods - delicious.

L'auberge des poules was originally built for 4 hens and a cockerell, now there are 7 hens and 3 cockerells - so an extension was urgently needed. The 2 hen houses are joined internally and share the original 2 nesting boxes in the auberge.

Mixed weather for the last few days, sometimes hot, often overcast or misty, a few storms at night. As always been keeping busy!

New photos of the gite for the website (last ones were in spring before the leaves came out). A visit to get the gite its "classement". We got 3 stars - "hébergement de très bon confort". There's a national rating system and (alas) to get the 3 stars we had to install a T.V. I suppose it useful for guests with small children when the weathers bad and in winter, but I have to say I did it somewhat grudgingly. TF1 and a couple of other minor channels have poor/no reception - but no-one checks that!

The field opposite the gite got completely topped, the "regaine" will please the sheep. They're currently in the two terrace field which scythed last week. All the sheep have now had their final F.C.O (blue tongue) inoculations. More sheep arrive in 3 weeks time.

The big field in front of the house had all the bracken scythed out of it this morning and the trees felled in the amphitheatre field have at last started to be split and stacked - better late than never. 

This afternoon I lost my trusty opinel which I've had for over 35 years (pictured below). I thought I'd lost it about 3 years ago, but miraculously it turned up a month later under the sofa. This time I realised I'd lost it in almost the exact same place I thought I'd lost it last time, only this time I know I DID have it with me. I retraced my steps to the last known place I had it, then retraced them again. The chances of finding a wooden opinel in a forest deep in leaf litter and branches under undergrowth, when you've not been following a path and it's been 1/2 km since you last knew you had it, are remote....but amazingly I found it!! Hurrah!

I also found a new path leading to an intact charcoal maker from the 1940's and eventually to the monster badger set I discovered maybe 3 years ago - Susie and I are going to go watch the badgers when she's back.

Plenty of mushrooms at the moment, having them at least once a day.

Porch

After a week of temperatures in the high thirties, we had a week of rain and storms and even lit a fire in the house a couple of nights running! But the heat has now returned. I've finished off the South East end of the house with a roof to protect the back door (slates coming sometime soon). Susie is in the UK for a week visiting friends, sisters, Jasper and Ruby.

 A baby red deer in the field

 Clouds after one of many storms

The new rear porch

Terrace building last few days

Day 1 progress

45sqm of decking and 1310 screws later...

Crazy stormy weather this week with some pretty impressive storm fronts coming in from the North-West.

More photos from the portering trip

One of the guides on my mountain portering trip - George Manly - sent me these breath taking pictures of the Etang Long from our trip. Well done George, beautiful shots.

Butterflies

A collection of butterflies from the poly tunnel - Purple emperor, large white, speckled wood, marbled white and a white admiral.

Hot!

139 bales safely made and stored away...Tough work in a temperature of 36 degrees celsius in the shade (97 fahrenheit). Very itchy and we drank a litre an hour of home made elderflower lemonade!

Hay making

Hay making last couple of days. just cutting the flattest part of the field in front of the house for starters. In the heat it only takes a day to dry. After a swim with Susie and Sandrine in the river, Nathaniel very kindly dropped by with a borrowed "andaineur" to put the hay into rows ready for bailing. When I pulled the bailer out of its parking place, one of the tyres disintegrated - which threatened to put pay to the whole operation (the bailer only cost 50 euros!). Then I remembered the old identical bailer abandoned on the Plat d'Artigue. I quickly whipped the wheel off destroying my car jack in the process! We managed to swap the wheel with the damaged one on my bailer and after several hours of fiddling by Nathaniel we got the knotters back in action. A quick 30 or so bales of hay to check all was working and we're ready to do the rest of the field tomorrow. We should get 150 bales - enough for the sheep this winter.

Chemin de Liberté

Spent the last four days being a porter for a UK film crew filming a documentary to air in the autumn on UK television (channel 4). I can't talk about the subject matter yet. There were supposed to be 3 or 4 porters with us each carrying about 10 kgs plus personal gear, in the end there was only me after day one, so my load was pretty horrific (over 20kgs) mostly masses of rechargeable batteries and rechargers, lunches and rubbish - lucky I travelled light and took a 80 litre rucksack. Although the distances each day were short with relatively little height gain (2000m in 3 days), the weather was very hot and with much filming 'en route' the days were usually 12 hours between huts. One camera man got ill and had to be evacuated on day 2.

A new col for me above the Etang Long on day 3 which gave some nice views of the Port de Barlonguere, before a descent into Spain.

launching the drone - 'de rigour' these days

The team

Looking down on the Etang Long towards the Port de Barlonguere

Monty in front of Valieret

Back home and caught a huge horse fly in the poly tunnel Tabanus Sudeticus fully 27mm long!

Tomorrow with hot weather forecast for the next 2 weeks, we'll make some hay.