Sheep Tor

The ponies on the moor being rounded up

Stone circles

A short trip to Sheep Tor - checking out the rock climbing there. Pretty cold blustery weather and not at all inviting though the climbs looked like they'd be fun on a sunny day.

New Blogger interface absolute crap

Like most bloggers who use Google Blogger I am very unhappy. We have been forced to migrate to the new Blogger interface which is frankly a heap of shit. It's impossible to get decent equal margins around images, the interface is horribly clumsy and the amount of control is much reduced. I can usually modify the HTML to get what I want (very time consuming) but even this doesn't seem to work.

Google are also determined to try and get everyone on "Google+" which is another new, clunky and just downright irritating piece of lunacy.

Wordpress anyone? Heard Tumblr is worth a look too.

Shutters

Yesterday afternoon I went to see Ian and progress on his new house at Bincaresh which we has been renovating for the past year or so. He moves in next week! Then he and I popped over to Salau to see progress at Alun and Breezy's place, where I'd been invited for supper. Both places are looking fabulous.

I've spent the last couple of days making oak shutters for the kitchen. Haven't hung the middle ones yet 'cos a little storm rolled in - it's been hot and humid today.

Storm didn't last long so all done now!

Work and more mushrooms

Beautifully hot here (36 in the sun) which is nice after the awful summer weather in the UK. Work continues here at Quelebu with new lights in the kitchen, the front wall finished between the rafters, the curtains and window seat in the kitchen finished, the yukka in the front garden removed and the the old grease trap filled in.

Lots more viewings of the house at Pont, especially now I've reduced the price!
Visits from friends and neighbours and more mushrooms for tea - 5 different bolettes including a cep. I fried these with some garlic and bacon, the little cep (bottom) and the Boletus Erythropus (the little one in the middle with a brown velvety cap) were just amazing!

Pyrenees

Back to France and more building. Hot sunny weather and lovely haul of mushrooms for tea.

Last day

A nice sunny day on Monday (at long last) and Susie's last day before returning to work. The kids were busy doing homework so we cycled the rather hilly direct route to Blackpool sands (about 11 miles) for a spot of R and R. A longer but easier route home.

Off to France tomorrow.

Walks on the moor

A couple of recent outings:

Thursday walk up to Haytor at dusk with Susie, Dominic and Bridget. After watching the sunset we returned by moonlight.
On Friday an evening canoe down the River Dart from Totnes to Tuckenhay - the last part again by moonlight, again with Dominic and Bridget.

Yesterday an afternoon stroll with Susie starting and finishing at New Waste. We followed the River Yealm to it's source passing the tiny waterfalls at Yealm Steps before following the damp, tussocky moorland of the watershed, to descend the River Erme.

An ingot stone for casting tin at the ruined blowing house below Yealm Steps

lunch at Yealm Steps

A tiny dead shrew

Fish

At the weekend a short camping trip to East Prawle and a spot of fishing with Jasper on the only decent weather day but nothing caught.
Today the weather has been briefly good again so Susie and I made another short trip to Brixham and in 50mins 7 mackerel! Susie cooked a delicious slow cooked Japanese dish with them.

Out and about

Walking behind the waterfall

Susie and Emily

Mostly horrible weather here in the UK which is depressing. None the less we've had a few days out. Some fishing and walking around Brixham, a trip to the waterfalls near Ystradfellte where you can actually walk behind one of the waterfalls, a quick browse in some reclamation shops in Hereford and the inevitable trip to IKEA.

Last week of holidays

Last week in the Pyrenees - more lovely weather, swims in the river (where Ruby made friends with damsel flies), a barbeque/party with dear friends, at last I found an old hay tedder for hay making and the fields are all re-fenced.

Etang d'Aube

A walk up to the Etang d'Aube with John, Sandrine, Hannah and Natasha. Lovely weather and although we failed to find a disposable BBQ to take, we cobbled together an excellent feast. The water was cold but the dog and five and half of us went in. Jasper and Ruby did some sketching and we polished off the day with pizza, wine and badminton.

building

A huge wasps nest in the outside loo!

A couple of stormy days - so we busied ourselves with painting, putting up the coat hooks, finishing the staircase (which this time was easier to assemble but harder to install) and starting to make the window cushions for the kitchen.

Mushrooms

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A huge haul of mushrooms today - oysters, birch bolettes, hedgehog of the woods and girolles. Photo is of what was left after dinner!

Pic Seron (7)

Whilst the aching legs have been recovering it's been all go here at Quelebu. The last flight of the staircase is underway (strings complete), the field in front of the house has been cleared of braken, copius amounts of chanterelles have been collected, the Olympic badminton tournement here has been on-going and about 1 tonne of firewood as been relocated and stacked in the wood shed.

Yesterday we'd planned a trip to a mountain lake, but Ruby was feeling under the weather, so in the end just Jasper and I went. We changed the itinery and headed for Peak Seron. It was a lovely day and a sea of clouds chased us up the mountain but we managed to stay above it for most of the day. The views to the Etang d'Aube far below were spectacular. We saw a bearded vulture and single wild marigold high on the mountain. Jasper is getting into mountain climbing now and showing that he's pretty strong and determined.

Bearded vulture

Jasper high on Pic Seron

The final ridge to the summit

Etang d'Aube

Mont Valier (7)

We were all very organised. Even Ruby got up without a thousand wake ups! However I didn't bring my cap....Lee stopped in the town and I found one with Bambi on! Jasper and I regularly likened our trip to Frodo and Gollum up Mount Doom.....I've never climbed so high and so arduously! Ruby and I wore a garment I fashioned from my shawl soaked in waterfall and knotted over our hair....twas soothing. We ate regularly, and much of the oat bar, consequently there was no holding me back!!I was eaten much more readily than everyone else by the mozzis and have the welts to prove it.....Ruby was most irritated but seems to have emerged unscathed.

The doge was a huge ball of good nature and dready fur such a doge!

I feel that the meal we ate at the refuge might have been my most Epicurus meal to date! It was a concoction crafted by mountain pixies, most likely. Cep soup....duck and lentils....smelly, oh so smelly cheese and then the pot of chocolate gou!!!! I dreamt of terrible things and Jasper shouted out in the night telling Ruby as per usual to stop it!

The summit climb was so euphoric for Jasper and I, Rubes was a little tired but showed courage and fortitude to the end....my love was her coach.

The descent was goddam crucifying for me and the Ru (6300ft of it in all)....we had 'laking eggs'! At one point we felt abandoned and unsure we had gone the right way....I called like the peacock but to no avail. At last the journey was coming to a close, the last bridge and then more....Lee was by that time sufferin and actually now it seems trammelled with a bug from the river, or mebe too much sun? I kept looking at him all the way back as he was sighing the way you do before you do a gigantic vomit....but he held on and we collapsed into our beds very grateful!

Susie raring to go!

More than halfway to the hut and very, very, hot!

the uphill toil...

...it never ends!

At the refuge at last and time for a cool coke!

(apparently we can't buy any other beverage because of the Olympics)

Still more than 2000ft to go to the summit from the hut

Froggit

Jasper and Ruby below the refuge

Ruby's beautiful photo

Doge! (Patou)

Misty mountains

On the summit

The happy mountaineers

Jasper finds God!

Coolin' the footsies

Ruby finds inner peace

Jasper in the Amazon