Riding the rails from Melle Station

   If you go from Melle town centre, down the hill past the famous church of St Hilaire and up the succeeding hill, you will come to Melle Station, shown in my header pic. The substantial station building serves the narrow-gauge railway between the SNCF line at Ruffec via Villefagnan and Chef Boutonne towards Niort. Or rather, served it. A careful look at the departure and booking hall shows no sign of train details and the two doors are labelled 3/6 and 6/11. This is not, as I first thought, the English prices of First- and Second-class tickets but the ages of the children now schooled in the building!  For in fact, the trains have not puffed along this branch line for many years and the building has been re-allocated
    The track also is long gone, but local government has adapted the permanent way into a cycle track, laying fine gravel over the ballast and providing signage, picnic spots and extra railings etc. The result is a shady, almost level track for some  8 kilometers to the town of Celles sur Belle. This was the route we proposed to ride on Sunday afternoon.

  Once started on the track, it is plan that this is a railway line with all the bridges, cuttings and embankments remaining.  However, the finely gravelled surface and the long stretches of shady trees make it a fine cycle route, especially on a hot French afternoon. And there are always sights to be seen--the first being a hedgehog, who crossed in front of us to take a cooling drink at the track-side streamlet. Leaving him in peace to enjoy his drink, we passed on, stopping at an intriguing tiny graveyard beside the track. Here, the charmingly-named Mme and M. Momplaisir occupy their final resting places separately, while their daughter and son-in-law share the plot next-door. Why did they choose this remote spot beside the railtrack?  Were the trains still running when they were first buried? Were they residents of the cottage near-by on the other side of the rails? We don`t know. There must be a story.....

                                                                                       
   Continuing on, we came eventually to the end of the converted section A dwelling, probably a former railway crossing- keepers cottage, stood with its garden gate barring the track, which abruptly swings left to join a near-by lane. To get to Celles and possibly to rejoin the track some road riding is needed, for another time perhaps,  We had come far enough and turned our wheels for the Melle station yard.
  On the way back, we saw a deer
crossing our way a hundred yards ahead. Apart from him and the hedgehog only the very occasional cyclist shared this tranquil bye-way.

   We arrived back at our start-point, loaded the bikes on the rack and drove home. An evening out at the Les Gours restaurant with Jacqui and Adrian and Ian and Sarah was planned for the evening and we did not want to miss that!

   A very pleasant day, how lucky we are to have such places to go!

Afternoon cycle ride in the Marais Poitevin

   Yesterday we decided to continue our `Fitness through cycling` programme with another trip through the Marais. Preparations had been made the night before, picnic made by Kim, while I strapped the bikes on the rack behind the long-suffering 106.We were going after Choir -practice at Matha so all had to be ready for the off afterwards. Our joy was  somewhat diminished by some shocking news:- Yves, the Matha Pasteur, came into church during the session looking distracted as well he might. One of our parishioners, Max, had just been found dead by the side of the road along which he was cycling. The police had been unable to contact his wife Edith, and had sought the Church`s help in locating her mobile number. It appears to be due to a heart attack rather than a traffic accident.The Choir practice terminated abruptly while Yves and Jacques left to try to find Edith and break the awful news to her. We held a short prayer session for both persons involved.

   In a sombre mood we set out to drive to Maillé, the town we had chosen from our new map to start our ride. There was a circuit shown called the Circuit des Ecluses, or canal locks, which at 20 kilometers would be ideal. But having arrived at 1.30 lunch called first! Maillé is a quiet little town and we ate our lunch on the green next to the church before demounting the bikes and putting the necessary items in my improvised front cycle-bag, which is working quite well. We were then ready to set out.

Ready for the off, in front of the Mairie. Note the cycle bag ( no, not Kim!!)

    We started in what we thought was the right direction, but the path soon turned to a narrow footpath along the canal, so narrow in fact, that we were fearful of landing up IN the canal, (See the header pic.) Kim pointed out that the first section was supposed to be `goudronné` or paved so we retraced our path to Maillé and set out in the opposite direction along the marked cycle route. Although this did in fact cross a canal lock, it turned out to be part of a long-distance path leading far to the north. Never mind, we decided to follow it through Maillezais to the village of Liez and then join a cut-off back to Maillé by a different route. We very much enjoyed our ride on a roughly paved farm access road along the water-ways with small bridges leading to the fields on the other side. We passed two remote cottages whose only access was via several kilometers of this small private road, how they cope for deliveries and emergencies Heaven only knows.

    Having reached Liez we continued on a bit but were unsure of our route and having already covered well over half of our allocated distance, we felt it safer to retrace our path by the same route, which we did after having a drink and our dried apricots, energy food! Near Liez, we spotted this strange Dryad near a country cottage

  We found our way back to the car, there was so much to see that we didn`t mind re-covering the same route Kim. spotted three ragondins beside the canal, who promptly leapt in and swam across to their burrow, we also saw an impressive Abbey beside the road in Maillezais. When we had finally arrived back at the church car park, we found we had done 25.5 kilometers so we were quite proud! It only needed energy for the one and a half  hour drive home, luckily by an easier route than the outward leg this time via the outskirts of Niort.

Altogether, a VERY happy day!!

   Bye for now, breakfast calls.

Summer storm

   We have had about a month`s dry, hot weather and our store of collected water for watering the garden was almost used up. Yesterday was the hottest yet with outside shade temperatures at 35 degrees. it was so hot and sticky that we did not venture outdoors much once we had returned from church and a tentative plan to cycle was abandoned.
   Towards evening, we were not surprised to see dark clouds building up and then the Remote Storm Detection System went off. I hurried to give the dogs a quick trot up the road after pulling the plug on the computers. Returning I put the fowls to bed and collapsed the parasol while Kim dragged the loungers and hammock under the cover of the hangar. By this time, it was spotting with rain and claps of thunder came from all around. Then it really started, heavy rain, wind and loud thunder-claps which really made the RSDF tremble.

The RSDS

   We peered out at the sight, but I did venture out when the water-but filled, to transfer the overflow hose to successive jerricans. The result is that we have a full water stock again and were feeling pretty smug when we went to bed, having correctly read the short-term weather.
  However, this morning we were surprised and concerned to find some local friends were not so lucky, with damage to trees and pergola frames. Still, no home damage seems to have been suffered, so all`s well that ends well! Today it`s back to hot and sunny. Good chainsaw weather, perhaps!

  Bye for now, going to stroke the RSDS!

This WAS Ian and Sarah`s rear gate

   

A Blogger`s audience--who are they all?

t

   I think that blogging has to be it`s own reward.  I must admit I enjoy, when in the mood, sharing my thoughts and the details of our life in France with friends and relatives. It is a good method of keeping people we know in the picture and if others find it amusing or instructive so much the better. It`s not a case of slaving over a hot computer. Blogger is a fairly easy system to use and produces an article which looks fairly professional to my prejudiced eye. Occasionally I get a comment or even some praise but that`s not the raison d`etre.
  My blog doesn`t have a vast following and I don`t bother to distribute it on sites like Networked Blogs. Nevertheless, I was a bit surprised the other day to find out how widely it IS read!  Blogger has a feature whereby you can see the number of readers and their countries and I had a look at the monthly `hits`. I was surprised to find the US is now my top readership!  Here are the monthly totals;--


       USA  126
       France  112
       UK  65
       Lithuania  57
       Russia  42
       Germany  40
       Rumania  19
       Sweden  15
       Ukraine  14
       Holland  9

  We know few people in America and none at all in the other counties apart from France and Britain.  Who are these Russians, Lithuanians and Ukrainians so keen to read about goings on in France in English?  How did they find the Ark and do they like it?  Perhaps you could comment and tell me, Messieurs, Comrades, Freunden?  You will be most welcome but if you want to remain anonymous you`re still welcome.

  Bye ,You-all have a nice day, Au revoir,  Auf Wiedersehen, etc. I`m going to brush up my German...

The OTHER Tour de France- third leg- Tour de L`Ile d`Oleron

    We had decided to continue our effort to become fit cyclists with a visit to the Ile d`Oleron.  The plan was to head off after choir practice at Matha yesterday. Accordingly, we loaeded the bikes onto the new cycle-rack the evening before and Kim prepared us a picnic. As we haven`t yet bought bags for the bikes, I had modified a kitbag we bought at a house-sale to fit on the bars of my machine. I was determined not to repeat the experience last week of removing a rucksack from a sweaty back and feeling that damp clammy feeling of the perspiration trapped underneath! In fact, my bodge worked well and we could carry all the necessary stuff without my having to carry it on my back, much more comfortable.

   The weather was slightly cloudy though the Météo hinted at light rain at 2pm. We took no notice as the summer heat-wave is well established here and is unlikely to change for some time. In the event no rain arrived, of course and the afternoon was increasingly sunny. We headed out after choir and made our way onto the Island by the impressive viaduct, having set our Satnav to Le Chateau d`Oleron, the first big town after the bridge. The plan was to buy a map in the Tourist Office to plan our route but the Bureau was closed until 3, typical, must have time for a good lunch.... We decided to have OUR lunch in the square near the cafés and a roundabout which was adding a touch of gaity to the scene and then to go on to the main town on the island, St. Pierre. After enjoying our sandwiches, we drove on to St Pierre and parked near the tourist office, which WAS open and a young and helpful lad sold us an excellent map showing the cycle paths for only 50 cts.

   We left the car where it was, unloaded the bikes and bag and set out to find the cycle-path leading towards Boyardville, which we did after having made our way out of town, partly by a one-way road in the wrong sense-- there are SOME advantages in riding a bike...We found the track and very pleasant it was, going first through fields with occasional horses ( See the header photo ) then on road through the small town of Sarcelles, then through woodland to Boyardville. Here we rejoined the road to return via Sarselles to our start point at St Pierre.  On the rather narrow roads,we were both struck by the far different attitude towards cyclists of the French motorists; they give cyclists a wide berth and are much more patient in overtaking than their English counterpart, perhaps due to the influence of the Tour de France?

  As we were reloading the cycles, Kim announced that we had exceeded our previous record by a third, having covered 17.72km ! Alright, it`s not a lot but it`s some time since I could ride 50 miles from Plymouth to Exeter to stay with my Uncle John--over 50 years in fact!! so it will take a while to work up our endurance. Besides, we are touring cyclists, here to see the sights and yesterday`s tour gave us great pleasure in a lovely corner of France. We returned home tired but content with a vintage day out!

   Bye for now, got to unload and adjust the bikes, Kim is complaining that her steering head is too tight!

  

Hot Topics.

   Yes, it`s true, the Deux Sèvres summer we usually have has established itself. Long, hot days and the grass has stopped growing, so no more frantic mowing and strimming. True, the daily watering chore has arrived, but hey, you can`t have everything....
  Perversely however, we haven`t forgotten how cold it gets in winter, as a couple of items will prove. Ten days or so ago, we saw a very reasonably-priced woodburner on Things for Sale in Deux Sévres. We arranged to go and see it on the Saturday. Sounds simple, doesn`t it, but don`t forget what an enormously long départment DS is! The stove was near Bressuire, right in the north, while we are 200 yards from the SOUTHERN border.... A trip of two and a half hours was involved, just as well as we like exploring!  Just as well, also that the stove seems suitable and being a lot smaller than our current incumbent, could be put in the back of the poor, little Peugeot 106....

  The new stove is much smaller than the old one, but does not have an oven, a feature of the old stove that we didn`t often use as eventually it didn`t heat much. The new stove, a Supra, seems well constructed, with a cast-iron core surrounded with an enamelled convector case. It is supposed to heat 100 square metres and is more designed to heat an area than to cook!. Our old unit was becoming rather tired and nearly all its controls were jammed or missing, which made driving it a bit of an art. The firebox bars were burnt through in places, and replaced with old trenails. Still, it has given stirling service and will be missed. Ian is going to help us install the new one later and we shall see next autumn whether it lives up to its boast!  A suivre....

  Another cold-weather project is the possible replacement of the front/kitchen door. Vincent, from the local double-glazing firm called in a couple of days ago to measure up for an estimate. We had mentioned it weeks ago at a local `do` and had almost forgotten it. Still, one doesn`t rush out here in the sticks, and if the divis arrives in a couple of weeks time and is accepted, the work will PROBABLY be done before late autumn renders it urgent...

   Still, all that is scarcely urgent with the temperature around thirty, so bye for now, going to lie in the shade!

Springing into Life.

   We have always maintained that conditions in Deux Sèvres are extraordinarily favourable to life. Weeds, for example flourish like --well, weeds, and even cherished crops do quite well. A few years ago, Kim wanted some stakes for her tomatoes and I cut some straight twigs from a hazel in the orchard. Well, within a week, the poles had sprouted tufts of green leaves and Kim would have had a nut-grove if we had not discouraged them!

   This phenomenon was demonstrated once again, when we returned from ten days in the mountains. The grass in the cour was ankle-deep, so that I feared our small motor mower would not cope and I would have to strim first (fears unfounded, it cut the jungle without a qualm.)  But a more surprising proof of fertility was in the fish-tank. We had bought two corydoras to keep the bottom of the tank clean, which they did well, growing into handsome fish with green flanks, showing they are Corydoras Aeneas, or Bronze Catfish. One grew slightly larger than the other. The larger one is, in fact, the female, not as you might think, the male.

   After we had been back a couple of days, I noticed a small fish swimming near the bottom of the tank, and realised there were three baby corydoras in residence. Tropicals are not usually that easy to breed and I Googled Corydoras to see if they were live-bearers, which would explain the relatively large size of the babies. Well, they are NOT live-bearers but as this is a family blog I won`t elaborate on their method of multiplication, Google it for yourself if you dare! There has subsequently been another litter, so we will shortly be faced with a Corydoras over-population problem. Perhaps I can sell them back to the pet-shop?
   To avoid any feline increase, we have just had Storm, the grey kitten, sterilised. However, I am pleased to say that Kim measured herself this morning as she is on a diet, and her waist measurement has fallen.....

    Bye for now, going to bang on the glass of the aquarium!

Junior about to hide behind his rock.

On Two Wheels Beside The River

   We have been feeling a bit stale after our return from the Pyrenees. The weeds and grass had profited from a week`s absence to make a bid for the sky and it has been a herculean task to beat them back into submission, a task which is not even yet completed. Kim has wished for some time to re-commence regular cycle rides, but wished to commence on the flat. Although Deux Sèvres is supposed to be a flat area, it is amazing how riding a bike reveals slopes unsuspected from a car. Inspired by Jaqui`s blog, The French Village Diaries, we felt that riding in the Marais Poitevin offered a level playing field and some welcome shade on hot days. The dedicated cycle-tracks often run beside placid river or canal, and thus are forced to be level!

  To prepare for this new adventure, we had bought a new cycle rack, well not new, but as good as. Our old rack, although technically capable of holding two bikes, creaked and rattled alarmingly when subjected to two AT cycles and we really felt that any long- or medium-distance trips needed something more sturdy. We were lucky enough to find a much more macho rack on a local sales site and bought the new equipment a couple of days ago from a nice couple at Villemain, who had bought it in England just to transport two bikes from the UK to France.

  Thus equipped, we decided on a shake-down trial of the system on Friday, after choir-practice at Matha, being of the (mistaken) view that the Marais was nearer Matha than to La Mort Limouzin. We decided to start from Coulon, A little town on the edge of the Marais.

A tour setting out 

   We found Coulon to be a charming place, very picturesque, beside the river. It is obviously thriving on the tourist trade, yet doesn`t seem too predatory, for example the car parks are abundant and free. It is a centre for boat hire to explore the Marais` maze of water-ways. You can hire self powered boats or benefit from a tour-guide who also paddles the boat. One offer I liked the look of, was inclusive of lunch, you had a meal in a little awning by the embarking point, then boarded your boat for a gentle trip on the calm waters.

   However, we had other fish to fry, or as the French say `another cat to whip` ( how cruel!) Having bought a cycle-route map from the helpful Tourist Office, we returned to the car-park to disembark the bike and set off.

  We had decided on a short ride to La Garette, only three kilometers away along the river, none of the forty k trips that Jaqui and her family undertake! This was to be a trial trip, not an endurance rally. We found the cycle tracks excellent, well signposted and mostly separated from roads. Initially, our track went over a little bridge, from which some bathing-suited lads were threatening to hurl themselves into the water-course below. We paused for a time to see if they would, but eventually lost patience and rode on. The track was narrow but well surfaced, often shaded. Later it was constructed of a sort of board-walk along the edge of shady pools. The board-walk was charming, but a bit hard on the posterior. Luckily Kim had prepare for this eventuality with a pair of hi-tech shorts, endowed with a special padding to protect the` parties` as the French put it.... These seem to have worked quite well, although Kim would have preferred even more comfort. I cannot offer any photo of this apparel, it is worn UNDER the more modest trousers!

   After an enjoyable ride, we reached La Garette, a lovely little village with one narrow street, and another embarking point. We stopped on a bench to have a drink and some fruit, then set out back to Coulon. We were amused to see an inhabitant using his orange tractor as personal transport, leaving it running outside his house as he went inside for something.

 
 We returned to Coulon just in time to see the lads pluck up courage and leap from the bridge into the water. They were then thoroughly told off by a stern lady with a clipboard who doubtless told them that diving and swimming were interdit. We loaded the bikes onto the carrier before driving the 60k home again. A thoroughly enjoyable outing, which we shall soon repeat.

  Bye for now, Blogger starting to act up, I shall quit while I`m ahead! A bientôt!