Another trip to Mazerolles.

Firstly I would like to apologise if I have not visited you for a while!  I seem to be getting further and further behind schedule and I have no idea where all the time goes!  We will be away for a lot of May, and the beginning of June, so I am going to take a break from the blog over that period, but I will be back, I promise, towards the end of June!  I hope to come back with some great stories to tell you; the first few posts unrelated to the Charente,  but hopefully of interest.  I will be trying to keep the photodiary up to date when I can over the holiday break, but this will depend on availability of WIFI and, of course, time!

For those of you following me on Google reader, I gather that this service is being closed down at the end of June, so the best plan would be to follow by email; the email link is at the right hand top of my home page.   If you have Facebook, it seems that you can also use bloglovin.  I am not a Facebook fan, so I know little about it!  Also suggested by followers is feedly.com.

Last week we took a country walk around Mazerolles with the local leisure club and near the end of the walk, we were shown a "small" mound, tucked away at the back of the church. The mound and moat are all that remains of a centuries-old defensive position - we had no idea it was there!  A circular wooden stockade would have been built on the top, to provide shelter for local inhabitants in times of attack. I wrote about the church just over a year ago HERE.  At that time we did not walk around the back and just look at what we missed!

A  feudal (medieval) mound and moat, on land kindly donated to the commune by two local benefactors.

This medieval mound is reported to be 20 metres high, and 25 metres in diameter at the base, but looking at the proportions in the photo, I think the diameter is substantially understated!. It is surrounded by a ditch and an embankment. It is said to date from the XIII century, but fell into ruin after the French Revolution. There are suggestions there was a castle at the top, but it must have been quite small! A little research shows that, although a few archaelogists have dug test pits in various places, nothing has been found, so the site's history will remain a mystery! While trying to find out more about this feudal mound, I discovered that Mazerolles was one of the last places in the kingdom to testify to the presence of wolves (canis lupis).Pity I cannot take any photos of them now!

Lots of digging!!

Some of us climbed to the top to take a look.

Here we are on our way back down.  Luckily there were some stout posts with rope attached, to help you on your way!

A little way down the road is this pretty lake

and on the opposite side of the road, next to the stream that runs into it, is the old lavoir.  One of the few we have seen that has not been restored.

I was also fascinated by this collapsed building and hidden doorway, slowly being reclaimed by nature!

Walking through the country lanes and bridleways, I tried to find as many wild flowers as I could.   Here are some of the pictures I took, with questionmarks where I cannot identify the species!

 

 Possibly Blue-eyed Mary

 Bluebells

 Gorse

With thanks to Beatrice I have discovered this is Euphorbia.

 Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum )

 ???

 Early purple orchid. (Orchis mascula) I think!

 ???

 One of the violet family.

 Stitchwort - possibly Greater stitchwort.

???

I think this is one of the Plantain family.

see my daily photo diary  HERE

http://photodiarydps.blogspot.com

and also - My Life Before Charente Updated 30/04/2013 will be taking a break as well.

Photos around the garden or close by.

I have blogger's block AGAIN, mainly due to the rubbish weather we have been having for weeks and weeks!  We have no desire to go out unless necessary, which has therefore restricted our travels! So here are some favourite photos which have featured on my photodiary over the past month, in no particular order.  Certainly many signs of Spring are around, but it has yet to feel like it!!

Cowslips are everywhere

My kitchen orchids have been flowering for ages!

Great tit enjoying a sunflower seed.

Dandelion "clock"

Hyacinth

No, I got here first!

Greenfinch

This looks like a good place for a rest!

and another greenfinch

Now what do you think is going on over there?

An elusive sparrow; they seem to vanish the moment the camera appears.

Landscape on a daylight moon.

Forsythia

Flowering cherry

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Mirabelle plum flowers have just opened.

The only warm day we seem to have had so far woke up a few of our common lizards.

Loved this rainbow!!

If only I could paint this; perhaps I should try!

See also - My Life Before Charente Updated 08/04/2013

and my daily photo diary  HERE

http://photodiarydps.blogspot.com 

Round and About 4 - Blog 64

Thursday I decided that it was time I really did a bit of energetic exercise on the road, so for the first time since last August I removed my bike from its covers. The reason it is so long, is that I went down with pneumonia last August, and then when I returned to the UK the winter weather did not encourage me to get back on my bike. I feel now that I have most things here under control, (including the rabbits), I can enjoy the countryside on two wheels, and build up those muscles and lung capacity again.

Well, I only managed 15 kms, and as I stopped to take several photos along the way I don’t think I did very much in the way of building up too much muscle or lung capacity, but I did discover that the seat seems to have got quite hard! I will obviously have to work up the mileage slowly and try to forget taking my camera along with me. I know though if I do the latter something will crop up that I really want to take a picture of, it always happens!

Anyway here are a few of the pictures I took along the way. Also one previous picture taken several years ago when I was cycling the Argus in Cape Town. South Africa's Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is the world's largest individually timed cycle race. The idea for the race can be traced back to 1978, when Bill Mylrea and John Stegmann organised the Big Ride-In to draw attention to the need for cycle paths. The Ride-In, held under the auspices of the Western Province Pedal Power Association, was well received and drew hundreds of cyclists, including the Mayor of Cape Town. In 1978 The Argus, Cape Town's largest newspaper, agreed to sponsor the 'Argus Cycle Tour'. The inaugural event was held on 28 October 1978 and attracted 525 entrants. In 1991 the 15 000-entry mark was passed as Pick 'n Pay (a large supermarket chain) became a naming rights sponsor, resulting in the event becoming "The Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour". In 2009 nearly 30 000 braved the start and just under 27 000 finished. The event is over approximately 105 kms, but the route occasionally varies, as in some years there has been a danger of falling rocks in the mountains.

Climbing Chapman's Peak in Cape Town with the Atlantic Ocean in the back ground.

This looked a bit like the sea, the crops were blowing in the strong wind and the silver and green looked like waves, it was really quite stunning but the photo does not do it credit.

Baling already, it seems like the crops were only planted a few weeks ago! Note the poppies by the side of the field.

This small château is just down the road from us and is owned by an international horse owner and three day eventer.

I was quite glad there was a fence between me and these two billy goats. They were quite stroppy, stamping their feet and threatening me with their horns. They look quite harmless here, but this was after they had got a bit bored with me and had moved away.

Wild flowers at the side of the road. Due to the very strong wind it was almost impossible to get a good photo as everything was constantly on the move!