A Foreign Grotte

There are 765 recognised "Lourdes Grotto" in France. In the immediate area surrounding Preuilly-sur-Claise there are at least three: Boussay, Yzeures sur Creuse, and  (most impressively) Paulmy. 

This isn't one of them, in fact it's not even in France. This is the Lourdes Grotto next to the Sankt-Anna-Kapelle near Mulfingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It's not as picturesque (or old) as those closer to home, but it's the thought that counts.

Les Telots

Another "what's that thing?" from Autun. You can't miss them, two almost perfectly conical hills rising from nowhere. It's instantly obvious what they are, not so obvious the cause.

These are the Les Télots spoil heaps. Autun sits on a large oil shale deposit which by 1837 was being exploited for gas for public lighting. The Les Télots concession was granted in 1865, and production of shale oil gas started in 1881. The refinery constructed an oil distillation plant in 1936, employing several hundred workers who produced automotive fuel. Following closure in 1957, the site was dismantled and partially demolished. Remains of the installations (ruins) and these two large spoil tips still mark the landscape, overgrown with particular vegetation studied for its biodiversity. Les Télots is recognized as a natural zone of ecological, faunistic, and floristic interest (ZNIEFF).

Firebox

What's that thing?

It's a close-up of one of these

The firebox of a steam locomotive is where combustion occurs, generating the heat that boils water into steam. 

The brick arch is a curved wall of firebrick built inside the firebox. Rather than letting hot gases rush straight from the fire into the boiler tubes, the arch forces them to travel a longer, curved path before reaching the flue openings.

This allows more complete combustion of gases and volatile matter released from the coal, which improves efficiency and reducing smoke. It also protects the tube plate from direct flame, preventing localized overheating and leaks. Additionally, the arch helps distribute heat more evenly across the firebox and it slows sparks and unburned particles from being drawn into the tubes, reducing wear and fire risk in the smokebox.

They're not ordinary bricks. Firebricks are refractory bricks made from materials like fireclay or silica, engineered to withstand extreme heat without cracking or melting.

This one is in the Cité du Train in Mulhouse. I knew about them, but I've never seen one up close.

What to do on Sunday

Go for a drive in a classic car, see an ocean of sunflowers, then go to lunch at the guinguette. It sure beats working.

Susan, Connie, Yvonne and Claudette.

Yesterday was the guinguette's classic car and oyster Sunday. Unfortunately the oyster man had a boat accident on Saturday and wasn't there, and there weren't a lot of classic cars either. Neither of those things ruined our Sunday.

The weather is getting a lot more acceptable. It was over 30°C, but at least it wasn't over 40°C!

Wear Your Helmet!

Yesterday's photo was taken on my bike ride yesterday morning. It was only a short ride, partly because it was starting to get warm again, and partly because I'd only gone out to take that photo.

What I didn't say is that I was in such a rush to take the photo and get home to publish it in time that I managed somehow to get my foot tangled in the bike as I dismounted. I landed with an almighty bang, mainly on the back of my head. This ended up with me under the bike and quite puzzled about how I was going to escape. After lying there for a minute or so I collected my thoughts, wriggled my way out, took the *#@*'!! photo and rode home.

Total damage was a bloody and slightly swollen elbow, a bit of gravel rash on my back, and a mashed helmet.

It's annoying, because it's a new helmet bought a week ago to replace my 25 year old helmet, but it could have been a lot worse.

Tomorrow I'll be calling in to Action, and buying another helmet because I've proven that they work. And I promise I'll always wear it 

That Time Of Year

This morning it was cooler, so: