Saturday, 8 February 2025

Three Birds

I was enchanted to see three species of parrot feeding together on the roadside when we were in Tumut. Two were familiar to me, but I'm pretty sure the third is a lifer.

Superb Parrots. I don't remember ever seeing these before, especially when I was a kid.

Crimson Rosella. These are the birds I remember as our 'normal' parrots.

A galah. These cheeky chappies have a reputation as being a bit haphazard. It's a reputation kind of deserved, because if a parrot is going to fly into your car, it's likely to a galah


Friday, 7 February 2025

Wherever I Lay My Mat

... that's my home.

Last week I was trying to think of the oldest thing I own that I use frequently.

This rug has sat beside my bed for as long as I can remember, probably since about 1963. It has gone with me from London to France via many places in Australia. I put my feet on it as I get out of bed every morning I am at home.


It's looking a bit tatty now, but it has never been repaired or cleaned. It may be time to treat it with more respect.

Thursday, 6 February 2025

At the Clinic for an MRI

I've been having trouble with my right shoulder for several years. For two years my swimming has been impeded and it aches a lot of the time. It hurts when I chop vegetables or stir a pot. A friend recommended an orthopaedic surgeon in Blois who specialises in shoulders, so last summer I made an appointment with him. The earliest I could get was in October. He ordered an MRI (Fr. IRM) so he could see what was really going on. The scanner clinic offered me an appointment for the end of November, but we were in Australia. The earliest appointment I could make was 31 January.

 

 A reminder to remove your bra before entering the scanner room. Yes, the word for 'bra' in French is 'throat-support'...

Reminder to remove bra before MRI, France.

The upshot is that there is a tiny tear in one of the tendons, at the point that it connects to the rotator cuff. There is no arthritis, no inflamation nor tendonitis. It seems to just be wear and tear related to age.

 

The glamorous look of the scanner patient...

Ready for a scan, France.

I'm hoping that some good physiotherapy (Fr. kinésitherapie) will significantly improve it. Even if the surgeon suggests an operation I think I will decline.

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Vandalised Speed Camera

Vandalised speed camera, France.

Driving through Châtillon sur Indre we noticed that some bright sparks have encased the speed camera at the edge of town in tractor tyres. The speed camera is positioned to encourage drivers to be doing the speed limit or less as they top the rise and enter town. Unfortunately for the town it is in the middle of a long straight stretch of rather dull gently undulating countryside. Clearly certain locals feel that speeding is totally OK.

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Eurasian Cranes in the Brenne

The other day we had to go up to Blois and as we drove through the fields around Azay le Ferron we noticed a flock of about 80 Eurasian Cranes (Fr. Grues cendrées) feeding. These will be overwintering or even resident birds, but they were in their full breeding plumage and looking splendid even in the low light of a dismal winter day.

 

Unfortunately I only had my phone with me, so this is the best photo I managed.

Eurasian Cranes Grus grus overwintering in the Brenne, France.

Several thousand cranes overwinter in the Brenne and they are one of the most spectacular species you can observe in the winter. If you come across these unmistakable birds, be as discrete as possible so as not to disturb them. They spook very easily.

They are one of the biggest birds in Europe, standing over a metre tall, with wingspans of over two metres. They weigh about 5 kilos.

Every morning they head out to feed in the fields, often favouring fields that have had a crop of maize. At dusk they will return to their 'dormitory' at the Etang de la mer rouge, in the heart of the Brenne. They are spectacular in flight, forming great V shapes in the sky, and trumpeting to each other as they fly.

Monday, 3 February 2025

Local Produce at the Supermarket

Rather an interesting range of local charcuterie.

Display of local charcuterie in a supermarket, France.

Very often supermarkets set out with charming labelling to fool their customers into thinking they are buying from small scale farmers who are working in partnership with the supermarket in a win-win relationship. Very often this is a deception designed to give the customer the warm and fuzzies when they buy eggs or meat or veggies. Generally the produce will come from industrial farms hundreds of kilometres away and have a considerable markup. But a few of our local supermarkets, notably the Intermarché franchises in small towns, take supporting their local producers seriously. The other day I went into the Intermarché store in Chatillon sur Indre to find that they were featuring their local cheese producers in one end of a refrigerated cabinet, and a charcuterie from Issoudun at the other end. I was also charmed by the fact that one of the staff waited patiently for me to finish photographing the cheese before he came through with his pallet trolley. He was also perfectly accepting of the fact I was photographing in the supermarket.

 

These are real local goats cheese producers, and I reckon half the supermarket customers would know them personally.

Display of local cheeses in a supermarket, France.