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.

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.

Local Produce at the Supermarket

Rather an interesting range of local charcuterie.

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.

The Manly Ferry Saga

We have previously expressed on the blog our love of the Manly Ferry, and mourned the withdrawal of the traditional ferries for something that feels altogether more lightweight.

The old Freshwater class ferry 'Queenscliff', photographed on a previous trip to Australia 

The new catamaran ferries were introduced in 2021 and proved controversial, being smaller, less able to cope with the large waves that sometimes enter Sydney harbour, and unable to dock at it's traditional wharf at very low tides. The advantage is that a trip on the new ferries is 10 minutes faster, but as there was already a fast ferry alternative and for many people the journey was the reason they were there, this seemed irrelevant.

The new Emerald 2 class Manly Ferry 'Clontarf'

The good news is that we were not the only ones to mourn, and on our recent trip to Australia we saw one of the old ferries back in service.

It now appears that the plan is to reintroduce three of the old ferries after they have been re-engined, and put the new ferries on less punishing routes.

Everything old is new again: the Freshwater class 'Collaroy'

The Year of the Snake: Australia

It's the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac. Australia has about 140 species of terrestrial snakes and 32 marine species. About 100 Australian species are venomous, and the most venomous snake in the world is the Inland Taipan. The second most venomous snake in the world is the Eastern Brown Snake, and this is the species that causes the most deaths in Australia (mind you, that's just one or two unlucky people a year, thanks to widespread access to antivenoms in Australia). Indeed the top four most venomous snakes in the world are Australian, and five of the top twenty most venomous snakes in the world are Australian.

Ouroboros by Lindy Lee at the National Gallery in Canberra. Going to see it at night is very popular.

Having doubtless scared all non-Aussies witless, I will now point out that I only saw one snake in November when we were visiting Australia, and it was a non-venomous python, in a terrarium.

The resident Woma Python at the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve visitor centre in Canberra.

I did go to see the new sculpture at the Australian National Gallery several times though. It is called Ouroboros, by the artist Lindy Lee, and is causing a sensation. Ouroboros is a snake eating its own tail, representing the eternal cycle of life.

Snake warning sign at the thermal pool at Yarrangobilly. I imagine people do occasionally find themselves sharing the pool with a thirsty snake.

Indigenous Australians also have Dreamtime legends about snakes, the best known being Almudj the Rainbow Serpent, a creator being that many indigenous Australian cultures have stories about.  With her passing through the landscape she creates waterholes, ravines and ranges of hills. Now she lives at the bottom of a deep pool fed by a waterfall and guarded by a rock formation. Sometimes she rises from the pool and floods the land. Wrongdoers will be drowned. Other times she stands upright on her tail and you can see her as a rainbow in the sky. Although it is permitted to see her image painted on the rocks at Ubirr, she herself should not be sought out or disturbed.

This rock formation is Rainbow Serpent's sign, warning you to be respectful as she is close.

Snake bite kits in the pharmacy at Merrimbula. I've never seen this before. Apparently the hardware stores sell them too. They contain heavy crepe bandages, gauze swabs, snake bite specific first aid advice, a snake bite identification card and a thermal reflective accident blanket.

Ouroboros in daylight.

Article in the Pittsworth Sentinel, a small rural newspaper, warning people to be careful about snakes.

A Sign of Warmer Days To Come

I was visiting Huub and Ingrid the other day, and noticed their wild daffodils are out. I'm told they have been flowering for a couple of weeks.

The Year of the Snake: France

This is a Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac. Here in the Touraine we have a number of wild native snake species. Only one is venomous. There is one, non-venomous, that you are very likely to see, two or three others, including the venomous species, that you could be lucky enough to see, and a couple more which are rather rare.  

 

A Western Whip Snake Hierophus viridiflavus (Fr. Couleuvre jaune et verte), captured in a chook shed and now being released into the wild. This is the species you are most likely to see south of the Loire in the Touraine.

Last year the Societé Herpetalogique de Touraine began a campaign they dubbed SOS Serpents 'l'Appel, pas la pelle' ('the call, not the shovel'). They successfully convinced several hundred members of the public to call them to come and remove snakes in buildings and gardens. That was several hundred relieved people, and potentially dozens of snakes saved from being chopped in half or beaten to death with a shovel.

 

 Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica (Fr. Couleuvre hélvetique).

Please bear in mind that all snakes are protected species in France, and it is illegal to deliberately disturb or harm them. Always call the SHT if the snake needs to be moved, because they are licenced snake handlers, properly trained and with the legal right to touch them.

 

Asp Viper Vipera aspis (Fr. Vipère aspic), our only venomous species.

Remember that snakes are great rodent controllers and an important part of our dwindling biodiversity. They are easy to live with and tend to disappear if disturbed. They are at much more risk from your cats and dogs than your pets are from them.

 

The Virgin with Snake by Charles Jean Avissau in the Abbey in Preuilly was spruced up by a conservator a few years ago.

The other place you might see serpents is by looking around in old churches. The serpent forming a loop swallowing its own tail, known as the ouroboros and representing the eternal cycle of life is often to be spotted carved into the column capitals. And serpents feature in other Christian iconography, most notably the story of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

 

Medieval wall painting showing the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, in one of the painted churches along the Gartempe.

Bonus snake. This is the Serpent of the Sea, where the Loire River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Further reading:

My page on the Western Whip Snake http://loirenature.blogspot.com/2014/10/western-whip-snake-hierophis.html

My page on the Asp Viper https://loirenature.blogspot.fr/2016/11/asp-viper-vipera-aspis.html 

Two Rivers

Two rivers, two weeks apart. 

And two completely different skies.

Ouch!!!

I was looking at the newspaper a little while ago and my attention was caught by this. We are told this is what happens when you forget to apply the handbrake.

After a little discussion in the house as to where exactly in Loches it was were realised it was somewhere we see almost every time we visit loches. It looks different with a truck stuck in the side of it.

Strange that...

On Sunday we were in Loches, and parked in the car park adjacent. So of course we took the opportunity to take a photo.

News on Duralex Glass

Some of you may know about Duralex drinking glasses. They are an icon of French cafés and canteens, and once you know them you will see them everywhere in France. A few of you may also know the company which manufactures them came very close to closing last year [see my post on the subject]. The French public was aghast! Luckily a deal was brokered whereby the local municipality bought the factory buildings and a workers cooperative took over the ownership of the business. So you can still buy Duralex tumblers and café glasses. Hurrah!

 

 

I did so last week, as I needed new tumblers. I already have the faceted café glasses (Picardie design).

If you want to take home a souvenir of something that is truly French, take home a box of six Duralex glasses. They will cost about 10 euros. I bought mine in SuperU, but depot ventes, brocantes, vide greniers are a source of second hand vintage Duralex for just centimes each. 

Australia Day

On the 26th January 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip landed his fleet of convict ships in Camp Cove, Sydney. It's not something that's universally celebrated, especially considering some of the events that came later.

Camp Cove is now Circular Quay, and Circular Quay is no longer even semi- circular.

Circular Quay in December 2024

And the evening before

A Little Country Town

We were lucky in our travels last year. We managed to avoid most big cities, but visited a number of quite pleasant small (in fact Chi-Chi) towns and villages. Candelo is one of those.

Situated on a crossroads and bridge in the hinterland of the NSW south coast, it developed as a hub servicing local dairy farms and small timber getting concerns. Evidence of its history have survived the influx of semi-retired rock and rollers and gurus, and it's starting to polish itself up again - I can remember when it was shabby in the late 1970s, and you wondered if it would survive much longer.

Susan went to tai chi with Rick and Helen, and I meandered around taking photos. Sorry for the blurriness in some - the lens of my camera must have been unclean.

Candelo main street.

Every town has one: the Rural Fire Service (bushfire brigade)

The Post Office opens more frequently than ours

Every town needs a service station and hardware shop

We went to Candelo in 2017, as well.

Walking Around la Roche Posay

On Monday 20 January Simon and I joined Fabrice, Monique, Danielle, Aline, Beryl, Annie, Jane and David on a 5 kilometre walk in 4°C sunshine. The route took us in a circuit from the carpark in la Roche Posay, through the golf course, past l'Oréal's spa, laboratory and magic water collection plant, down to the greenway (Fr. voie verte), across the viaduct and around over the road bridge back into the old centre of la Roche Posay.

 

The former Hostellerie du Prieuré, a wobbly old house at the entrance to town as you come over the bridge. Sadly such a patchwork of materials today that it is rather ugly.

Looking upstream along the Creuse river, from the bridge towards the viaduct.

The Castel, a grand 19th century house built on medieval ramparts overlooking the River Creuse.

Looking towards the church from the bridge.

This sign says you may fish for Black Bass from the bridge and along this stretch of the Creuse River, but strictly on a catch and release system. There is clearly no French expression for this, and they use the English 'catch and release' or 'no kill'.

The bridge and the Castel seen from across a flood meadow.

The viaduct across the Creuse River, once a railway bridge, now part of a greenway.

Looking from the viaduct along the Creuse River towards la Roche Posay.

The Creuse River, with quite high water.

Awwww....an abandoned child's Croc...along the greenway.

L'Oréal's facility, with magic water storage tanks in the foreground, the spa behind. The original spa is the pink building in the distance.

Visiting the Happyculteurs Site

 Alain Pageard has established a fantastic beekeeping interpretion and education centre in the old railway station at Champigny sur Veude. Recently I went there with some colleagues to scope out the site with a view to organising a multidisciplinary outing in May. The site is partially a wetland because half of it is a flood meadow sitting between the Mable and the Veude Rivers.

 

A painting that Alain acquired from the Pussifolies (an art festival during which the streets of Pussigny are decorated by artists. They have 8 hours to produce a giant canvas each).

Christian attempts to photograph a territorial male Mute Swan. The swan is fed by a local resident, but is not tame.

A flooded poplar plantation next to the Veude River.

Many poplar trees have uprooted, snapped or fallen, the result no doubt of successive drought then flood. They are shallow rooted and often planted in regimented rows, so more vulnerable than other trees.

Flooded poplar plantation along the Veude River.

The flood meadow between the two rivers doing its job. The Veude is two metres higher than the Mable so at its peak the flood waters flowed from where I was standing to take the photo, towards the middle of the picture.

Flooded poplar plantation, with a willow and the Veude River in the foreground.

We head out across the flood meadow. The info board asks 'Wetlands, what are they for?'

Ice on the surface of the village pond (Fr. plan d'eau). The temperature never got above 1°C the whole day.

The beautiful Chapelle de Saint Louis, a 16th century replica of la Sainte Chapelle in Paris, reflected in the pond. Alain tells me the pond is always still, always the same level. The Chapelle is part of the Chateau complex, and the Mable joins the Veude in the grounds. Unfortunately the American owners of the Chateau have seemingly abandoned it. The Chapelle and boundary walls are in an increasingly derelict condition and the French State has begun proceedings to wrest ownership from the Washington based couple.

The Mable River.