Water Scorpion

On a sight seeing day trip from Canberra in January we parked up on Mount Macdonald, where we promptly came under 'attack' from a large, distinctive and persistant insect.

This poor Water Scorpion Laccotrephes tristis had mistaken our bronze metallic car for a pool of water. It repeated crashed down onto the vehicle, no doubt thinking it had found a new home.

Water Scorpions are in fact giant true bugs (60mm long including siphon). They are predators, with robust prey grabbing legs and a long siphon projecting from their rear end. Scary as they look, they are entirely harmless to humans and not related at all to true scorpions.

They are found in all sorts of fresh water habitats from dams to running streams. They sit and wait for prey in muddy places, hiding themselves in submerged leaf litter. On the menu are aquatic worms, insect larvae, tadpoles and small fish.

Juveniles, which can't fly, are useful in garden ponds for mosquito larvae control. The adults are strong flyers and tend to relocate to bigger bodies of water.

Gratin Dauphinois

One of the simplest, delicious and economical traditional French dishes you can make is gratin dauphinois. What's not to like about creamy slices of potato?

The first layer of potatoes and seasonings.

Tim and Pauline gave me a big bag of last year's potatoes that needed using up. I'm already eating new potatoes from les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudière, but the old potatoes are still in good condition thanks to Tim and Pauline's careful husbandry. They are a variety called Stemster (or Prospère in French) which I have grown myself in the past and really like. They are ideal for a gratin. 

Creamy milk added and dusted with nutmeg.

Ingredients
500 g potatoes, peeled
150 ml milk
150 ml cream
A clove of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
Butter

Method

1. Finely slice the potatoes into disks.
2. Butter a gratin dish and turn the oven on to heat to 150C.
3. Put half the potato slices into the dish, spreading them out so they form an even layer.
4. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with half the garlic.
5. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes and seasonings.
6. Mix the milk and cream together and pour over the potatoes.
7. Grate a hint of nutmeg over the top and dot with flecks of butter.
8. Bake in the oven for an hour to an hour and a half.
9. Serves 4.

Browned on top and surrounded by creamy goo.

Yum

Lizard Action

There was plenty of lizard action on the walls of this old house (near Charnizay, owned by friends Ceri and James) when we visited one hot day in late May. The European Wall Lizards Podarcis muralis (Fr. lézards des murailles) were dashing about amongst the climbing roses, occasionally wrestling and generally looking fairly frisky indeed.

The Glaucoma Bus

The other day when we were in Loches for the market Simon came across the Glaucoma Bus, parked at the end of the market. I didn't see it because I was too busy chatting with Sylvain, a stallholder I know who has just started up selling local artisanal delicacies (beer, wine, patés, nut butters, pasta, lentils and such like).

Anyway, it turns out that every year, from October to June, the National Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired (UNADEV) sends a semi-trailer to tour the country and raise the profile of glaucoma. They offer information about the disease and a free test and consultation. The 'bus' is staffed by local ophthalmologists who volunteer for duty when it is in town, assisted by a UNADEV optometrist.

The 'bus' visits 15 regional centres, and this year it was Chinon, Loches and Tours' turn at the end of May, before the bus finishes its season in Bordeaux in early June.

The sides of the 'bus' have slogans such as 'Say Stop to Glaucoma', 'Information and Prevention of the risk factors for glaucoma', 'the number one cause of total blindness in France, glaucoma affects more than a million people, half of whom don't know they have it', and 'from the age of 40 the Glaucoma Bus offers you the possibility of three free, quick and painless tests'.

Frexit

Frexit posters have been appearing all over the place throughout the month of May. This is because François Asselineau has been working on raising his visibility.

The poster says:

In 1950:

4 million farmers

Today

400 000 farmers

How many tomorrow?

In France

30% of agricultural workers earn less than €400 a month

A farmer commits suicide very two days

Frexit

Save our countryside

With Asselineau

Since 2007 the UPR has been calling on the French

to leave the European Union

Since the general opinion is that French farmers do extremely well out of the EU, this last bit will make quite a few people's eyes roll, and it is unclear how exactly leaving the EU solves the other generally acknowledged problems of low prices for produce, seasonal workers and increasing average age of farmers in the agricultural industry .

The UPR is the political party that Asselineau created to promote his particular brand of ultra right wing conspiracy theory based souverainety. The name translates as 'Popular Republican Union'. The mainstream media (known as the MSM if you are a conspiracy theorist) thinks he is a joke. 

He ran in the 2017 presidential election as a single issue Frexit candidate and gained less than 1% of the vote. He is such a right wing souverainist that he regularly has a go at Marine le Pen for being too soft on issues such as globalism, the EU, the USA and France's involvement in NATO. According to him, his lack of success in the public sphere is due to the big political parties colluding with the media to manipulate the system specifically to ensure he fails.

 According to a 2016 survey 61% of French people have an unfavourable view of the EU. However, only 33% say they want to leave. Most want to be in a position to reform the institution from within. 

Anyway, Asselineau has been busy recently organising a Frexit march in Paris at the beginning of the month. You will not be surprised to learn that according to him it was a major event that the MSM ignored. He also managed to get himself on the radio, to be interviewed at length on a popular national current affairs programme.

It Shouldn't be Necessary

Last December we went for a drive with Leon and Sue, a day we have written about before. One of the small villages we passed through was Taradale, Victoria, where we came across this structure. It stands opposite the CFA depot, and is a standpipe for refilling their water tankers.

I know it shouldn't have amused us, but we were equal parts amused and
shocked that the sign next to the standpipe is necessary.

The CFA (and its equivalents in other states) is a mainly voluntary organisation who do sterling work in dangerous conditions - not only fighting bushfires, but performing rescues of every kind including traffic accidents, and dealing with hazardous matter incidents.

We don't do Selfies.

...but for the life of me I can't remember why. It can't be because the only one we have ever tried was no good...

A Boonah Bonus

When we were driving back south from Susan's parents to my parents (and just before we hit the Lions Road) we hit Boonah at the same time hunger hit us. I have been to Boonah many times, but always with the band, and apart from the pubs we played at I've never eaten there.

I was therefore delighted to see an old fashioned milk bar/takeaway on the main street. These are a dying breed, having been over-run by chain fast food and fried chicken places, but Glens Diner appears to be thriving - and deservedly so.

We had proper hamburgers with beetroot rather than dill pickles, on a proper bread roll, served by ladies who look like they take no nonsense, and it was excellent. I may have gone a bit soft townie and had an iced coffee rather than a caramel milkshake, but apart from that it was a real blast from the past.

Sorry about the quality and lack of quantity of photos - by this stage wa had been travelling for 7 weeks, and food was more important than photography!

(Note from Susan: I really wanted to take photographs but it was impossible to do discreetly. I regret missing out on a superbly tattooed couple in their fifties and some splendid facial hair.)
 

The Church at Charnizay is Repaired

While we were away in December the tip of the gable of the church at Charnizay crashed to the ground early on the morning of the twelfth. The Saint-Flovier fire brigade attended and they called in their colleagues from Loches for assistance and they set up a detour. By the end of the morning they had stabilised all the loose stones and covered the hole at the top of the church with a tarpaulin. While restoration was awaited the building was surrounded by a barricade and temporary porch added above the door. The church was closed to the public, including worshippers. After a somewhat unseemly period of negotiation during which the commune quibbled about paying the insurance excess of about €350, the church has now been beautifully repaired. The scaffolding came down about a week ago to reveal the above.

Despite driving past regularly we never got round to photographing the church with all its temporary health and safety precautions. A search of our photo archive has brought to light that we have never photographed the church at all, in ten years of driving past it several times a month!

Sundials at Charnizay

On Saturday 26 May the Association de Patrimoine Vivant de la vallée de la Claise (PVCT) organised an outing to see some sundials, led by Joël Rodenburger. The meeting place was the lane up to a hamlet called les Bienneries (an old word for 'well behaved', so literally, 'the goodies'). 

Looking at the sundial in Les Bienneries.

We have English friends, Ceri and James, who have a house there, but we didn't think they were in town so I failed to email them to say we'd be in the vicinity. Imagine our amusement when it turned out that not only was James home, but the sundial we'd come to see was on his house!

The sundial at Les Bienneries.

It's a rather splendid oval shaped one carved out of the local limestone, with an inscription 'PAX HVIC DOM' ('peace upon this house') and dated 1634. Separating the centuries and the decades is a cartouche with a double V and a heart motif. This decorative addition is an exhortation to 'live!' It is apparently traditional to have some sort of aphorism or motto inscribed on sundials.

Joël informed us that this is a classic vertical sundial, facing south. To tell the time, the style should be set at an angle of 90° less the latitude, however it's in rather poor condition, so it isn't accurate anymore. 

Looking at the Charnizay canonical sundials 

(which no longer function because they predate the big 15th century buttresses).

In the first half of the 17th century there weren't many instruction manuals for sundials and the Bienneries one is a relatively simple design, possibly achieved by trial and error. It is the oldest true sundial in Indre et Loire. Joël speculated that it was created by an itinerant sundial maker who was also a journeyman mason or stone cutter, on his Tour de France (a journey undertaken to gain experience with different master craftsmen all around the country).

Sundials on the church at Charnizay.

After a very welcome drink served by James we moved on to the church in Charnizay. Here, on the south facing exterior wall are the remnants of four canonical sundials (only one of them still clear). The purpose of these is not for the general public to tell the time per se, but for the priest to know when to perform the daily cycle of services. They date from the Middle Ages, maybe the 12th century. They are semi-circles, divided into six, eight or twelve sectors and vary according to the season. When they were etched into the wall the church only had small buttresses, but nowadays the sundials are in the shade of more massive buttresses added in the 15th century.

The group moved on to see a modern sundial which had been erected by the former owner at La Ferme de la Petite Rabaudière. The organic market garden and orchard is now owned by Sylvain and Tony and I was a bit sorry not to be popping in to see them, but I'm afraid we skived off and went and visited Niall and Antoinette instead.

Organic Market Gardening Near Preuilly

Our local organic market garden has started having seasonal apéro evenings to reward regular customers and entice new ones. They are scheduled to coincide with their weekly Tuesday evening market and include drinks, farm grown nibbles and a tour of the farm.

Organic vegetables for sale.

What's in season in May? Beetroot (betterave), leeks (poireaux), pointed spring cabbage (choux pointu), spinach (épinard), radishes (radis), carrots (carottes), new potatoes (pommes de terre nouvelles), turnips (navets), broccoli (brocoli), chard (blette), kohlrabi (choux-rave), peas (petits pois), strawberries (fraises), cauliflower (choufleur), lettuce (salade), broad beans (fèves), zucchini (courgette), cucumber (concombre). Frances is choosing a cabbage and it looks like Jeanne is heading for the peas.

 Alain, Pierre-Yves, Pierre, Fabien and Bernadette hover around the drinks and nibbles table.

Most of the nibbles were made on the farm from ingredients they had grown. One dish was apparently a cake make from carrot tops. I'm not sure if I had that or not. Everything was very good anyway.

The permaculture greenhouse full of cabbages, green beans, potatoes, peas, chard, turnips, beetroot and other vegetables.

The rows of vegetables are grown as a carefully planned mixture which mature at different times or support one another. Potatoes are being grown under cabbages, with turnips and beetroot alongside. Peas and cucumbers are growing up trellises with other vegetables growing under them. Weeds are allowed to grow then covered in geotextile so they rot down into the soil, thus nourishing it with all the nitrogen they have collected from the air. At the far end of the greenhouse is a large patch of nettles, used for making purin, a liquid fertilizer.

Spring cabbage (Fr. choux pointu), with an interesting looking keeled slug. 

 Experimental orchard growing mixed rows of fruit.

The orchard is rows of mixed fruit trees, to see if that helps control diseases and pests. Poultry, sheep and pigs are allowed to graze under the trees to fertilize them and keep the grass down (although the pigs don't have much respect for electric fences and several times the police have phoned Sylvain to tell him that his pigs are having a party somewhere down the road).

Sylvain pointing out worms.

Numerous times during the tour of the farm Sylvain pointed out how friable the soil was even with their no dig approach. He also pointed out lots of worms, acting to break down organic matter and aerate the soil with their burrows. Periodically they get a truck load of shredded garden waste from the recycling centre which they dump on a growing area to a depth of about 10cm. It suppresses weeds and provides nutrients but Sylvain explained that when you plant into it you have to dig a pocket down to the level of the real soil to put seedlings in. They currently have cabbage seedlings growing in a bed created like this, carefully covered with fine net to prevent caterpillar damage.

Tony (right), who runs the apple orchard, talking to Gérard and Alain.

Sylvain explaining the permaculture techniques used in the greenhouse.

The beady eyed amongst you will have noticed that Sylvain and everyone on the farm tour is holding a glass of rosé. But no plastic disposables here. Sylvain, who runs the market garden, is using an old mustard jar (very traditional) and others have acrylic picnic glasses.

The farm is Les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudière, just outside of Preuilly. From Preuilly sur Claise take the route de Loches and turn right at the intersection of the D41 and the D50 onto the small road with an apple orchard on the left. The farm entrance is about 500 metres on the right. Every Tuesday evening from 5 - 7 pm there is an on farm market. They also come to the market in Preuilly (veggies on Thursdays and apples on Saturday) and supply the Maison des Producteurs in Loches (near SuperU). If you prefer a veg box they have collection points in Cormery, Monts, Ballan-Miré, Civray, Nitray and Chambray-lès-Tours.

Bovine Tuberculosis in France

Tuberculosis was detected in the French cattle herd in the 1950s and vaccination of cattle became obligatory. After veterinary checks, the  Fédération Nationale des Groupements de Défense du Bétail issued blue plaques saying "Stable Unaffected by Tuberculosis", to be fixed on the doors of the cattle sheds concerned. The checks were performed by (or for) the government vets of each département (county). Each healthy animal had a registration number and could only be sold with its ID card.

We saw one of the plaques on Saturday, attached above the door of a building between Charnizay and le Petit Pressigny. I assumed that it was 19th century, simply because it just looked like it, so was amazed when I got home and researched it to find it was relatively recent.

I was also amazed that as far as I can remember, I haven't seen one of these before. Judging by the number for sale on Delcampe and Ebay millions must have been issued.

In 2001, France was officially declared free from bovine tuberculosis.

North Head -- Landscape and History

North Head is a promontory of heathland on sandstone cliffs forming part of the natural entrance to Sydney Harbour. There is considerable evidence of Aboriginal occupancy of the Head, although we didn't see any. After British colonisation North Head was used as a quarantine station for those newly arrived in the colony. One of the cemeteries for those who died in quarantine can be visited and contains the graves of victims of influenza and plague outbreaks. The quarantine station operated until 1984 and was mainly used to control the spread infectious diseases like whooping cough and smallpox brought in by people with inadequate vacinations.

Metal grid paths have been installed so that walkers have the least possible impact on this fragile landscape.

From the 1930s onwards the military occupied North Head and the barracks and parade ground are still there. During World War Two this was one of the most heavily fortified sites in Australia, fitted out with big guns to protect the Harbour from enemy ships. Later the facility became the Army School of Artillery, but that has since been relocated to Puckapunyal.

Pouched Coral Fern dominates some areas, along with Swordgrass (the tall plumes mid-distance).

In 1975 the quarantine station buildings housed Vietnamese refugees and the next year people made homeless by Cyclone Tracy's devastation of Darwin on Christmas Day. Today North Head is an important and much loved nature reserve, protecting rare coastal scrub habitat.

Broken glass on the military compound wall to discourage trespassers.

Lantana -- an invasive alien species here, definitely not a lovely garden plant.

The military roads are camouflaged due to the risk of air attack in the Second World War.

Looking across the Heads to Sydney.

A grave in the Third Quarantine Cemetery.

There may or may not be bandicoots.

Typical eastern coastal scrub.

North Head -- the Flora

North Head, near Manly on Sydney Harbour is a nature reserve dedicated to protecting the coastal scrub habitat. As a result there are some splendidly Australian plants to be found there.

New furry red growth on a Saw Banksia Banksia serrata.

Common Correa Correa reflexa.

Dryandra sp.

Flannel Flower Actinotis helianthii.

Pouched Coral Fern Gleichenia dicarpa.

Grey Spider Flower Grevillea buxifolia.

Dagger Hakea Hakea teretifolia.

Mountain Devil Lambertia formosa.

To see photos of vertebrates and invertebrates of North Head, click on the links.

More Boats

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the variety of boats you can see on Sydney Harbour. I may also have mentioned pug-ugly cruise ships.

I loathe these things for many reasons, not just aesthetic ones. The whole ethos of travelling without experiencing the places you're visiting is an anathema to me, and these boats are hugely polluting, buring the dirtiest of fuel non-stop even when in harbour.

If you ever see me on board one of these it means one of either two things - either I have lost my marbles, or I have lost any vestiges of taste I might have.

Progress is Slowly Being Made

The project to widen the footpaths (sentiers or trottoirs) in Preuilly sur Claise is progressing. At the moment there are two areas of focus: the whole length of Grande Rue, and the Route de Loches where it passes Notre Dame d'Eschelles.

It can be a bit of a squeeze if you're in a truck and don't use the diversion

Traffic lights have been installed to control passage past the works, alternating the low of traffic, and heavy vehicles are being directed via Martizay and Azay le Ferron. Because the works cover quite a distance, you can wait up to 3 minutes for the lights to change, and of course, traffic entering the road from any of the side entrances don't know what phase the lights are on. As far as I can tell this has led to confusion rather than serious blockage.

The widened footpaths are marked in red, and I have marked where the traffic lights are.

Don't get me started on how low contrast Google Maps are - I had to do some serious adjustment to that image before you could see there were any roads on it. Seriously Google - what were you thinking?

A Radishing View

Spotted at Loches market

This impressive pile of radishes was photographed at a Wednesday market in Loches. When Susan commented on the quantity of radishes, Fabrice, the market gardener (right) said that it was as nothing compared to the pile he had put out and sold at the previous Saturday market in Loches.

Fabrice's farm is about a kilometre from the chateau of Villandry. One of his great innovations a few years ago was to install a veggie vending machine near the public parking in Villandry. This area, which allowed camper vans to park for free, has over the past year been completely revamped by the local authority.

The camper van park has been moved, and for a while Fabrice's veggie vending machine disappeared from the scene. The other day we found out why.

His farm adjoins the new camper van park and the council had wanted to buy a plot of land off him, but he refused to sell because it was under cultivation and good productive land. The next thing he knows is that the council are telling him that there will be no place for his veggie vending machine.

He was stunned, and offered to pay for a spot, but to no avail. The vending machine provides a real service in Villandry, to both locals and tourists. The village has no proper shops (apart from tourist oriented ones) and the veggie vending machine was bringing in €20 000 a year. Fabrice said that effectively it was his annual profit. 

Anyway, after a fight of more than a year, his veggie vending machine is reinstated on a new site at the entrance to the new camper van site. Ever resourceful, he tells us he is now planning a steak haché (hamburger pattie) vending machine, which will be stocked with his own beef.