The Bredbo Pie Shop

I wrote yesterday about traditional Aussie meat pies. Thankfully these appear to be a thing of the past, replaced by well baked artisanal pies with good pastry, plenty of meat, and thick gravy.

The best we had were from the pie shop in Bredbo, on our way from Canberra to Cooma and then on to the South Coast. Big thick meat pies with nice flaky pastry, chunks of meat in a thick gravy, no sauce necessary. We didn't buy any to take away, but we had a pie each and shared a muffin for dessert. Excellent!!

Dog Eye and Dead Horse

When we were in Australia in 2017 I spent the whole holiday on the lookout for a real Four'n Twenty pie, the classic Australian meat pie. They're not the only commercial pie available, but they all seemed to follow the same formula.

These are not meat pies as your family knows them - these are two layers of lukewarm almost uncooked pastry, with a layer of mutton and beef gravy inbetween*. Vaguely pie shaped, they were somehow able to be heated up - or kept lukewarm - inside a plastic bag. They were standard fare at football matches, served with a squirt of tomato sauce injected through the top layer of pastry into the filling. If you were really brutal you could get more sauce in there than the gravy.

I never found a Four'n Twenty pie on our 2017 trip, nor on our 2024 trip. But I did find a Four'n Twenty pie warmer. 

* This is the impression the 10 year old me had, and I am yet to be disabused.

To and From the Airport

When we fly to Australia we normally start on the train from Saint Pierre des Corps (SPdC). There's two or three TGVs each day that do the journey direct to Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG), and it makes for far less stress than driving, paying for parking, tolls, fuel and shuttle buses. It also means that when you arrive back in Paris after a long flight you don't have to wrestle with rush hour traffic around Paris. In 2009 we caught the bus to and from Tours, but now we have a garage by Saint Pierre des Corps station driving is a much more convenient option.

At the top of the escalator at the station is a mahoosive departure board.

Often, we are catching a flight that leaves Paris in the evening, so an early afternoon train is fine. On our visit last year we had an early flight, so we caught the latest possible train to Charles de Gaulle and stayed in a hotel in the airport precinct.

On our way home usually arrive in Paris early in the morning, and catch a train direct from the airport to SPdC. We always allow at least three hours between the plane's scheduled arrival, and the train's scheduled departure which gives us time to clear immigration, collect our luggage, and make our way to the station. Usually, it allows us time to grab a coffee as well.

Susan guarding our luggage at the station on our way home, while I look for coffee that isn't Starb**ks 

Once again, though, 2009 was different: we arrived in the early evening and spent the night in Paris, catching the train home from Montparnasse the next day. It makes for an even longer trip. 

This trip we had extra excitement: we made the train with plenty of time to spare, then sat on the train at the station for about 2 hours whilst there was a bomb scare at Marne Les Vallée. 

But the train is still the way to go. After 24 hours in transit the last thing I want to be doing is dealing with traffic.

Biodiversity Outreach

 A month or so ago my friend Yolande rang me up and asked if I'd accompany her to the State primary school to give a talk to the CM2 pupils (10-11 year olds) about what was special about the little park at the end of our street. Yolande is a Preuilly municipal council member and her area of responsibility is education. I've been indoctrinating her for years about what a marvellous little biodiversity reserve the park and the adjacent nature strip and grounds of the public library are. She's listened and taken on board my suggestions, so these areas are not scalped by the council works mowers quite so often, and wild orchids, fungi and uncommon ground nesting hymenoptera abound.

 

Me talking to the kids.

So we hatched a plan for Yolande to talk about the cultural heritage in the park ie it was a medieval cemetery, with a newly restored late 15th century chapel of ease on the site, containing very important wall paintings. Then I talked about all the species which inhabit the park. The kids want to create a project to improve the park and we wanted to steer them away from turning it into a playground and focus more on it being a peaceful haven for people and wildlife.

I think the kids received the message. They are very keen to hang wind chimes, put up bird nest boxes, maybe an insect hotel, and to create info boards. Yolande and I are less keen on the wind chime idea, and they've been firmly told that they have to be made from natural materials, not plastic... We are OK with nest boxes, and I think Yolande and I like the idea of an insect hotel more than the kids do. Although several kids reported that they have a bee hotel at home in their garden, with occupants, so that's good. 

The one thing we all agreed on was doing info boards. I've been wanting to do one for several years and it is a perfect project for kids. They can take all the photos, do the layout and artwork, and contribute to the text. I look forward to where this will all go. We are planning to have a 'field trip' later in the year, when I can show them orchids and bees in real life, rather than just photos.

Walking From Paulmy

On Monday 3 February I walked a 5 kilometre circuit from Paulmy with Jane and David, Monique, Pierre and Annie. It was cold, with freezing fog.

 

 Snowdrops in a roadside ditch.

We meet Hélène and her spaniel Cannelle (Cinnamon) going the other way.

An abandoned combine harvester, which has been here many years.

Farmyard in the fog.

The notice on the fence says, inevitably, 'Don't feed the donkeys'.

Two abandoned cars about to be hoicked out by the industrial recyclers. A tree has been cut down in preparation, to make space.

The industrial recyclers clearing up all manner of junk on the side of the track and up the hill.

Another truck and grabber is working further up the hill.

Foggy woodland.

The park in Paulmy.

Getting My Shingles Vaccination

Last year several friends got shingles. We didn't like the sound of it and we learnt that it was recommended that anyone over 65 is vaccinated for it. We weren't 65 at that point but we asked our doctor for a prescription and took it to the pharmacy. They were never able to source the vaccine, even though we were prepared to pay for it.

Then a couple of weeks ago our pharmacist mentioned that she was now able to get a new shingles vaccination. She said we would need new prescriptions but she would be able to fill them once we handed them over. So off we went to the doctor again, got our prescriptions and passed them to the pharmacist.

It turns out that once you are 65 the French State health system will reimburse for the vaccination, so I was able to have my first one the other day. Simon will wait until the summer when he has reached the required age. The pharmacist will remind me when to come in for my second dose in two months time, and when Simon can come in for his. 

The vaccination is a powder that is mixed with an oil just prior to injection, so the pharmacist took quite some time to get the two ingredients to mix properly before she injected me.

Lunch in Loches With the Tractionistas

A couple of weeks ago we attended the Annual General meeting of la Traction Universelle, the Citroen classic car club that we have belonged to for 15 years. We haven't been to any meetings or events for the past couple of years, but we stay in contact with several of the members. It was lovely to be so warmly greeted when we arrived at the Best Western Hotel in Loches and we had a great time catching up with Elisabeth and Gilles, Bernadette and Jean-Pierre, Bénédicte and Jean-Marc, and Suzanne and Jean-Louis especially. I sat next to Gilles at lunch and he shared some sad family news, and some rather hair-raising stories of what had been happening at his family run print works recently.

 

 Coffee at the end of the meal.

The dessert of orange, chocolate and hazelnut.

View of the function room.

The menu. A glass of dry white sparkling local wine or a pear and apple juice to start. Then smoked trout followed by chicken.

The former courthouse, now the Best Western Hotel, in Loches.

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

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.

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'...

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...

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.

Vandalised Speed Camera

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.

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