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This is how to keep up in touch with me when I'm on my travels. Hope you like it - please give me feedback as to what you might like to see on it - or not!



Wednesday 27 May 2015

In the mountains

Two weeks ago we spent a wonderful few days up in the Pyrenees near Font Romeu.  I went walking there two years ago with French friends (some of you may remember pictures of the needle through my big toe on that occasion). At that time we noticed a hotel situated high up but on a plateau with flat walking around, and therefore suitable for Jon.  So we finally got round to booking in there for a couple of nights and it was gorgeous. It's at over 2000m so the air was crisp but the sun hot. Just lovely. We took a picnic and walked slowly to a nearby lake.
That's the hotel, Les Bones Hores, in the background








While Jon rested after our picnic I wandered off and saw 3 different species of gentians.
Lake Pradelle







Jon so loved it that he walked further than either of us thought he was able to these days.





The next day we walked about the same distance but along the road this time as the surface of the tracks is quite uneven.  Another picnic, this time in a meadow bright with Euphorbias.
I was there too

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Cowboys and guinea pigs

We still do not have broadband set up and I have written quite a long piece on my PC without thinking that I have no way of sending it as yet so meanwhile here is just a little amusing incident from Saturday.

We were having coffee in the square on market day. It's so nice sitting watching all the activity and gathering our strength for the long walk back to the car with our load of fruit and vegetables.  As we got up to go a lady at the next table pointed out that Jon's hat was on the ground and not to forget it. She called it a "coo buy" hat.  Unfortunately I have been watching a French TV programme called "On n'est pas que des cobayes" (we are not only guinea pigs). It's a popular science programme where they investigate listeners' questions and invent experiments to test them out, ie they act as guinea pigs.
But cobaye didn't sound quite like what she was saying. I had her repeat it about 3 times before I realised she was calling it a cowboy hat. Then I told her I thought she had called it a guinea pig hat which she found quite amusing.
I think the new name might stick !  It goes quite well with his stalking wick.  So all a mad dog or Englishman needs when going out in the midday sun is his guinea pig hat and stalking wick.


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