Our home is situated at Angoulême's southern edge which means we have the best of two worlds, that of the city and the countryside. An amble through fields and forests are invaluable and can be had easily, as there are so many just a five to fifteen minute drive away. Recently we went on two nearby short walks, near Linars and Mouthiers, respectively west and south from our place. Most vineyards in Charente are in Cognac which is about an hour drive from us. Closer home, there are smaller ones dotting the landscape here and there. These grapes are made into pineau, a fortified wine served as an aperitif. It is produced by mixing cognac with either fresh or slightly fermented grapes, and then ageing that mixture.
We are still only doing short walks, around an hour each so we can work ourselves up to doing more challenging ones. Halfway through we took a break and sat just off the path. The Calm One noted, look at how peaceful it is.
Back on the path, I saw an overgrown-with-ivy, crumpled-up, rusty sign fixed to a tree.
Grain is another agricultural crop common to our area. I suspect this field is one of barley.
Before we knew, we were winding our way back to Linars where Zoe (our electric car) was waiting for us.
On another day, we hiked close to Mouthiers where we got a glimpse of a lovely grouping of trees, their dark, slender, tall trunks throwing out entwining branches, uniting them into an arboreal community.
The Calm One saw this shelf mushroom before I did because I was transfixed on the . . .
. . . the deeply grooved texture of the tree to which it was attached.
Upon our return nothing was nicer than to recline in a patio chair under the ivy-covered pergola overlooking our garden. Relaxing in a slouched position is good in itself, but it is also gives a different visual perspective.
One of the decorative tasks accomplished this summer was my lugging two heavy concrete planters from obscure corners of the garden, emptying them of debris and soil, upturning them, and putting potted displays on top. Perched ever so haughtily upon their pedestals, bougainvillea in one pot, a combination of heather and echeveria in another, they flank the start of the central garden path.
À la prochaine!
RELATED POSTS
Autumn 2018 Southwest France Walks: Asnières-sur-Nouère
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| near Linars |
We are still only doing short walks, around an hour each so we can work ourselves up to doing more challenging ones. Halfway through we took a break and sat just off the path. The Calm One noted, look at how peaceful it is.
Back on the path, I saw an overgrown-with-ivy, crumpled-up, rusty sign fixed to a tree.
Grain is another agricultural crop common to our area. I suspect this field is one of barley.
Before we knew, we were winding our way back to Linars where Zoe (our electric car) was waiting for us.
On another day, we hiked close to Mouthiers where we got a glimpse of a lovely grouping of trees, their dark, slender, tall trunks throwing out entwining branches, uniting them into an arboreal community.
The Calm One saw this shelf mushroom before I did because I was transfixed on the . . .
. . . the deeply grooved texture of the tree to which it was attached.
Upon our return nothing was nicer than to recline in a patio chair under the ivy-covered pergola overlooking our garden. Relaxing in a slouched position is good in itself, but it is also gives a different visual perspective.
One of the decorative tasks accomplished this summer was my lugging two heavy concrete planters from obscure corners of the garden, emptying them of debris and soil, upturning them, and putting potted displays on top. Perched ever so haughtily upon their pedestals, bougainvillea in one pot, a combination of heather and echeveria in another, they flank the start of the central garden path.
À la prochaine!
RELATED POSTS
Autumn 2018 Southwest France Walks: Asnières-sur-Nouère
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