Bourgogne

 

Last week was spent on holiday in Burgundy, so we missed the vile weather during which twice the local 10-year average rain in my garden for September fell. We also missed the ploughing match.

We did get into Chalon sur Saone on Sunday to the superb market there

 

 

 

This mural on a wall overlooking the market took my fancy - clever stuff, but can you imagine the fuss if someone did this in St Margaret's??

This ragged Speckled Wood caught my eye back at the Gite

 

 

Later we cycled along the canal to Grangy, a very pleasant ride indeed with this wonderful display of flowers to enjoy. The lads along on the left-hand side were angling from the towpath, and were pleased to show me the Catfish they had caught, it was about a foot long, and UGLY. When we returned they stopped us and showed me the 2 more they had caught - small ones apparently, they go to several pounds in that stretch of the canal

 Back at the ranch this Jay was busy burying grub for the winter

 

 

and this character was skulking in the apple trees, more of it in the next blog

This Nuthatch was also difficult to get any sort of view

 

Next day we went off into the Jura, whereupon it clouded over and rained, but we shall be back, it's super. I fancied finding a Wryneck or something, but St Margarets was the place for them - see Tony Morris' blog

 

 

We stopped in Louhans on the way back, lovely arcaded street

and this superb glass in the church, the fishes were so full of movement, stunning

 

A view of that church from across the river bridge, with a hint of the coloured mosaic tiling glistening in the after-rain sunlight

 

 

Back in Dracy, another church to admire

 

Next day we walked into the vineyards where the Vendange was about to finish, pickers been at it non-stop for 8 days with 2 to go according to one picker I spoke to. Luckily he was Dutch and, of course, spoke excellent English!

In the grass at the edge of the path were occasional Clouded Yellows, superb insects

 

Back to the gite for a glass of fizzy wine before dinner, and more in the next post folks, with 2 suprises