Walking in the woods

We took our visitors for a  walk through the woods just the other side of the village. For Zoe it was a chance to get some photos for her school project

- to get a sense of perspective....

 

and just to stand and stare...

 and there's nothing wrong with that!!

Incy Wincy Spider, Hon Mem. Institute of Structural Engineers!

Of all the photographs we took in the forest at Preuilly, the one I find most impressive is Colin's photo of a spider's web. We spotted the web in a clearing in the forest and because the light was catching it, it could be seen from quite some distance away.

If we zoom in, the intricacy of its construction can clearly be seen...

What a fantastic creation. Well done that spider!

Forest Fungi

One of my favourite subjects to photograph is fungi. There are so many shapes, colours and stages to capture but the one endearing quality is that they all stand still, which is always a plus with me!

Our walk on Sunday through the Forest of Preuilly was punctuated with pauses to get a shot of yet another specimen. Here are a few of them which I hope you'll enjoy...

I don't profess to be able to name many fungi, so I'll play fair and name none of them! Suffice it to say they looked wonderful in the dappled sunlight!

 The following couple have a euro coin on top of them to give an idea of scale

 

 

And finally, its always good to get a different angle on the subject...

I guess I'm something of a fungi fanatic.. but hey! there are far worse things to be!

Keeping cool with a forest walk

In an attempt to avoid the heat of the sun yesterday, we took a walk through the Scevolles forest and round L'etang de Guesnes.

We first visited the area in January, returning in February, taking our visitors on one of the wettest walks they - or we - have ever done!

What a contrast to yesterday! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and young and old alike were out in force. 
This granddad was obviously enjoying has granddaughter's company as he fished.

The age-old game of "I'm in charge and you just have to sit there" was in full swing....

And in the forest we found some new sculptures which have been added since our last visit. They must represent many hours of work by their maker.

We've seen the area in all weathers now and we would heartily recommend it. There are picnic tables by the lake and for those who enjoy a walk through the forest, there are plenty of places to sit and admire the view (and catch one's breath!). All in all, a great afternoon out!

A walk in the woods

On Sunday we went for a walk in our local woods and as you would expect at this time of year the fungi put on a stunning show....

We have not really the time to go through and name them all but if you are an expert in this field please feel free to give us the names and we will add them for future use. Thanks..

Local wanderings

A little bit of background on the area around Braye-sous-Faye...

Braye is a small village of 340 inhabitants in the Centre region of France, in the département d'Indre-et-Loire, in l'arrondissement de Chinon and the canton of Richelieu and that's just for starters!

The area is made up of arable farmland, growing everything from sunflowers to maize, and acres of woodland, in which the local hunt are active at this time of year. Fortunately for us their presence is well marked with "Chasse en cours" signs so when we're out walking we know where not to go.

Another rather more unusual sign we've come across is this:

I don't think you'd want to mess with that one!

Despite these warnings there is plenty of scope for walking in the area. On our doorstep we have le Bois de Gigny, Le Bois du Fougeray, le Bois Robin and le Bois de Beauregard, all with numbered paths, or sentiers pedestres. In addition we are not far from the Parc de Richelieu . The Parc is approximately 475 hectares and its perimeter wall extends7 kilometres, at times coming within 400m of the house

To give a hint of the terrain, here are a few photos taken during the last month on walks out from home.
 
Going from the village in the direction of Braslou, the lane takes you past hedgerows of spindle -berry.

 

These attractive berries look even more so when in a large cluster..

 

Or when touched by the frost:

 

Turning off to the left the path leads through the Bois de Gigny. I disturbed a roe deer (thanks to Susan for helping with that one!) which took off into the depth of the wood leaving little chance for me to get a photo of it.

  

With 20/20 vision, a good magnifying glass and a vivid imagination you should just be able to make it out!

The path is sheltered from and the dappled shade gives a lovely quality of light

Further on the path opens out to reveal the magical views of the Bois du Fougeray. Here the trees are planted in a strict grid pattern which catches the eye from every angle and plays tricks with perspective and distance. It comes as such a surprise after the more dense woodland of the Bois de Gigny.

 

Then the lane runs alongside farmland and woodland rich in flora and fauna

Many of the trees are prey to the parasite, mistletoe, which doesn't appear to be as sought after here in France as it is in England

You see it everywhere you go in the countryside.

The route home takes us past the chateau at Poulesse, which was where we saw the warning about vipers displayed.

Looking over the field our house can now be seen! Quite a difference from the tree enclosed place we show at the top of the blog page!

And so it's back home again to Braye-sous-Faye and to the house that has already given us so much joy, fun and laughter, La Croix Blanche!