The Renaudière vineyards yesterday morningTwice in the past week when I've gone out for a morning walk with the dog, I've seen people camping out in the vineyard. I don't know if there's any rule about camping out there, but it's unusual for us to see camping cars and tents.
A family in a camping-car (that's French) out in the vineyardThen yesterday there were cars parked out where I often walk with Callie. Three of them. From a distance, I thought what ended up being little tents were trailers or farm equipment of some kind.
Cars and tentsIt was only when I got home and looked at my pictures on the computer that I could see that the red and white things were tents. These campers, like the ones in the RV, cleared out pretty early in the morning and I haven't seen them again. I guess they were doing what in French is called camping sauvage — outside campgrounds with no hookups for water or electricity.
Mareuil-sur-Cher, near Saint-AignanYesterday our village, pictured above from a vantage point I hadn't found before, had its annual festival. Included in the festivities are a big flea market, music, and food. We went down and looked around but didn't buy anything.
Caterpillar on yellow flowersOne more picture: I wonder if this caterpillar is going to turn into one of the butterflies I've seen recently. As you can see, we are having very fine weather.
You're so lucky to have this sunny weather. Over here it is raining ... the famous 'drasch national' on our national holiday. As Claudia said in an earlier comment on July 14th (at least I think it was Claudia), July is an excellent month for National Holidays. Ours, here in Belgium, is today, July 21th, hardly a week after the French '14 Juillet'! We're enjoying a day off, but the weather is letting us down. Can you send us some sun, please? We badly need it! Thanks :) Martine
ReplyDeleteThe caterpillar will turn into a lovely red and black moth called a Cinnabar Moth. The plant it is feeding on is Ragwort, which contains a poison that the caterpillar absorbs. It's orange colour provides a warning to predators, but there is a very high cost to the caterpillar - the poison slowly destroys its nervous system, and it is a race for it to devolop into an adult moth before the poison gets it.
ReplyDeleteSusan
The poor beautiful caterpillar! Doesn't he know? Someone should send him elesewhere...
ReplyDeleteYes Martine, I'm the one who sing all the National Anthems in July. I added your country to Canada, USA and France. I just listened to the Brabançonne on YouYube. I wrote the French words. Here's lifting my glass to "Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté." If my sons were still two little boys, instead of men in their fifties, they would parade with a drum and your country flag while I would play the music. Happy Belgium Day!
Thank you, Claudia, you're too kind, especially in these troubled times when Belgium is on the verge of splitting up, thanks to our silly politicians :( Your warm words and interest in our little country are a real comfort. Martine.
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