I slept for nine hours again last night. To bed at 9:00 p.m. and up at 6:00 a.m. So what's happening with jet lag? I don't seem to be suffering any lag this time. Who knows why? But the jet lag can surprise you for a few days, so I'll just wait and see. Conventional wisdom is that you need one day for each hour of décalage (time difference) you've experienced before you can completely recover. That would be six hours — and six days — in my case.
I took two cameras with me to North Carolina for my recent trip. One is my newest camera, a Panasonic Lumix ZS40/TZ-60 that is four years old, and the other was one of my favorite older cameras, a Lumix ZS8/TZ18 that's 7 years old. The newer camera seemed to have died toward the end of my trip. That was disappointing.
However, I took these photos yesterday morning with the TZ60 (the two model numbers reflect different numbering schemes for European [TZ...] and North American [ZS...] models of the same camera). As you can see, the newer camera is working just fine. It turned out to be the battery charger for the TZ60 that had died. It was a USB charger. I had an AC charger here in Saint-Aignan, and using it I was able to re-charge the batteries fairly quickly. I'm happy not to have to buy a new camera.
The first two images above show examples of our "fall colors" here in the Loire Valley. The grape leaves are yellow, orange, or red in late October. These last three images show some different images of happenings around our hamlet outside Saint-Aignan. For example, below is a photo of a tree at the edge of the vineyard that suddenly and without warning fell earlier this month. There was no wind the day it crashed to the ground. Nobody has yet done anything about cutting it up and removing it. (It is near our house but not on our land.)
Also, here's what the area outside our back gate, by the pond, looks like these days. A work crew has set up camp back there, with the permission of the mayor, our neighbor, while they are doing some work down the hill along the river road. I'm not too happy about it, but the land doesn't belong to us. The worst thing about all this will be the wide, deep ruts in the soft ground left behind when the crew decamps. They will make mowing the grass out there pretty difficult.
Finally, can you tell what this is? I took the photo while standing at our back gate, looking toward the house. Where's the house? (Here's a link to Walt's post about this situation.)
As I said, I think, in another comment, it took me almost three weeks to recover from the jet lag, but since you're much youger than me, it may not take that long for you.
ReplyDeleteThe house is hidden behind the old apple tree that fell a few days ago. Are you going to replace it with another fruit tree of a different kind?
I've never had much jet lag upon arrival in the U.S. from France. For me, the jet lag is much worse coming from the U.S. to France. But not this time. I'm mystified.
DeleteAnd so often you would return from the U.S. with a miserable cold. You're improving with age it would seem.
DeleteIt's true, no bad cold this time. Maybe because the weather was so warm while I was there. I've often made the trip in Nov. or Feb., colder months.
DeleteDon't be mystified, Ken, just be glad... :-)!
ReplyDeleteCan I be mystified and glad at the same time?
DeleteThat's pretty dramatic looking, the old apple tree. Glad your lag was minimal.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad for your lack of jet lag. I've had trouble, too, on winter trips to France, getting a bad cold and so on, maybe because lots more people are sneezing and whuffling at the cold time of year.
ReplyDeleteDrinking lots of water is said to be a good tactic against jet lag, because planes are so dehydrating.
My jet lag is always worse going from West to East. I may try a potion I saw on the IT this next trip- I think hydration is important.
ReplyDeleteLa végétation est encore presque en mode été, sauf les vignes, comme en Côte d'Or.
ReplyDelete