Yes – we’ve had another outing. Packed a picnic lunch and drove to Pau last Sunday. About an hour and a half on the back roads – quicker on the motorway. Pau is a city of around 85,000 – the capital of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department. We desperately tried to stick to the back roads but our “sat nav” was determine to get us on the motorway – they seem to love them!! So there was a battle of wills so to speak – won eventually by us but not without the odd swearword and tantrum. By me I mean – Reg is the patient one!! Those words “turn around when possible” can get a little annoying!! We had a lovely lunch at a park in Benejacq – good to stretch our legs and visit the loo. It was one of those French squat toilets that really test out your balance – for girls anyway. Balto had a little wander and a sniff – always interested in checking things out. Anyway we just did a loop into Pau and headed back home. It was more about the drive and the scenery than anything. The views of the Pyrenees were amazing as we drove along – even better on the route home! We managed to cut across country after skirting Tarbes. Stumbled across a beautiful village called Loucrup – stunning outlook. Lots of photos. A real little gem!
We recently visited the weekly market in our closest town – Bagneres. Lots of stalls scattered along narrow side streets and small squares. Amazing local produce. Met a lovely local farmer and her son – they spoke a bit of English – good to have a chat. Bought some very nice soft cheese from their stall. Couldn’t resist! We love wandering around French markets – it’s such a part of life here.
There’s lots of “babies” around at the moment. Some very cheeky lambs down in the valley – near the neighboring village of Argeles-Bagneres. One even posed when we stopped to to get some photos. There are 4 sheep dog puppies at the local shepherd’s house – they are so cute. Hard to get a photo though – their parents are prone to bark like crazy when Balto and I walk past and the pups quickly disappear into their little “dog house”. I will keep trying though. Also new lambs in our local Uzer flock – so full of mischief – bouncing and hopping about, feeding from Mum, or lying exhausted in the grass! Our Uzer sheep are continually changing venues – moving from one paddock to the next. They are part of life in the village – saw them walking down the main street the other day as they made their way to greener pastures. Sheep dogs busy herding them along – local shepherd calling the shots.
We’ve been quite busy in the garden lately – mainly weeding and hedging. Balto is always on hand – supervising our every move. We still take him for lots of local walks – some beautiful forest trails near us – and of course down to the local river. He’s a delight to have around and we’ll miss him when we go! And that’s only two weeks away – can’t believe it. We just got an email from Aer Lingus reminding us to catch our flight from Bordeaux to Dublin on the 8th of December. We’re going back to Mourne Park again – but only for short stay. Flying to Chicago after Christmas – train across the US to Seattle – then on to our next house sit in Canada. But more about that later.
Love Di and Reg
This entry was posted in Europe, France, House Sits, Uzer, Hautes Pyrenees