Saturday, November 12, 2011

Ups and Downs

This time in five months, I am going to be in Singapore for a day, en route to Paris, before I head on to Cluny, where I will begin walking. Five months has a definite kind of 'urgent' ring about it, in terms of 'It is well past time to get fitter and I will be walking tomorrow rain or shine!' Thank goodness it was drizzling, rather than all out raining when I woke this morning...

I've been reliably informed- by someone who has already walked the routes, that the route from Cluny to  Le Puy is much hillier than what I encountered further south from Le Puy to Santiago last time. So, hills it is. I live in a city that is very flat, on a flood plain- but a major fault line lies not far to the east, so there are hills and ranges right on the eastern edge of the city. And there are walkways straddling a major hill near the university, and it is there that I intend to do a lot of uphill and downhill walking in the coming months.

 This morning I parked on a side road from where I could join the Turitea Walkway halfway along. The first bit of the track climbs through some lovely bush.

 Before very long the track emerges out onto farmland, where the view today was of a drizzly haze over the hills. I am sure the Irish must have a word for this gentle, barely-there kind of rain.

 The sun wasn't out, but even on a dull day you could see shadows on the pond, and so many different kinds of plants seemed to be in this pond. There used to be a pair of ducks that hung out here- I wonder where they have gone. The pond looked oddly empty without them.


It's funny, even when you have walked a track a few times, there are always new things that jump out at your eyes. I had never noticed the orange bits on some of the broom flowers before.

And another surprise was the amount of fungi I saw today. I really only expect to see them like this in autumn.

I'll be back on these tracks a lot in the coming months, so you might get to see more photos from here...

15 comments:

  1. very beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing. wait for my blog

    http://semi-live-stories.blogspot.com./

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh...getting excited for you!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks semi-live, I am getting excited for me too Karin. Five months seems like nothing. So I will be walking lots of hills!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That light mist well we just call it 'a soft day' Margaret!
    Nell

    ReplyDelete
  5. 'a soft day'- yes I think I do recall hearing that, so it was a very Irish day indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These scenes are going to be hard to beat in France Margaret!

    Michèle

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't get to pass through beautiful medieval villages with little 12th century romanesque churches here at home though Michèle! Francis has told me the views on the Cluny route are spectacular- that's why I guess you have to go up and down so many hills!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I bet with the views on the track you won't even notice the hills ;)
    My mum used to call that fine rain "Scotch Mist".

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've found in the past with hills that it's best to get my mind onto anything other than the hill that lies ahead of me. Somehow I then reach the top much more easily!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm green of envy...

    Your photos are pleasure to my eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks A-B-C. No walking here today though. Very rainy outside!

    ReplyDelete
  12. very exciting! 5 months will go in no time Kiwi. Hills are the trick for sure and so I wish you the best for the fitness preogramme over the next few months! keep the posts coming!

    ReplyDelete
  13. We are having gales here today Simon. Hope they have passed by tomorrow morning so I can walk in peace for three hours!

    ReplyDelete
  14. And the same to you Simon. I hope you are recovering well.

    ReplyDelete