There was a call to arms last week as the government is threatening to close one of the teaching posts in the valley. There are several one class schools in the valley, one per village. In the mornings and afternoons the little minibuses go back and forth taking the children from the different villages to the village in which for this year they will go to school. This arrangement has helped rejuvenate the villages, attracting young families who not only want to bring their children up in the country but also enable them to go to small schools, where parental participation part of the course. Old houses have been renovated and nearly every village has a crop of new houses.
The response was strong with over 300 people turning up on a sunny Saturday morning. There was a full compliment of mayors complete with sashes and the sun-powered public address system was kindly lent by the local band. Optimism was high and arrangements were made to demonstrate in Foix next week, with a curt reminder to not forget your picnic!

Orchids and Company

Walked up the valley behind Taychel on Sunday (3rd May) a little too early for the full orchid show but spotted a few none the less.
The first to catch our eye was not an orchid but a broomrape, its curious chlorophyll-less display makes one uneasily feel as though you are looking at something very old. Apparently it is a parasite.. perhaps of the broom plant?






The next neat little beauty is a burnt orchid, petit and perfect.










Left is a man orchid, a yellow one. Up on the hill opposite the house there are also red ones. Well with red 'men', the little creatures with arms and legs dangling from each floret.











This is an early bee orchid I think, whatever its name it is such an harmonious plant to look at, art in nature.





Then we had a surprise, flitting about above the meadows where we found the orchids and only there, were these little cropped dragonflies which we had not seen before. They are about an inch across and there were only about a dozen of them in all. Anyone else know what they are? The camera finally caught one resting and only then could we see that the ragged yellow wings where in fact yellow painted lace and the flashing body a fierce golden mask and armour to discourage predators.

If you go down to the woods today!

While walking in the woods on the northside of the valley between Lieurac and Le Sautel we came upon this incredible sight. Actually 3 of us walked over it and would have missed it altogether if our sharp eyed son had not spotted it.
A moving chain of caterpillars about 6 - 7 meters long in all. Slowly crawling up the hillside nose to tail in a continuous chain.
Some of them we had unwittingly stepped upon and the chain was broken where the caterpillars were injured. We carefully removed the injured ones and put them out of their misery and joined up the chain again by putting the next caterpillars in contact with the preceeding ones and off the living chain went again.
The video above seems a little faster than they were actually moving but it gives a general impression of what was happening.
None of us had ever seen or heard of anything like this before.. comments will be most welcome.

Février

Winter comes slowly to our valley, protected as we are by the fold of the Plantaurels between us and the mountains.
The outlines of the trees slowly emerge as the leaves gently fall and by Christmas the woods are a mosaic of olives, purples and browns. Once more the picturesque église at Carla de Roquefort can be seen up the valley, nestling in the shelter on the hills.

The valley of the Douctouyre connects the villages along its route, not only geographically but also socially. The valley shares its schools, each village hosting a class and sharing in the ferrying of the children from one village to another. It is like an extended small school system and is is attracting young families back to live in the country.

Along the secluded banks of the river in the summer, kingfishers flash and children and adults alike splash in its rocky shallows and cool off in its refreshing pools.
But in the winter, the river roars after heavy rain, tumbling away the arches and serpent at le jardin extraordinaire, wiping the slate clean for the coming year. It spills over into the fields adding another dimension to our landscape, back lighting the forms of the trees and reflecting the strong winter sun to dazzle and delight.

And from mid January the little snow drops begin to appear, first in small clumps and finally in shining carpets of green and white.
Delighting the eye and whispering gently that spring is not far away.

Le Jardin Extraordinaire

For several years the association Artchaum has held an artistic event on the first week-end in September in a very special garden in Lieurac. 

This year they delighted us all with hidden treasures, moments of thought and stirring beauty. 

Most of the sculptures  have been built in situ in the last week out of natural materials found at hand. The serpent is created from stones, bamboo, water and the flower petals of the special sunflowers that tower over you as you walk through this thriving organic garden.

A big thank you and bravo to all those involved.

Mirepoix Flower Market

Mirepoix is about 20 minutes drive from Lieurac, it has a thriving series of Markets and Festivals throughout the year.

 The Flower Market is always on what used to be Whit Monday. This year it was very early, on the 12th May.

Flower growers of an Aladdin's cave of plants from near and far congregate in the open marketplace with their carefully nurtured wares. 

From this man I bought a few Chocolate Cosmos plants in the hope that they would  yield a different dye than those varieties already tried and tested.

As well as bedding plants there are all kinds of specialist plant growers like the woman selling these orchids.

All around under the couverts are antique stalls piled high with old linen, prints and furniture.

Then, just incase you want to do your normal market shopping the food and textile stalls are nestled in around the abbey.

If you continue along the path to Sautel, you descend a little hill, and cross the river that runs from Manes. There at the river crossing is an old trough, now silted with earth and playing host to a few clumps of purple toothwort.

This beautiful old spout leads from the side of the trough. Presumably it was under here that the buckets were placed to fill them up for the days supply of water.

A few metres up the bank is a drystone hut which shelters the source from which the trough is filled,

The whole is a little jewel from the past to remind us that folks once had time for things other than work.