britfrog 180 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 As I sit here watching a pair of golden eagles orbiting the house and calling to one another, The Indian summer continues (it is currently 30 degrees on the terrace) but one is all too aware it cant last forever. In recent mornings whilst out walking the dogs in the vinyards , we have been serenaded by masses of skylarks hovering over our heads , it always saddens me to hear them at this time of year because they bring a further indication that winter is around the corner and in a few days they will be gone to warmer climes, unlike the spring when they pass through when they are a harbinger of better weather to come. Being a Sunday the hunters are out in force, it sounds like a war going on in the hills in front of the house. You get two types, those that shoot the odd bird that blaze away at anything , yes skylarks are a delicacy but it is illegal to shoot them, not that it stops them. and the boar hunters. This year the boar have created far more damage than i have ever seen before , it is incredible what they can excavate in the hunt for worms etc, and whislt it saddens me that they should be killed there is no doubt that there are far too many and their numbers need to be controlled. Every village here has at least one hunt, we have about 60 hunting dogs in makeshift kennels around this village (they have to be more than 300 meters from a habitation because of their noise) and the hunters are permitted to kill 5000 in this region (the size of greater London) to keep numbers under control each season. And that is not to mention the amount of cars that hit them at night , my good friend hit one with his Ferrari a few months ago and it ended up in the passenger seat, having come trought he windscreen, highly pissed off and bleeding a lot. My friend wa lucky to stop the car and get out as the boar followed him, and luckily buggered off into the bush. The car was a mess though i more ways than one. On average something like 150 people are killed each winter by hitting boar in France. The annual rains have hit the region just north of us over the last week with flooding like the uk had last year, I have to smile a bit as our region is more expensive than over there and many brits have bought houses in that region because they bought in the summer and could get a much bigger house for the same money. Now they are all sqwaking on the internet that the local authorities are doing nothing. The problem is if they had asked the locals before buying they would have discovered why all their neighbours have boats in the gardens. Well as it loooks nice we are off to the coast with the dogs to have a walk on the beach and to have some oysters at a local restoTTFN Life in the south continues------ 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jaydor 345 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 And I as a poor British pensioner have to sit here in the cold and eat dry bread and pickle onion. Oh to be in France with Nigel.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 I have only 27 near Toulouse and the beach is a bit far away ( 2 hours drive for me ) but I will spend some of this coming week's afternoons in my favourite natural reserve, trying to shoot some migrating birds, but with my Nikon... Coming from the Channel shores, I will agree with you that life in the south is great, if you pick up the right spots ! Heavy rain episodes on the Cévennes, Montpellier and Nîmes region have been lasting for centuries (since the mountains are there in fact) difficult to claim you didn't know before... Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Best way to find out if an area floods is to get an estimate for flood insurance...if you can afford it, you probably don't need it. Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 A postcard from Hastings. Ee it's tough 'ere up north. Well E Sussex Nigel and Loic where after August's wash out, September's Indian summer it's Autumn business as usual, ie, deluge, sunshine, deluge, sunshine in quick order. Yesterday under typical dramatic October skies we sat outside our favourite burger restaurant in sunshine watching dark grey clouds dump their heavy showers out over the English Channel. The burgers were mouth watering, the waitress, eye watering. This afternoon it's just plain old rain. No eagles here though just seagulls or as dodgy Al calls them, shitehawks. They are a nuisance but as protected species we cannot shoot them, you have to admire their airmanship though. Not many swallows here this year, maybe the French have shot them all. There are deer and wild boar around in the surrounding countryside and although a hazard are not responsible for many deaths on the road. What is a real danger on the roads here are boy racers as I experienced the other day. Driving through narrow Sussex country lanes as I approached a 90 degree bend a Fiesta coming the other way going too fast lost control in front of me. We both stopped just in time but the look of horror on these kids faces was a sight to behold. The driver got a short stern lecture for his trouble, I hope he learned from it. Autumn does have some advantages, with the weather and the nights closing in I can spend more time simming. As I fly real time and real WX the filthy weather suits me, REX has been pretty accurate recently and orbix scenery is turning on the autumn hues. What better than on an ILS approach to come out of the low level murk with Night Environment glowing beneath you to cream in on a crosswind landing. Pure Joy! Link to post Share on other sites
jaydor 345 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Bit cold outside this afternoon Nigel, but I did persuade the old girl next door to come for a bike ride.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted October 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 LOL Geoff !! I am hoping to move back to the UK after xmas this year but having been used to the wilds here for over 12 years may find it difficult to live in normal circumstances so may have to rent a shed from Dai in Wales Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 I note the socks and sandals in the photo - did you once spend winters in Florida - a Snowbird? John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted October 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 James I love that one whilst I have a bicycle ,it has an attachment for my huskies, it never ceases to amaze me (being a motorcyclist) when I see the crowds of cyclists who pass my house we are over 1000 feet uphill and the locals seem to get a great deal; of glee, pulling up outside my house, puce in their face and huffing and puffing. Thy tell me it is good for their health, and who can doubt that the average cyclist must have an amazing cardio vascular system, it seems a shame that 90% of them die of lung cancer because of inhaled fumes from diesel vehicles. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 LOL Geoff !! I am hoping to move back to the UK after xmas this year but having been used to the wilds here for over 12 years may find it difficult to live in normal circumstances so may have to rent a shed from Dai in Wales Well Nigel you would certainly joining the exodus from France which according to yesterdays i paper is running at 2% a year with the UK being a favoured emigree destination. In fact with an estimated 400,000 expat frogs in London makes it Frances sixth largest city. Sacre Bleu! But why? It sounds like paradise where you are. Think Bexhill on Sea on a wet February Tuesday afternoon. Or Wales :( Link to post Share on other sites
Corsaire31 419 Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 The british weather gives you a good excuse for spending more yearly time on your PC and flight sims... Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 That might explain why they get all the good Flight Sim conventions. Link to post Share on other sites
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