Kayaking Down the Gorge de la Vezere.

Trees, spring rain, the gorge,

Waves break this way then that

Around my kayak.

Cycle-ride

I just cycled up to the Chateau and back down again. I took the path which is both uber-steep and at times slippery and unhelpful. I'm thinking ruts and gravel that removes all traction.

It was a great feeling arriving at the top and seeing the people sitting in the cafe choke on their drinks as a sweaty cyclist arrived.

The woman in the ticket office was also pretty amused and muttered something incomprehensible (I'm pretty sure it was complimentary.)

Tomorrow, Annete, Neil, Josephine and Paul plan to paddle the Vezere- exciting stuff.

HP's Photos

Theme? Reflection maybe.

So little time

Earlier today, Josephine and I went for a brief paddle on the Ceou. The river was clearly lower than when I had last visited as the stopper at the base of the weir at Daglan had shrunk greatly and a large cushion wave on the right hand side had appeared.

We did only two drops; "the one that neither of us remembered" and "les cascades des pecheurs." Both passed uneventfully. I felt the slight bump that Jo had mentioned but my inherent stability was enough that it did not affect me. However, after having descended les Cascades des Peucheurs we played (Jo more than I) and I capsized while doing dip turns. Fortunately, I rolled swiftly as the water was far cooler than I had been led to believe.

Neil and Annette of PBCC (formerly HFCC) arrive on Sunday evening so no doubt we will soon be running the Vezere and Correze. They allegedly have plans to run the upper Vezere which has stretches of Grades Four. I think it is highly unlikely that I will paddle this stretch as I have paddled only twice since the Summer in Spain; once at Christmas on the Vezere when it was -4 and once at Acton Pool.

Unfortunately, the experience of Christmas has badly damaged my confidence. The cold was just one step too far.

In the real world: Jose Mourninho has said that he is more concerned about Bird Flu than Man Utd catching Chelsea at the top of the premiership! Talking of football, incredible result for Middlesborough last night. Look on the BBC if you haven't heard.

Spring Breaks out at Le Port.

On 4th February 2006 I had written "absolute gloom has set in, windless days, grey ceiling of cloud..." but that was London.

There is a special thrill in opening up a house in the spring, as there was when the doors at Le Port were opened and the cold air came tumbling down the stairs to be lost in the spring warmth. Better follows. By 28 March life had changed, there was a roaring fire consuming wood from the giant plane tree trimmed by "monsieur La Noix" himself; on the table was quail purchased from our butcher Serge, carrots and leeks purchased from a peasant in Sarlat market over a week ago, bread from our rugby playing baker Stefan and a wonderful piece of St Nectaire, smelling of earth - all washed down with a bottle of St Foy Bordeaux from Patrick Barriere. Ostensibly I am here to oversee the repair of the water system as the water pump has been regulary pumping air sporadically for nearly two years. Of course in the week that I have been here the system has been working perfectly so it will be difficult to identify the intermittent fault which is causing the problem. Nevertheless I have dug out the section of pipe between the house and the well, with a little help from M.Joachim who is Le Port's other resident and a true peasant from our oldest ally Portugal. Although heading for his sixtieth year he is very strong and has immense stamina. In the day he works as a mason but in the eveing he earns his rent by gardening, cementing and helping with tasks like the water pipe.

The really important activity which I am undertaking is watching Spring arrive. I arrived on 21st March after a long period of cold and frost when the woods surrounding Le Port, those on the hillsides opposite, the gallery woodland along the river, and the trees in the orchard and the wilderness were leafless, but the Plum trees had just started to blossom on bare branches, masses of white blossom, but some pale pink where colour was acquired from red calyces. On walking the 11 km back from Sarlat through more bare woodlands there was a Hoopoe being chased by a crow. After five days the temperature had risen to 23C and the field was covered Crickets moving around rapidly to avoid the even more abundant Hunting Spiders. The first Swallows had appeared on 22nd, just three which appeared to be on their way east over the house. Like all early Swallows of previous years they did not stay, but more were seen in subsequent days but no more than ten at a time. It was not until 5 the of April after a night of thunder, lightning and rain that between fifty and a hundred could be seen feeding over the river.

Back on the 23rd a male Black Redstart, already in immaculate summer plumage, was perched on the ridge the barn room in the light spring rain , rising vertically into the air on short sorties to catch insects - ready for anything, sustaining himself before a long tough spring and summer of defending his nesting area from other redstarts, mating and raising a family whilst evading the Wild Cat that lived too close to his nest beneath the old branches of kindling wood. Two days later there were flocks of Chaffingches and Godlfinches feeding on the walnut field which was covered in flowering speedwell, chickweed and henbit deadnettle. The next day there were there again but there were also male and female bramblilngs and a cirl bunting. On 26th I heard the-first-Cuckoo-in-Spring as I cycled over the hill to Sarlat for the Sunday rugby match. On 29th March there was a great noise of chattering finches in the lime trees in front of the house. I identified Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Serin, Greenfinch and House Sparrows. This was a peculiar gathering, why should such a diverse group of birds, about fifty in all, have met up to chatter away in the middle of the day. It was almost like debriefing session from the past winter or a in interspecies briefing on the summer to come. On 30th March the Blackcaps started to sing. On April 4th the first Nightingale of the year was heard singing at eight o'clock in the morning from the Buckthorn thicket on the bank by the road.

It is a great priviledge to be allowed the time to stare at Plumb blossom, not for as long as Buson or Basho*, but long enough to attempt to imitate them and write a haiku. The Plum blossom immediately attracts Bees, Wasps and other insects. One morning there were three Red Admiral Butterflies on the largest Plum tree's blossom and the immaculate state and colour of their wings told that they had hatched from their chrysalis hibernation only a few hours before.

Two Haiku:
I

Amongst leafless trees
The scent of plum blossom
Surprises the bee.


II
Opening up the house:
Winter air tumbles out of doors
To greet spring warmth.


The pump was mended too.



*the seventeenth century Japanese Haiku poets, see for example:Blyth R.H. 1949 (1990) Haiku, Eastern Culture vol 1, The Hokuseido Press Tokyo; Heian International South San Francisco. p.292-309.

Welcome

Welcome to the Dordognedays blog. In the future, there will be updates on events and activites on Le Port and other miscellany including reports on kayaking trips on the Dordogne, Ceou, Vezere and Correze.

Contributors will include myself (HP,) Paul and Josephine.
Meanwhile, enjoy the Dordogne Days website: www.dordognedays.com

If you have any enquiries, do not hesitate to contact me; hal.munton@gmail.com