Archive for May 2013
more encounters with poppies 5-1
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houses in the town of Ferrieres – shutters and white curtains (image by Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)
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On my virtual bike trip on April 15, I cycled through the countryside to the east of the town of Ferrières. It seemed to take forever to reach the first corner in the road. This part of France is very flat and you can see what is ahead of you for miles …
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When I reached the corner at last, I was so happy …
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I could see poppies in the ditch at the edge of the grain field, so I looked back and saw the closest thing yet to a whole field of poppies. If you Google images for ‘field of poppies’, you will see some beautiful examples of the many poppy fields in France. Sparse though it was, this is the best field of poppies I have ever ‘seen’ …
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a field of poppies and grain – most of the poppies are along the road or deep in the field just left of center (image from Street View)
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Afterward, I followed my poppy-colored bike path into the town of Ferrières. This town seems to have more space than other towns I have ‘visited’ in central France …
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I must have been tired during my bike trip, because it was very hard not to stop and buy a scooter or motorbike at the roadside dealership …
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This is the first day on my virtual bike trip that I have been tired and not very motivated. I know from previous bouts of exercise that quitting can be far too easy.
Since I began my stationary cycling trip ‘through’ central France, I have kept at it for two and a half months, exercising once in every two or three days.
I have been motivated by a number of things: looking forward to my next virtual adventure, reporting on my Blog about my progress, and choosing a subject and doing my pencil drawing.
I am also newly encouraged by my last blood work which shows both my cholesterol and my triglycerides considerably improved. So today, I am heading back down to my tiny exercise room to see some new sights in central France. Perhaps there is a huge field of poppies just around the corner!!!!
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Best View: shade along the country road…
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
wildflowers along the road
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I have completed Phase 4 of my virtual bike ride through France! My entire ride (Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4) since January 30, 2013 has taken me from Lusignan to Ferrières for a total of 116 km or 1155 minutes (19.2 hours).
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The last bike ride of Phase 4 took me through the countryside east of Ferrièrres …
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The theme seemed to be one of wildflowers. I saw Queen Anne’s Lace, Fireweed, and, best of all, Poppies, along the edge of the fields …
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I also saw a roadside shrub in yellow bloom. Since the images were taken in May, I think these flowers were Gorse …
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I also saw a flock of sheep grazing in a pasture …
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Best View: a flower garden in Courçon …
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For Phase 5 of my trip, I plan to cycle from Ferrières to Nieul-sur-Mer, near the Atlantic Coast of France. Hope you will stay with me on my journey!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
lamposts and wirescape
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lovely lampposts in Angire (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)
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On my virtual bike trip on April 8, I was impressed with the beautiful lampposts in Angiré …
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streetscape and lamposts in Angiré (image from Street View)
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French villages have their share of lampposts, telephone poles and wires. ‘Wirescape’ is such a normal part of life, I don’t usually see it at all. But, just look up …
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wirescape back in Magne (image from Street View)
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Years ago, I took a landscape evaluation course in university, and as an idealistic student, I was quite negative about the wires and poles that clutter our landscape views. I have mellowed, though, and now I wonder if wires above us help to enclose us and make us feel safe in our urban environments. Perhaps wirescape will gradually disappear as our technology becomes more wireless.
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wirescape near Saint-Sabine (image from Street View)
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Best View: intersection – blue shutters and blue sky, no overhead wires …
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
sculpting land and trees
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sculptured trees in La Grève-sur-Mignon (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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During my virtual travels in France, I have noticed the way nature has been modified to suit people. We do this in North America too, pruning trees to take elaborate shapes, pulling weeds and planting domesticated plants, modifying the edges of lakes to be more ‘beach-like’, straightening watercourses, and so on.
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In France, I have particularly noticed how canal-like the watercourses are in the area of La Venise Verte. This is a result of the area’s history. When the marshes of the Marais Poitevin were settled, people needed dry land to farm and live. In the tenth century, there was a huge effort to dig canals and reclaim the land. The result is the canal system I am seeing on my virtual bike ride. The waterways are straight and their banks are steep. Canals intersect at right angles …
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intersecting waterways (image from Street View)
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Other elements of the natural landscape are also shaped by human hands. For example, older trees are pruned to take on unnatural shapes. This may be in order to rejuvenate older trees by encouraging new growth. It may also be for aesthetics …
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some weirdly pruned trees near Balanger
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A man was out pruning these trees as I ‘drove’ by …
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man working on trees near Balanger – he has removed all the sucker branches on the tree nearest the camera (image from Street View)
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I saw some of the most bizarre of these pruned trees in Niort …
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weird trees in Niort (image from Street View)
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I have no idea which tree species these are. they could be willow, or even olive …
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severely pruned tree in rural area near Irleau
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Do you know which species of tree is being pruned?
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Best View: pruned trees near La Grève-Sur-Mignon …
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
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