nichepoetryandprose

On February 21, I began the third phase of my virtual bike trip through central France.  For Phase 3 of my trip, I plan to bike in 12 days from Exireuil to Magné just west of Niort.

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Today I (virtually) biked 3.0 km from Azay-le-Brûle to a big field south-west of Kadoré.  The route was in three parts, including a country stretch, the village of Kadoré, and the tree-lined Route Nationale Kadoré.

map showing distance travelled (image from Google Earth)

Kadoré is a small village with charming homes and lots of greenery.

houses and greenery in Kadore (image from Street View)

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Log Book:  February 23, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘Azay-le-Brûle’ to ‘a field south-west of Kadore’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: countryside and tree-lined highway … gentle hills reminded me of Kennebecasis Valley in New Brunswick

Notes:  late in day, so lots of shadows … bike trip along tree-lined highway fluctuated light, dark, light, dark, light, dark ……

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Distance Travelled Feb 21 to Feb 23 : 9.0 km  (90 minutes of stationary biking)

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 23 :  40.8 km  (415 minutes)

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If you lived in Kadoré, would you rather have a lawn mower or a hedge-trimmer?  

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

On February 21, I began the third phase of my virtual bike trip through central France.  For Phase 3 of my trip, I plan to bike in 12 days from Exireuil to Magné just west of Niort.

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Today I (virtually) biked 3.0 km of a very straight stretch of road between Exireuil and Azay-le-Brûle.  The first part of the road was in the town.  I saw a McDonald’s … looked like the ones at home … but I did not stop in for a burger and fries!!!!

The second part of the road was a pleasant boulevard lined with trees.

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Log Book:  February 22, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘center of Exireuil’ to ‘Azay-le-Brûle’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: white house with archway to inner court – door and gate were painted bright purple!

Notes:  boulevard was lovely, but lots of litter in ditches

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Distance Travelled Feb 21 to Feb 22 : 6.0 km  (60 minutes of stationary biking)

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 22 :  37.8 km  (385 minutes)

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What do you think of the idea of using just a touch of color on doors, gates and windows to add curb appeal ?  

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

On February 21, I began the third phase of my virtual bike trip through central France.  For Phase 3 of my trip, I plan to bike in 12 days from Exireuil to Magné just west of Niort.

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Although the first two phases of my trip have been a success, I have encountered two problems:

1. the time it takes to print the maps and views and scan them for the notebook, and

2. the ink it has taken to print out enough views to make the trip more interesting.

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With some trial and error, I have found a solution.  I have gone digital.  To save time, I am now using my Flash Drive and a portable computer.

1. I now prepare my trip by saving the Street View images to a file on my Flash Drive (USB portable drive).  I don’t print the images and this saves ink.  I can also save as many Street View images as I want to represent the trip.

2. I transfer the images to my small computer via its USB port.  You could use a laptop, but I have an inexpensive ASUS Eee PC my son gave me several years ago.  It is just the right size to put on the book shelf of my stationary cycle.

small PC and notebook on the book shelf of my stationary bike

3. If my small computer is not available, I can also use my SONY S-Frame (a digital Photo Display unit).  It also has a USB port and it cycles through the photos or lets me view them one by one.

4. When I begin my bike ride, I just turn on the PC, call up the USB drive and look at the photos one at a time, or in a slide show.  I also save an image of the Google Map so I can follow along at my rate of  ’10 minutes equals 10 km’.

view of Street View map on PC – thin red line represents the path I am following – this is generated in Street View of Google Earth

5.  I miss my ‘notebook’ version, so I do print out a map and a memento image of my bike trip on a given day.

6.  I can easily use the images on my PC to do my drawings!

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Day 1 map (from Google Earth) showing distance travelled

Log Book:  February 21, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘outskirts of Exireuil’ to ‘center of Exireuil’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: two people out working in their very tidy garden

Notes:  Not at all the rural landscape of my earlier biking.  I saw apartment buildings and a roundabout for the first time on my trip.  I got lost and went around the roundabout eight times before I found the right road!!!! 

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apartment building in Exireuil (image from Google Street View)

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Distance Travelled Feb 21 : 3.0 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 21 :  34.8 km

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When you bike, do you prefer rural or urban areas??  

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

I’ve now completed the second phase of my virtual bike trip through central France!  In this phase, I travelled on my stationary bike from Sanxay to Exireuil, a distance of almost 18 km.

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My bike ride for February 16 started in Fomperron, France.  Imagine my surprise to see a donkey watching me as I biked by an old shed on the outskirts of the town!

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a donkey watches near an old shed in Fomperron
(image from Google Earth Street View)

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Feb 16 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View images

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Log Book:  February 16, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘Fomperron’ to ‘just north of La Robelière’

Distance:  25 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: old stone shed with a tile and moss-covered roof in Fomperron

Notes:   Took a side road not on the Street View grid, so I travelled ‘blind’ for a day through uncharted countryside. 

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 to Feb 13 : 11.8 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 13 : 25.8 km

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Log Book:  February 17, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘field just north of La Robelière’ to ‘intersection of road to La Clavelière’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: a lone oak in the middle of a field

Notes:   Travelling ‘blind’ for a day through uncharted countryside. 

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 to Feb 17 : 14.8 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 17 : 28.8 km

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Log Book:  February 18, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘intersection of road to La Clavelière’ to ‘Exireuil’

Distance:  45 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: old stone fence along road

Notes:   Did a lot of walking this trip because I have a bad cold.  Rejoined Street View at intersection and glad to be able to ‘see’ the road.  First time I’ve seen a subdivision or a cemetery. 

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 to Feb 13 : 17.8 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 13 : 31.8 km

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This virtual bike trip has really worked to encourage me to exercise.  I am going to keep going!  For Phase 3 of my trip, I plan to bike in 12 days from Exireuil to Magné just beyond Niort.

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map showing plan for Phase 3 (12 day virtual bike trip from Exireuil to Magne)

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Follow me in Phase 3 to see more sights in the French countryside, to see some more drawings and to hear about my virtual adventures!

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

I am in the second phase of my virtual bike trip through central France.  In this phase, I am travelling on my stationary bike from Sanxay to Exireuil, a distance of about 18 km.

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I began my Feb 13 bike ride in Mènigoute, France, a very neat and lovely town.  I saw many trees in blossom since it is spring in Street View.  Most properties are fenced, or surrounded with hedges, and the streetscape is pristine.  Some of the yards have gardens and very tidy compost bins.

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In the centre of town were two interesting churches.  One, La Chapelle Bouchard, was in Gothic style, with intricate architectural features.  Across the street from the other church was an interesting house with red and green shutters.  Functioning shutters are common on the houses.

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Feb 13 notebook showing distance travelled and images from Street View

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Log Book:  February 13, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘Mènigoute’ to ‘field near Ètang de Bois Pouvreau’

Distance:  25 minutes      3.3 km

Best view: house with red and green shutters in Mènigoute

Notes:   old oak trees line the roadways and dominate the hedgerows.  In the countryside it is autumn, so I got an early glimpse of fall colour! 

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 to Feb 13 : 6.3 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 13 : 20.3 km

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Feb 15 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View images

Log Book:  February 15, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘field near Ètang de Bois Pouvreau’ to ‘Fomperron’

Distance:  25  minutes     2.5  km

Best view:  mustard field near Fomperron

Notes:   I was stuck behind a haycart for a while!

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 to Feb 15 : 8.8 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 15 : 22.8 km

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

On February 12, I began the second phase of my virtual bike trip through central France.  In this phase, I plan to travel on my stationary bike from Sanxay to Exireuil, a distance of about 18 km.

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One of the first features I encountered on my trip from Sanxay to the town of Mènigoute were mysterious plantations of trees.  Street View shows lines of mature hardwood trees, leafless since the photos were taken in early spring.  In the branches of the trees were green branchy spheres.

Feb 12 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View images, including a plantation of hardwoods with strange branchy spheres in the tree tops

I was very puzzled at first, but some thinking solved the mystery.  The spheres are of mistletoe, a hemi-parasitic plant.  Mistletoe is known for its medicinal uses and as a symbol of good luck and fertility.  Kissing under the mistletoe is a familiar Christmas tradition.  To learn more about mistletoe, and to see some photos of mistletoe plantations, see the website http://naturalmedicines.hubpages.com/hub/Mistletoe

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Encountering a mistletoe plantation during my virtual bike trip was truly rewarding!!!!

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Log Book:  February 12, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘just west of Sanxay’ to ‘Mènigoute’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view: plantation of hardwood mistletoe!  also, lilacs in bloom in Mènigoute!

Notes:  I also passed an area of archaeological interest… the Gallo-Roman ruins west of Sanxay – these include a Gallo temple, the Sanxay baths and a Roman amphitheatre. 

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Distance Travelled Feb 12 : 3.0 km

Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Feb 12 : 17.0 km

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Have you ever seen a plantation of mistletoe??  

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

Another day of my virtual bike ride from Lusignan to Sanxay, France.   I hope you enjoy my silly comments as I make my way through the French countryside!  I am really enjoying making my drawings of the sights along the way.

As you will see below, on February 11, I completed the virtual bike ride to Sanxay.  The incentive of the virtual bike ride and reporting on my progress has really helped me – I have used my stationary bike more often and for longer sessions!

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Feb 8 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View photos

Log Book:  February 8, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘intersection with A10 Autoroute’ to ‘stream crossing south of Sanxay’

Distance:  25 minutes     2.8 km

Best view:  bridge at crossing of small stream south of Sanxay… the road makes a sharp turn before crossing the bridge

Notes:  Such a brisk day, I got off bike and walked for 5 minutes!

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Total Distance Jan 30 to Feb 8:  10.5 km

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Feb 11 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View photos

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Log Book:  February 11, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘stream crossing south of Sanxay’ to ‘country-side just west of Sanxay’

Distance:  30 minutes     3.5 km

Best view:  street-scape in old town of Sanxay – wish I could have had a bite to eat at the Resto/Bistrot La Petite Fringale …

Notes:  No wind and a flat country-side made for an easy ride to Sanxay!  I did notice that when I began it was early spring (no leaves on trees) and when I finished my ride today, it was early summer (trees fully in leaf).  The cause is not my slow biking, but different photography months in Street View!

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Total Distance Jan 30 to Feb 11:  14.0 km

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I have decided to push on, toward the town of Exireuil, about 16 km to the south-west of Sanxay.

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Do you know the way to Sanxay??????

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

I am continuing to enjoy my new exercise plan – a virtual bike trip from Lusignan, France to Sanxay, France on my stationary bike.  I am also biking further each session.

Progress from January 30 to February 6 (North is toward the top of the map)

I have also discovered a new tool in Google Earth, a way to ‘pin’ my progress on the map by using ‘placemarks’.

placemarks on Google Earth (North is toward the upper left corner of the map) (map from Google Earth)

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Feb 4 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View photos

Log Book: February 4, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘ ‘hill beyond Le Breuil’ to ‘Jazeneuil (Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste)’

Distance:  20 minutes      1.9 km

Best view:  house with blue shutters in La Mimaudière

Notes:  Every roof is finished with cylindrical clay tiles … remember those tiles in Jurrasic Park III …

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Total distance: 4.7 km

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Feb 6 notebook showing distance travelled and Street View photos

Log Book:  February 6, 2013

Area travelled:   from ‘Jazeneuil’ to ‘intersection with A10 Auto Route’

Distance:  30 minutes      3.0 km

Best view:  streetscape in Jazeneuil – clay tiles and various types of yard fences

Notes:  The traffic on A10 was horrible.  I am glad I decided to bike the back roads!

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Total distance: 7.7 km

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Have you ever been to this part of France?

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

So far, my exercise plan is working.  I am biking on my stationary bike more often since I began my virtual bike trip from Lusignan, France to Sanxay, France, a total distance of about 14 km.

I have discovered several tools in Google Earth to help me, including a ‘ruler’ under ‘tools’ – this gives me the approximate distance from place to place!

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map showing progress for Feb 2 (map from MapQuest)

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Log Book: February 2, 2013

Area travelled:  from ‘intersection with road to Mangadon’ to ‘hill beyond Le Breuil’    20 minutes      1.6 km

Best view:  fence at entry to a farm road near Le Breuil

Notes: Great to be able to drive on the same side of the road as at home!!!

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Total distance from January 30 to February 2: 2.8 km

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

This will seem a bit strange, but I am trying a new strategy to get myself on my exercise bike at least three times a week.

I am lucky to have a good quality recumbent bike to use.  I have the tiniest exercise room, located in our basement.  It is basically a large open closet that fits my bike and a small table for a clock and other items.  I finished the walls in stucco and have a wall shelf to put photos and art to look at as I bike.

I know biking is good for me, especially in the winter when it is harder to get outside on some days.  However, getting myself down to my exercise room is harder than it sounds.  I invent all kinds of excuses not to go.  Often, the end of the day comes and I ‘discover’ I have skipped yet another day of exercise.

In January, I began to work on a new plan for encouraging biking.  You will quickly note that making the plan and preparing takes a lot more time than doing the actual exercise.  Although this may be another form of procrastination, the time I spend serves other purposes.  I learn about new places, I practice my drawing skills, and I don’t mindlessly watch TV and eat if I am busy working on my plan.

The plan is this.  When I bike, I pretend I am riding my bike through the countryside of some place I have never been.  There are bikes that actually have this feature built-in (just Google ‘exercise bike with google maps’), but I am using an old-fashioned approach.

I select a place and print out a scaled map with a 10 or 15 km distance to travel.  Then I go on Google Earth and ‘travel’ the road on the computer, using Street View to have a look at places along the way.  I print off some of the more interesting views so I will have an idea how the countryside appears.  Then I glue maps and images into a notebook and plot my progress on the map.  Each 10 minutes on my exercise bike equals approximately one kilometer on the map.  I use small stickers to mark my progress.  After I have ridden through an area, I  can use the views as  source material for drawing in my sketch book.

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My first virtual bike ride has been through the Poitiers area of France.  This is in the Poitou-Charentes Region of western France, south-west of Paris.  I selected this area because a few years ago I worked with a woman from Poitiers and her descriptions of the area made it sound so interesting.  She also gave me some brochures and other tourist materials that featured the beauty of the countryside and some of the local history.  I have never been to Europe, so this is quite a learning for me.  To start, I have selected a road from Lusignan, France to Sanxay, France, a total distance of about 14 km.  At 10 minutes per km, this will take me 140 minutes or more of biking (about seven biking sessions).

‘MapQuest’ map showing route from Lusignan (A), France to Sanxay (B), France

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From Street View, I can tell that this is a very rural area.  The road passes by farms and connects small communities.  Most of the scenes in Street View in this area were taken in the spring, so trees are in blossom but not yet in leaf.  There are sheep in the pastures and the houses are roofed with clay tiles.  Many houses have small kitchen gardens and are bounded by low rock walls.  At the intersection of major roads, there are frequently shrines, including crucifixes and statues of Saints.

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Log Book:  January 30, 2013

Area travelled:  from ‘just north-west of Lusignan’ to ‘intersection with road to Mongadon’

Distance:  20 minutes      1.2 km

Best view:  gate to ‘le Muranit’ near Lusignan

Notes:  It took longer to cover this stretch of road because I kept getting off the bike to see the sights …

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Please come back often, as I plan to update my Log Book each time I bike.

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Copyright Jane Tims  2013