We took a ride up into the hills this morning to enjoy the wonderful views of the Pyrenees from the road between Bouisse and Arques. Though there's a lot of cloud around today, the views of snowy summits were superb, and the spring flora en route were charming. Lots of aphyllante again, and cowslips, dianthus, cistus and so much more - even a few pyramid orchids. The beech foliage is quite beautiful at this season. I think it may have been the ubiquitous broom that got my nose running and my eyes watering, however.
As for the fauna, a pair of partridges scuttled across the road in front of us at one point, and our old friends the black and white donkeys were grazing by the roadside up near the panorama. Yet again we'd forgotten to take a bag of carrots with us, but then, we hadn't seen them for a couple of years. They, like we, are looking a bit older than when I took this picture five years ago. We paused again to watch and listen to the lambs where we saw them last year, not pausing too long to wonder whether last year's are now eaten or hogget....
The hard frosts have done quite a bit of damage to the vines. Up at Laroque de Fa, whole vineyards are without foliage (serves them right for voting for Le Pen in the first round!), and along the road here at Borde Rouge there seems to be a lot of frost damage too. Our friends at Camplong seem to have been spared. I suppose the low-lying vineyards in the river valley are frost pockets.
We're somewhat on the tenters as we await Sunday's second round in the presidential elections. Just hoping that the French electorate has more sense than the kamikaze Brexit and Trump tendencies.
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