Apartments in Lille

I really like this photo! The apartments almost straddle the Lille Europe railway line and are part of a huge complex including shops and offices. I can't make up my mind whether the coloured decoration was applied as part of the original design, or whether the building was so stark it was added as an afterthought although I suspect the former.

One or two panels are peeling now, it may not be quite so pretty in a year or two.

Lille.

© postcards from the road

Waterwheel

One of the mills at Moret sur Loing.

© postcards from the road

Swan

Just another swan gliding by to say gidday.

© postcards from the road

Silver Car

Many of the commercial barges carry their own vehicles, and mostly they seem to be quite new and devoid of any signs of being frequently lifted by crane.

At each stop, the operators must decide whether to take the car or dinghy ashore.

© postcards from the road

Industry

There is not a great deal of industry lining the canals on which we have travelled to date, but even when it exists, there's something visually fantastic if not appealing.

Moret sur Loing

© postcards from the road

Unused

A couple of boats wait forlornely for some action.

Moret sur Loing

© postcards from the road

Another Blue Car

Two days in a row, two different models, this one just as carelessly parked in front of newly mown hay.

© postcards from the road

2CV

For many of us, there is an illogical romance surrounding what was a very utilitarian vehicle, but the 2CV continues to bob up from time to time, although not always in colour matched surrounds.

© postcards from the road

Race

I'm not sure what these competing creatures were competing for, but the lavender was nice, and I still can't get away from all these flowers.

Autumn is fast approaching, so watch out for a glut of red and yellow leaf photos!

© postcards from the road

Loads of hot air

Late one evening a joy flight appeared above us as we were having dinner.

Moret sur Loing

© postcards from the road

Dolls for sale

A collection at the market,

Rogny les 7 ecluses.

© postcards from the road

Window Box

Summer window decoration.
Ouzeour sur Trezee

© postcards from the road

Videographer

A man stands braced, making a moving picture of a stationary building.

Montargis.

More pics uploaded this week at Flickr.

© postcards from the road

Triffids

I am continually surprised at the lack of familiarity I experience with flowers and plants whenever I leave the comfort of home. I have no idea what these furry beasties are, nor from which planet they eminate.

Somewhere near Sancerre.

More pics uploaded yesterday at Flickr.

© postcards from the road

Picture Frame

Makes a nice change from circular convex mirrors.

Montbuoy.

More pics uploaded today at Flickr.

© postcards from the road

Red Car

Home garage, Montbuoy.

© postcards from the road

Anyone for Cricket?

Possibly not, but the red ball did make me think briefly of home.

Courtyard,
Montargis.

Despite appearances, we are back in London for a bit, then off to Scotland for a few days before returning to France next week. Hmmm... these postcards take longer to arrive than sea mail used to! They'll keep going for longer than our trip I suspect!


© postcards from the road

Storm Coming

No, we didn't get wet, but we nearly did.

Chatillon Coligny

© postcards from the road

Ecluse

Looking down from the top of the lock, the steel gates and sky with just the merest hint of reflected photographer.

Montargis

© postcards from the road

Green Car

Perhaps it's the absence of harsh light, or maybe just the presence of this old Renault 5 which tells me we are somewhere unfamiliar.

Montargis

© postcards from the road

Fruit

We have no idea what these fruit are, they look a little like a cross between a cherry and a pomegranite, but with not much light they were fun to photograph anyway.

Street planting in Montargis


© postcards from the road

Ten

Ten, Rue de la Tannerie

Montbouy.


© postcards from the road

Fishing

Fishing in the town centre.


© postcards from the road

Self portrait with cat.

Given my complete lack of tolerance for all things feline, one wonders how I got into this position!

© postcards from the road

Peugeot

Actually there's a cottage reflected in the car's bodywork if one looks hard enough.

© postcards from the road

Village

Each village has a subtly different style, yet each is distinctly of the same proportion.

Menetreol

© postcards from the road

Circle

After a mere week on the canals, water that is still enough to create perfectly mirrored reflections is still a novelty.

Ouzouer sur Trezee

© postcards from the road

Cafe

Coffee, chocolates, bakery on the aquaduct.

Briare

© postcards from the road

Alimentation

Nothing like a spot of alimentation (grocery shopping) before lunch, but it's closed Friday afternoon of course.

Ouzouer sur Trezee

In what is becoming a disturbingly regular occurrence, I've even added more pics to our Flickr gallery again!

© postcards from the road

Purple Flowers

I haven't got the book yet, so here are some purple flowers.

© postcards from the road

Black Car

The lock keeper's car and the lock keeper's flowers.

© postcards from the road

Yellow Flowers

I'll have to get a book, or I'll just keep referring to flowers by colour rather than species.

© postcards from the road

Rooftops

This could really be any village in central France, it matters not where, the rooflines are the same at first glance, or at least the first glance of a visitor from a place where houses were not invented 600 years ago, let alone built!

Chatillon sur Loire

© postcards from the road

Courtyard

Courtyard,

Sancerre.

New pics loaded at our gallery on Flickr.

© postcards from the road

Chateau Rose

Have I been drinking, or is the Chateau upside-down?

More pics if you've missed them at our gallery on Flickr.
© postcards from the road

Cottage

A cottage in the vinyards, Sancerre.

© postcards from the road

A door, a hedge, and a pot of flowers.

Three things that say we're still in France!

Belleville sur Loir
Just another day in © postcards from the road

Sunflowers

Perhaps it says something of the forces generated by the nuclear power stations that even the sunflowers turn their faces from the sun in deference to them!

CNPE de Belleville-sur-Loire

© postcards from the road

Insects!

Well I suppose they aren't March Flies!

Every time I try to photograph a flower there's a bee on it. Why am I photographing flowers you may well ask, perhaps I'm getting in touch with my inner self!

For those wanting a little more detail of our travels, we do have some on our Flickr Gallery now.


© postcards from the road

Window

Today, a window on Sancerre.

© postcards from the road

Barbecue

I hate it when we are surrounded by wonder and all I can do is be flippant, but heck, here's our barbecue tonight, fuelled by the Loire Nuclear Power Station steam above the frypan!

Gotta love all things France.

© postcards from the road

Bill Board

Billboard, Fullham

© postcards from the road

Chat

On Friday, Julian took us for a walk along the Thames. At the time we were still well and truly under the weather post-flight, I can't be sure that we were even there, let alone that this little budgie is in fact a female version of the Yellow Breasted Chat.

I rather like the notion that I've met a "Chat".

Today we're on the road again, enroute to France and limited internet access, but we'll be back!

© postcards from the road

Putney

Suburban Putney but I'm not sure I didn't take this photograph sometime in the sixties.

© postcards from the road

Lacy Road

Lacy Road Putney is famous for the fact that Shelley, Julian, Gerrod and Kristy live there, and also for the Jolly Gardeners, a public house of some repute, and delightful garden court about the size of a pocket handkerchief (folded twice).

Even with the extra points for the use of the word "Jolly" in its name, it doesn't make my list of favourite pub names, unlike Putney's "Slug and Lettuce" around the corner, which comes close to Woollongong's once notorious "Amputee's Arms" at the top of the list.

© postcards from the road

We're in London Still.

It took a while, but we made it.

Two hours in Brisbane, coffee and toast.
Three hours in Sydney, scones and cream with our coffee.
Four hours delay in Singapore, party till 5.00 am body time at the airline's expense.
Arrived late in Frankfurt of course, missing our flight, but the airline cafe vouchers bought a bunch of us champagne, coffee and stupendous crepes, while we watched others become increasingly aggressive just as though we were in a scene from Airport 09!

While we were waiting in London for our luggage not to arrive, I casually remarked to the bloke next to us that it would be terrific if it didn't make it, because it would be delivered for us and we wouldn't have to lug it across London on the tube. (Despite being told that it wasn't on the plane, it was, so we didn't have any issues). Anyway said bloke offered us a lift when his driver got there, so we had a car ride home!

So here we are in Putney, high summer.

A bit weary, but since only one in the household has actual Swine Flu at the moment, all's well!


© postcards from the road

A journey of a thousand leagues...

...starts with a wink from MrFourex.

I asked him where we had to wait for the airport bus, and he gave me a wink and pointed to the stop.

See you later Queensland, though it must be said, there's something mildly surreal about leaving from the Ettamogah Pub!

© postcards from the road

Postcard from Home

It does seem strange to be walking on wet sand again, instead of very dry stuff, but that's what we do every day for a week or two, until our next adventure begins.

Perhaps it's time to record some more memories before they fade, after all, there's a blog just over there doing not much at the moment!

© postcards from the road

Sunrise from our Bed Coongie Lake

The last sunrise at the Lake, made us think about staying another day, but by then we were mentally committed to making the homeward trek.


© postcards from the road

Camp

The lack of fires at Coongie Lake meant that precautions had to be taken against the chill. The breeze was coming straight off the water of course, and it was quite early.


© postcards from the road