DB Lenck's Mutinous Musings: Parc Fenestre

The Schrat, my favourite wood sprite

Today I had planned to go to Clermont Ferrand, but something came up and I missed the bus. Oh well, never mind, I'll go some other day. I don't know why I keep thinking I can only go on the weekend - I am on holiday, after all! Every day is free, aside from the two painful hours in the morning.

Anyway, I couldn't go so went to the children's playground called Parc Fenestre instead. It is right behind my hotel. Sadly, most attractions are only open over the Summer, which is now officially over, but the flip side is that there aren't too many people in the park. I did notice quite a few toddlers, though. Since the school holidays are over, only the tiniest of tiny children are still out and about in la Bourboule.

Some of them have even infiltrated the Grands Therme! Now children, in my opinion, are only acceptable in grown-up places (basically anywhere I hang out) if they are well-mannered - ill-mannered children are like flowers without scent, basically pointless, in my opinion. Well-behaved children, on the other hand, are a delight and can always look to me for chocolate and Picsou magazines (when I have finished with them).

Aside from one little pest who screamed and fussed until I fled from the electro-aerosol room, the toddlers are very sweet. Just imagine a truly tiny child, barely able to walk, sitting on a little stool with a watering hose attached to its nostril ... Heartbreaking, actually! I suppose I shouldn't blame the noisy little pest from earlier today. It is hard enough for a grown-up to suffer through the sinus rinses etc, never mind a little toddler who has no understanding of what this is all about.

Anyway, once the internal irrigation practices are over, many of these little ones go to Parc Fenestre with their parents, or often grandparents, who take them for the cure, being able to do this since they are retired. They have the playground pretty much to themselves now, and had a great old time, even with many of the major attractions closed.

As is often the case, light conditions for taking photos weren't great, everything looks so much better through my - tinted - sunglasses!

Parc Fenestre appears to have decided to set up a Japanese Garden!

A wisteria, grown like a tree

Just a nice view

dito

There are lots of little waterways in Parc Fenestre, and upon closer inspection they turned out to be populated by worms. First I thought these were earthworms that had fallen into the water, but there were loads of them, and they seemed quite happy, wriggling around. Also, there has been no rain recently, so they probably weren't swept into the water by a storm. Yes, another pointless bit of information about la Bourboule you could have lived without!

Worm

Worm, too

The kiddie train is wrapped up for Winter

I do like the international flavour of la Bourboule!

Giant climbing frame

The mini-golf area has acquired a few new features - 1

and 2

The carousel is also wrapped up for Winter

The Frog Pond, which I am proud to say I was the first to have identified as such, has changed again. What started out a few years ago as basically a water-filled hole with plastic ducks floating on it, has morphed into an overground oasis for tadpoles. By now they have all hatched, of course, and the pond is pretty much dried up. This is a good thing, since several dragonflies were hovering about, looking for watery wastes to lay their eggs. Dragonfly larvae, I have you know, love to eat tapoles. So by letting the pond dry up as soon as the taddies have hopped it, future generations of tadpoles are protected from these voracious eating machines.

I also noticed that the pond is now surrounded by a wickerwork fence, and that the bench that used to stand on one side has been removed. Too many tourists bothering the taddies?

You can see what I write about the pond in 2011 here:

http://dblenck.blogspot.fr/2011/09/post-cards-from-la-bouboule-duck-pond.html

Spot the dragonfly ....

Pooper-scooping is big in la Bourboule!

Spot the toddlers

The wood sprite population has grown again! Every time a tree is felled some local artist turns it into a wood sprite - well, that's my assumption, of course it could be the spirit of the tree or something. Over time the sprites grow features and become more life like!