Sunday 24 September 2017

Picking Sloes on a Peaceful Sunday Autumn Afternoon ....

Having a milk pail is essential - you pick the sloes into the lid, which you decant occasionally into the pail



Today I went sloe picking for the third time.  It was a lovely afternoon, and I needed another pint or two to fill up my two large sloe gin bottles.....




Lovely area of Oxford

A full pail!  About 2 litres worth






To prevent the cows from escaping, I shouldn't wonder!





The Canada Geese are congregating - soon it will be time to fly off again. I once watched a fox trying to ambush them here - it was fascinating, I kept watching until it got too dark.  The fox kept trying to sneak up on the geese, but they were vigilant, and flew at them en masse, so he had to re-treat.  Ten minutes later he would  try again, from another direction.  He kept this up for hours, but the geese always spotted him!


Spot the punter (boat stalker)


Hawthorn berries in good shape, too.

And from another angle ....

A lock - can be lowered or raised, depending on how much water there is


The old mill

This is a popular walking area for families and dogwalkers

There used to be a waterwheel, but it disappeared a few years ago

The old mill pond - probably contains massively huge sturgeons!





Oxford is surrounded by a girdle of college playing fields - most have their own,though some do share.


Paris - Street Scenes

Opera, anyone?

Yesterday I ended my vacation - suitably glamorously! - with a day in Paris, just noodling around with a friend.  We managed to put in at least four hours of walking, a bit of shopping, lunch and various refreshment stops, and a quick visit to the club.  It was a glorious autumn day, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer city-break!

The weather was good for taking pictures - at long last! - so I took quite a few.  Enjoy!

Palace of Justice opposite our luncheon location near Cite Metro station

Very popular with tourists, of course

Walking across the Pont au Change


Palais de la Cite finally had the scaffolding removed

Fishing in the Seine

Pedestrianised road along the river

Upper storied tenants waiting for the rock on the road festival


Police preparing for the rock festival



One of the rock buses full of happy people and ear-popping music - we fled

Quiet side street









Alternative street music - much nicer!


Sometime watered their seeds, and dripped down on me!!!!









 



We walked all the way from Cite to the Gare du Nord!

 
I had an entire first class carriage to myself - no idea why or how, but it was great!