Last drops of honey

Today I thought it would be a pity to miss the sun and warm air so I took the bike for a 2 hour tour of an area I liked in October when we went there to an apple festival and a futile mushroom picking. This outing was a kind of an unexpected gift as I already starting thinking of all kinds of skiing exploits. It was a joy to feel the warm air on my back as I was slaloming between cows.


Today I covered the distance from the village of Mourex to Divonne-les-Bains and from there to Vesancy and back to Mourex where I had parked the car.


I took out the camera only in Vesancy although Mourex would have deserved some pictures.


For some reason I am fascinated by old barn gates and I often take pictures of them. I imagine there was quite some life around these gates several hundred years ago. Today I noticed that the shadows play merrily on the gate.

 

Shadows playing on a gate, Vesancy

These trees are incredibly beautiful in the sun and I wish I knew the name at least in some language.

I wish I knew the name, Vesancy

Apparently not much is known about this castle. It is from the 12th century and first used to be a fortress but later became a simple home of the 'noble family of Vesancy'. Only now I noticed that the church cross is reflected on the left tower.

Le Chateaux de Vesancy

The castle was bought out by the commune in the 19th and 20th centuries and now shelters the town hall. When seeing the RF (Republique Francaise) sign one is once again reminded that the French Revolution took place some 222 years ago.

                                La Republique Francaise where nobles once were

Somehow I like this picture as the dead leaves look like a river of honey. That's how the nature was on this warm 29th November.

A river of honey

These dry leaves are quite nice from close with endless curly forms. They were quite fine in the afternoon sun, I think better than when they are wet and slippery, glued together.

Sunbathing leaves

Baptism of Fire: or from Nyon to Morge

Some 20 days ago was Boris' first true bike trip. His biking career has been very steep: in March he removed the support wheels, in April he got a beautiful blue bike which he started riding in the park, in May - we went out in the streets, late May we went off-road. Come June and Boris was in for a 30 km one full-day ride.

I had full confidence in him, of course, and everything turned out to be fine. The only stressful moment of the whole trip was getting on the train in Geneva and then again getting on the train on the way back in Morge. Somehow we were not on the right platform both times and the time was short.

Boris by Geneva Lake

Boris was riding his bike even when we were all having a break. He can't get enough of it.

Andrej and his new style (pay attention to the socks)

Recently Andrej started dressing by himself. Putting on long socks and pulling them all the way up is one of his signatures. This time he chose two different socks.

Jelica, Jessica and Jovana (JJJ) drinking coffee in Rolle

Jelica in the fields
(almost like St Martin in the fields)

Boris in the fields

Boris and his new shining bike with its beautiful blue colour. Tour de France started yesterday and he missed it but

Lantern in St.Prex - someone made those sharp teeth

Somewhere in the fields

Provincial

Just a facade - Aix-en-provence

Coucou

The happy shepherd (out of the picture)

Instead of flowers - Gorde

Savon de Marseille - here, there and everywhere

I hope the right hill

I have been thinking lately of the Sisyphus myth and the fact that it has almost become acceptable for the stone to return.

Titian, Sisyphus

However, what would really be unbearable is pushing a returning stone on the wrong hill....

Franz Stuck