Category Archives: Plants

Animals, Butterfly, Flowers, Forest, France, Insect, Landscape, Mountain, Nature, Plants, Travel |

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Granges de la Brasque

15 to 18 August 2021

The weather is good, so Detti and I head off on a short holiday to the Granges de la Brasque, a place full of childhood memories and which became an all time favorite relaxing camping spot for Detti and I. The fact that the best cheese in the world is made there is also a great calling card. Oh. And did I mention that at times wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are to be found for those looking for them? And that a mere 40m from the camping site there is a fountain with cold and fresh and oh so pure spring water?

On our second day, Detti and I hiked to the little summit nearby, the Mont Tournairet (2085m), small (per our standard) yet, the view from the top is amazing, and we can clearly see many of the summit that my dad and I have been crossing one after the other this last few years. A nice outing, with some raspberries ready to be picked on the way down. Miam! (side note: there is a little well made cabin just by the summit, would be a beautiful spot to hit for a night in early spring when all is still covered in snow!)

We are joined by my parents for the last 2 days, trip down memory lane, a night by the fire, good food, great company, amazing times and… a few kilos of raspberries!.

For the pictures, click here.

Animals, Flowers, France, Insect, Landscape, Mountain, Nature, Plants, River, Sunrise, Sunset, Travel |

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Le Ténibre

20 to the 22 of August 2021

Having a 3 days window of rather ok, not too cloudy, definitely no rain weather, my dad and I are off to do a little hike that we had on our minds.

Going to the Ténibre (3031m) on a big 3 days loop:

-Day 1: from the parking de Vens (1580m) we take the main path going to the Refuge de Vens (2370m), it is a real pleasure to see that we have a good rhythm, the differnet hikes from the previous weeks paying off and allowing us, even with our big packpack, to maintain +300m per hour. We stop at the refuge for a drink and a blueberry pie and then head off on a less travl track towards the Pas de Vens. We soon reach the first of those less frequented lakes and stop for lunch. The weather alternating between clouds and full sun, I time it well for a swim in this high altitude lake. So nice. We then keep going, up rocks and boulders to yet another lake before reaching the Pas de Vens (2796m). I do an extra little side hike, leaving my big back pack at our night camp, to reach the Cîme Borgonio (2930m) which offers amazing views of the surroundings, and of our tomorrow objective, the Mont Ténibre, shrouded in clouds that evening. I go down a different way to map down what would be our track the next morning, as from bellow it is not very evident. Joining my dad, we wait the day out and are join by a lonely walker who, just like us, had elected to pass the night in an old Italian casemate that offer shelter at the Pass.

-Day 2: I wake as the light start to shift from the pre dawn, the dark hues of the sky slowly filling with lighter shades. I ponder, and then get up, my dad still about asleep, and head again for the Cîme Borgonio (2930m), I reach it just in ti;me to see the sunrise. What a show! After enjoying the changing colors and welcoming the new day, I head back to our camp to join my dad. We pack and start our way to the Brèche Borgonio (2904m), having breakfast on the way, once we reach a spot in the sun. Amazing view on the Viso, before the Nébia hides it away. From the Brèche Borgonio, we head down to the Lacs du Ténibre (2550m), a beautiful spot to spend a night in peace. Then up an amazingly steep slope, and more boulders and rocks to the Ténibre (3031m). Amazing views all around, the Argentera, the Gélas, Cîme du Diable, Grand Capelet, Mounier… They are all visible. Only the Viso is now hidden away. Then, down the next valley to the Lac Chaffour (2650m), where I can resist another swim, we look for a welcoming spot for the night. The edges of the lakes are pretty nice, but a bit humid and a welcoming site for clouds of flying bugs. We look a tiny bit further up and end up spending the night under the stars (and the full moon) on a small grass patch.

-Day 3: from the Lac Chaffour (2650m) we aim for the Pas du Cormorant, we reach a point were both my dad and I feel like we have to stop. Everything around us is falling down. All rocks, from the tiny pebbles to the massive boulders are not anchored down and want to go down. Without helmet, with our big back packs, we feel it is safer to head back down. We have probably reach 2850m at this stage, only a tiny bit short to the pass and then the summit (later on, we would read that it used to be down on eternal snow… None of it remains). After a breakfast on a boulder in the sun, we go down to the Refuge de Rabuons for a snack, before starting the long way back to the car, along the Chemin de l’Energie, with a detour to the Lac du Fer (from 2350m to 2550m and back down to 2350m), as the track was damaged. No swim today, we are short on time, and the weather is turning. Strong wind and many clouds. A total of about 19kms that day, with about 1420m of down…

An amazing hike, I am already looking for the next one!

For the pictures (quite a few) click here.

Cliff, Details, Forest, Insect, Landscape, Mountain, Nature, Plants, River, Sydney |

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Newnes Glow Worms Tunnel Walk

10 March 2018

Detti and I took the opportunity of this nice weather weekend to go camping in the Blue Mountains and enjoy a nice walk, that goes through the Glow Worms Tunnel of Newnes. A very varied walk, with some views over the top of the eucalyptus trees, and some passage underground, in the man made former train tunnels, but also, if you know where to look, in some natural caves where a very small stream snakes around.

Here is the Full Gallery

Details, Nature, Plants |

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Coprinus

9 June 2018

This autumn and winter, I had the pleasure to go and find on many occasion some Coprinus on the lawn just outside our building. And so, often after a sauna (the walk to the sauna passes those mushroom, and so I then knew there was a few asking to be picked), I would comeback armed with a knife and a small container and cut the fresh ones.

So delicious!

Here is the Full Gallery.

Details, Nature, Plants |

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Buddha’s hand

12 June 2018

Today at my local supermarket, I saw a fruit that I had heard of, seen pictures of, but never encounter in real life. Buddha’s hand. It is a citrus, of a very different and interesting shape (the pictures, I believe, speak for themselves).

And it is quite beautiful. So I set up a little studio on my dining table, and spent a bit of time taking some shots.

And then, the few following weeks, I cooked with it It is Soooo good! There is no real “flesh” to it, if you think of a lemon, you have the skin, first the zesty yellow part of it, then the white quite sour layer, and then you reach the “flesh” juicy, at time sweet, but often not really.

Well, there is only skin, and the white inner layer, which constitute most of the hand itself, is not sour. And so you have a nice tase, without sourness. I used it in many dishes, with mushrooms (coprin from the grass inside our building!), in my own rendition of a Ratatouille, with fish, chicken… Delicious.

I haven’t find it again at my supermarket, but I keep looking!

Here is the Full Gallery.

Cliff, Landscape, Nature, Ocean, Plants, Portrait, Sydney |

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Kurnel Walk

6 July 2018

When I met Detti, and after exchanging texts for a few weeks, we finally got some common free time in our rather busy calendars, and we agreed on a first date. A walk along the shore, between Kurnel and Cronulla. This walk takes you along the cliff edge for a quite a while, among some bush vegetation, and ends up with a long walk on Cronulla beach, which is deceptively long.

Our 3rd anniversary approaching, we decided to do this walk again. And on this nice day, we left early, with a nice picnic packed, good footwear, and the perspective of a lovely day.

We started the walk by walking straight along the shore, at the bottom of the cliff, while the last time we walked the road as a starter. What a lovely place we discover! We are already planning to come back for sunrise (see next post). We spot (so far at the distance that it is only great in our imagination) a few whales passing by. But then, the cliff top is far less inviting than before, as a bushfire has burn all the bushes, and the landscape is rather barren.

So we turn back. Still a beautiful day, even is the walk got cut short.

Here is the Full Gallery.

Details, Forest, Insect, Landscape, Nature, Plants, River, Sydney |

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Heathcote National Park

27 August 2018

Today, Belle, Detti and I are off to do a walk in the Heathcote National Park, a park that I have never explored before, but seems to be quite promizing, with the promises of beautiful water hole, rivers and the like.

And we are very happily swept away by how accessible it is, and yet how pristine and natural it is! Some very peaceful water hole, amazing trees, GYmea Lillies…

We will be back!

Here is the Full Gallery

Details, Forest, Landscape, Nature, Plants |

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Burnt Forest

10 September 2018

On our way back from Lemon Tree Passage, we drive past a zone of the forest which had suffered from a previous bush fire. I had noticed it on our way in. The sharp contrast between the charcoal black of the totally burnt wood, and the bright orange and yellow of some gumtree’s trunk. I had thought it could make for some good pictures. So as we drive by, I asked Detti if she would mind stopping for a few minutes.

I think I could have easily walked around and take snaps for hours. And would have probably end up with a lot of crappy shots too.

But there is something there that I really appreciate. I hope you will too.

Here is the Full Gallery

Animals, Landscape, Nature, Ocean, Plants, Sunrise, Travel |

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Lemon Tree Passage

8 September 2018

This weekend, Detti had planned a getaway weekend to celebrate my birthday but also our 3 year anniversary.

She had booked a lovely AirBnB in Lemon Tree Passage not far from Port Stephen, and we enjoyed a very relaxed tranquil weekend. A walk on the shore, just by our accomodation, spotting a koala on our second day, raising for sunrise (or almost) on our third day. Just what we both needed, away from the big smoke, peace and quiet in a beautiful setting.

Thanks D for organizing this for me(us).

Here is the Full Gallery

Cliff, Forest, Landscape, Nature, Ocean, Plants, Tasmania, Travel |

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Cape Raoul & Tessellated Pavement

DSC0655821 January 2017

The objective of the day is Cape Raoul, a few kilometers hike, starting right were we spent the night. Easy. The weather has improved dramatically (the last picture from yesterday’s post was taken at exactly the same spot as the first picture of today’s!). We can enjoy the views from way up high the cliffs. It is breathtaking! But then, the nature of the cliff changes, and it becomes so unique and so amazing that we cannot take more than a few steps before wanting to take another shot! And then, here it is! Cape Raoul! It is truly a wonder, it narrows done to becoming rock needles, little pillars totally vertical with perfect flat walls. Some are still in group, while other are now free standing.

This is where we enjoy our lunch, taking in this alien scenery, and also having a look at a colony of sea-lions, way below, visible because they laze around on their own white poo, their black bodies easily spotted as a result of their filthy habit.

We then backed track, returning to our car, and decided to drive back down to the narrow gully of the peninsula, to go and have a look at the Tessellated Pavement, another totally natural, yet amazing and uncommon phenomena, which sees a large flat rock at the edge of the ocean marked by all kinds of very regular geometrical lines. The pictures talk a thousand words…

Here is the full Gallery

L’objectif de notre journée est le Cap Raoul, une petite balade de quelques kilomètres en haut de fabuleuses falaises. Le temps s’est énormément amélioré, et il fait un grand beau temps. (pour exemple, la dernière photo du jour précédent, et la première de ce jour-ci ont été prises au même endroit…), là où la veille notre vue était bloquée par un épais rideau de brouillard, on peut maintenant voir l’océan, la vue, la hauteur de la falaise…

Les falaises changent de texture pour devenir spectaculaires, verticales, formées de multitudes de piliers géométriques collés les uns aux autres, et qui s’effritent peu à peu. On atteint alors le cap, et c’est vraiment fantastique. Ici la falaise se rétrécie, mais ne perd rien en hauteur, et se sont des séries d’aiguilles de roche, parfois en petits groupes, parfois solitaires, qui s’avancent dans l’océan, comme la mâchoire inférieure de quelque monstre des temps passés.

Nous trouvons un coin avec une vue imprenable sur ce paysage étrange pour prendre notre déjeuner, et regarder de loin une colonie de lions de mer qui s’ébattent et se reposent au soleil. Assez facile à voir, leurs corps noirs se détachant très facilement de la roche couverte de leur chiures blanches, les rendant très visible grâce à leurs habitudes assez dégueulasses!

De retour à la voiture, nous reprenons la route vers le rétrécissement de cette péninsule, où nous allons voir un autre phénomène naturel assez épatant, le Tessellated Pavement, une dalle de roche à fleur d’eau qui est couverte de lignes géométriques diverses. les photos parlent d’elles-mêmes!