Back from Holiday

Back from holiday and it is  time to get back to some blogging.

We went, as we do most years, to a small village in south west France not far from Cognac. and it is the best running country I know. A rolling, open landscape with few hedges but an occasional lines of trees and small areas of woodland. You can see for miles, the sky is big and the light wonderfully clear. Criss-crossing are plenty of small, empty roads that make planning a route of any distance a doddle. As the land is undulating there is always some challenge so you know you have done some work but without the grinding intimidation of really steep slopes. 

In the height of summer you have to get out early before it gets too hot but nearer to autumn there is more latitude. Getting out at 8 - 8:230 was just fine. Once out the feeling is one of peace. Obviously the landscape is highly cultivated and everywhere there is evidence of people and  their work but with hardly anybody about you can feel you are on your own. You can stretch out without any sense of being crowded, and it encourages you to look around. Overhead there are birds and I am particularly taken with a buzzard who patrols the area - it is his. But you don't have to look at anything in particular: the sense of openness is enough.

The picture shows another feature - the allotments scattered around all the villages. This is a reminder (even if this particular allotment has mostly been harvested) of what I like about France - the food. Not the most unusual of insights perhaps but nevertheless true. Whether it is the restaurants or the riot of colourful vegetables in the markets, there is much that tastes good. 

So there you have it, my holiday defined in one short sentence: run a bit and eat a lot. Perhaps not a recipe for tip top fitness but as a holiday plan there is a lot to recommend it.

2011 Streak Day 302 (Tuesday 1st Nov): Open skies

2011 Streak Day 302 (Tuesday 1^st Nov):Walk - 5.23 miles, Time - 1hr 39min, Weather - walked after the rain there were dramatic grey clouds but they passed and then the sky was blue with fluffy white clouds.

Although my average pace was just over 19 minutes, the first mile took me 24. I stopped many times to take pictures of the dramatic sky and bare fields. it is probably the section of the walk I enjoyed the most as I was paying attention to the surroundings. After I had put my camera away the pace increased and I trudged along. Often my mind was elsewhere as trains of thought were followed. The pleasure was then  in the exercise, pumping my arms and keeping-up the pace. 

The great feeling was in not having to go anywhere to appreciate the surroundings. One step out of the door and there were beautiful views, peace, tranquility and a sky full of birds. I love the raptors in these parts, especially the buzzards gliding in the skies of sitting on the wires.

The great thing about an open rolling countryside is the skies. Vast and dramatic all you need to do is look upwards and appreciate the majesty of the clouds. Sometimes the weather fronts move amazingly fast and today produced one of my favourite effects, where if you look in one direction the sky is steely grey and oppressive but if you turn around it is blue and sunny. Heavy grey clouds, streaked with sun light look fabulous and foliage seems to glow.

Sometimes being outside, slightly raising your breathing but being well within exercise limits so that you can sustain activity without stress, looking around, appreciating the landscape, feels like the most enormous privilege. If this blog is about anything it is about that feeling.

2011 Streak Day 298 (Friday 28th October): Misty grey

2011 Streak Day 298 (Friday 28^th October): Run - 3.4 miles, Time 33min, Weather - soft grey, slightly misty

The day feels very soft and quiet as a light mist lays a thin blanket over everything. Not a fog, the visibility is good but everything is cloaked in grey. It did not feel oppressive or gloomy. The number of grey days in Hemel over August and September were much more lowering. Instead today feels  gentle.

The great pleasure of running here is feeling alone. The land is well tended - so it is not wild - but you can run on a road and not see another soul. There was just me and the bare autumn landscape, alone with the sound of my foot scuffling on the road and a heaviness of breath. In the background I can hear birdsong.

Of course my running is still rubbish - I am in no great shape and cannot expect a magical transformation just because I am in perfect running country. I have to accept that and do the best I can

Afterwards it was a day of little activities. I went to Matha to buy some bread and was again struck by the rhythm of a small French town. People were out and about, stopping to chat or quietly going about their business but all at a comfortable pace. It felt human in scale as there were not the crowds of people pressing against each other, as happens in cites or bigger towns.

Also (and this was probably a freak of timing rather than a general rule) I saw nobody walking around with a phone to their ear. Sometimes I am minded to sit on a street corner at home and survey the percentage of people using a phone. I’m sure it would be large.The consequence is that many people aren’t really present - their body is there walking about, occupying space but their mind is elsewhere. 

Here in Matha today, everybody was in Matha.

2011 Streak Day 222/365 (Aug 10th): Leaving

2011 Streak Day 222/365 (Aug 10^th): Run 2.5 miles, Time 27min  Weather - a clear blue sky and fiery sun bringing in a hot clear day. Perfect weather, except we are leaving.

The run was good and it was impressive to be up and out by 7, given the amount we drunk the night before. 

There was a sadness that this would be the last run of the holiday. Nevermind the holiday this is perfect training country, with empty roads that undulate. Running is fine at home but it feels better here. But all things must end and it is time to be going back. Although I thoroughly enjoy my holidays in the back f my mind I always have the feeling they are an interlude. Although I appreciate the remoteness, being cut off from all news, the feeling that the rest of the world is a million miles away, it does not feel like home.  When all is said and done I still feel part of England. It is the place I understand. 

Morning was spent packing and cleaning then away at mid day. It is a long drive to Caen so we decided to break it up with a visit and picnic at Venise Verte. This was a good idea as it is a lush, relaxed area, full of people idling about on bikes, eating, or punting on the canals. In other words a great holiday area.

There is little to say about the rest of the day. Roads are roads and driving is driving.

We arrive, eat and then board. The photo is of of our last wistful look at France. 

2011 Streak Day 220/365 (Aug 8th): Wash house

2011 Streak Day 220/365 (Aug 8^th): Run 2.4 miles, Time 27min, Weather - cloudy cool and beginning to rain

Yesterday was beautiful and we thought the weather might have settled - but no. As we left the house the sky was full of rain clouds that we hoped would hold off long enough. In a way it did  as we were only caught in the spittings but there was a huge compensation: we ran into a rainbow. It was lovely - a dramatic arch, right in front of us, almost in touching distance, but try as we might we could not find the pot of gold.

At mid-day we went to St Jean to eat at a vegetarian restaurant. It was mainly out of curiosity because the definition of  vegetarianism in this part of France is not eating beef. So we wanted to see how it would work. The conclusion was OK ish but it was somewhere we would never revisit.

The whole eco/organic vibe was good and obviously if you are a pioneering venture you have to go the whole hog (perhaps that is not the most felicitous turn of phrase). We particularly liked the tables with tops  made out of papier mâché and legs from cardboard cylinders you find in carpet rolls. The decoration was bright, airy and fun. Unfortunately the food was boring and bland. My main course was roasted vegetables, whose main flavour came from a splash of balsamic vinegar and basmati rice. OK but you expect a little bit more from a restaurant.

So not an outstanding success but never mind there were other things to keep us amused.

Today’s photo is of an old wash house, by a stream on the edge of a small village.  It is quite evocative to see these reminders of what life used to be like.

2011 Streak Day 219/365 (Aug 7th): In the best of all possible taste

2011 Streak Day 219/365 (Aug 7^th): Run - 6.5 miles, Time - 1hr, Weather - beautiful, As I ran the sun was coming up causing the mist to rise from the fields. The rest of the day was one of blue skies and white fluffy clouds.

A good day. The first intimation was the weather: blue sky with the sun rising causing  a mist to hover above the fields. It was beautiful and a day of rain could be considered fair payment for this early morning view. Not only that the running went quite well.

My section up the Beauvais road was the test. I had done this on day 215 when I was surprised at how tough it was, dragging on for over a mile. So tough I had to stop and rest when I reached the crest. Today I wanted to keep going, which I did by trying to kid myself by saying “Ha better than last time!”. As I passed the point of giving-up it changed to  “Oh much better than last time!” and as I went a bit further “Much, much better than last time!”.  Then I went further still until I was back into a rhythm and and could carry on till home.

When I got back I felt good as if it had been some small breakthrough.

The morning was spent at the brocante in Matha. When on holiday I enjoy going to these as they are relaxed and sociable: friends bump into each other and stop to have a chat.  They are a great attraction.

I never buy anything as I have no eye for bargains. To me it is all stuff, heaps of stuff, and I am not too interested. However I take some small pleasure in spotting the worst pieces - and there are some truly horrible pieces: junk and bad taste. Today the junk prize was won by a broken vase where only the neck was whole. It was on the same stall as an old gramophone player in a smashed wooden case (why would you even bother to bring things that were so badly destroyed?). As for bad taste, I really couldn’t decide - there were many awful paintings, many overly ornate objects but i had to give the prize to the thing that amused me most: a mermaid jug. She is modelled laying down, cupping her ample bosom in her hands - pure class! i have a horrible feeling that these might be collectable. 

Afterwards we went for a coffee and were next to a group of two families, with young children, who were obviously sharing a gite. On of the mothers reminded me of the character in ‘Outnumbered’, on edge and reacting to any hint of bad behaviour from her children. One of the youngsters asked “Why have we come to France?” and she replied quick as a flash with that machine gun rattle designed to kill off any dissent: “ Because we like it here - good food, good wine.” I have the feeling that good food and wine are not high on the priority list of a four year old.

2011 Streak Day 218/365 (Aug 6th): The quality of peace

2011 Streak Day 218/365 (Aug 6^th): Run - 2 miles, Time - 23 min Weather - light rain, low grey clouds

As you can see from the photo it was another wet day, however running first thing has saved us. So far there has been no significant rain at daybreak. Is this a general rule? Does the early morning have less rain than other times off day? All I can say is that on this holiday that has been the case.

Later we went for a walk and got very wet.  During the walk we talked about the quality of peace tto be found here. At home we have no easy access to the same openness of landscape, the same sense of quiet. It might seem strange to say as we live in pleasant countryside with nearby woods and quiet country lanes - but it is in the South of England, a densely populated area.There may be many nice vistas but the traffic is never far away.

However, as with everything, for every up there is a down. There is a fine line between quiet and boredom and in winter an open landscape, which in summer is rich with crops and wild flowers, can be empty and bleak.

We talked with an English couple who live in the village full time and they find winters hard, with nothing much to do. This year, as an experiment they are renting a villa in Spain from January to March to be part of a bigger community. It will be interesting to see how that works.

Which only goes to show, I think, that peace is not actually in your surroundings but in your attitude to them.

2011 Streak Day 217/365 (Aug 5th): Beehives

2011 Streak Day 217/365 (Aug 5^th): Run - Run - 4.96 miles, Time - 45min 07sec, Weather - When running it was overcast and beginning to drizzle, later in the morning the rain set-in and fell like it sometimes does in Wales.

Again the run was harder than it should have been and I took a couple of walking breaks. At the moment I am at a loss about my fitness - it should be easier than this but it isn’t. It is  a test of my basic philosophy of running being primarily about honesty and continuity. You have to be honest about your capabilities: the state of your fitness and abilities, but within those limitations you just have to keep carrying on.

So at the moment we are carrying on.

The run was not without its pleasure however - I discovered a small wood alive with beehives. Why that gave me so much pleasure I do not know, after all beehives are not exotic and a French hive looks exactly the same as an English hive, but there was something about the discovery that put a smile on my face. I immediately thought things were as they should be - crops need to be pollinated and local honey needs to be made, the natural balance was being maintained.

This is an agriculturally rich area.

As you can see from the photo the day was overcast and rainy, which was a bit of a shame for the village picnic, which instead of being in the open in the Marie Gardens took shelter in the salle des fêtes. The idea is simple - everybody brings their own food and socialises. Much wine is consumed. That is all.

2011 Streak Day 216 (Aug 4th): The governance of Belgium

2011 Streak Day 216 (Aug 4^th): Run - 2.4 miles, Time 26min 56sec, Weather - a little overcast, with a mackerel sky. During the day there periods when the clouds cleared and it was hot.

It might be just a wild guess but I don’t think “the governance of Belgium” is a common title on a running blog. In fact unless anyone can prove otherwise I will claim it as a first. I may only be a mediocre runner but I can sure as hell make up for it by inventing uniquely boring headings. I don’t believe very many people will be lured in but nevermind.  I learnt something about Belgium government today and would like to report it.

But first some background:

The great thing about having a house in rural France is that you become part of a community. It maybe mainly the community of other outsiders who have renovated or are renovating the old properties but nevertheless that is a fair proportion of the village. One of these people is a senior Belgium civil servant who spends most of his summer here. He is free to do this because of a rather wonderful employment arrangement: if you have worked sufficient years and are approaching retirement and have an understudy who you are training-up as a replacement, you can have three months holiday a year. A very civilised arrangement.

Today he came round for chat and topics did include the government of his country, or rather the lack of one. It is a sign of the narrow interest in foreign stories in our news outlets that little has been written about the way Belgium has fractured and been unable to reach a political consensus and sustain a government. Nevertheless it is still a democratic country as it has an elected parliament and it still has a functioning civil service. So life goes on and the state still functions

Not only did I find this interesting in itself, I found it interesting that we could have this conversation in a remote village as part of the randomness of a holiday.

Today’s photo comes from a walk around a nearby village, which had a stream with a mechanical weir that could be set at varying degrees. The photo shows how it has acted as a barrier and collected the plant life upstream, whilst below the water is clear. What interests me is why this stream needs controlling in this way. There seems no obvious reason and even now I have no answers.

It is one of the great things about walking around, trying to pay attention - sometimes you are left with nothing but questions.

2011 Streak Day 215 (Aug 3rd): Walking towards lunch

2011 Streak Day 215 (Aug 3^rd): Run - 5.00 miles, Time - 46min 35sec, Weather - overcast, relatively cool

Walk - 11.94 miles, Time - 3hrs 20min, Weather - overcast at first after which the sky cleared and it was hot

The run was a figure of eight with a stretch that was a long steady uphill. This countryside is open and undulating but deceptively hard. A long gradual slope might feel OK at the bottom but after a mile your legs know they have been fighting gravity and you want it to end. When I got to the top of the hill today I felt in desperate need of a breather and cursed my weakness. The run was much tougher than I though it would be (or indeed it should have been).

The main activity of the day was a walk for have lunch. Matha is 6 miles away and the restaurant there was our destination. The walk was through open countryside, past the variety of crops and clumps of woodland. There are no hedges in these parts just division by crop: vine, sunflower, corn, and fallow. Along the edges and in the fallow areas there is a mass of wild flowers. Above are birds and a buzzard patrolling his area looks majestic. 

When we arrived in Matha I was once agin struck by how deserted French towns are at lunch time. Everything is closed and nobody is about so the streets are an eerie quiet.

Contrasts and comparisons are what make a holiday. Today had shown us field patterns, crops, and a social pattern that values a lunch break. All very different to back home.

Usually, when I come here I take a picture of a sunflower, all happy and bright. Today’s picture shows what happens afterwards - they become heavy with seeds and bow their heads.

2011 Streak Day 214 (Aug 2nd): Didn’t it rain!

2011 Streak Day 214 (Aug 2^nd): Run - 2.4 miles, Time - 27min, Weather - in the early morning there were intimations of rain.

We left the house at 6:45 when the rising sun was obscured by clouds. As we ran we felt a few drops and the clouds looked ominous; would we be  caught by a deluge? No we were fine it never got heavier than a few drops - a little warning of what was to come later. 

The main amusement of the morning was watching a big articulated lorry trying to turn into the road to reach the Moutarderie. (Probably another satnav misdirection, as a look at the map would have shown that the obvious route was to approach it from the opposite direction). Anyway he tried to make this turning a few times before realising he was stuck and it was totally impossible. He then did something that made we want to applaud the skill of professional lorry drivers: he drove past the turning and then reversed down the narrow road, with all its snaking bends, to make his delivery. Bravo!

The Moutarderie is an interesting example of the type of food business that can be set up in a small village but yet attract visitors from miles around. It is on the map as one of the attractions of the region, selling not only its handmade mustards but also cold pressed sunflower oil (from the local sunflowers), local honey, and other gifty things. It is an example of how you need a combination of technical skill and business drive; something that might require two people. Originally it was just one man making his mustard and it might have stayed like that if he had not married someone with the drive to expand the range of the business and see the possibility of making the shop a destination.

Every year we have visited here the Moutarderie has expanded and is doing just that little bit better.

But back to the rain. I don’t want to leave you with the impression that the day was just heavy clouds and a bit of rain. It was far more than that.

In the afternoon we were returning from Cognac when a thunderstorm struck and the heavens opened - and that is a precise description. it was as if someone had taken a knife to a water bladder and sliced it so the water gushed out in one heavy lump. There were no raindrops it was a solid sheet. The windscreen wipers at their highest speed could not cope and it was difficult to see the road ahead as it had become a shallow stream. The wind came up and at one point a twig was wrenched from a tree and hit the car with an almighty crack. 

The journey was shockingly difficult. We couldn’t even stop and wait for it to pass as we were heading in the same direction.

Eventually it passed but later in the middle of the night there was another heavy storm that battered the roof and made sleep impossible. We later learnt that the rain had been so heavy that a barn roof had collapsed.

These holidays are not all about peace and relaxation - there is drama as well.

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Problems you might have on a run

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Run - 2.34 miles, Time - 21min 34sec, Weather - hot

On some days running is easy and everything flows, and  you come home feeling refreshed with the world full of possibilities. On other days you struggle and and it feels uncomfortable or hard work (or both).

There can be all sorts of reasons for a bad day. The most frustrating are the mysterious ones where there is no obvious reason. You have not been overdoing it, you have not changed your patterns, you have had enough sleep, you have eaten well, you are otherwise feeling fit, you are not trying to do anything extra. It just happens. Your muscles feel watery and there is no power. All you can do is write them off and say they are ‘just one of those things’. But although you know that is what you should do there are always nagging questions about what went wrong.

Other days are more explicable. You might for example be ill. The feeling of inner weariness is quite distinct and you know what is happening but there are then complications in deciding how much to keep going. If it is a proper full-on illness like traditional flu then there is no debate - you are unable to do anything; but many viruses don’t knock you out, they just make you feel sub-optimal. The usually advice is that if it is not a chest infection you can keep going but how much you want to is a different question entirely. There is always the thought that allowing the body to rest will clear things up more quickly and it is better to have a short break rather than drag out a longer sequence of poor quality runs. There can be no general advice. It really does depend on how well (or bad) you feel.

Some days can be marred by twinges - the mysterious pains that can come and go without leaving a trace. The problem here is that you have to know the difference between a twinge and an injury and that is something I find really, really hard. I go through a couple of stages: the first is to carry on and some twinges just go away quickly. If it persists then I will stop, perhaps walk, perhaps stretch, perhaps do a few loosening exercises, depending on what it feel like and then carry on. If it goes - good. If it stays it is probably best to adapt the session by either carrying-on gently, or aborting as a precaution. 

The most uncomfortable days though are the ones when you get the ‘runners’ trots’, when everything is reduced to one simple question, that dominates the whole of your mind: ‘can I get back in time?’. Once the problem has been sorted, it is sorted and everything is fine but those moments before are pure agony.

I was thinking about this, this morning  on what should have been a 6 mile run. A couple of miles out I realised I would not last and the only thing to do was walk home (and a most unpleasant walk it was). 

It was a shame because wind and limbs were ok and it was a beautiful morning with the sun rising in a clear sky and the promise of a hot day ahead. It should have been one of those good days when everything felt easy.

But it was not.

Today’s picture is of bird damage.

The old buildings in the village are built in the traditional way with rubble walls covered with a lime render. For some reason birds seem to like to eat the render. Many a time we saw a flock of them perched on the stones, pecking away at the lime. 

The picture shows a small activity, repeated often enough, by many birds can have a dramatic effect. Quite a big chunk of the wall has been exposed and mortar removed. If allowed to continue, over the years it could become quite a problem.

211 Daily Streak Day 2011/365 (Saturday July 30): Too slow!

2011 Daily Streak Day 2011/365 (Saturday July 30):Run - 3.66 miles, Time - 33min 58 sec, Weather - sun coming up in a clear sky with the promise of a hot day

Another day and another sunrise with the pleasure of being out in the empty countryside. On the run I am passed by a single van and the driver is the only person I see.

Sometimes on a run you feel enough at ease to look around, breath deeply and enjoy the scenery. On others you are more inside yourself as you struggle to keep going. Today was a mixture. I started out slowly and enjoyed the open spaces until I started to vary my pace: fast then slow. Breathing deeply very quickly became breathlessness.

It made me realise how unfit I am. With every increase in pace I felt heavy and clunky, and weak. I can only hope things get better in the future but for some reason I don’t have too much faith.

The main activity of the day was a 6 mile walk, which went through the village/town of Beauvais. As I had a blister I stopped to buy some plasters. Although there were two people serving and only two people in front of me it took an awful long time. One of the customers was an englishman, who spoke no French, struggling to explain the background of a complicated prescription to the pharmacist who spoke little English. The other was an old, very frail lady who needed a long, long conversation with her medicine.

I didn’t mind waiting, I appreciated the fact that here the pace was slower and things could take as long as they took. I was in no hurry.

When the old lady went to leave she walked towards the door and tripped the infra red signal to open the automatic door. Unfortunately she was so slow that by the time she managed to reach the door it had closed again. All she could do was wail that she was trapped. (It was a very short entrapment, someone rescued her by waving at the sensor).

I had to work hard not to laugh. I know it is a sad thing to be too slow for an automatic door but I couldn’t help thinking of it as a comedy sketch.

There are only three things in today’s picture: blue sky. a power wire, and swallows, but each has something to say about the village. First the wire - recently the power feeds in the village were buried, as part of the sprucing up that has happened over the past few years, however there are still wires connecting some buildings and out-buildings. It is part of the rough, rural look to the place, which is part of its charm. Secondly there are the swallows - this time of year there are always plenty of swallows. One of the small pleasures to be had is sitting out of an evening (wine or pineau optional), watching the swallows twist and swoop as they hunt their flying insects. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is the blue sky, which is emblematic of the region. In summer time the light is usually fantastically clear with the sky a deep colour, making everything look better.

2011 Streak Day 208/365 (July 27): Recovery

2011 Streak Day 208/365 (July 27): Walk - 1 mile, Time 41min, Weather - Overcast, some slight threat of rain

You will note from the stats that something strange, something that hardly counts as exercise, something that barely keeps the streak going. Nevertheless it will have to do and, as ever, there are extenuating circumstances.

Our house is in a small village in Charante Maritime (not too far away from Cognac), a long way and a five and a half drive from Caen, our ferry port. So we arrived at lunchtime with the accumulated tiredness from lack of sleep and long hours in the car. All that could be done in the afternoon was unpacking and a trip to the supermarket for provisions, followed by the evening meal, much wine and a fuzzy easing back.

All that was left was a ritual walk round the village to note any changes and see who is here. It is one of those traditional agricultural villages whose many empty old buildings have been bought and renovated by foreigners (English, Irish, Belgium and Parisiennes). So there are a few holiday homes.

Today most people seem to be in residence and it is not  hard to take 41 minutes to walk a mile if you stop to say hello. This village has a great sense of community. 

In some ways my wife and I are interlopers. We gain entry through association with my sister and brother in law, who own and who have renovated the house. They are the ones who know everybody. Nevertheless we can tag along and enjoy the general atmosphere of friendliness.

P.S. The photo is of a rose growing against the back wall of the house