Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

After several days of sanding down and painting our shutters, Jude and I decided to have a day off and go for a walk down in the Rhone valley.  Sunday is pretty much a rest day in Switzerland anyway, as you are not allowed to make any undue noise (like mowing the lawn, drilling or hammering).  This is one of several ‘rules’ in Switzerland, which I may well blog about one day.

Anyway, the Forêt de Finges is a nature reserve of national importance which lies between the River Rhone and the main road from Sierre to Leuk.  It effectively marks the ‘border’ between the French and German speaking parts of Switzerland.  Our route would take us around a few small ponds which, to our surprise, were almost completely frozen.

We’d taken our binoculars in the hope of spotting a few interesting birds but, unfortunately, we didn’t see too many – just a few Coal Tits, Crested Tits, 2 Buzzards and something that looked a bit yellow!  On the plus side, we did spot a butterfly which came to rest on a bank above us.  After clambering up very carefully, I did manage to catch a reasonable photo – see pic 15.

 

16 responses

  1. Jet Eliot Avatar
    Jet Eliot

    Oh how I loved being along for your magnificent hike, Mike. This preserve is so lovely, the views are glorious, and all your photos are beautiful and give us a great idea of the scenes you experienced. I liked seeing the frozen ponds and your now-snowless but still frozen winter. Interesting that you cannot mow or make machine noises on Sundays. It might seem a bit stifling for you, but I think it would be so nice to not have chainsawing and construction noises all day Sunday. Many thanks.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      I’m glad you enjoyed the walk and pictures Jet. We really like the rules for Sunday – which also apply to lunchtimes and evenings too. Switzerland is certainly a peaceful nation in more ways than one! 🙂

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  2. Jane Lurie Avatar
    Jane Lurie

    Wonderful nature photos from your walk, Mike. I love the one of, I assume Jude, on the path. And, we were on the same wavelength shooting bark patterns this weekend. Terrific nature shots- what a place!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you Jane for your very kind comments.. Yes that was my wonderful wife on the path. 🙂 As for the bark picture, I was inspired by your photos this morning. 🙂

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  3. blhphotoblog Avatar
    blhphotoblog

    Lovely looking area and you’ve photographed a Brimstone! (tough little critters) Like the description of a bird that ‘looked a bit yellow’.
    Mrs H likes the idea of the peaceful Sundays and evenings, probably why the Swiss drag racers are over here at weekends in the summer!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      That was the first butterfly we saw and I just hoped I’d get a picture. We subsequently saw 2 more – both Brimstones of course. As you say, they must be tough little characters (especially given that the reserve is in the shade until maybe 11am – hence the frozen ponds). The Swiss do have some interesting rules, like not being able to wash your car – not just on a Sunday – you have to go to a special car washing facility. And cars MUST stop at pedestrian crossings if people are waiting to cross – otherwise you can be prosecuted. (Mind you locals often check that it’s not a foreign car before they step out!) It’s all rather 70’s… which, if your’re old enough, you might look back on fondly. 🙂

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  4. M. Oniker Avatar
    M. Oniker

    Wonderful photos. I like that you take us along for the hike. Just a “tad” envious of an impromptu stroll along the Rhone Valley (ho-hum). 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      I’m glad you enjoyed the pics. Sometimes I feel my blog is there for people who may not be able to get to Switzerland or have difficulty walking any great distance (e.g. bad knees!) So although I started (nearly 4 years ago now!) by posting just 5 or 6 photos at random, I now always put them in sequence, so that it shows the walk from start to finish. I should have added a map at the end, but I had the pics ready to post and decided not to bother this time. Sorry about that!

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  5. CJ Avatar
    CJ

    wow! love the textures! stunning as usual!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks. I’m glad you liked the photos. 🙂

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  6. Anita Avatar
    Anita

    Lovely images from the beautiful country of Switzerland. Thank you for sharing Mike and many thanks for following my sites. I’ll do the same 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you Anita. I have a parental connection with Malta (my dad was there during/after the War) and I hope to visit there again soon. My wife and I spent some time there and on Gozo 18 months ago – see my post here (when the Azure Window was still intact!): https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/2016/10/05/malta-and-gozo/

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      1. Anita Avatar
        Anita

        That’s great! Thanks for the link, I’ll have a look!

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          I should have added that my dad wrote a chapter in his memoirs on his time there. I’ve been in touch with a Maltese guy called George Cini, who has written a couple of books, one about Straight Street (better known to my dad as “The Gut”, which is where he spent a lot of his time when on shore leave). 🙂

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  7. usathroughoureyes Avatar
    usathroughoureyes

    Great imagery!!! Such a beautiful country!!!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Many thanks for your comments. It certainly is a beautiful place and I’m very fortunate to live there. So it’s nice to share it with others. 😊

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