How to summarise the endless days of Summer in the French Alps? Hmm, maybe with a few inspiring words and photos - here goes...
~ wild flowers of every colour and every hue, some so tiny they look like confetti scattered around, some so tall that they reached my shoulders
~ road cyclists clad in a splash of brilliant hues, grim determination on their faces as they pedalled steadily up the mountain roads
~ early morning walks where I startled deer, herons, young stoats and the occasional fox
~ armour and mud clad mountain bikers tackling the huge range of tracks in the Grand Massif ... at speed of course!
~ the sight of a hot air balloon floating lazily over the mountains, a bright red dot in the brilliant blue sky
~ mountain hikes in the early morning dew and then the blazing hot day – aching calf muscles, stunning vistas and a weary satisfaction
~ the ever changing Giffre River – sometimes so wild it rips huge trees from the shoreline and carries them in an swirling mass of angry white water that dumps them in piles along the shore, sometimes so tranquil that you can see your reflection in the clear water and watch the fish swim lazily over the pebbles below
~ the sight of people running off the mountain edge ... the sport of parapenting, catching the warm thermals and soaring with the birds
~ the deafening sound of crickets as you walk through the alpine meadows, and the sight of crickets of all sizes leaping each step you take through the long grass
~ a family and two donkeys heading off on a mountain trek to stay overnight in a mountain lodge (called a mountain refuge) with the donkeys taking every opportunity to graze and the children’s faces filled with a sweet delight
~ family days – picnics in the meadows, tree climbing with zip wires over the lake, skimming pebbles along the river, swimming in the open air pool with mountains all around, tennis, , white water rafting, pony treks...the fun went on and on
