events

I'd started a long decent down through woods and it was very, very cold.  I'd stopped after a while to put my spare socks on as gloves but it was still chilly; it's alway's worse when descending because there's less effort to keep you warm and there's more chill from the wind as you descend at speed.

It was a very pretty area though, the Parc Naturel du Livradois-Forez.  I decided to stop for a bike to eat, biscuits and bread and honey.  I'd picked a nice spot with a sunny little glade full of cows.

You can make out just behind the bike seat, a little bundle of garlic, nicely wrapped with dried flowers and herbs that I had been given by the mayor.  You can also make out the small solar panel which I was using to try and help with the ongoing charge-the-powermonkey problem.

It seems the cows were hungry too, a couple had come over to have a look at what was going on.

After a few minutes the farmer turned up in his pickup and he spread out feed for the cows who were as enthusiastic eaters as was I.

I wish I'd got a photo of the farmer, grey haired, well built guy with a good face.  As usual he seemed in no particular rush so we did the usual: talked about recumbent bikes, travelling, and life.

We left together, him in his pickup, me on the bike but on the narrow road curvy downhill I easily kept pace with him for the few kilometres until he turned off.

It was a good job I was going downhill and motoring since near the bottom a dog spotted me, even though he was a hundred yards away outside the farm that was away from the road, and he gave chase.  He came hareing across the fields and down the road, I could see him in my rear-view mirror some 50 yards behind.  Doing the usual dog thing: bark bark, I'm going to eat your legs when I catch you bark bark.

Quiet country lanes, green, trees and pointy hills.