Big changes

Now look what happened overnight last week: the council obviously very sensitive to public opinion arranged for the felling of at least a dozen trees surrounding the market square to take place after midnight!

Yes, the rejuvenation of La Tranche is going ahead at 100 mph (160 k/h) but I hope the destruction of these trees will be worth it.

On a lighter note, look at this amazing pattern made by some creature on walkabout...

...and the conche shell found by Tine

before we walked towards the jetty where the stockade was being removed. We hear on good authority that the new pier will be a metre higher and at an angle to previous piers, AND it should be in service in 2012. It will be fun watching them remove the eight or so piles driven deep into the seabed.

Facebook friends will have seen these next two photos taken on 27th September, beating our record for 'last swim'. Hold the front page: we've been swimming right up to yesterday (29th) in glorious heat. Our imminent visit to Brittany might stop our chances of an October dip, but who knows?

Beach days

What could be better: a good spell of beautiful weather, a practically deserted beach and a pleasantly warm sea? Well we had all three and boy, did we make the most of it!

Tine's left wrist still bandaged up from the carpal tunnel operation, but that doesn't stop a bit of sunbathing and paddling.

whilst your adventurous blogger ventures out into the deep blue sea.

Yes, this is La Tranche in September, not some deserted tropical island.

The former jetty is still in a sorry state but we have it on good authority that its replacement will be up and ready for business in 2012.

A beautiful sea-urchin by our sunbathing spot.

And finally, Gulliver taking a hard-earned rest, a couple of Lilliputians in the background!

It gets quiet in September...

...so what do you do? You get kitted out and take a long walk along the beach at La Faute.

There had been a very low tide, exposing all the 'buchots' on which local fishermen raise their renowned mussels. Apparently this year has not been a good one for mussels in this area, with the larger ones running out in July. As it's a very popular delicacy fingers crossed for next year.

See how crowded the beach was?! You might spot Tine still in her arm-sling.

Tine practised her photography skills in the garden the other day, capturing a great tit (no guffawing there) eating sunflower seeds. It really is a beautiful bird.

This dragonfly was a birthday present for Tine from 'Er in Brittany. In the background, Swiss chard which seems to grow really well in our garden. We love it!

Crêpes & jellyfish

It was Nad & Si's last day so we walked along the beach to Ste Anne where Matt's friend Marie-Laure has the Kalmos KF, famed for its crêpes!

Decisions, decisions!

The return walk was a veritable jellyfish-fest. We've seen hardly any all summer so they were obviously just trying to impress Si.

These two photos were taken from the same spot (near Pedro's) just a couple of hours apart. The volume of water that fills the bay twice a day is amazing.

We DID venture into the sea when we got back to 'our' beach, with no seaweed or jellyfish and the sea deliciously warm. This is the life...

Competition time (but no prizes)!

Remember when you were young and there were puzzles asking you to recognise everyday objects from close-up photos? Enter Matt using Nad's camera at the La Paillote end-of-season do chez Nico (there's a bit of a clue there!) - how many can you get?

And here's the spot-the-difference section!

Did you get it? Clue: one was in May 2010 and the other this month.

Back to Venise Verte

It was our fourth visit to Venise Verte in the southermost part of Vendée and we decided to sample a trip from a different port this time: Maillezais, famous for its abbey which we will visit one day, I'm sure.

On arrival the port is very impressive with our punt awaiting and the waterways covered in green algae, known as 'lentils' in French!

We sailed silently behind a re-enactment play in the grounds of the abbey

and along some pretty narrow waterways.

Here our guide explained how eels are caught using traditional methods, Si perfecting his French and fishing skills.

Ash trees are lopped to form big fat trunks and roots which help to reinforce the canal banks.

Don't worry: that's not the boat alight, but the methane gas rising from the canal bottom after being stirred up by the boatsman's oar.

Could this be a giant snail stretching out across the water?

A lovely day out and a highly recommended visit!

Colourful times!

A strange title, you might think, but all will become clear (hopefully)...

Look at this rusty monster Nad discovered on our way to be beach!

Next the courgette-fest has now become a tomato mountain, a picture in red and yellow.

And where would we be without a drop of pink (rosé, ok!) out to lunch with Nad & Si in a lovely small town called Damvix.

The beautiful white stone of the cloisters at l'Abbaye Saint Vincent de Nieul-sur-l'Autise

And, of course, blue and white wavy fun in the sea at Les Conches.