At: iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud
put your cursor anywhere on the picture and a large arrowhead will appear in the centre, click on it to play the video.
And after tedding comes swathing
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I tried it, but I’ll try again. 
Edit: Bloody hell, it doesn’t work when I click on here, just produces a big wide picture, pleased about that.
But when I try again on icloud it does play a video, after first turning up side down, then filming inside my bag and then back in the kitchen with the radio going.
I had no idea it was recording, have to watch that, I will never know what I have been saying to myself and Jules, it could have been unbroadcastable. 
But did you at least enjoy the picture?
I listened to the entire video. Thank you. Somewhat surreal
I imagine that’s something like how life outside sounds to a yet to be born baby.
It’s been too hot to walk much, but today was a gentle 23ish or a little more if the sun was out. We started around 4:20 so didn’t want a long walk, choosing a loop starting just outside Banbury by a new estate. Initially the footpath goes past the new houses.and then beside so land waiting for building, then dropping down to the canal that runs like an artery through North Oxfordshire.
The canal passes below the M40 motorway, one transport system crossing another, then turns right towards a lock. The cottage had a fire some years ago and is now derelict. We also saw some deer in the distance.
We’ve also noticed how advanced fruit is around here this year, passing ripe damsons, mirabels and elderberries. Blackberries have been ripe for a couple of weeks already.
Then on to the boatyard with a white Ford Capri where we take the road uphill to cross the M40.
At the top of the hill we take a sharp right turn for the footpath heading back. This part runs close beside the motorway and is noisy.
The trail dips at this point, then turns sharp left uphill away from the motorway. On the corner there’s a fallen pine tree. The tree has been down several years now, but still has green growth.
The trail heading uphill is covered in thistledown. I’ve seen some fallow fields around the county purple with thistles in May, and now they are going to seed. The trail, already slippery with smooth dry stems, became even more so at this point.
And then we’re on the final stretch, past fields of maize on one side, building land on the other, we walk the last km to the main road. Chris suggested at this point I should hold the phone up to take a ‘selfie’ and who am I to argue. 
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It was just called turning the hay when I was a kid. Normally done twice - once is not normally enough.
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I thought I ought to warn you that there was a very rude person creeping up behind you. 
But lovely pictures as usual and on the subject of deer I had to laugh out loud at Jules yesterday because with his nose and eyes firmly fixed on the ground he completely missed the single deer jumping across the track just ahead of us.
I did wonder if I had missed something too though as, as a driver, I am well versed in the habit of them being closely followed by another.
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@Ancient_Mariner - when I used to bob my tongue out, my mum would say ‘Don’t put that back in your mouth - you don’t know where it’s been !
Seriously though, lovely photos. Keep them coming please. 
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Thanks Toni, not least for keeping the thread alive during the canicule with some fine photos and interesting observations. Unfortunately it’s been too hot for small dogs to be out and about after 9am. Consequently my wife’s been doing very early morning walks with Gigi and I’ve just put extra hours into converting fat into muscle - not an exact replacement, but still good for body and mind.
However, on more important subjects, your mention of damsons got me out checking some trees down the Lot that I’ve not passed for a few weeks - that side of the valley gets much less sun and they’ve still got a couple of weeks to go, but noticed an adjacent fig tree will probably have a good crop early September and walks will have resumed by then.
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I’m sure Gigi appreciates it. 
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May you enjoy the fruits that nature offers in that case, and find that they don’t help convert the hard-won muscle to fat. 
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Strangely, Jules and I tend to go out after midday, this is because we can walk in the forest and down on the south side of the field where there is ample shade.
Also, our walks are not vigorous, Jules moves very slowly with nose to ground and sometimes can stand for 5 minutes almost motionless, just looking around apparently admiring the view. But it gives me the chance of a breather on the uphill sections.
Paul Nicklen “A Photography Masterclass” on Amazon UK Kindle TODAY ONLY for £1.49. Rated 4.8 so exceptional.
Typing B0FPR4YVHX into Search Box will find it immediately.
Really excellent outdoor / wildlife photos with technique tips, some really engaging like this one. If only my domestic cat were this docile and photogenic.
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With all our recent fiery drama, I’d forgotten last week’s attempted rando. And with too much going on this week, I’d not got up to speed on this week’s - but finally -
Last week my wife and I chose an early morning walk from Bouillac, the next village downriver, as we didn’t want to drive far, most of the route would be in the shade and so Gigi would be OK for a two hour jaunt.
Early morning, downtown in Bouillac centrale, with its interesting romanesque church, that I’ve known about for fourteen years, but have never been inside because the door’s always locked.
Turn round through 180° and you have the new microbrewery with a name that some might find off-putting - but in what might be a longstanding local tradition, it too always seems to be closed.
Leaving Bouillac for a fifty minute climb through the chestnut forest up to the plateau…
The start of the mediaeval chemin that connected the plateau to the river.
There’s a lot of this sort of thing, but it’sa pleasant mix of sun and shade, and not dauntingly steep. Meanwhile Gigi is out of shot, searching for apples (ball substitutes)
Eventually one is found and as we climb through the forest, there’s a great deal of apple throwing and retrieving.
After a couple of kms, we reach the first stop, the viewpoint over our village on the Lot and the obligatory photo is taken.
However, then looking down we see an apparently exhausted caniche (guarding her apple).
So, we decide to abandon the walk and return home, but it’s not so straightforward…
“C’mon Gigi allez!”
“Why are they wanting to go back?”
“Oh, all right then.”
And so we went home to find the other side of our valley on fire, and that seemed to take up the rest of the week -
Happily, this week’s walk was rather more successful, though for reasons to be explained initial documentation is a tad sparse. The walk was the new chemin above the Lot from Saint-Parthem made possible by the new footbridge, sorry passerelle suspendue that we first walked a few months back Randos' photos - #693 by DrMarkH
Since then the original official trail has become a reality do to a local landowner changing his mind about access (we don’t know what/how much that entailed…). Anyhow this time we started from the bridge rather than a km down river below the village and commenced 1½ hours earlier. This was great for walking, but not very good for photography because in the forest the shadows were so deep, also everyone was walking fast in a big group, so if stopping to take photos, it was easy to get left behind. However, after about forty minutes anda climb of 300 or so metres, the group had stretched out over several hundred metres and I could stop near the top to take the first photos.
Here come James and Mela, with a load of Dutch maison secondaires and visitors out of sight way behind down below
Then, right on the top, a very strange site - un élevage de lapins that bore a disconcerting resemblance to a PoW camp -
Then an encounter with a reversing tractor - when that happens, everyone in the group is supposed to stand on the same side of the road or track in order to make it easier/safe for the vehicle to pass.
But of course this didn’t happen - the little lady stood in the middle of the road is a parisienne…
On we went - the Lot Valley from above
Then single file stuff - that’s Lupo at the rear
Eventually we reach the very top and everyone stops to eat (apart from Gigi, who’s looking for an apple not to eat)
The view from the very top, looking north over the Lot Valley towards the Cantal
Architecturally speaking this walk hasn’t been one of the most notable, so you just have to snap what you can find:-
This one’s a bit less suburban and a tad more randoish -
Lot Valley down below (tho can’t see a lotta Lot)
On we go, walking along a sort of ridge above a meander in the Lot, so the river valley is on either side of us. Our stretch of the Lot is very winding even though it’s not a very mature stage of the river and it’s cut its course through hard schist.
An old favourite - so photogenic whether green, pink of black -
This hamlet was the midway point of our previous walk from St Parthem and I posted lots of photos of the architecture, but this time only time for a quickie cos this time everyone’s just carried on without stopping. Shame, cos the nearest barn has a very fine long lauze roof…
The Lot reappears (in the middle of the photo). As I was taking this photo, I realised that I’d taken the one below from exactly the same spot on our previous walk
Though when I checked, the previous photo had wholly different lighting and emphasis - Ch Gironde on a bluff high above the Lot -
But really needed my Nikon with a long lens for that one…
Now we’re heading down into the valley with St Parthem coming into view below.
And after the village the bridge passarelle (I’ll get used to it)
And after the bridge, the campsite next door with a well-earned demi from Decazeville’s excellent micro brewery
But dear reader, you’ll have to imagine that scene, 'cos I can’t take photos and drink beer at the same time…
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Thanks for taking the time to pick up again. Some fascinating scenery there, especially the view down to the village.
Thanks for taking the time to pick up again. Some fascinating scenery there, especially the view down to the village.
It’s just been too hot for long walks with a small dog.
I think we were about 330m above the village, but it was an easy ascent and then an hour or so stroll along the plateau.
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Well spotted! The tail’s being wagged, but the rest of her had come to a halt…
After the last week of settling back in, cleaning, planning the bathroom refit etc we determined that this afternoon would include a walk.
There’s one we’ve not done for a little while, up and out of the village in a loop, so off we went. The going was mostly under trees on farm chemins, and after the long hot summer and lots of use by tractors, it felt like walking uphill on the beach.
Soon we reached a cross and a junction.
Then downhill just as far as we walked uphill, to a turn at a ‘stream’ as should be, and up hill again.
This chemin is on a local VTT route, and bordered on one side by a dry stone wall.
At the top we have the road to Lucenay in one direction, Cussy the other, and a sign telling you this is the Crapissot.
We turn right at the house here and up past the ‘cabine de chasse’, also passing the local reservoir.
Then it’s back down hill to Cussy, taking care not to damage the ant autoroute.
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What camera and what lens Mark?
BTW - really lovely photos !
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