Novemberish

Novemberish...
Resembling or characteristic of the month of November
Robert Burns: 
here I sit, altogether Novemberish, a damned melange of fretfulness and melancholy.

A wonderful line by Robert Burns, but, until recently, I hadn’t realised there was such a word as Novemberish but it sums up well both our health and the weather these past weeks.  The gloom outside caused by thick fog and, later, still-grey skies, did nothing to dispel the gloom we felt from a virus with sore throat and much coughing.  It’s said it takes three weeks for a bad cough to clear and it did, so yesterday’s clear sky and warm sunshine was the bonus of our feeling better.

We visited Plan d’Eau at Marville, walking to the far side by the equestrian centre with lots of autumn colours surrounding it.

A small tree had toppled into the large lake where a bird took up a viewing post.  A bittern? 

We then went on a “magical, mystery tour” of less-travelled roads including through some of the many forests; this one captures the autumn view…and what a difference sunshine makes to us and the countryside.

Novemberish - I wonder if Robert Burns coined the word…

Japiot Park, Verdun

Ferdinand Japiot was born in Yonne (the north-western department of the Burgundy region) in 1825.  Sixty years later, in 1885, he retired to live in Verdun, with his wife who was a native of that city.  As a former engineer of water and forests, he became chairman of the society of Meuse horticulture and worked tirelessly to develop that society. He transformed it into a purchasing cooperative with members and a centre for horticultural research.  He died before his wish to provide the society with an experimental garden could be fulfilled and it was left to his widow to realise that dream.  In 1909 the Park and Pavilion were inaugurated in honour of the deceased chairman and, as a garden of horticulture and experimentation, the Japiot Park was given to the city in 1962 and in 2011 it was regenerated to provide new facilities and is now an ideal place for walks and relaxation.  This “green lung” is in the heart of Verdun and provides a place where families benefit from outdoor activities and is also a place where cultural events take place throughout the year.