Pretty.

It all looked very pretty by the waterside at Consenvoye this afternoon. We had a stroll, sat on a bench and just breathed.

We had hoped to get a cold beer at the Auberge/Bar but it is still closed...due to re-open on 9th September...

Oh well, at least the info is there!

...so we went home and had one from the 'fridge!

Roofers!

"Elf 'n Safely" would have a fit but to French roofers it seems it is a walk in the park!

These men were working opposite our house this morning.

French roofers amaze me - they just stroll on roofs without a harness or hard hat in sight - they make it all seem so casual.

Blue sky over Verdun.

A beautiful day...27C.

Busy bridge over the Meuse.

The impressive old bridge...

Part of the old fortifications by the canal.

Lakeside.

Early afternoon and the clouds parted and the sun shone from bright blue.  29C but a light breeze kept the air comfortable.

We went to our favourite, partly-hidden corner of the large lake at Damvillers’  Les ballastières.  The fallen tree and branches, which had previously blocked it, had been cleared from the decking and left space for our picnic chairs in amongst the abundant foliage.  Maybe the minerals in the water had reacted to the hot sun…we don’t know the cause but the water was even greener than it had been previously.

At times we read a page or two of our books, but mostly we were content to just enjoy the peace and watch the dragonflies, butterflies and bees flitting amongst the wild flowers at the water’s edge.

Nearby a hidden bird lazily chirruped and there was the occasional plop of fish in the lake while on the far side of the water, two coots swam.

The quiet was occasionally broken by a donkey braying very loudly from a field behind the far trees and then the gentle rustle of a very small, dark-brown creature with a long tail making his way towards us, realising that could be a mistake so did a quick u-turn back into a nettle bed and out of sight.

A few clouds looked like scribbled shorthand in the blue.

 Maybe they were saying ‘time for tea’.  We  headed home.

Mission.

We had an unused pair of crutches.  Our friends, currently in their camper van at Commercy, needed a pair of crutches.  A no-brainer - today’s outing was to Commercy!

 We found them at a small site between the River Meuse and the Canal.

Canal side...

...river side.

 Cloudy and a little rain but an unexpected and nice day out.  Mission accomplished.

Another little tour.

We took the familiar route from Damvillers, over the Meuse Heights to Consenvoye but then turned left, by the Velo, driving on less-familiar roads to Mort d’Homme.  We have been here in the past but not for some time.  Such a peaceful spot now but pounded by the noise of shells and battle 100 years ago.

The battle lines. The red "explosions" denote destroyed villages only some of which have been re-built.

The motto was "They shall not pass" - and they didn't but, oh, how high the cost.

From there we took a road new to us (yes, we’re discovering there are are a few!) through Champ, a hamlet, and Neuvelle, a village, through pretty countryside with occasional sightings of the nearby River Meuse.

We came to a T-junction whose sign told us where we’d been but not where to go! I thought I recognised this main road so we turned right and I was proved right as we were soon in Vacherauville! Good to know the mind is still working!! 

We decided to investigate the bottom of this small village where we were unable to stop the other day and, voila! the little car park was empty!  We pull in and quickly find the canal path friends had told us about. 

Although the main road is not far away, only a faint drone from the heavier vehicles could be heard.  Picnic tables and benches line the path and we enjoyed listening to the birds and watching butterflies visiting the wild flowers which line the bank.

A pretty, peaceful place which we will return to.