I’m amazed they gave you life jackets – usually the French have a much more cavalier attitude towards Health and Safety. We once rented canoes in the Gorge du Tarn the water was going full force after a nights heavy rain and the bloke at the rental just looked at the river, looked at us and muttered something akin to “you must be mad”. He was quick to get the money but we noticed he didn’t take our passports as had previously be done so I guess if we had gone missing he was just going to deny he’d ever seen us. Hmmm… makes a slight boating mishap in the Hortillages seem a bit tame *oneupmanship* and I don’t suppose you had vultures circling over Amiens either.

The white bark on the trees is probably a lime wash, or a biodynamic preparation with lime, manure and various other goodies. It is a way of feeding the tree. Tanguy de Toulgoet, who is a French gardener living here in Ireland, would be delighted to tell you, if you need clarification. His website is: http://www.dunmorecountryschool.ie