Paulette's walk in Lasne on September 27th 2010

Who are these ghosts straight out of Haloween? Congratulations Charlotte, you win the first prize for creativity! I love this photograph. How did you do it?


Four enthusiastic ladies (and later three more easy walkers) met for a really lovely new walk in the area of Lasne. Some of them were surprised to discover a corner of the countryside, not far from their house, whose existence they hadn't suspected. A pleasure for the eyes (because of its diverse sceneries), a little bit of adventure (you need an extra pair of eyes to discover the hidden signs along the path) and at the end, as usual, a warm and comforting coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate in a cute little place in the centre of the village.

Ghislaine and Sheila's walk in the bois de la Cambre

Four ladies met Sheila and four ladies met Ghislaine, and all ten of us enjoyed walking in the beautiful Bois de la Cambre and meeting up afterwards for snacks and drinks at the Chalet Robinson. The afternoon was mild and pleasant and strolling around the Bois was both relaxing and invigorating.
We witnessed strange fancy dress "battles" between groups of students celebrating freshers' week, and caught glimpses through the trees of teams of schoolchildren participating in a sports afternoon in the park. It was good to see so many different groups enjoying the Bois this afternoon. the WIC Walkers included, and the atmosphere was very gay and carefree.
Thank you, Ghislaine and Sheila, for such a happy outing!
(from Sue)

Joan's walk at Jezus Eik

Paulette was unwell on Monday and could not lead the walk at Ittre and we met at Jezus Eik instead. Everyone enjoyed the weather and the beauty of the forest. We tried out a new route and luckily we did not get lost. We can see Linda and Deborah modelling Linda's crochet hat, mmmm

Here is the map

 

We started on the road,in the centre at the base of the map, walked up towards the forest and then went anti-clockwise around the track. We walked 7.o4 km in 1hr and 41 minutes, using 485 calories!

17 September 2010 - New Walk in Plancenoit led by Jane

Unfortunately Paulette was not able to lead this walk as she was unwell but Jane was elected map reader and after a shaky start (a quick visit to someone's back garden) we were on our way.
The weather managed to hold and no rain fell although at one point towards the end of the walk a large black cloud appeared. If you look really closely at the above photo you can see the "Butte du Lion" in Waterloo in the background.Walking through this agricultural landscape alongside huge fields of sugarbeet, through fields of corn and discovering a nursery growing some impressive yew trees and buxus was very interesting but the downside of this walk was that we had to cross two main roads with a lot of traffic - we were lucky some nice drivers stopped to let us cross. The walk also included a country road which seemed to be used as a shortcut by cars and vans. Still the exercise did us good.

We were all in need of sustenance at the end of the walk so we drove to the Ferme du Hameau du Roy in Vieux Genappe. This is well-known to people who live in this area but for me it was a first. After we had some great coffee and delicious cakes we could not resist buying some bread to take home from the bakery. A big "thank you" to Jane for stepping in at the last minute.

Margaret's walk in GREZ-DOICEAU - Monday 13 September 2010

This is the second time we have done Margaret's walk in Grez-Doiceau and once again we had great weather. This is a lovely part of Belgium and the view from the top of the hill in front of the 17th century church of St Martin is beautiful. You can see the centre of Grez, Bossut and in the distance the forest of Meerdael.

This walk is part of the "Three Valleys" walk and as we went along we were able to enjoy the sight of cows, goats, chickens and horses in the nearby fields - some of them giving us some very funny looks. If you would like to know more about this area and the walks it has to offer you can log into http://www.otl-grez-doiceau.be/.

All too soon the walk is over but we are all ready for a stop in the Brasserie d'Edouard where we met up with Sheila and Jacqueline. I have it on good authority that the mint tea, tarte tatin and crème brûlée are to die for. Oops, sorry forgot to mention the pancakes.

Paulette's walk at the Chateau de la Hulpe on September 10th 2010

This very lovely walk takes us on majestic drives bordered by exotic trees, rhododrendons, azaleas and grassy lawns, along lakes and through woods.

At the very beginning of the walk, our friends gathered around a big black insect, thinking it was a scorpion. Margaret, thanks for the super photograph. Well ladies, this animal was just acting like a scorpion. In fact, it is from the family of the Rove beetles, and is called a devil's coach-horse beetle (Ocypus Olens). Wikipeda states: It is well known for its habit of raising its long and uncovered abdomen and opening its jaws, rather like a scorpion when threatened. This explains one of its alternative names, the cock-tail beetle. Although it has no 'sting in its tail' it can give a painful bite with its strong pincer-like jaws. It also emits a foul smelling odour, as a defensive secretion, from a pair of white glands at the end of its abdomen. In the scientific name olens means smelling and describes this secretion.

Ernest-John Solvay, the owner of the chateau, apparently had the obelisk built so that the golden sun on the top would reflect the rays of the rising sun towards his new bedroom.
On our way we were delighted to come upon an outdoor sculpture exhibition of the works of Pol Bury.
Many of the sculptures had a water scheme, like this one:
And of course Horta was present too.
The easy walkers were at the rendez-vous at l'Homme Bleu.

Sandy Checks In from Sandy Springs

Dear Walkers,
You're still looking great on the blog postings and obviously happy to be back together with the fall weather to enjoy. It is time for me to check back in now that September has arrived and we are finally getting a break in the really hot weather of the past 3 months! With cooler nights and lower humidity it is getting a to be a joy to walk again in the early mornings with a retreat to the pool as my reward at the end. Some of the leaves here are already starting to change color but since it has been rather dry we don't know yet what kind of color to expect this year. I am still checking out walking trails nearby now that the weather is more cooperative. I send you all greetings also from Marie-Jo back in Vienna from her summer in Spain who I spoke to on Skype this weekend. Here's lookin' at y'all ... Sandy

Paulette's walk in the Foret de Soignes from the Welriekende Dreef on September 6th 2010

It certainly felt as though everyone was back today with 20 people turning up for this favourite walk through the forest. Perhaps the announcement on the radio that this would be the last nice day (well, of this week anyway) had some bearing on the matter. Carpooling looks like an increasingly attractive option to avoid struggling to find a parking spot for the car. A bon entendeur salut!

And off we go.

We walked at a brisk pace through the green forest. The trees sheltered us from the wind and it was not long before we were all in T-shirts.

At one point we came across a children's play park and couldn't resist the temptation to let out our inner - and younger - selves!
Look, without the grandkids...!

Isn't this a lot of fun!

Refreshments chez Istas were welcome, and honestly, well deserved.

Joan's Tervuren walk

On a warm and sunny Friday afternoon 18 ladies met at the lake in Tervuren. We followed a very pleasant 8 km trail through the forest. There was only one stretch which was a little tricky underfoot. Please notice how effortlessly Deborah sailed over the mud. It was a bonus that we could all sit outside Mont Blanc cafe.