Janet's Walk from Dreve des Comtes

It was a typical summer's day: overcast, light drizzle, clammy ...

We met at Dreve des Comtes and walked to the Park Solvay and its lovely rose garden.

On the way we passed some interesting statues in the grounds!

Here we are - roses in the rose garden!!!  In fact we had a lot more colour among us than the floral variety which were being pretty shy of giving their best just yet.

On our way out we met this lovely family of Mandarin Ducks ... Mummy Duck had a bit of a limp which worried us, but otherwise they seemed unperturbed by our presence and carried on with their lives.

And here we are at the top of the steep climb out of the grounds!  Still smiling!

From here we meandered through the forest to the Tennis Club Intero where we were warmly welcomed back - it being our first visit there this year.  Next to us was a table of ladies in their 90s enjoying a regular game of Scrabble.

Yuko's walk in Rouge-Cloitre

We took our group picture at the beginning of the walk as we thought it was going to rain, but thankfully the weather remained dry for the whole of Yuko's lovely walk through the forest.

 

We stopped to admire some beautiful swans and their fluffy cygnets and after that we forgot that we were supposed to be walking.....

 

 

For our refreshments we went to the new cafe in the Adeps sports centre, where they were a bit disorganised, but we got everything in the end.
Thank you Yuko for taking us on a wonderful walk!

 

Sandy and Alex !!!

They met up in Washington recently and I'm sure they had plenty to talk about.  The lunch looks good too!

The shortest WIC Walk Ever!

Well, what happened was Paulette rang me and said, "Ah well Janet it's going to rain and we don't have many ladies coming to the picnic, so do you think we should cancel it?"  And at the end of the conversation I had persuaded Paulette that I would lead a walk at La Hulpe at 11am, and that we would meet up with Sheila (and Keith as it turned out) at 12.30 for lunch.

Rain! Pooh!  We can walk in rain!  And if we can't picnic in it we can still have a nice lunch!

So we gathered in a shower (of rain) at 11am.  Me, Kyung-Sook, Patricia (new walker who must think we are very pathetic), Joan, Cathy, Melly (sorry Melly, I didn't take any photos until after you'd left) and Truffles.  We walked about 50m from the car and by then the rain was coming down in stair rods.  

"Shall we shelter under this tree for a while" I asked?  Well - let's just say if we'd been at sea it would have been a mutiny.  Unfortunately we were about 500m from the Blue Man (sorry, L'homme Bleu) and by the time we got there we were soaked!  Some more than others.  Melly now knows that her blue jacket really isn't waterproof.  Patricia was lucky as the wet patches on her blue top were so apparent she was able to swap it for my summer fleece.  Kyung-Sook and Cathy had water creeping up their jeans.  And I know my lovely boots need waterproofing!  And that my rucksack is NOT waterproof!

We tried to ring Sheila to tell her we were abandoning our walk, but after spending about 10 minutes trying to get a signal we had to ask the cafe to borrow their phone - and it was too late!  

But it didn't matter!  We had a lovely morning drinking coffee and chatting, and then had a light lunch with Sheila and Keith: who arrived in brilliant sunshine and looked enviously dry to us!

As you can see from the pictures below, the rain got into the camera and the shutter didn't open properly!  But here we are.  Damp squids and Folon!

On the way out of the park we noticed that there is a picnic area designated within the grounds - but the opposite side of the park from the cafe.  Maybe next year we could have a very simple picnic - each bring their own - and carry it to the picnic area from the Folon car park, and then finish at the Blue Man for coffee?  And if it rains, we simply don't make our picnic that morning and have a lunch in the cafe instead. Just an idea!

In the meantime, if anyone could tell me what to do with 9 boiled eggs .......

Naomi's walk in the Forêt de Soignes

Today Naomi took the walking group through the forest departing from her home, crossing under the Ring and following the Willeriekendreef, the sentier  du Caudael, the sentier des Putois and finally the sentier des Fougères. A wonderful tour. Despite the rain, they all arrived with a big smile ready for the very nice tea Naomi had prepared for them. Thank you Naomi.

It was also our last opportunity to see our walking friend Anne before her departure. Thank you Anne for the many walks you led for us. We will miss you.

Paulette's walk in Ittre on 14th June

We had a very pleasant walk from Ittre to Haut Ittre on Friday. How delightful to follow a brook on little country  paths, through woods and fields!

a bucolic landscape

a beauty of a horse

 The church of Haut-Ittre. It is a Roman church from XI to XVIIth

century. Apparently it is worth while visiting

Unfortunately, it was closed.

So we climbed  the low hills which afforded us a lovely view of the village

A delicate hawthorn bush on the way back to the village

After the walk, we were lucky enough to  buy some lambada strawberries at a stall recommended by Penny on the rue des Châtaigners at the top of the village. Those strawberries are so juicy and sweet that we didn't want to miss them this year.

Janet's Sunny Summer Walk in Neerijse

We were delighted to welcome new walker Pat today, and what a wonderful walk she chose for her first outing with us.

That may sound as if I'm boasting a bit, being the official walk leader.  But given that I can take no personal responsibility for the weather, the route or the scenery, and given that half the walkers there could have led the walk instead of me ... I'm saying it!

The weather was glorious, and the wild flower displays almost eclipsed the fact that we were walking beside a delightful small river.

It's a route that we try to take in spring, when the cherry trees are out - but at this time of year it was truly beautiful.  Although the odd still-not-dried-out patch of mud reminded us that this is a route best avoided in wet weather!

Several photos today - enjoy!

Can anyone tell us what this way of linking hands to form a chair to carry someone is called in English?  Une Chaise Bordure en Francais.

And here's the map of the walk if anyone would like to try it on their own