Sainte Foy Tarentaise
Day 57: Sunday 10 May 2020
Sunday mornings were made for replenishing your body with plenty of rest and healthy goodness. This morning: Lie in until 09h00 – tick. (Move to the balcony). Homemade muesli with fresh fruit – tick. Buckets of coffee – tick. Not even lunchtime, and I feel ready to take on the world!
Day 58: Monday 11 May 2020
Today we were officially released from the more stringent aspects of the enforced lockdown. We are now allowed to travel up to 100 km from where we live, as long as we don’t stray out of our département. We can also meet up in groups of up to ten people.
As I sat on my balcony, contemplating what to do with my new found freedom, I reflected on the words of the open water swimmer, Laura Sanderson: “Strip back and simplify the material world. Focus your breath. Don’t worry about things that don’t matter. Be present in that moment.” And with that, I finished my coffee and set off to explore the mountain.
Day 59: Tuesday 12 May 2020
Following the rain which fell out of the sky these last couple of days, I was convinced that there would be mushrooms sprouting up everywhere. It’s warm and damp in the forest, ideal growing conditions for fungi, and it is ‘morille’, morel, season. Morels are my favourite of all the mountain mushrooms.
I live at 1,500m and morels grow better a bit lower down than this, so I headed downhill towards the woodland below Le Planay Dessous. Unfortunately it wasn’t rich pickings for me today, but perhaps someone just got there before me? Or perhaps it wasn’t a morel friendly growing day?
Day 60: Wednesday 13 May 2020
It is not only the snowline which is rapidly moving up the Sainte Foy mountainside. At this time of year, the ‘Bouquetin’, (ibex), are following the receding snowline up to higher altitudes, and searching out fresh plant growth on newly revealed pasture.
Bouquetin is a species of wild mountain goat, easily identified by their long curved horns. They are impressively surefooted on scree slopes and rocky outcrops, and can jump 6ft vertically from a standing start. You won’t catch one!
May is a great time to try and see ‘bouquetin’ in the more remote areas of the mountain, before they hide away in higher more inaccessible places.
Day 61: Thursday 14 May 2020
There was a rumour circulating, and posted on Facebook, that they were starting work on building a new lift in Sainte Foy. They had supposedly laid a flat of concrete for it on the open ground to the right of the road as you drive up towards the tunnel.
Sorry to put a dampener on this one folks, but it might be worth containing our collective excitement. I have spoken to the lift company today and they say that they will be taking down and replacing the second lift before starting work on this new lift at Bataillette. It hasn’t been signed off by the mairie yet, and the new mayoral team will only be meeting for the first time after the ‘déconfinement’, early next week.
It is more likely to be a concrete pad for the crane which will be used in building the new apartment block at Bataillette.
Day 62: Friday 15 May 2020
Steve and Sallie Hatton invited me up to their fabulous bar restaurant, 1580m, for ‘distance drinks’. The restaurant isn’t open and this was a very welcome, personal invitation, with everyone respecting the now commonplace technique of air kissing from two metres away!
It was lovely to spend time with them, drink a few glasses of Powder Hound, their traditionally cask conditioned craft beer, and to discover the latest addition to their drinks cabinet, larch liqueur.
They have collected the small red flowers of the ‘mélèze’ larch tree, and infused their fragrant woody flavour into vodka. Left on the tree, (and lots were), these flowers would later turn into cones. However, this year several handfuls have been used to produce something similar to génépi, but with its own distinctive flavour.
Steve and Sallie are planning to involve this great little flavour sensation in one of their puddings on next season’s dessert menu. ‘J’ai trop hâte!’ I can’t wait!
Day 63: Saturday 16 May 2020
This morning’s news is that the UK government has backtracked on its previously announced quarantine exemption. Thus anyone visiting the UK will have to isolate themselves for two weeks before starting their holiday.
In French, they use the word ‘quinzaine’, (a fifteen), which is itself a shortening of ‘une quinzaine de jours’, to mean a fortnight. I know what you’re thinking, a fifteen day fortnight? Answers on a postcard please!
Following this type of word usage, in the mid 17th century the word ‘quarantine’, (a forty day period), came to be used to describe the forty day period in which people on a ship suspected of carrying disease, or the plague, were required to be kept in isolation. Nowadays, quarantine has evolved to mean a period of isolation rather than a specific period of time.
I’m not sure how much a fortnight of isolation will discourage foreign holiday makers. Somewhat less than forty days I guess, but either way, there are worse places to be stuck than in than Sainte Foy with all its fresh clean air and fabulous scenery!
