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Lagrasse (pop. 550) is one of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France" ("The most beautiful villages of France"), so there are many tourists here - and large car parks (left) are needed.
The village developed around the famous abbey Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse (backdrop), that in its early times was under the protection of Charlemagne. The parish church (left) was erected from ~ 1350. It was consecrated in 1398. Seen from here are two bridges, that cross the river Orbieu. The round Pont-Vieux (aka "Pont de l’Abbaye") was erected in 1303.
The original late 1970's FSO nee Polski Fiat Polonez may have looked quite modern and crisply styled for the era but underneath it was still the old Fiat 125P. The same lethargic engine which struggled to pull such a heavy body, the same slapdash build quality and rather amusingly it initially lacked a folding rear seat!
It did offer a brand new five door hatchback for bargain loving Brits who continued to buy the Polonez and facelifted Caro right up until 1997 by which time it had been totally eclipsed by Malaysian and Korean offerings! It did last until the early 2000's as a Daewoo product before finally being dropped.
As part of their latest Polish themed series Welly have now produced a small scale version of these last of the line Polonez complete with facelifted front and rear ends plus a very accurate interior too. I know Matchbox like their unusual diversions every so often but I won't hold my breath that they will ever model an FSO!
Sourced directly from Poland. Mint and boxed.
Car: Morgan Plus 4.
Engine: 1999cc in-line 4.
Power: 145 BHP.
Fuel: Petrol.
Year of manufacture: 2012.
Date of first registration in the UK: 26th March 2012.
Place of registration: Manchester.
Date of last MOT: 26th June 2024.
Mileage at last MOT: 17,488.
Date of last V5 issued: 25th May 2023.
Date taken: 1st September 2024.
Bonjour ! Quoi de plus beau que de laisser s'échapper nos émotions à travers un bouquet . Bon dimanche #alinesoctobre #bouquet #fleurs #tv_colors
Yesterday, 24 August 2022, turned out to be an 11-hour day, driving a total of 483 km. Fortunately, it was not an extremely hot day, thanks to the drop in temperature the last day or two, together with some much-needed rain. Luckily, I was not going to go to the mountains, as you could barely see them through the thick haze (smoke?).
My actual destination was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken - wild or in captivity. September 2016 was the very first time I was brave enough to do this long drive myself, but I really, really wanted to go. Since then, I have repeated the drive every year except for 2021.
This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.
Because I knew what a long drive this would be, I drove on highways almost all the time. Just one gravel back road was the exception. As it happened, I almost immediately came across two juvenile Swainson's Hawks perched on adjacent fence posts. They were beautiful birds, showing off the attractive feather patterns on their backs. They just sat there, unconcerned by the presence of my car, and were still there when I left a short while later. You have to love Swainson's juveniles. These were just two of several hawks I saw in the wild this day. Of course, I saw all sorts of birds of prey once I reached the Centre. Always fun to have a young Great Horned Owl or a tiny Burrowing Owl perched on ones arm. I asked if they had a Turkey Vulture and they had two, in one of the small cages/enclosures outdoors. These Vultures are so much smaller than I always think they are.
On the way home, I checked to see if I could see a Common Nighthawk and did eventually spot one, on a pole out in a field. Zoomed in and took a handful of identical photos, and have posted one just for the record.
This was definitely a rewarding - and exhausting - day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day! I actually managed to leave home just after 8:00 am and got back a few minutes before 7:00 pm, earlier than I was expecting.