Musings...

The land around Bad Harzberg is very beautiful and well farmed, lots of meadows,  (which are noticeably absent in France) and of course behind the campsite the evergreen mostly coniferous forest starts. We are camped on quite a slope and unfortunately for me the walk into town is either up or down depending on which direction I am going! Still all good excercise. Lots of huffing n puffing on the return journey though.

Just over a mile away is the lovely Silberborn schwimbad - a favourite haunt so a favourite walk. An indoor 25m pool and 2 further 25m outdoor pools so plenty of choice for distance swimming. Lots of jacuzzi areas and the usual flumes for the youngsters, also an indoor and outdoor sauna area. Amazing facilities for a small town really. Best of all is the stack of loungers and umbarellas, so, after a swim - get the book out and have a good read, maybe even a snooze. Who says this isn't a holiday? This can be done indoors or outdoors ! Loads of space about so even if it's raining I can be lounging inside with a good book. Heavenly.

It amazes me how every small town in Germany and Austria has all these wonderful facilities whereas poor old France is still stuck in the fifties (at least in rural areas). Still France has more charm in reality - all that fascinating decrepitude is almost non-existent here. All very groomed and gemutlich. The French are much more maverick and seems to spend more of their life just enjoying themselves n not fretting about the garden, house, appearances etc.....vive la difference!

On one of my walks back from town I came accross a wildlife park - with red deer, sikka deer and moufflon sheep (an ancient and almost extinct breed). The sheep you were asked not to feed (colic) but the deer would happily eat out of your hand almost!! I watched a young girl and her father lob a carrierbag full of apples into the compund and the red deer all came trotting along - obviously well used to humans as a food source. There was a sign telling you what they should and should not be fed - very useful. Apples, carrots etc ...... nothing with eggs in at all !!

When in Salisbury we often watched people feed the ducks and swans and was horrified to see them chuck mouldy old cheap white sliced bread to these lovely birds ..... I wouldn't feed that stuff to anyone least of all a beautiful wild animal. What were they thinking ? Local shopkeepers were missing out on a trick here - selling suitable feeds would have been worthwhile I'm sure and less toxic for the birds.

While walking along the river meadows one day I got chatting to a chap who was caring for the swans and he said the main problem for the birds is toxicity from the mould in the bread. See....no-one should be eating that plastic stuff!! The swans are not designed to eat the stuff and neither are we !?