A freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow
I think I may need to apologise. I’m sure the prompt ‘Fresh’ is supposed to encourage me to find a perfect picture of Spring but to me it just had to be linked to the line from Paul Simon’s song. Maybe I’m not quite there in terms of Spring … it tends to be very brief and sudden here, as I noted last April in my post ‘You can cut all the flowers…’ It’s barely marked at all before Summer, in all her verdent green and technicolour splendour, steals centre stage sometime in May. We get flowers, of course but it isn’t the English Spring I was used to before moving here. And the snow is still coming at us. Not much – I admit this picture was taken in the last days of February but it just seems to fit so well … I love the bright relief that fresh snow lends a landscape.
The chapel is called Notre Dame de la Fonte Sainte and sits in the Pays de Gentiane at about 1230 metres. It is a place of pilgrimige marked by many crosses on the road that leads to it, almost as though the visitor should crawl on his bare hands and knees, wearing a hair shirt and do the stations of the cross. We felt much like staggering pilgrims having ascended from St Hippolyte, gotten lost and trudged through over-knee snow. The Bean was stoic, asking to be put down when Two Brains tried to assist her in the most challenging parts, so that she could snow-snorkel her Olympic finest through the fresh drifts. A racketer that we met at the high-point was visibly disgusted that we were putting the little creature through this misery and it was only later that we realised the bornes were in fact strategically placed to view the Chapel below from. Perhaps we should repent – I think that’s what the Catholics who built the place would bid us do but I’m afraid we just laughed and enjoyed the moment. And the view of this little gem sitting in her fresh white heaven was surely worthy of every taxing step even though we had shunned the carefully sculpted viewpoints …..
PS: The song is ‘I am a Rock’ and, like the voice of those lyrics, I seem to be rather wanting to wall myself in more than usual at the moment but I would like to say that in addition to ‘my books and my poetry to protect me’, I am hugely grateful for the support given by those that read my posts. Thank you and I promise I will stop being gloomy Eeyore very soon.
Go Bean!
I’ve offered her service to Mountain Rescue, Cam but they just looked at me askance 😉
HaHaHa. I think she would be wonderful, although she may struggle with the barrel of brandy… 😉
She would – though if it was a small wheel of cheese she would carry it with aplomb!
Dogs and cheese. Enough said.
the song that came to my mind when I saw the challenge “fresh” was “Morning has Broken” by Cat Stevens….lovely photo of the chapel in the snow
Another of my favourites, Jim …. more often than not Cat Stevens is playing his heart out in my appartment. We sung it at my wedding and again at my dad’s funeral … oddly it worked perfectly at both. I’m with you that the song evokes freshness perfectly. And thank you for taking the time to comment – I’m glad you like the little chapel in her white shroud 🙂
Beautiful picture! To me it depicts the awesome quiet of a fresh snowfall. Is this near or on the Camino de Santiago (The Way)?
It is very near the chemin de St Jacques de Compostel which is the same thing but here rather than there …. Le Puy en Velay is a key point en route and there are several alternatives in my region to get there. I have friends who have walked from Le Puy to Santiago – we hope to one of these days (with the intrepid Bean for company)
What a beautiful site that must be in any weather…but your snow scene is just superb.
‘I am a rock…etc…’ spoke to me for a long time once…
Helen I am looking forward to seeing it in sunshine and no snow because, you are right, I think it will be equally lovely. As for I am a Rock … whenever i think I can archive it, guess what? I need those words again 😉
You can be as gloomy as you like.
makes a change from me ranting , moaning or baring my soul most weeks.
I have never been so probe to the confessional, clearly blogging brings out the angst in me ! A sort of alternative to song writing or poetry or painting ( puctures not bloody walls)
Hey – I think its probably a natural place … otherwise there would be no religion! I love your rantings anyways so ust keep them coming … with our own place just comign to the surface for refurbishing I’m sure I will be less polite than you 😀
By the way, I meant ” prone to the confessioal”
help, I think I am on slippery slope …
If you lose the will to confess, dance! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjih_3_Hm50
Beyond beautiful!
Thank you Shikha …. it was one of those lovely moments when something magical just seems to appear from no-where. I shall visit again when we get some summer and twirl like Maria atop the green mountain though perhaps not singing ‘The Hills are Alive’ for fear of repercussions 🙂
Such a beautiful picture! I like snow that is untouched 🙂
Me too! Though of course as a child it was an irresistible to leap about and ruin the effect 😉
Fresh, indeed. I can imagine how refreshing the snow-snorkeling must have been. 🙂
She very much enjoyed the snow-snorkling but was quite relieved to get back to the car …. it was tough on her rear quads getting to the peak 🙂