It is such a change to wake up to a peaceful morning with a view of fog-shrouded woods, instead of hearing the city vehicles zooming by, occassionally laced with emergency siren as the police/ambulance/firemen/SAMU tried to get somewhere as quickly as possible, and all we see is just the same old buildings surrounding us. It makes me want to stay here longer, but alas I have to pack to leave later in the day.

Everyone I’ve spoken to have enjoyed the change of scene, and a handful few had even walked the woods like we did, which starts just beyond these wooden benches. When it is not foggy, you could even see a lake just beyond the trees. I guess in this condition though, it may be a tad tricky to wander around in the woods, not to mention it is a wee bit chilly, brrrr. I need a cuppa hot chocolate.

Midweek getaway to the countryside – what’s not to like? I’m on a 2-day work retreat and this morning, we’ve all been whisked away to Nouan le Fuzelier in central France. A good couple of hours drive away from Paris, we settled in quickly for a bit of a work session and lunch. After that though, a wee break to enjoy the rural landscape.

My colleagues and I went for a walk in the woods. Being the clueless one about French countryside, I got a lesson about nature today. Quickly thereafter, as my eyes adjusted better to our surroundings, I started to see new plants, noticing the ecosystem, spotting random wild mushroom colonies. That was pretty fun. However, since we couldn’t recognise the type of mushrooms, we decided it would be better not to pick some back for cooking. Have you any idea what mushroom variety this may be?