Thursday, 24 July 2025

Dinner at the Guinguette

My cousin Linda is in town, so in celebration of two special events we had dinner at the guinguette. Here is a slightly unkind photo.



Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Four-spotted Antlion

Twice this summer we have had pleasure of a visit by an uncommon and striking insect called a Four-spotted Antlion Distoleon tetragrammicus (Fr. Fourmilion longicorne). The adults look a bit like damselflies, but are much more sedentary. The juveniles are tiny ferocious predators that look like bits of bark with oversized jaws.

Four-spotted Antlion Distoleon tetragrammicus, France.

Antlions belong to the insect order Neuroptera, which includes lacewings and owlflies. The Antlions make up the family Myrmeleontidae.

Four-spotted Antlion Distoleon tetragrammicus, France.

Four-spotted antlions are present in southern Europe up to about Paris in the north, and in North Africa. 

Four-spotted Antlion Distoleon tetragrammicus, France.

They can be found during the day in open oak or pine woodland on dry calcareous hillsides, as well as nearby fallow land.

Four-spotted Antlion Distoleon tetragrammicus, France.

 The adults appear from June to August. The larvae, unlike other antlion species, do not dig funnel traps, but live in the dry leaf litter.

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

The Man Who Drew Angkor Wat

 

 There is a street in Loches named after him.

Street sign, France.

The naval officer, explorer, talented draftsman, curator and native of Loches, Louis Delaporte was the first to bring the temples at Angkor Wat and Khmer art to the attention of the French general public. Nowadays the temples are famous the world over and the site is UNESCO World Heritage listed. This year there is an exhibition honouring Delaporte in Loches, on the centenary of his death.

 

Louis Delaporte's Navy Lieutenant's uniform. This is for an adult, but it is modern young adolescent size.

Louis DeLaporte's uniform, France.

 

It was in Cochin, in 1866, when Louis Delaporte was recruited by Commander Doudart de Lagrée to join a mission up the Mekong. His skill with a pencil was surely what led to the young 24 year old sailor being appointed as cartographer and official artist on the mission. The aim was to establish the navigability of the river with a view to a possible commercial link with China. The French Navy convoy made a detour via the ruins of the temple of Angkor Wat. It was a revelation for the young man from Loches. Little did he know that these vestiges of the past virtually buried under the jungle would transform his life.

 

A cast made by Delaporte's team in 1881-82 of a low relief frieze from Angkor Wat. It shows a scene from the battle of  Lanka. The central character is the demon Ravana in his chariot. He has kidnapped Rama's wife and is being attacked by Rama's allies the monkeys.

Cast of a relief frieze from Angkor Wat.

The exhibition underlines how Delaporte's role was to record in 'photographic' detail the sculptures, the people, their way of life, the landscape, in pencil and watercolours. His talent was recognised from the age of 13, when his artistic skill permitted him to attend a special naval college, and then the naval school at Brest when he was 16. Two years later he was on an expedition to Mexico.

 

Two casts and a watercolour from Angkor Wat.

Casts and a watercolour from Delaporte's Angkor Wat collection.

This first expedition, and those that followed, were utterly fulfilling. Driven by his enthusiasm he produced many more drawings than his orders required. He was highly observant of his surroundings, and worked in a supportive environment, particularly in Asia. His curiosity is a legacy for future ethnographers.

 

Two casts of devata from the 12th century. Devata are female divinities and feature on many walls and columns at Angkor Wat. Often standing, bejewelled and serene, they have a protective role.

Casts from Angkor Wat.

Once he returned to France Delaporte contributed to a vast Atlas of Exploration published in 1873. He devoted the remainder of his life to his passion for Khmer architecture, and worked at the Museum of Indochina at the Trocadero. He left this job in 1924 at the age of 82.

 

The Delaporte family home in Loches.

Delaporte family home, France.


Drawings of Angkor Wat by Louis Delaporte.

Drawings of angkor Wat by Louis DeLaporte.


Watercolour of Angkor Wat by Louis Delaporte.

Watercolour of Angkor Wat by louis Delaporte.


Letters, notebook pages and other ephemera from the Louis Delaporte archive.

louis Delaporte ephemera.


Further Info: https://www.ville-loches.fr/exposition-angkor-louis-delaporte-article-3-10-147.html

Monday, 21 July 2025

Almonds in France

 Almond blossom (March).

Almond blossom, France.

The French consume a lot of nuts, and three sorts in particular are grown in France - almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. Almonds are especially widely used as they are one of the mainstays of the French pâtissier's art. All over France, almond paste, meal or powder appears in yesterday's croissant; as marzipan, macarons or nougat; and in biscuits and cakes of all sorts. In restaurants, almond slivers come swimming in the beurre noisette with fish. 

 

Homegrown almond, with its leathery green sheath behind.

Almond.

Almonds are not much grown in the Touraine, which is walnut country, but almond trees are seen in many gardens to the south of us, in the Charente. The flavour can be sweet (milky fresh blanched almonds), moreishly nutty (unblanched dried almonds) or somewhat overpowering (almond extract). Excitingly, the flavour of almonds, like the kernels of other stone fruits, comes from highly aromatic chemicals which include cyanide. Almonds must be quite closely related to peaches, because on the tree, still clothed in their fleshy outer layer, the crop looks like rather poorly performing peaches.

 

Green (fresh) almonds from Spain in the supermarket at la Roche Posay (June). 

Green (fresh) almonds in a supermarket, France.

Once upon a time pastry chefs and confectioners pounded their own almonds to make paste for their goods. Almond paste had been a stock in trade of the patissier since Renaissance times. 

 

Organic locally grown almonds at the market in Preuilly (September).

Organic almonds at a market, France.

Terraroma, in Provence, is the largest almond producer in France, with 20 000 trees producing top quality nuts which are much prized by confectioners (Fr. confiseurs). The sweet almonds are grafted onto bitter almond stock, and some of the trees are 200 years old. But most almonds used in France are grown in Spain. France simply can't supply the demand.

 

Organic almond orchard in Provence (June).

Almond orchard, France.

Sunday, 20 July 2025

The Country Women's Association

The Country Women’s Association (CWA) has been a cornerstone of rural Australian life for over a century. Founded in 1922 at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney, the organisation was created by women who recognised the urgent need for connection, support, and services in isolated country communities.

The CWA hall in Batlow


At the time, rural women faced enormous challenges: poor medical access, limited education for their children, and almost no public infrastructure. Many endured harsh conditions on remote farms, often with no electricity, running water, or nearby neighbours. The CWA provided a vital lifeline, offering not just social support but also practical assistance, health information, and advocacy.

Members raised funds to build restrooms for women and children in country towns, set up baby health clinics, and campaigned for improved rural hospitals and roads. The organisation expanded rapidly, with branches forming across all Australian states and territories throughout the 1920s and ’30s.

The Morongla Mechanics Institute Building is also a CWA hall


While the CWA is often associated with scones and tea, its legacy runs much deeper. Its members have long been grassroots activists, lobbying governments on issues such as drought relief, mental health, domestic violence, and rural education.

My first encounter with the CWA was when my family was on holiday on the Gold Coast when I was 9 years old. The CWA ran a tea room, and my parents would often call in for a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Saturday, 19 July 2025

Don't Sit Here

We saw this sign on our way to Shelly Beach in Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly. I hope no-one was on the seat at the time.