Cath and I went for a walk along the canal de Provence to enjoy the most of the late November sun.

When we got back to the car we saw this sign.

What was it for? We drove down to have a look.

Turns out it’s a nudist camping site – less than three miles from our front door.

Interested? You can book a pitch here – although it’s shut now til May 2026.

I see they have une piscine – presumably not subject to the strict dress codes of other French establishments – bonnet de natation? Pas nécessaire.

I thought it was named after a golden GOAT – best footballer of all time Lionel Messi (although he’s no Geoff Horsfield).

But no, Messidor is one of the twelve months of the French Republic’s calendar.

It was the first one of summer and means harvest.

The months were named after elements of the different seasons.

The autumn months:

• Vendémiaire (vintage)
• Brumaire (fog)
• Frimaire (frost)

The winter months:

• Nivôse (snow)
• Pluviôse (rain)
• Ventouse (wind)

The spring months:

• Germinal (germination) Also a great book by Emile Zola
• Floréal (flowers)
• Prairial (meadow)

The summer months:

• Messidor (harvest) Also a nudist camping site site in Venelles
• Thermidor (heat) As not loved by les homards
• Fructidor (fruit)

I’m sure Maximilian Robespierre and Georges Danton would be pleased to hear the name Messidor lives on.

The third Thursday of November means only one thing – le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé.

To my mind the displays in the supermarkets were a bit more subdued this year. Christmas fare taking pride of place.

I did spot something different among the bottles of Beaujolais.

Macon Villages Nouveau. With some recognisable Lyon sites on the front.

So we bought a bottle.

C’était pas terrible.

The birds are back in the garden – chomping their way through the sunflower seeds at a rate of knots.

I spotted some old favourites but some new birds too.

In among les pinsons – chaffinches – I thought I saw un tarin des aulnes – a siskin.

And at the back of the garden under la haie un accenteur mouchet – a dunnock.

I didn’t get a photo of either of them so you will have to make do with this une sittelle torchepot. A beautiful nuthatch.

On the subject of birds my French teacher sent me a quiz on bird songs in French. I did all right (6 out of 8) and also learnt some new words along the way.

• La bergeronnette – wagtail
• Le moineau friquet – tree sparrow
• L’étourneau sansonnet – starling
• Le verdier d’Europe – greenfinch

I saw this in a tree outside Intermarché.

AI tells me it is most likely a hornets’ nest.

I think I will leave it well alone.

This panneau caught my eye.

I’ve always said that the French don’t seem to be avid bird watchers so this was somewhat of a surprise.

Les rapaces nocturnes! The only rapaces I’ve seen are la buse and la crécerelle

I would love to see some rapaces nocturnes so I’ll be there next week to get as much info as I can.

My first trip to Lyon

It’s getting colder but some of the views around Venelles are beautiful.

We also saw some of the great sights of Lyon. It was nice to be back.

And the chocolate shops were still as attractive as ever.

We even saw a red squirrel in Parc de la Tête d’Or.

And don’t forget this is just around the corner.

As soon as we arrived we noticed some changes since our last visit to Lyon. Not least among them the new-look to Part Dieu train station – which has been several years in the making.

It now feels like a proper main train station for a city of Lyon’s size.

I also noticed a difference to the city’s hire bike system -Les Velovs. There are now proper electric options. And they seemed quite popular.

And while walking round our old 6ème district we spotted a new bit of street art.

And some new street art was taking shape on the banks of the Saône.

After a week in Montenegro we headed to Lyon for a few days which meant a meal in one of our favourite restaurants – Brasserie des Brotteaux.

Great food as ever and a café gourmand to update you with.