Alpine Walks in Valais

[Ragged Robin]

Maggi, I never thought it would be a gathering of the clan here but it's a good place for communication - no others north or south just a 2.4 family (the dog is the .4 )

I have a feeling that the word might spread and you could get some new Forum Members, it would be great to think so, and I am delighted these 'on the cusp' gardeners are showing an interest in their busy lives  

[Maggi Young]

Robin, sounds like we need to clue Richard in on the making of a fish box trough for his flat!

[Ragged Robin]

Now there's an idea - he could start a new trend for fishy Alpine Soirees   

I'll point him to Mark's fish box trough!

[Maggi Young]

Mark's type, and the kind recently shown by Ian in the Bulb Log are a bit heavy for apartment dwellers, Robin.... I think Richard needs to back to the original sculpted/painted fish box troughs..... see here :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/feature/fishbox/troughs.html   ..... fun to do and  not going to crash through the floor or give a hernia!! 

[Ragged Robin]

Thanks Maggi, looked at the link you posted and it took me back a bit to when I used my brother's fish hatchery polystyrene egg boxes - another good source, as they already have holes in the trays and are perfect for small seedlings and plants to grow up in!  Ian's sculpted polystyrene trough is altogether a masterpiece of creativity which I will suggest - along with ear plugs for the hack-sawing part 

[Maggi Young]

along with ear plugs for the hack-sawing part

  ..... it's not too bad if you use a stout wire brush to do the sculpting..... not noisy like cutting polystyrene 

[cohan]

robin, i was behind on this thread, just got caught up--
another lovely stroll--i also love the suggestive curve or line of a path leading the mind, the soul, and the obedient feet onward! its one of my favourite themes in photographs.. (okay, so  i have dozens of favourite themes

nice to see your family has joined you here--welcome to them--a great way to stay in touch on another level...

[Ragged Robin]

Cohan, I'm so pleased you caught up and came along the path - it's great to feel an empathy with those from another time and zone and catch up with their thoughts and visions of what is happening around them too   

Yes, I was bowled over by the comments left by our kids and the welcome they received - it is a wonderful place for communication 

Thanks for your generosity of spirit in encouraging my learning curve - with an open mind experience starts at the beginning of every new venture 

[cohan]

robin, its one of the pleasures of a forum such as this, that the participants are from so many different backgrounds and personalities, in addition to places: so not only do we see different things, but we see them from many different angles; one person brings a scientific bent that teaches us new things about habitats and plants, another a creativity that lets us see things in a fresh way, whether old or new to us, another may have practical experience that helps us do things more effectively...

and we are all somewhere on that learning curve! as i explore farther and more intensely the flowers of my province, i am finding many things that i've never seen, nevermind the worldwide wonders we see here

[Paul T]

Robin,

I've only just caught up on the latest (well the last 10 days) of your walks.  Very, very enjoyable.  All those wonderful butterflies and spiders.    Thanks so much for sharing. 

[Ragged Robin]

Paul, thanks so much for your comments and I am really glad you enjoyed the walk full of butterflies - the spiders are ones I have never seen before.... they are beautiful in their own way and I love the stripy legs and mottled yellow back of the brown one 

[Ragged Robin]

The outlook is dreary……
But even on a dull day there is light in raindrops and needles, through wet leaves and damp flower heads….
Summer in the mountains can be unpredictable.

[Ragged Robin]

At present the view to the village below is shrouded in cloud - an hour later it lifts…. and in the bright light everything is crystal clear - chalet roofs, trees and branches, the lie of the land and even wires draping like giant cobweb threads along the edge of the ravine….

[Ragged Robin]

Below a giant rock commands the scene as it did in the summer of 1895 when Marconi sent the first ever wireless telegraph signal to another rock over a kilometer away and received a gunshot of recognition that he had made history in the village of Salvan!   Within a month and a half his experiments revolutionized communication using wireless technology; a precursor of what we take for granted today.

[Ragged Robin]

Communications are good now and the Mont Blanc Express shuttles to and fro through the mountains, passing sheer drops and remote scenes right through to Chamonix.