Sun and snow

I frightened myself half to death this morning. Thought I'd left the trusty travel kettle at the last hotel. Must be addicted to tea or becoming very fond of the kettle. The laptop and vital tea equipment bags are very similar and in semi-sleep mode I could only grapple at a laptop charger. Of course the kettle was in its correct bag.

Whistling kettle with a view

The room kettle doesn't get out much and isn't picturesque, unlike Phil's festival stove and whistling kettle which are learning the basics of Spanish - like me. I was thrilled when the supermarket lady told me they didn't sell bread (in Spanish of course) and it was to be found 'el fin a la izquierda' - thank you teacher Josefina. I followed the bread aroma a long way down a narrow street and into a house (on the left) with a front room bread oven conversion. That was the main picnic ingredient sorted. The bread was hot and I couldn't resist, so had a luscious hunk spread with peanut butter with the above cup of tea - which isn't there any more - marvelling at the snowy peace and quiet of the mountains.

Awesome scenery - and so peaceful

Male Ring Ouzel - same as those on Dartmoor

The Alpine and Red-billed Choughs were out of focus and this mountain blackbird was the best I could do. He actually chirrups rather sweetly, with much more of a warble than Blackbirds. 

We drifted quietly into France 

...except for the scary sat nav woman who broke the silence by announcing 'You crossed the border' in her pompous voice (which I don't know how to change). It was a bit odd finding weatherbeaten signs in French.