Get a Cup of Tea....

... or a glass of wine.....

This is gong to be a long one.

Some of my favourite natural areas to visit are bogs. I love their beauty. I love that there are surprises at every turn. I love that the combined bogs of the world store more carbon than the combined forests of the world. I feel a sense of gratitude every time I visit a bog.

Today's adventure was to explore the Johnville Bog more fully.

We've been there twice, but had only walked around the most popular boardwalk those times. Today, Ted felt he should be pushing himself physically and wanted to go around all of the 3-season loops..... a total of over 5 km - moderate difficulty level.

These are the workhorses of the bog - spaghnum mosses.

The signage did not win prizes for helpfulness and sometimes we felt a little lost.

Thankfully, there are some unmistakeable features like lakes that helped us to orient ourselves.

I love the smoothness of this little mushroom.....

.... and the bumpiness of this one.

Around half way round, the going got a bit more difficult.

But, I was rewarded with many sightings of these stunning mushrooms. I was going to write that we were rewarded, but Ted has very little interest in bogs.

Another lake. We're still on track!

Fences can be handy in situations like this.

I was wondering if pitcher plants would still be in bloom. Aren't they interesting? Each one is filled with water.

Ted was proud to have walked 5.5 km and was ready to do some more exploring through the countryside. The tiny town of Martinville (probably the size of Roseneath) does a remarkable job of showcasing its natural beauty. There is a tiny park next to this dam with a two-person rocking bench (yes, we did rock), a flower garden and the cleanest restroom I've ever been in.

We decided to drive a small (maybe 50 km?) loop going south and west of the bog. Along the way, Ted noticed a sign on a post for Ferme les Broussailles. Well! We must check it out!

The farm is located down a very rough gravel road. The main house is well hidden behind some beautiful mature maples.

And, the "boutique" .... well, the boutique was a little underwhelming. I guess I could say that the signage was clear.

When we stepped in the door, we saw this sign. Roughly it says:

1. Choose your cheese

2. Calculate what you owe

3. Pay

4. Go home and enjoy the cheeses

It took us a while to figure out where they were priced and how to read their writing. The 1's looked like 7's. But, after both of us pooling our meagre brain resources, we managed to buy two pieces of cheese. Ted was hoping for cheddar cheese and was disappointed to learn that we had just purchased goat cheese.

Lunch on the road. A slice of......

.... the best goat cheese we have ever tasted.

I could write a poem about that cheese.

As we circled back to where we are staying, our thoughts went from the present to the future. To Christmas. Christmas is coming and there are probably 10,000 acres of Christmas trees, all nicely pruned and ready to go.

Your tea is done. Good timing!