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"...send her victorious..."
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The first job of the day was to raise the Union Flag on one
of the new set of poles that had just been erected. Jean Cosnard kindly sang
"God Save the Queen" as I claimed the aerodrome for the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland on behalf of Her Majesty.
This was to be the final Duo day of our visit.
Ariane drew the short straw and accompanied me to the launch point on RW18.
At least both types of launch operations were pointing in the same direction
today.
The weather was very thermic, and it was fairly easy to
get away from the flatlands today. We had a bit of trouble towards
Montserieux, so we took a low-level scenic tour past Oratoire and les Monges
to la Bigue, en-route to the southern flatlands.
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Yes, it really is that colour
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Cloudbase was a healthy 8,000ft as we approached Puismosson,
and the cumulus looked so good further south that we continued onwards past
the lavender fields of the plateau towards Vinon. I hadn't visited the
Montagne Ste Victoire for several years, so it was a good target for the
first part of our flight.
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Ste Victoire
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As we returned northwards, we passed Pusimosson again and
decided to take a run up the parcours, joining it at the Montagne de Coupe
in the company of yet more eagles. Incidentally, I understand that
eagles have recently been introduced to the local area. The magazine was
reluctant to disclose the precise location, but from the photos I reckon it
is somewhere near Turriers, which may explain why we see so many in the
lower mountains of the area.
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Lavender fields on Valensole
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Ariane didn't like the look of the low cloud over the Trois
Eveches, so we skipped that part of the trip and flew directly to la
Blanche, and on to Dormillouse. The conditions to the north were not
particularly enticing, so we decided to call it a day and run for home.
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Approaching la Blanche
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The final job of the day was to derig 220 and
prepare for its departure the next day, courtesy of Alan and Wendy. So that
leaves just me and an LS6 for another week in the provencale sunshine. Yep,
life can be hard, sometimes...
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