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Fontainebleau Interlude

Having sprained a foot on the second day of a trip to Fontainebleau, it was time to be philosophical and sit atop a few viewpoint boulders. Sometimes this is not a bad thing and allows you to absorb the spirit of the forest and let a little serendipity creep in when otherwise you would be obsessed with brushing the excess chalk off the microscopic fantasia that is bouldering!

Atop a boulder at Gorges aux Chats, I was pleasantly surprised by the sight of two hot-air balloons rising over the sunset canopy like contented thought bubbles. They drifted off over the woodsmoke inversion of the dusky sunset and vanished into a distant field. With the multi-coloured autumn leaves raining down over the grey rocks, it was simply the best place to be and the right moment. Just like the first morning setting out under a cool blue sky and crisp air to the ochre rocks of Potala... 'it doesn't get better than this' as Colin said. Fontainebleau is always generous in the long run.

The rest of the week was a relaxing and companionable interlude from the stress of the new Font guide having been 'signed off' into that terrifying limbo of preprint. I hope it turns out okay and gives everyone a few moments like this in the forest in return.

The new Stone Country 'Essential Fontainebleau' should be available early November... it is now available to pre-order on the main site.

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