Friday 13th August- How can it possibly be uphill all the way

An early morning was necessary as we had about 280 miles to cover before arriving at Calais Port and to ensure that we were in ample time for our ferry we needed to leave the site around 0800 which we just about managed after an alarm call around 0700. UhhgBy leaving early we missed the traffic around le Mans and we joined the motorway after travelling for what seems like many miles of passing American style shopping malls. We headed for Alencon and then to Rouen via Liseaux. All well so far but somehow all the roads from leaving Le Mans seem to be uphill all the way until we reached Rouen around 150 miles away. We use the Michelin route maps as they are usually very reliable but somehow not this time. So we got a little lost in the North of Rouen and had to call up the Sat Nav to save our bacon and when it said it would take 3 hours 35 minutes to Calais the blood pressure started to rise as that would make us a little late for our boat. However after driving and following the instructions from a nice young lady and twenty minutes later we were down to 2 hours and ten minutes so we assume the SAT Nav bullt in out slow travel time for the past one hour. So uphill again we went, how can it be possible that you travel almost 280 miles virtually uphill all the way with perhaps the odd period of a few miles when the road is level or slightly downhill. I must call the National Geographic Society when I get home to inform them of this mystery.

After stopping for fuel to take advantage of the lower fuel costs in Europe we finally made it to Calais Port where there was a long queu waiting for some British Immigration people to start work which they did in fits and starts and it took us almost 45 minutes to cover the last few hundred yards when in the past 45 minutes we had covered 30 miles or more. Perhaps they were working to rule or just checking to see that how many illegals were hiding in caravans or in the Immigrations officers bus etc.

Finally we caught our P & O ferry and we immediately headed for Langham's Brasserie where Noel enjoyed the Fish and Chips and Jennifer the 'Pasta' of the day.

Two hours later we were leaving Dover in the rain for our 100 mile journey back to Weybridge. The Radio 2 traffic news sounded really bad with just about every motorway subject to accidents and delays but somehow it did not affect us, we saw any number of accidents on the opposite carriageway but we were not affected.

We arrived home at around 7.30 and by the time we had put the caravan in the drive and put on all the security stuff including welding the wheels to the floor, we went inside for a well earned cup of tea.

Well that's the end of another lovely holiday and although its great to go away its also nice to come home but somehow we feel it wont be long before we are off again somewhere else. Now we have to catch up on all the outstanding bills and letters, what a pain.

See you later in the year when we start another little trip somewhere.

12th August- A nice drive to Le Mans

A reasonably early start to the day and we left the site around 0930 as we only have about 225 miles to drive as per the Michelin route plan which after reviewing the night before we decided to change our route and go mostly cross country following the much nicer journey we had a couple of days ago.

So we left Boussac and headed North and again there was very l; title traffic on the roads and it was mostly farm traffic and the odd truck learner driver. However one of the first villages we came to after leaving the site the main road through the town was quite narrow and then from the oposite direction came a very large truck just at the important tight bend in the road. We took a deep breath and just about got through although just after the truck had finished passing us we heard a strange sound and thought we had been hit but NO it must have been something else.

After stopping for lunch almost on the roadside as we were unable to find a suitable parking and rest area we headed North again towards Le Mans. As expected we got ten minutes down the road and there was this very nice rest area with nice trees and tables and chairs, Blah.

We cam from the South in to Le Mans and arruved in the small town of Mulsanne and very soon afterwards we were travelling on the Le Mans 24 hour circuit on the Mulsanne straight and so we put our foot down and hit 110, kph that is.

The caravan site we had booked in Le Mans, or to the east of Le Mans, was quite busy and 'overnighters' are put in a separate field near the entrance to enable early departure without disturbing long stay customers. The site was pretty much of 'Brits' with kids everywhere and it is clear that this is a popular site as the kids 'animation' is very active as when we arrived it was England vs Holland and football and the following morning an all day game staring at 0900 and finishing around 8pm providing you had killed the opposition.

We had intended to set up the BBQ but the weather looked like it would rain soon and so after a walk around the site we had a sort of mixed grill of stuff left over in the fridge comprising of one lamb chop, two sausages and one Beefburger and some salad supplements.

An early night as tomorrow we have the most miles to do to reach Calais Port

11th August- Weather is turning

The weather forecast is not that good for today and with rain forecast for Thursday the 12th of August we planned to do some of the putting away of all the caravan bits and pieces in the afternoon rather than wait for the rain to start.

We walked around the site again and then after a light lunch we headed in to Boussac for a walk around the town. There appears to be a Chateau you can take a tour around but perhaps not in August. The town is not that large and was quite empty of people apart from a few tourists like ourselves wasting time whilst the weather was not so kind. We stopped in the town square cafe for a cup of coffee intent on watching the locals pass by, but nobody came by and so we left.

A quiet evening and after dinner we watched a film on Noels PC called the Bourne Ultimatum. This is perhaps the third time we have watched this film in the last couple of years but now we really do understand what the hell is going on.

Dont want to be late to bed as a longish drive to Le Mans

10th August- I forgot to mention

I forgot to mention about the roads from Carlucet to Boussac and that we did about 200 miles or so and the amount of traffic was absolutely minimal and you would have to work hard to find a traffic jam of two or more cars. Most of France is on holiday at this time and many shops; restaurants etc are closed as the owners have packed their bags and headed off and just about every factory you see is also closed for the month.

Anyway this sun was shining this morning quite nicely and although the camp site is considerably busier than last time we were here about a month ago its not to bad. We did some shopping in the local Carrefour Market for all the essentials and then headed back for a day of reading and walking. Although the drive from Carlucet was fairly simple to follow we had not watched the outside temperature gauge and noticed the increasing temp and then we suddenly realised how warm it was and switched on the aircon.

The troubles of the Fair FX prepaid master card following Noels quick intervention to Chateau Lecomte and also FairFX on Monday night had resulted by late evening all the money being returned to the card, thank god for that as we did not want to use a normal credit card where the banks use unrealistic, some may say extortionate, exchange rates.

So after watching the kids flood back from the pool at around 6pm we had an excellent rib steak carved in to strips and marinated for a while and then quickly fried and then placed on top of lettuce with a tomato salad and a glass or two of Bordeaux Red plonk. All very nice.

The rest of the evening was spent reading, looking at route maps and finally a very long walk around the campsite lake and then a couple of times round the site to see who is there and generally be a little nosy. There are mostly Brits and Dutch here and they outnumber the French by about ten to one.

Depending on the weather tomorrow we will take a trip out somewhere but we need some diesel for the car. We always have to remember that on Motorways the service stations are always very large and a large outfit like ours, about 12 metres, needs a little space to pull up. However some of the non motorway garages are much smaller and you can just about get a large car in.

And so to bed.

9th August- It’s finally time to leave

Well it isn't raining thank god and the forecaster have got it

seriously wrong again as the sun was shining down quite well as we got up around 7.30 am so as to try and get an early start. There are the usual tasks to attend to before going anywhere. Check all the tyre pressures of the car and caravan and also check the wheel bolts on the caravan with the 'Newton metre'. Turn off the mains water supply and empty the hot water tank, empty the loo and finally turn off the gas.

The very last thing to be turned off is the electric so as the keep the refrigerator running as long as possible on mains power before transferring to battery power.

Breakfast was a quick yogurt and cereal and of course the obligatory cup of tea before heading for a shower etc and then back to finish of everything. The last things is to check the 'nose weight' of the caravan as it's important not to have it too heavy or too light as either way can cause problems if it's not correct. Our plan was to leave about 945 ish but this can and is difficult as many people come up for a chat, so your leaving then?, yes, so which way are going home and where will you spend your night's. This can happen several times and just about everybody on the site waves goodbye and shouts have a good journey etc and it all takes time. Time to settle the bill and the problem of the FairFX Euro Prepaid Master card reared its ugly head again. After the previous event when using this card on site, the last time it was fine but not this time and and so after abandoning it for the second time we had to revert to the our usual Lloyds Bank Credit cards. Wait till I get home I will give these guys a tough time.

So more goodbye's to Stuart and Sheila and chatting about where are you going to stay and which way will you go again we were off ar just after 10.00

We had decided that i it rained we would take the easy route on the motorway but if not we would take country N roads which is what we did and we had a really great journey of about 5 hours before we arrived at the Chateau Ponsouze near Boussac-Bourg at about 4pm. On to the site and a well earned cup of tea and then in the evening we went for dinner in the restaurant as our food stocks have run a little low, well anyway that's what Jennifer said.

It's strange really, we were on exactly the same pitch about a month ago and now it appears to lean heavily to the left and so we had a slight difficulty in getting it right this time and the nose of the tow hook almost in the grass on the floor. It's quite warm tonight and the weather we understand will be good until Wednesday when rain is expected however we have heard that one somewhere before

8th August- The last few bits and more internet troubles

 

Apart from the awning, see yesterdays page, there are still quite a few things to get ready for when you leave. Chairs to be folded, BBQ's to be fully cleaned, tables to be packed away and of course a certain amount of reorganisation in the caravan itself to ensure that nothing moves during our travels.

But first Noel went up to join Sheila to finish off the Blog/Newsletter and although the internet had been working just ten minutes before now it was down again. This has been a verhy serious problem for Stuart and Sheila as for the past two weeks with the internet being very intermittent it's not easy to conduct their business particularly when they use an internet based telephone system and to have this problem where customers cannot call and make bookings etc has been really tough for them. With constant complaints to the telephone company during the last week to ten days there have been as many as four men on site, scratching their heads and talking four hours without any sign of success, even to walking up the road looking up at the telephone cable, what they hope to achieve by looking at the cable from 20 feet downis anybody's guess. There also has been a succession of young ladies on the phone all offering help but nothing has been achieved to clear the issue.

So with Npoel being able to helpo Sheila we have decided to leave until Noel is back in the UK and perhaps within the next week or so the telephone company can resolve the matter and Noel and Sheila set up the BLOG properly. With nothing else to do back to the caravan to put the last few items away, clean my new fangled waste water evacuation system and generally tidy up before heading for the pool. We waited until it was quite late before heading back for a light dinner and then to John and Sue for a nightcap. The previous evening BBQ Noel had purchased rather a large carton of wine, around 10 litres we think, and some of that needed to be consumed before it went off. If you believe that you will believe anything. An so to bed.

 

7th August- Its awning day

 

The sun was up really early this morning and after a very clear night when you could see an amazing amount of stars in the sky there was a little due on the grass which must dry off before we start the process af taking down the awning.

So a lighish breakfast and by 10.00 the grass was dry and time to start emptying the awning of tables and chairs and all the other bits and pieces that mount up over the course of a month. First their is the flooring which must stay down so that each individual bit of the awning can either be brushed down and/or the bird droppings removed.

The awning which attaches to the side of the van is about 6.5 metres long and 3.5 metres wide and complete with even the lightweight poles weighs in at around 90 kilos and so its quite a chunky thing to move around. Isabella Awnings have a good reputation and for this size of awning four our van it would cost around £ 2000.00 to replace it and so we need to take good care of it. With plastic windows where we have special non-static sheets to be attached and also around the bottom following the heavy rains of a week ago there was a certain amount of mud to be cleaned off but overall it was not too bad really. Well after almost four hours of tolling away in the sun we finished the task and loaded it in the car to keep dry and safe. Now it was time for the pool visit and the swim was great and helped us feel les tired.

We have placed our table and chairs in John and Sue's awning, across the way, who have invited us to an evening BBQ and of course the odd glass of wine or two. We had a great evening with them but after a hard day we all decided that around 10.30 we all drunk and eaten enough and now it was time for bed.

It was a great night and we slept soundly except for Noel's snoring...

6th August- Wow the sun is really back

 

The weather has improved significantly today and the forecast over the next few days is supposed to be great and on Monday 9^th August there is a strong chance of rain which is the day we plan to leave for home via Chateau Ponsouze.

Today we took it easy with a little light shopping, nothing serious, and then spent some time around the pool enjoying the time to sit in the sun and relax, Jennifer with her book and Noel with his I-Pod. As I am writing this a little late I can't remember what the Chef prepared but I am sure it was good. Anyway a nice day was enjoyed in camp.

This was also the day that Noel said he would help Sheila and Stuart who own the site set up an Internet Blog/Newsletter and although we started in the morning the plague of the telephone company continued and so we had to give this up for another day and will try again on the coming Sunday. The idea behind this is to keep jogging the memory of those people who have visited the site and so that they consider another visit as the 'Adults Only' is working well it seems.

Anyway lets hope the weather stays fine as we have deceided to pull down the caravan awning on Saturday to avoid any risk of rain should we do it on Sunday

5th August- A better day than expected

Perhaps the sun will hang in there today we hoped and at the same time we thought that we may have a quiet day chillin'out but when talking to John and Sue about their car predicament and if they a would like a lift back to St Cirq we could oblige.

Ten minutes later they confirmed that a taxi ride back would be good as the the young couple who brought them home wished to visit Rocamadour and so could we give them a lift back, so no problem for us. So at 10.45 we headed back to St Cirq to check on their car and during the car ride John suggested that we have lunch on them which seemed like a pretty good idea to us. Anyway we arrived in Vers and showed them the Municipal Camping Site which is very good and then on then to Bouziers where we booked lunch for 13.00 hrs at La Falaise Hotel and Restaurant and then on to St Cirq where John collected his car. After leaving St Cirq we headed East for a while till we arrived in Larnagol and looked at the site we have used before and we both felt pangs to return some time. The negatives are kids and a small swimming pool and also inadequate washing facilities when the site is crowded.

Then back to La Falaise and the 'menu of the day' which included as a salad starter followed by what can be best described as a Duck Lasagne which was excellent and then a choice of desert or cheese followed by the usual coffee. An excellent lunch in good company and then we went for a short walk along the river bank to look at the hire cruisers boats and to reminisce about our past years of boating on the Lot. Oh happy days!!. John and Sue then headed back off to St Cirq and we headed home to do some shopping in La Bastide Murat for a few items. Tonight as we had both eaten well for lunch and not really too hungry we decided about 8pm to have crisp bread with ham and mayonnaise before Jennifer continued with her book and Noel watched a film on his PC. The weather is much more promising over the next three days we understand with the temperature creeping back to about 29 degrees on Sunday followed by rain on Monday and a temperature of 22 degrees, not exactly what we want for our departure day from Carlucet but it may be the best we can expect for the moment, Tomorrow will be a quiet'ish day with Noel helping Sheila , the joint owner of the site, with putting together a Blog /newsletter which Sheila would like to use to acquaint people of the going's on at the site and also the new developments with regard to a small golf course that Stuart has planned for next year.

It is quite chilly tonight and so extra duvets will be required to keep the Groves's warm.

4th August- A trip down the Dordogne Valley

The sun was shining as we left Carlucet but very soon disappeared behind thick clouds as we headed up the old RN 20 now called the D820, just to confuse everybody, and eventually arriving in Souilliac where we had a nice cup of coffee and then went to the bank for some cash. Souillac is a fairly quiet and nice little town with an ancient part with lots of interesting shops and it was mostly locals walking around and not so many foreigners.

After about an hour's walk around we want back to car and headed East along the Dordogne Valley in the direction of Sarlat. We then visited the first of three camp sites and the site was jam packed with tents and caravans just like a refugee camp and so not for us at all and therefore we crossed this one off the list. We left the camp site and again followed to road to Sarlat and this road became very busy indeed and although we went to Sarlat last year and gave up after trying for about 30 minutes to find a car park space, this time it was even worse and so our ideas of having lunch in Sarlat were immediately forgotten. The parking around this place is ridiculous and out of control and although we know it is a great place to visit what with double and triple parking and parking where you stopped it was a nightmare and so it took us about 45 minutes to get through to the other side and then start looking for somewhere to eat. We eventually found a nice little restaurant in a place called Les Eyzies de-Tayac Sireuil where we enjoyed the plate of the day which was Roast Pork served with a plum sauce and vegetables. The Pork was cut vey thick and we both wondered would it be tough but NO is was really great and most enjoyable in a very nice little restaurant.

As usual lunch always takes a long time in this country and so after the usual almost two hours we continued on our way East for a while and then seeing that the next camp site was fairly close to Sarlat we also gave this one up as a bad job as well. The final site was near to St Alvere and although the location up in the hills and was great it was also mainly designed for families with children. Leaving there we started to head South towards the Lot valley and went through a nice little riverside town called Limeuil where there also seemed to be a nice caravan site by the river with a small beach but as time was running past we did not investigate further. Continuing South in the direction of Fumel which is a large and boring town on the Lot we crossed the river and then Noel took over the map reading and whilst Noel was looking closely at the map Jennifer,who was driving, missed the small road left turn and we ended up in someone's driveway. A very moustached and well wrinkled French man came out to see what we were up to but when I showed him our destination he pointed to a small road 20 metres away and confirmed that was correct. So Noels SatNav was correct ,although at this time it had started to rain and get dark we finally made it to a small town called Grezels where my younger sister and her husband will be staying in a Gite at the end of August. This town comprising of a restaurant and an antique shop only, and perhaps a Church and so very small. In the past five minutes the clouds came over we had to put the headlights on the car and the rain chucked it down and you could hardly see anything with the wipers working full blast and so we gave this up and headed off via Cahors back to the site where we arrived at around 7.30 pm where it had also just started to rain.

Outside our neighbours caravan was an old beaten up camper van with a young couple talking to John and Sue. It would appear that John and Sue they had visited St Cirq Lapopie and had a picnic by the river and when putting the chair back in the car he put the car keys in the boot of the car and slammed it shut which is great as the rest of the car was locked which meant he could not open the car. Needless to say his wife Sue who has the spare keys had changed hand bags prior to leaving and left the spare keys in the caravan also along with their RAC documents and so they were stuck about an hour away from the camp site. Apparently the youngcouple in the camper van hearing some slight irate language between the two participants decided to see if they could help and they offered to bring them back to the site and in return John paid for their overnight stay and then did a BBQ for them. The BBQ was not the best idea as it was raining and so he brought his gas BBQ in to the awning and the smoke set of the sensitive caravan smoke alarm.

We on the other hand, watched a film called 'The Duchess' which was very good indeed and followed by an early night.

3rd August- Our good Samaritan day

 

The morning came and there was a heavy mist over the site and it was damp and cool and not a good day to go sightseeing as you would see nothing in this mist.

So after an extra lie in and breakfast Jen and I started talking about the elderly couple who had arrived on Sunday and who had been subject to a break in to their caravan whilst sleeping and when talking to the husband on the way back from the wash block it would appear that they were thinking of going home which would have been a shame and that is why they have not put up their caravan awning. So in discussion with John and Sue in the caravan next door we decided to approach them for Noel and John to help the husband Bob put up the awning whilst Jennifer and Sue had a cup of tea with Jan and discuss the positive things about the site and the area overall.

The awning took about ninety minutes for us to figure out how it went up as Bob did not know as he had only just purchased it second hand and had no time to try it but in the end it looked fine and Jan then came to look and immediately started putting up the awning curtains and the tea and chat with Jennifer and Sue seems to have paid off and they all seem a lot happier now.

In the afternoon the sky began to break up and it looked like it would be a nice evening and so we invited John and Sue over for a BBQ, we provided the steak, tables and equipment and some salads and John and Sue provided the chicken and Pork slices with a Mexican coating, whatever that was and also the wine. So a good evening was had by one and all and rather a late bedtime for us I am afraid. We plan to do the Dordogne trip tomorrow but let us see how the weather is but at just before midnight there was 'red sky at night' and it also was a very clear night with many starts visible and so it augers well for tomorrow.

2nd August- Not a great day

 

When we awoke this morning it was grey and overcast and looks like rain again. So the first thing we did was work on the awning again to make sure it was fully secure and also the fabric was taught to stop any further puddles forming which was the problem last time.

After sorting out the awning we left from Gramat to do some shopping and the rest of the day was spent just 'hangin in there' waiting to see if the weather got any better.

During the day several caravans and campers turned up and set up then looked to the heavens' to try to second guess the weather which is not any easy thing to do. In the evening we had a session of 'Yes Minister' and also read awhile until bedtime called.

Let's hope the weather is better tomorrow as we planned trip down the Dordogne Valley and looking at other caravan sites to check them out for future use.

Sorry for delay

Due to severe storms in this area the internet connection has been down since Sunday and only now restored. So we will update again tomorrow

1st August- Gosh where to start

 

Well the easy bit was getting up in the mooring and to find the sun shining down, and an almost clear blue sky. Then things went radically wrong.

It is Jennifer's Birthday today and so we are planning a dinner at the site restaurant tonight which enables us both to enjoy some wine and not worry about drinking and driving should we go elsewhere for dinner. Anyway the day started as we were walking back from the morning shower and started talking to a tall guy who is parked up the end of the field with a twin axle van, Land Rover and a wife and son and also their pet dog. We started talking about the weather and he said that they had a bad couple of days as since they have been gone from home in Milford they have learnt from the Police that there house had been broken in to and all the wife's best jewellery taken and naturally they were not to happy about this particularly when the youngest son who is still at home, said he could not actually remember fully closing and locking the door. Apparently they usually keep the caravan on drive and so when they left for holidays in the caravan their is a great big invitation to burglars.

I asked about burglar alarms and he said no as they live in a small village and as the granny who has a separate flat in the house is normally there they did not bother with Burglar alarms. The problem was is then when leaving for holiday they put granny in a temporary home. I said I guess he can claim against the insurance but s he was concerned about his son leaving the door open he was not sure and as he was an Insurance Executive he should have perhaps known better. The ploan for the rest of the day was to watch the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix in the bar, then go for a swim and the get ready for dinner but somehow things did not quite work out that way. We went down to the bar and started watching the race and in the meantime the sun had disappeared and heavy rain clouds appeared followed by the most amazing electrical storm. Stuart immediately disconnected the sat box and the TV and shortly afterwards there was a direct hit on the house/restaurant/bar which blew out all the power to everything including all the electric points around the site. There was also a strange whining sound which turned out to be a coffee maker which had blown up by the electric charge. We waited until the heavy rain had stopped and in the meantime an older couple had arrived and were watching the rain poor down and the house dogs were cowering under tables and chairs as lightning and thunder went of all around the wife of the new arrival's accidently trod on the tail of one of the dogs and as an apology bent down to pat him and the dog immediately went to bite here which is most unusual for these dogs and then this caused the lady to run to the toilets and crying loudly. On boy!!

Jennifer followed her in to comfort and the lady told a story about parking on an 'Aire' (service area on motorway) and their caravan being broken in to whilst they slept that previous evening and it was most scary and very upsetting for them both. Parking in an 'Aire' is a NO NO in France as for years criminals hunt down caravan'ers who park in the quiet parking places knowing there are no police around and so they paid the price. As they said they thought it would only happen to somebody else. Luckily they are OK but were still very scared.

A moment later a staff member arrived to say that one of the large Cedar Trees had also been hit taking a large chunk of wood of the side and its lucky it did not fall. Finally the rains cleared and the skies started clearing and so Stuart turned the TV back on and we watched the last 14 laps or so. We left the bar with John and Sue our next door neighbours and when walking back one of the staff shouted to us that he did the best but there is some damage to the awnings on both John and our caravans. Great. We got back and one side of our awning had collapsed with two broken carbon fibre poles and on the other side was bucking under the huge weight of water. Just what we needed but as usual everybody rallies around and within an hour we were pretty much ship shape again but had some very wet chairs and we used odd poles to mend the structure and it now seems Ok although we hope it doesn't poor down like that again.

We then noticed that our electric wasn't working and neither were our neighbours and then we all discovered that the 'RCD' on all the caravans had tripped due to the heavy electric surges and within a few more minutes we were all back and up and running again. It still continued to rain for about another hour but started to ease around six pm but at seven pm we went for dinner and the skies were getting brighter and so we were able to sit and eat outside. Jennifer enjoyed the duck and noel had a steak and then later we moved in to the bar and joined several people including John and Sue who came to have a birthday drink with Jennifer.

Finally we got back to the caravan at about 11.30 pm after a very interesting day. The storm and amount of water and the thunder and lightning were extremely impressive but we do hope that it will go away overnight as we need to re do the awning tomorrow to ensure that it is safe and does not become a reservoir for the Lot Valley population.

You may not be able to read this report for a few days as the electric storm also killed the Wifi and all telephone wires to the site. Good stuff ay?

 

 

31st July- It’s going to be a very hot one today

 

The sun was really beating down this morning at around 0800 and not a cloud in the sky could be seen, and so we can safely say the good weather is back. A light breakfast of cereal and some strawberries we had left over from earlier this week.

It was shopping today and so we headed of to Gramat and the Leclerc Supermarket for enough bits and pieces to cover us for the next few days but also we had planned to have fish again tonight. Whilst looking at the fish counter, with a huge choice I must say, they also had some very good looking prawns and so we also bought half a kilo of those and a nice loaf of French bread and headed home and broke bread and then added mayonnaise and some peeled prawns and tomato with a herb dressing, absolute bloody heaven!!

Noel did his emails etc followed by an afternoon of reading which was then followed by a couple of hours at the pool where the air temperature is now 31 degrees and so we both swam some lengths before heading back for a shower and dinner. The fish tonight was Cabilaud with pasta and mixed vegetables and lightly washed down with a glass of Chardonnay. Sitting there in the evening warmth and enjoying the food and wine and surrounds could not be bettered.

Jennifer took rubbish down to bins at the campsite entrance whilst Noel did the washing up and then we had a quiet evening reading and planning our routine for tomorrow which will also be Jennifer's 23^nd birthday she says. Liar everybody know she is 36. Well around the top anyway.

Boy what another exhausting day..

 

30th July- A little slow of the ground this morning and stung by a WASP

 

The evening at the restaurant for Moules and Frites was great, unfortunately the amount of wine that flowed caused a slight delay to the start of operations today. Bot that we had much planned but when we awoke there was very fine mist over the campsite which caused us to go back to bed and think again about the day.

However, there is one thing to get things moving is the thought of eggs and bacon and tomato with a decent cup of tea to help wash it down was the order of the day. Once this aspect of breakfast was completes it was almost lunchtime and so without further to do we both went for a quiet afternoon kip and a little light reading. We bumped into Kevin and Denise who had started to take down some of the extension of their tent in readiness for tomorrow's departure but clearly it was not easy and as Kevin said "I now feel better than I did two hours ago but I still feel like s...", Ah such is life.

Whilst sitting reading something landed on my stomach and I want really looking but attempted to flick it away and it immediately plunged its poisonous little dagger deep in to Noels stomach which very soon afterwards started to turn red and expand a a rate of knots. So after raiding the First Aid Box and looking in the First Aid Book, not a single mention of wasp stings and so perhaps some wine later would take away the pain.

By late afternoon we recovered enough to think about dinner and decided to Barbie some lamb steaks which we had with a salad and a small glass of wine as it would appear that last night somebody, probably me, brought back from the restaurant the carafe that we had of 2/3 rd full of white wine which we had not drunk and so we polished that off as we are sure Stuart would like the carafe back as soon as possible.

It turned a little chilly and so we went inside and watched a film called 'Body of Lies' with De Caprio and Russell Crowe and which centred around CIA activities in Iraq, but it seemed to be filmed in many other places besides. We are not sure if we really understood the film however we watched it as it was only two hours long and the finishing of the film arrived at the same time as our planned bed time.

And so to bed