Sorry about the rant- but here is another one

When you have some time on your hands and start reading all the news you get very upset with what's going on this world. In the last couple of days two Romanian , so called, youngsters raped a teenage girl in Northern Ireland causing rioting whilst there were riots in Ireland over the amount of Illegal Immigrants in the country. Needless to say the riots in Los Angles, there are often riots in Los Angels over the years as its been a place for immigrants for years. I am not against formally approved immigration, I for one , have lived in foreign countries and followed the local rules but this turn up on a boat is not accpetable

All these immigrants arriving by boat on the Kent coast are either arriving due to the welfare provided by us stupid British Government or they are building an army to take over the country at some stage in the future. In Canada during recent riots a muslin said that by 2060 the world will be Muslim as they are having lots of children whilst the local population does not, makes you think.

However , back to us here in the Lot Valley the sun was shining and it reached about 24 C and due to be up to 36 C later this week just as we are leaving, however we would find 36C to hot so probably a good time to pack up and go. The silence here is deafening, you can sit on the patio outside the room and the only thing you can here is the wildlife and the occasional car. The Hotel seemed full over the last weekend which is not surprising as it was a long holiday weekend for the French nationals.

Yesterday I spent a little time listing to the opening chat between Joe Rogan and the new Head of the FBI Kash Patel, most interesting so plan to listen to the rest of it tomorrow but what had happened in the last few years was treasonable although to take action is not possible due to time bar.

Watched with interest the actions of the self promoting Greta Thunburg in relations to the Gaza problem she has no idea about??? probably just wanted to get her face on TIK TOK or similar. I just read she refused to watch the very detailed video of the 7th October event , that says it all. Even the Swedish Government warned here about her trip and then quite rightly refused to help here when she said she had been kidnapped, one can only live in hope.

Another quiet day for reasons expressed yesterday

Well as you may have gathered from yesterdays blog I was grounded and the same today unfortunately so I wont say anymore ore about this as its frustrating. We spent most of the day just relaxing and Jennifer's is enjoying the freedom to read to her hearts content whilst I do the same. For lunch we had brie and biccies and in the evening decided to chop up the previously cooked pork chops and make a pork noodle soup which was really excellent. In the evening we watched some Tv on you tube for a while.

Now its my time to be a bit political. Have just seen that our Prime wanker of a PM has decided to go to Canada to commiserate with the other wanker running Canada, perhaps he could introduce them to three Ukrainian men who seem to know more about our PM than the general public. With so many problems in the UK he likes to run away leaving his ever hapless cabinet to carry on ruining the country without him. So where to start, he want's to build submarines because Russian forces will attack us in four years time, what happens if Russia attack in three years time ?? do we stand on the Dover beaches amongst several thousand boat arrivals pleading with Putin to wait another year until the boat builders have finished their strike??? And whilst talking about boat people and immigration started by, the ever wonderful Tony Blair, whose close friend Mendelson now UK Ambassador to USA , what a joke this government is. I really do worry about our grandchildren living in a wholly Muslin world which could happen with the ever continuing lack of parent’s having kids because the government taxes them like hell but then gives illegals with loads of kids everything they want?

I just hope that its not to late to save this country at the general election. The interest in Starmer’s so called relationship  with Lord Ali and the photos on various social media look most interesting. Its Ok to be gay but use gay to pedal influence and with the rest of top aids also receiving gifts to keep them quiet on the matter should hopefully bring this government down.

A lot of people don't like Trump but at least he has an agenda clearly pointed out before his taking the presidency whilst our bunch of loonies publish one thing and then totally change their minds immediately after the election, so many lies and untruths from a UK Government it makes me sick.

The weather should improve tomorrow with it being 27C today, with 31C on Tuesday and 35C on Wednesday and 31C when we leave here for Poitiers for two nights.

Today is Larsday

You might wonder about the the title but I suffer from LARS ( lower anterior resection syndrome) as a result of the bowel and liver cancer I overcame in the period 2015-2017 and although still here I do face difficulties with my body and the main one now is LARS. Unfortunately I face a constipation problem every week of the year and its a question how to resolve as its most uncomfortable.

Its does not seem possible for it to be cured and so many survivors of colon surgery suffer from this and there are a number of Facebook sites where sufferers present their issues with other to help and so in fact, compared to some,  I am lucky although it does not feel like it. So today started on Friday afternoon I started on the Laxido and continued until midday day on Saturday where it began to work. So why am I relating this but to explain that during this period I am grounded and cannot leave the house as need to be near the small room. So that impacts on what my day is and so ideas of going for long walks or a drive around the countryside and/or using the swimming pool were out for today and probably the same for tomorrow.

However, trying to make the best from it I finished up my book and then did some research on the subject, most interesting.  For dinner we finished up the prawns in a a noel made prawn cocktail and then we had some pork chops on rice and against my better judgement a bottle of chardonnay.

We watched the final episodes of Clarkson farm and as usual chaos ensues when opening a new pub a week earlier than originally planned however the sort of coped but hundreds of potential customers turned up, such is the pull of Clarkson. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for the editor.

The weather is a changin’

You can never tell what the weather will be like in this region we have learnt after many years of visiting this region.One minute its great and then several hours later its thunder and lightning which adds to the interest of the place.

Today we spent most of the time around the apartment and Jennifer went of for a massage in the Spa at around 1100 and came back an hour later with a big smile as she obviously enjoyed it. For me a its a LARS day so have to be careful. Today we both decided to read and I eventually finished up the book on Bidens last couple of years and what a fascinating and worrying read it is. For more than two years the senior White House staff and family lied to the American residents about the physical and mental state of the President of the United States. The is lie was then carried on by most democrats mostly because they never ever saw Biden up close or in a meeting but relied on the top staff for info.  It is clear that Biden was not running the USA and so who was???. During the last few years of the Biden administration they attempted to impeach Trump several times, accused him in a Russian Hoax, and hid damming information from Hunter Bidens laptop and then accus Trump of Lying with several court appearance of mostly Trumped up charges.

When you read this stuff you just confirm that most Politicians are in it for themselves, same applies in the UK. Its more about keeping their job and other income sources and nothing to do with taking care of the American People. Trump has yet to prove he can do the job as first time around hw was a newbie. time will tell, they say.

Anyway, coming back to our location in the Lot Valley we took a walk around the Hotel Estate in the afternoon but the hills around here a bit steep for Noel’s knees  but next time will get the scooter out. The walk was short for reasons expressed earlier in this report. Lets hope tomorrow is a better day.

Finally a video of where we are staying

Shopping and a swim in the lovely pool

It was a little cool this morning and we thought it might rain and so lets do some food shopping and so off we departed to Intermarche in Cajarc which is about 22 km away from our hotel. At the previous visit we had purchased some lamb chops and when looking at them decided they were rather small and hence our visit to the shop. We also had a good look at the wine selection and they had some nice local Cahors Malbec at a reasonable price so we thought we might try that tonight and if any good to stock up and with a 1.5 litre bottle at 14 Euros sounded good.

We headed back for an early lunch of cheese and baguette and after some time reading we headed over to the indoor swimming pool and spa for a couple of hours . The facilities in the spa are very good and we spent and enjoyable time there.

Then back to the apartment for a glass of the Malbac which was quite excellent with our lamb chops and then we watched a couple of episodes of BBC Round the World competition.

Looking at the World News the last few days our politicians from around the world are all looking for a World War, who asked them they we might want that and also at the same time planning to stop an invasion from Russia using submarines when they can stop a d few hundred illegals crossing the channel, Politicians are a joke and perhaps the only light at the of the UK tunnel is Farage and and his party who seem to be copying Trump. I cannot wait to see the result of the DOGE type investigation in to Kent County Council and I guess that there may be a few people rather concerned about this investigation will find. When you look at what happened to Woking Borough Council being nearly £2.5 billions in debt its a bloody farce that nobody has been brought to justice.

I am sure the press in the USA are loving the apparent fall out between Trump and Musk unless its planned to make Musk popular again and hope that more people will purchase cars. Time will tell.

A quiet day in St Cirq

After a busy few days travelling and arriving in St Cirq Hotel etc etc we decided that today would be a restful day whilst rain was forecast for most of the day.

So in the morning we spent some reviewing what we would do over the next few days and also Jennifer wanted to organise a massage in the SPA and so she had to this via an app, what we would do without apps I don't know, we might have to call somebody.

For late afternoon/early evening dinner Noel prepared a Ham salad which was most tasty and enjoyed by all

Noel has downloaded a book from Amazon called ‘Original Sin’ its written by a USA White House member about the last few years of Biden and his health issues. Bidens history has been fraught with personal issues including the death of his son from cancer which was covered up to avoid the press and State finding out and as he would have lost his job.

So to a degree its not surprising  that the recent support staff of Biden followed the same route and hiding him away for months it appears. Anyway still in the early stages of the is book and most interesting. In the evening we watched some you tube stuff and also a film/documentary on Netflix called An American Marriage which was most interesting with lots of plot changes.

Not so much rain late but early evening it really chucked it down. Tomorrow must go for a swim…..

See you tomorrow

A quiet day is called for

Its quite warm t the moment and nice to be outside and so we had breakfast on the balcony this morning whilst knowing that the good weather could change very quickly here in the Lot.

Following breakfast we noticed that the sink in the bathroom hose connections had come apart and so when you run water in to the sink it ends up on the floor, so Noel reported it and they came to fix it only I had an attempt which they said was successful, but of course it did not last. We are still in the final stages of planning our route home now that we are going via Brittany and were considering where to stay en-route for two night prior to arriving in Vannes. We considered staying in Rochefort near La Rochelle again but then we wanted somewhere new or somewhere where we had limited knowledge. We then looks at Cognac  and also the small village of Coulon known for its aspirations to be a mini Venice and then we came across a Best Western Hotel south of Poitiers in the Charente region of France and eventually we decided we would stay there for two nights.

Following the lots of miles on motorways the front of the car was covered in dead insects and so we took some time to clean it all off rather than wait till we get home and did not a bad job as it looks a lot better. We then went to report the failing sink to reception and then asked about EV charging and the receptionist showed us where and its FREE….. so Noel brought the car over and plugged in and approx. two hours later was fully charged which will gis us enough energy to visit Cahors which is a 45 mile round trip.

As it was the first night on this bed the previous evening neither of us slept well and so in the afternoon whilst the car was charging we both had a time out resting before an early evening dinner. Tonight we are having pork chops and salad followed by some nice strawberries and also checked out a bottle of Chardonnay which was quite nice. In the evening we watched some stuff on You Tube and then some Clarkson Farm latest series where he is trying to buy a pub and surprised how much all the costs were.

Overnight we heard the thunder and saw lightning which is normal weather in this area but of course it is not cold and at 9 pm it was till 26 C and so tonight we will turn on the air con to have the room at a more comfortable temperature for sleeping.

Time to depart from the Chateau Du Thiel

Well we have had a lovely and rather expensive three nights stay at the Chateau with two night of gourmet food plus a few drinks, but well worth the visit. As motioned in previous post the chef adapted my meals but of course with the changes it was not like the chef originally intended , but that's life.

Following breakfast we left the Chateau to drive to the Lot Valley and Cajarc  in particular but rather than travel on motorways and some with tolls we opted to travel on the normal road which would take us about 40 minutes longer than on the motorways. The roads were nice to drive and very twisty and hilly but green all the way, shame the sun was not shining as it would have added to the enjoyment. We arrived at our destination around 1315 and as planned went to the President Hotel ( sounds grand but actually quite run down) but the food has always been good and reasonably priced. There was a few choices but being typical brits after noveau cuisine then fish and chips was the food we went for and it was really good.
Following lunch we visited the local Intermarche for some basic supplies but we did more than basic as it cost about eighty pounds and then on to the Hotel Saint Cirq to check in for our self catering apartement. The boss recognised us from previous visits and said he gave us the quietest room as we were regulars, which was kind of him.

We checked in to the room and over a couple of hours Jen sorted the food and reorganised the kitchen to her needs and Noel sorted out all the electronics and set up the Amazon Fire stick so that we can watch all our regular UK channels. We were not hungry tonight but planned to have baguette and fromage  and then watch some Tv. The weather is typical Lot Valley weather, boiling hot one minute then rain and thunderstorms.

We plan a quiet day tomorrow with some swimming and also looking at finishing our planning of our route back to the UK as we will now visit my sister who lives in Brittany and we plan to meet them in Vannes for the Saturday evening and then visit their house which is being rebuilt before heading of to St Malo to catch the ferry home on Monday 16th June.

Following a late night we enjoyed a slow day

As we were quite late for us to go to bed last night we took every advantage of time in bed before heading of for breakfast at 0900. There were  a few people around this morning and so we assumed most rooms were busy. We also had a chat to the Maître de  about how the restaurant and hotel were doing and he seemed quite positive but did say it is hard.

We were not planning to eat in the Hotel today, other than breakfast, as the type of food on offer on a Sunday was not suitable for me they made mention of and we had plans to go elsewhere for some basic food and not this high falutin stuff. We spent a couple of hours reading in the comfortable chairs in the lounge area of the restaurant as although we went outside it was a bit chilly after a while.

Come midday we left the Hotel and headed in to Ussel and to the restaurant attached to the LeClerc Hypermarket which had received some good recommendations on google and trip adviser and we were not disappointed. Jennifer had a very large mixed salad and noel the chicken burger and fries and salad , all without onions and garlic and most enjoyable. On returning to the Hotel room we checked to see if the Spanish F1 was on and it was but only with a German commentator who sounded most boring compared the the SKY UK Commentators. Then a little light rest and started our planning for when we leave the Lot Valley as we are now able to go an see my sister in Britany and so new hotel booking and ferry bookings need to be made and that was the afternoon gone.

In the evening we spent some time reading and then to bed as we leave tomorrow morning for our ten night stay in the St Cirq Le Popie Hotel.

See you tomorrow

Its our 54th Wedding Anniversary , who said it would not last

Well the sun was shining as we arose and headed down for breakfast and than sat out the veranda for a couple of hours reading.  The amount of people attending breakfast would indicate that the Chateau rooms have all be taken which was good sign and also the amount of guests for lunch was also quite high with multiple groups of people, some not laving until mid afternoon,

However, we did not want to have a lunch here only a snack for lunchtime for us and we went out looking for a place for some nice filled baguettes but the first shop only did cakes and so we decided to go the the big LeClerc Hyperstore which was under renovation and so in a bit of mess.

Anyway we got some food for lunch today and also for tomorrow as tonight we are in eating in the Chateau and then tomorrow we will find somewhere locale to eat. We had a relaxing afternoon and but they were busy in th restaurant tonight and somehow our reservation was for 8.45 pm which is a bit late for us, and then its started to go wrong. T he trouble with noveau cuisine its does not take in to account people like me with challenges. Although I had sent them a list of what I could and could not eat , perhaps they did not fully read it, the first plate arrive covered in cauliflower!!! which I had to send back. Also the restaurant was quite busy and the second course took ages to arrive but at least they got this right. Noveau cusine is a lot about small but elegantly prepared dishes and not like fish and chips with loads of fish and fries, Oh no its the presentation that counts rather than quantity..

Needles to say the wine list was extensive and expensive and the previous night we had a bottle of Fleury but at this late hur now nearly 10 pm it was all to late and so we had the house red, also not cheap.

Due to the lateness of the dinner we missed the Euro Cup final which I understand was walkover.

With regard to the Chateau its is quite beautiful but still some work to be done both inside and outside the building and the carpark is a it of mess, but hopefully they will get there. I would stay here again but me and the cuisine would be a problem.

Its bed time

Paris to the Chateau Du Theil in Ussel

We packed our bags and went down to breakfast which was quite a choice so no complains and left the Hotel around 1015 with an approx. 4.5 hours journey to the Correze area of France where the chateau is located.

After leaving the Hotel and not knowing the roads to well we made one small slip and headed on the the wrong direction on the A86 but soon was able to recover and turn around to go on the correct direction.

We new we were approaching a tunnel with height restriction of 2 metres and our  car is 1.640  but it seemed a lot lower but this motorway tunnel went on for 10 kilometres  and was quite interesting to drive through. So we took motorways all the way using our Bip and Go which enables you to use the Tele at the Peage (Toll Station)and saves a lot of hassle. The weather was quite warm but we stopped for some petrol which was bloody expensive and some baguettes for lunch and then carried on with Jennifer enjoying the driving for a while until we finally stopped for lunch in an Aire with the temperature around 31 Centigrade.

It was quite clear that the Dutch are now on holiday as the amount of Dutch registered cars heading south on the motorway was staggering

We carried on up the motorways and eventually joined the A89   (Lyon to Bordeaux) which we used in the past when leaving our caravan site in Ebruil and heading for the Lot Valley but mostly it was raining and so never enjoyed the magnificent views of the three Volcanos and also other mountains with the road climbing to 1000 metres and with views over the rivers , well worth driving down.

We eventually arrived at the Chateau which is finished (almost) on the inside but will still some clearing up to do on car parks and roads to those parking areas. We checked in and had a brief rest and then went down for an evening beer prior to dinner.

With Noels food restrictions I had previously advised the Hotel Chef so it was not a last minute issues but they had it well covered and being only a smallish restaurant and when we entered it was nearly empty so we could discuss everything. 

The restaurant by 9pm was virtually full and it also looked most of the bedroom , only 12, were all taken.

After dinner we went on the balcony and finished off the bottle of Fleury as the sun went down and then off to bed around 10 pm. A nice day was had by all.

Early start to the day

The alarm was buzzing at around 0700 and so an early breakfast and then  finish packing the last few bits in the cat and we departed around 0815 for ||West Byfleet en -route for the Eurotunnel at Folkestone.

The traffic to Junction 10 on the A3 was quite as expected but the finale 25 miles of max 50 mph due to so called testing of systems was a real pain and slowed us down quite a bit but  we finally arrived at the terminal at about 0940 and were put on an earlier train at 1054 which was good, The French Customs was only operating at 50% of the gates open and this caused quite some chaos with cars trying to butt in and drivers getting our cars and having shouting matches, bloody efficient  the French Ha Ha???

We finally boarded and left on time and arrived in France around 1240 and so on the the Motorway for Paris and hoping our BIP and GO would work and thank heavens it did.   Around 1400 we stopped at a services which was packed with mostly French drivers and families enjoying lunch and we had our sandwiches, used the Loos and and then departed for our Hotel on the West Side of Paris Called the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Bourgival . There had been an accident so we had a rather slow last 30 minutes but arrived at the Hotel around 16.30 and parked in their multi story which was empty apart from us.

A quick rest followed by dinner and a couple of drinks in the restaurant Jennifer had a beef compote which looked and tasted great but due my food restrictions OI ended up with grilled salmon and French fries and washed down with a beer and a couple of glasses of red wine. And the after dinner we walked across the road  to the River Seine and a short walk in then evening sun having temp around 25 C this evening and so quite nice to sit their and watch the world go by.

After this we returned to the room and Noel did his blog and Jennifer read her book. Thee Hotel  is in need of an upgrade and re decoration but otherwise served its purpose having paid for it on Hilton Points

Oh well time for bed.

We are off again tomorrow for a couple of weeks in France

It was quite a busy day preparing  for our travels as we have to consider different weather, and what to wear and what o take with us.

Noel had a meeting with his Old Gits Coffee group in the afternoon allowing free time for Jennifer to pack  without any interruptions and also clear out the fridge.

We are leaving for France tomorrow morning around 0800 and against better judgement are using the Eurotunnel, although reasonably efficient is a pain in the but to use.

In th evening it was a time glued to the TV to watch Chelsea take on Real Betis in the European Conference  league cup final and although being one down at half time CFC came out of their shells in the second half and won 4-1 not bad really.

And so to bed