29th June 2009- What lovely little towns

It was a bright sunny morning again and we thought we would take a trip around the area to discover our new surroundings, although we have been coming to the LOT area of France for many years we have tended not to venture North of our previous camp site and so today we would attempt to rectify that.

We left the site mid morning and already it was beginning to get quite warm and the car temperature was showing 28 degrees centigrade. We stopped in Carlucet Village to take a quick photo, but will return here when we can walk from the camp site, and headed off towards the town of Gramat which was pretty much closed, On Mondays they tend to shut up shop if their insufficient visitors or local spending money available and so we walked around the town for a while and took a few photos and by this time it was close to midday and we needed to get some lunchtime food and found a little supermarket and purchased our vitttels for the day. On studying the map we noticed there was a good route round some of the known 'prettiest villages in France' and we therefore decided to visit them. We drove through country lanes and then after a while we saw the sign for the first place we were to visit called Autoire and also a sign for a view point but Noel could not see much point in stopping as there was no obvious view. However as we went round the corner and there was this amazing view and of course nowhere to turn around and so we will return another day. We arrived in Autoire which no doubt is picture perfect as some of our photos will show.

After a look round we found a car park overlooking the valley and had our lunch. Our drive then took us to the next town called Loubressac which is perched on the top of a hill and also very pretty and so more photos were taken. By this time the temperature was reaching around 32 degrees Centigrade and getting a little warm for walking around towns and up hills and so we retired to the car and turned on the air-conditioning and soon after we both felt more comfortable. A slow drive back to camp took us through several other villages, but not as attractive as those mentioned earlier , and we got back and immediately dived in to the beautiful swimming pool which was even at the right temperature for Jennifer to enjoy.

We cooked up some pork steaks and had those with a nice salad and then headed down to the bar for Noel to do some emails and update Blogs and photos. There were about eight people in the bar including us and it was a very nice evening and we also started talking about some noisy campers (British I'm afraid) whom we all think should be shot. They seem completely unable to communicate amongst themselves except by shouting at each other and it reminds me very much of the Hong Kong Chinese and those Yanks who live in New York, where the background noise is so high. they shout without realising what they are doing. If it continues then I will call Gordon Brown and ask him to sort it out as at least he would have done something useful in his life.

We got back to the caravan around 11 pm and hit the sack and it was still quite warm.

28th June 2009- An easy day and a night in the bar

We had quite an easy day really and just enjoyed the sun and did some reading and then walked completely around the camp site and took some photographs of the views etc.

A large part of the day was spent reading and Noel caught up with blogs and photos etc and a few outstanding emails before we spent some time at the pool and enjoyed a good swim and an early dinner of poulet grille et salade (or something like this) or chicken and salad to the uninitiated. The camp site owner had agreed to print out some documents that we needed and so we went down the bar for a quick swift one and we ended up spending the evening there in the company of Stuart and Sheila, the owners, and two other couple who were passing by the area.

It was a very interesting evening with lots of discussion on managing camp sites, the dismal control by a Caravan Club Rally manager and the absolute disregard for the arrangements that Stuart had made for them at personal cost which then caused him some embarrassment with his suppliers. I do not think that he will allow further rallies from this organisation.

There also appears to be a small epidemic affecting household pets, viz cats and dogs, and also sheep where an insect, apparently new to the area and almost unknown, sting's the animals in the eye and in the case of sheep and one of the owners cats it turns them blind. Of course discussion turned to UK politics and also the recent death of Michael Jackson.

We got back to the caravan around 1130 pm but it was a good night.

27th June 2009- Awning up and some shopping

Gosh, the sun is shining and it's really quite warm compared to the area where we were located before. It is at least 10 degrees centigrade warmer and perhaps even more.

Putting up the awning was more simple this time as we have had good experience in Ebreuil and as we are not putting it up completely that is without sides it did not take to long at all to get organised. This site is very quiet indeed and even the birds and bees sound noisy.

In the afternoon we headed for a town called Gourdon which is about 28 kilometres from here and did some food shopping in the supermarket and we noticed that there was a big fete taking place and therefore no parking whilst we were a little late and didn't want to get delayed any further so we did not stop and explore. But the town looks very interesting and we shall return soon for a good look round the place. Some of the afternoon we spent reading and relaxing and really just enjoying being warm.

Jennifer cooked salmon with a pasta and pesto sauce which was most enjoyable except for the fact we were suddenly approached by every little fly from miles around and had to fight them off. This was strange as no flies were around at breakfast or lunch so we may have just been unlucky. A fairly early night was had and we both slept well.

26th June- Time to leave Ebreuil

We left the camp site around 930 am and headed off to the motorway in the direction of Clermont Ferrand and then shortly afterwards we turned east in the direction of Tulle and Brive. The last we did this trip it chucked it down with rain but this time it was not so bad and the views along this road are truly spectacular but unfortunately you cannot stop on French motorways to take photos as for some reason the gendarmes do not appreciate it.

Some of the new bridges on this motorway are spectacular to look at and quite amazing to drive over and it would really be great if you could stop and take some photos.

The roads were fairly light on traffic and as we were getting on real well we decided that we would get to the site and have lunch there. The site is still quite empty and we had a good choice of where tp rak the caravan but in the end we chose and used the caravan mover to place it correctly. At the last site the caravan was leaning a little partly due to us not checking it correctly but also due to us sinking in the to the soft earth and mole holes. This time we needed to get it correct and so we were in a short time level front to back and side to side and were quite pleased with ourselves. We turned on the electrics and gas and as this site has water a water waste per site we could connect the van directly for both services. We then discovered that our new and only used once water connection had slightly perished and sprung a leak. We fixed that leak and then there was another and then another and then we said what to do. As we also had a new extension water pipe we tested that and it looked Ok and so with a bit messing around we used this and finally we were fully set up.

The swimming pool looks very inviting but we will perhaps try that tomorrow.

Tonight we had booked a table at the site restaurant and Sheila cooked us an excellent dinner and with some wine made for a great evening. We talked to a couple on a nearby table about mutual travel experiences whilst the site owner Stuart regaled us with some of his and that they would not be there tomorrow as they were attending a wedding in Cahors.

Gosh its quiet here u can hear every little bird and bee whizzing past as you go off to sleep

25th June- Time to start packing up

The sun was shining but it was still only 16 degrees when we awoke.

There had been quite a heavy due the previous evening and so we left it a while before taking down the awning which can take a couple of hours although we are geting much faster now. By early afternoon everything was packed up that could be and the camp site owner arrived to say they had fixed the interenet problem and could I please double check. I did check and it worked for three minutes and then cut off. No comment.

We needed to get some cash and went in to Ebreuil to the bank, both of them were closed although one may open later in the day and as this was a bit risky and so we went in to Gannat and went to the first bank we saw called 'Banque Popular' but apparently they cash travellers cheques and we would have to go to another bank but he was not sure which or who would cash a Travellers cheque. I thought why are they called the Popular Bank?

Credit Agricole was opene and easily cashed the cheques and a short time later we were on our way.

We had decided that on out last night we would eat out as the take away that night was Duck with an orange stuffed somewhere and as Noel is not so fond of Duck after so many years in Asia we decided to try the Pizza place in town which had been closed last time we attempted to go there. The pizzas were really good and quite the best we have had for some while and very very large indeed and together with a bottle of cheapo wine we had a great night.

24th June 2009-

The weather is still not what we expect and so Noel has contacted the camp site in Carlucet to check on the weather and see if they have space for us earlier than we planned.

No problem they said and so we decided that enough is enough, bad weather is one thing but the lacl of internet was another and se we decided to move on early and will plan to leave on Friday this week. This afternoon we did some shopping locally and generally took it easy and sat watched the river go by. Just to explain the weather is not really bad just not what we expect when being here as in the past its been very warm but not this time.

A quiet evening and then off to bed.

23rd June 2009- Heading East of Vichy

We have visited Vichy many times over the last few years but never really gone east to look at the area and so today was the day to look around this area.

An early morning start, well around 0930 we left on a greyish day and headed in to Vichy and then round the outskirts to find our way to the road that would take us South East and then we would do a large loop back to Vichy. However as we were leaving Vichy town we spotted a camp site by the river and decided to have a quick look and although it was good if you want to visit the town, it's got nothing to really offer otherwise, so back to our journey.

We took all the small class roads, called D class, and we went uphill and downhill and round many corners and through woods and also forestry driven areas and also natural forests and through many small villages and after about two hours we stopped in a small town for a cup of coffee and check out the local loo's. All the tables were set for lunch and shortly after 12.15 all the truckers and local office workers and other passer's by trooped in We were not surprised it was so popular as there was nowhere else to eat for miles around.

We stopped on the top of a hill and had our lunch overlooking the valley and reservoir before heading off through more hills and woods and piles of logs which were ready for despatching to the saw mill. We finally arrived back in Vichy and bought some fish in Carrefour ready for tomorrow night and then headed back to camp and of course the internet had now stopped working totally. Noel prepared many emails etc which went nowhere and this has to be resolved either by us moving on earlier to our next site or finding somewhere local.

We finished the evening watching a couple of episodes of Black Adder which is always good to watch. Gosh it cold again tonight, what has happened to the good weather.

22nd June – I take it all back!

Just when you though it was getting better it didn't and the bloody internet did not work on the four times I tried over a day. Anyway enough of that!

We decided to take a drive out to the West of Ebreuil with Jennifer doing here good bit of map reading and taking us down small lanes where Brits have never trodden before we thinks!. There are some lovely little villages that we passed though and we went back to Chateau Veuce which was owned by a rather strange British guy who was in the process of trying to renovate the place and with the limited amount of money he had he could not keep up with it. He used to rent out rooms and hold concerts but the local authorities have told him that since one of the towers has fallen down that no more public is admitted. It's a shame really and what he needs is a good Russian billionaire to help out.

From there we came across a large virtually unoccupied camp site which was a very nice place and overlooking a very beautiful lake which was designed for wind surfing. The only people who seemed to be there were a couple of English ladies with three dogs who were resting in the garden of one of the chalets whilst their husbands we rebuilding a ruin some miles away. You could tell the girls were not interested in the building work in the manner in which they referred to their husbands little project. As mentioned this is a great site but theu had overlooked one thing in the design and that it all the spaces are up a four inch kerb which most caravans would not be able to do. Also the hedging is so close to the inner roads that there is not room for the car to act as tug in the tight space. For tents and Motor Homes it would be fine. But why it is empty we cannot understand as it is also very cheap. Strange world!

The country side is beautiful around this area and with the hills and dales and woods and little villages was very nice. Unfortunately we had not realised what the time was and all the shops were shut for us to purchase lunch and so we headed back to the caravan for a late lunch.

We enjoyed a cold lamb salad for dinner and then watched the terry Gilliam film 'BRAZIL' which is a great film although I am not sure that Jennifer enjoyed as much as I did. It was a very long film and by the time it was finished it was bed time. Where do the days go?

21st June 2009 – Good heavens’ the internet is working

For some reason I can't explain the site internet worked most of yesterday. How do I know? This was due to the fact that first thing in the morning I went to check the result of practise for the UK Formula One race at Silverstone and then later in the day checked on the results.

It's quite crazy that you can listen to most BBC radio station on-line no matter where you are in the world but when we tried to listen to the live race commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live they announced that they are not allowed to share this with overseas listeners and so we could not listen.

The weather here so far has not been as warm as previous years. It's not cold but it isn't the regular 29 degrees we expected and have normally experienced during our past visits. When checking the weather forecast yesterday it would appear that the LOT Valley, our next port of call, is much warmer and so we are looking forward to that.

Today we spent all of the time around the site whilst Noel finalised all information to update the Company reunion Blog which thank heavens' was successful so know he can relax a little more. Tonight we are having a typical English Dinner, Roast leg of lamb and potatoes with some fresh vegetable ,well fresh from the frozen packet that is, and we have decided to give up the wine for a week although we haven't quite decided which week it will be. We have suddenly become surrounded by British campers, one lot of four adults fitting in to a van small enough for two whilst further down the field another English couple have very pitched a large tent which somehow they got in to their Ford Ka, in fact they could use the tent as garage if they wished as its so big.

A little light reading in the evening followed by an old DVD made in France in 1973.

20th June- The music festival that never was

We were looking forward to the Ebreuil music festival later on this evening but more of that later.

It was a nice morning and very good for walking and so off we trotted to visit the hillside village of Saint Foye which is about five kilometres from the camp site but mainly uphill all the way until you reach the peak at 480 metres. The walk itself was very nice along small country lanes and past some flowers where black and white butterflies were nestling or seeking comfort. The village is quite small and mostly related to the farms and on the very top is a free range chicken farm, which is very good to see, with thousands of birds running around enjoying themselves and getting fit for the dinner table..

On the top of the hill overlooking Ebreuil Town is a small and very compact Chapel which could seat about twenty people, which no doubt is the entire population of Saint Foye as many of the houses are obviously holiday homes and 'Gites' for rent. We then headed back downhill to the camp site and enjoyed a pleasant lunch before the afternoon of reading. The evening was going to be good we thought.

The camp site had filled up quite a bit since we left with people encroaching on to our field and as they were mostly English, including white van man, I am thinking about writing to Monsieur Sarkozi to blog the boats at Calais with the French fisherman.

We had planned to eat at the newish Pizza joint only when we got there, there was a sign saying that due to exceptional circumstances they were closed. Oh dear so off to the Auberge where they said there was no space this evening and we were just thinking of driving to Gannat and remembered the small wine bar on the corner where we think they do food. We were in luck although tonight being a town gala night, they had a restricted menu which was a 'Tartane' (we think that how it is spelt) but it was a half of a brown baguette with a choice of Poulet, Andoulette or Jambon cru as a topping which was mixed with onions and covered in cheese and served with a salad. It was very tasty and together with a glass of wine most enjoyable. The wine bar had employed a musician for the evening that arrived and started sing droll French songs so after fifteen minutes when he started singing an English song with the words, what am I doing here, we agreed and left to see the main show of the evening.

Last year we had the combined guitar group of Ebreuil and then the mostly female Church choir being veraciously conducted by a demonic Vicar and it was all fun to watch. Tonight however they had sort of given up and there was a couple of street buskers playing guitars and a several kids waiting to play their flutes. What a disappointment and as we had hoped for something typically French the buskers started playing 'La Bamba'. So we left.

The rest of the evening was spent reading.

19th June- Who said the Launderette, is not exciting!

What a grey miserable day it is today and looks like it will rain soon. However we had an early start of to Gannat to find the launderette which is hidden in a side street in the main town.

What could be nicer than watching your 'smalls' twirling around the machine whilst the grey clouds passed overhead. Boy this is exciting stuff. This activity required a strong cup of coffee and so we found a small bar and watched the locals tossing back the cognac at about nine thirty in the morning. Better you than I 'Gunga Din'. One hour later we were done and we headed off for Carrefour shop in Vichy to do some food shopping. The choice of food in this shop is really incredible and the quality and quantity of the fresh fish and lobsters and crabs is quite amazing. We purchased some white looking fish called 'Julian' which we thought was a strange name for a fish as we thought all fish were female!!.

However whatever this name of the fish but together with rice and frozen veggies the result was excellent

A quick lunch from the Casino take away together with an excellent ice cream, still not as good as those in New Zealand, but passable. We returned to camp site and Noel tried to use the internet again but it was down yet again. Noel has know started aking in the middle of the night shouting out strange worlds like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and so perhaps the continual frustration is getting to him.

A nice young English couple have camped almost next door to us and its their first visit to France and they really seem to be enjoying themselves which was nice to see. Just before bed we did our usual walk around the site to see who is new etc and we bumped in to another English couple who must have been demolishing the wine at a good rate as his nose lit up the campsite whilst his wife was miserable as sin. Oh it takes all types.

We watched a French film 'La Reine Margot' lots of blood and religious intrigue with the Catholics and the Protestants killing each indiscriminately just like they did in Northern Island some years ago. Religion has so much to answer for. When writing the BLOG about a Vichy trip some days ago I thought I would look up some history of the place but my first few attempts only drew my attention to the Vichy 'puppet government' and also they help the locals gave the Germans in finding the Jewish population to enable them to visit the concentration camps in Poland etc. All this was so depressing I gave up and concentrated on the pretty streets.

We need a world without racial and religious tension and we would all be much happier and safer.

Change of subject, when is Gordon Brown likely to go as I want to ring Paddy Power and place a bet.

You see what I mean the Launderette is exciting!!

18th June- A quiet day at the office

The weather was rather pleasant today and not to hot but great for just hangin' out. Which is precisely what we did.

Noel got rather fed up as he is still having problems with the internet with it sometime working and other times not and it a real pain.

The sun shone down and we both read books and listened to the river burbling by and the day passed by in a quiet sort of way and it was most enjoyable. Tomorrow is an exciting day with a visit to the newish Launderette in Gannet followed by some shopping in Vichy at the excellent Carrefour Hypermarket with a view to visiting their fish counter and purchase Friday night dinner.

Sory about this boring old report but if you want something interesting look at the MP's expenses as published by the Government and weep!

Bi for now

17th June- A quiet day at the ranch

Following our longish day out to Riom on the previous day we decided to have an easy day and enjoy the sun.

However Noel was in need of some plastic slip on/off shoes which he could buy in the amazing little but large shop in Ebreuil. We first visited this shop many years ago when all they sold was house ware and gardening and some farming instruments. Now it is huge and they sell anything from TV's and DVD to anything to build a house. The area outside and behind the store is now chock full of sand and cement and its like a large Travis Perkins and B&Q rolled in to one and its a fascinating shop to tour. Anyway fifteen minutes and a pair of plastic shoes at the equivalent of four quid we were on our way.

Jennifer spent the rest of the day reading and then Noel spent time finishing up the Blog covering the company function he has been working on and eventually started up the BBQ again this time for sirloin steak and sausages together with a mixed salad and of course a glass or two of some well known French red wine. Sitting in the sunshine and enjoying a steak and wine by the side of the river Sioule is a great way of spending the evening and difficult to beat as a pastime.

We did our evening walk around the site and still do not understand the following. At one end of the site there is an area broken up by trees and small bushes of sufficient size to allow a caravan or tent and ther are perhaps 40 emplacements and they are mostly full and you can hear and easily see your neighbour but where we are there is a three acre field and only us on it. Maybe its us? Anyway we don't care as we have tons of room and nobody to worry about offending.

We shall go for a walk tomorrow if its not to hot.