Late Spring holiday, 9 May 2026

Givry-en-Argonne, Grand Est, France

Still no services this morning, and Camping-Car Park haven't replied to my email, so I am not pleased with them. They are usually far more efficient than that. We put a notice on the services saying "En Panne", but you would have thought they would have done that, and provided an alternate source of water - if only a bowser, or directions to a nearby standpipe! 

Anyway, after breakfast I went round to Lidl to get another free baguette on my points, and also found some merguez reduced for quick sale, so I'll make a couscous tomorrow. Tonight is our traditional Saturday sausage and mash. I also bought some strawberries, but didn't buy asparagus as it was rather expensive. Later I wished I had, as it was even more expensive in Auchan. Anyway, once I had done that, there was little to keep us, so we headed on, 

First port of call was an Auchan for fresh milk, which Lidl doesn't sell, and I couldn't resist some fromage frais with raspberries. The SW had coffee while I was doing this, and then we joined the A26, on which we stayed until just before Reims. We stopped at a random picnic area for lunch, which was really rather pleasant.

At Reims, we came off the motorway, and went on progressively slower roads, ending up on the D70, which brought us to a very nice free aire in this little hamlet. 

We are behind a small Carrefour, in which you can buy a token for either 10 minutes of water or 2 hours' electricity, so we did that, and emptied the loo and put some more water in the tank, plus a containerful for the SW to wash the windscreen. We had driven through a swarm of flying insects, and it was covered! I popped in a few minutes later to get some scrubbers, as we'd left ours at home, and although we do have a washing-up brush, it is less effective on tea stains in mugs! I then did some of the tai chi form, and when the SW had finished cleaning the windscreen, he went off to see if there is anywhere he can go for a run in the morning (probably only a short one) and I did some crochetinig in front of YouTube. I hope the SW will get supper soon. 

The birdsong here is exceptional! Ranging from cockerels to cuckoos, and anything in between! The SW has a wonderful list from his walk, and says there are frogs, too. 

But I am sad this evening, as news came through that a contemporary of mine has died very suddenly of a massive stroke. I didn't know her well, as she was in the parallel class and a different House, but all the same.... It is sad. 

Late Spring Holiday, 8 May 2026

Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais

We were horribly low on water this morning, so did not shower but made do with a "possible wash" in the basin (you know - you wash down as far as possible, then you wash up as far as possible, and then you wash possible). 

The Swan Whisperer went out to buy croissants and, incidentally, to look at the local cemetery in case it had a tap so we could get water - CCP still haven't fixed the services, and I gather they have been out of use for several days. Unlike them to be so inefficient, but they haven't even put a notice on them saying "En Panne", far less produced a bowser of water! I have emailed them to complain - not that it will do any good - and will write them a bad review when the time comes.

So after breakfast we drove up to the cemetery and filled our water tank. We didn't quite like to connect our hose to the cemetery tap, so the SW filled our 11-litre watering can several times. We think we have enough to do us, certainly for the morning and, hopefully, as far as Strasbourg on Sunday.

When we got back to the CCP, I went out to Lidl, which is only marginally further away than it is at home, and which doesn't observe public holidays (which today is, but in France). When I got back, the SW was busy mending the bedroom door, which broke again yesterday. We badly need a new latch for it, but he has made a sort of Heath Robinson arrangement with a spider clip. Then it was lunch-time, and after that we flopped on the bed for what was supposed to be half an hour, but the SW went sound asleep, and it was about 90 minutes later when I woke him to suggest we had a cup of tea before heading out for our walk.

We had a lovely walk along the canal for a bit, and then past the ruins of St Bertin's Abbey,

and then past the Church of Saint-Denis. 

 It said there was a fountain, but it was not an ornamental one, rather it was some kind of historic standpipe or something. The church, disappointingly, was locked. We walked back to the campsite past a Carrefour City, as the SW wanted milk and he doesn't like UHT stuff, but it was closed. So back to the WoMo - he went on a little further to look at the marshy area beyond, but I didn't join him. Then he nipped out for some more beer, as we only had a smallish bottle in the fridge, and now it is supper time. Photospam on Facebook. 

Late Spring Holiday, 7 May 2026

Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais

The Swan Whisperer had to get up at 05:30 this morning to open up the Youth Club to be a polling station. I had had every intention of getting up then, but I must have fallen asleep straight away, as it was 06:45 next time I looked at my clock! This meant, of course, that it was after 08:30 before we got away, and we didn't get to Sussex until nearly 11:00. 

We decided it wasn't worth filling up with water, as we would have services this evening, so only put a few litres in, to get us there. Spoiler alert: Big Mistake. 

We made good time to Folkestone, stopping at Clackett Lane services to eat our sandwiches, and were pleased to be offered a crossing at 16:16 rather than the 16:46 we had been booked on. I discovered I had forgotten to enter our API, and had a bit of trouble finding out how to do it, although the man in the customer services seemed to think it wasn't necessary (I don't think he was right. Plus he gave me some extremely dubious information about what to do next time. I do think customer service reps ought to know what they are talking about; they very often don't, though!). Anyway, I found the correct login in the end, and was able to enter the info before we went through passport control. 

We were well on time for our crossing, but they suddenly said the next crossing was at 16:46 and they apologised for the delay, which wasn't very nice of them. I do wish they wouldn't do that! I don't at all mind going on our booked crossing; I do mind when they muck us about. 

Anyway, once we got going, that was fine. We stopped at the Cité Europe for me to shop and the SW to get diesel, which was horrendously expensive. And then a smooth run to Saint-Omer. 

But the services have broken down! We tried and tried to get them to work, but they wouldn't, and when the SW rang up they told him there was a fault and "they were working on it", but couldn't tell him when they would be mended. So we have almost no water, and I have no idea where we can get some. And we have booked here for two nights; I assume they will refund me if we can't stay the second night! They would have need to! 

There is a cemetery up the road, and that may well have running water; they often do. Otherwise we'll have to buy water from the local Lidl, which is just round the corner. 

I had made a big vegetable stew for supper, which we had with rice and an egg poached in it, but it wasn't very nice.... 

We have, by and large, had better starts to our holiday! 

A walk in London, 27 April 2026

 The Swan Whisperer left the charging cable for his computer in Sussex on Friday.  Fortunately our niece was able to bring it back to London, and today we went to her office to pick it up - sadly, she was too busy to come out to lunch with us.  I decided to go too, and then we could have a walk afterwards.  I forgot to set my watch recording when we came out of Temple Underground station, but this was our walk from Cs office onwards:

I'm surprised it was so long - we went fairly slowly through the Middle and Inner Temples and along Fleet Street towards St Paul's .  I spotted a Cote, and remembered that they are offering a daily special for just £10 at the moment, and that Monday's is steak and chips.  The SW didn't really believe me, but I was proved right, and very good it was, too.  And not too much!

After that, we walked across the Millennium Bridge, and along the South Bank to Borough Market, stopping at a random ice-cream van to buy a 99 each, and so to Borough High Street, where we had to wait an unconscionable time for a 35.  But one came at last, and we came home - and I fell fast asleep in my chair for a couple of hours and am only just rousing up now!  A thoroughly enjoyable walk.  Photos on Facebook.

A week in Sussex; 20-24 April 2026

We've just spent the inside of the week staying with my 98-year-old mother, as my sister is in South Africa for a month, and looks to be having a wonderful time!  They have been on safari with friends - the son of an ex-boyfriend of my mother, and his wife - and will soon move on to Cape Town and stay with some cousins before flying home on the 6th.  We are all slightly envious!

Anyway, we had a lovely time in a very different way!  The woods are at their most glorious at this time of year, and as for the birdsong.... okay, it's mostly the usual suspects (robins, blackbirds, wrens, etc), but they are very loud and very cheerful.  It might be all about sex and turf wars, but it's still lovely.

(There was not enough room on the screen to show all the birds I heard in one photo!)

On Monday we arrived mid-morning, and the Swan Whisperer took the motorhome down to a place in Goring that does motorhome repairs, as previously arranged - it needed a couple of minor things seen to (it had had its service and MOT the previous week, in Lancing).  On the way home, he discovered that there was an art exhibition in Highdown Gardens, so in the afternoon we took my mother there, and enjoyed both the exhibition and a short walk round the accessible part of the gardens.

On Tuesday, Mum's carer said they were going kite-surfing that afternoon, and told us where, so after a visit to Tesco's  we drove down to look at the sea, but there the kite-surfers weren't!  Carer said next morning that the wind was too far offshore to be safe - they had thought it would be more to the east than it actually was.  But, apart from the wind, it was simply lovely!

On Wednesday the Swan Whisperer went on one of his very long walks, down to Goring Station, then train to Ford, walked up the Arun past Arundel, and then along the South Downs Way.   I took myself on a very much shorter, but equally enjoyable, walk in the woods, loving the spring flowers and birds (see above for the list I heard). 

Then in the afternoon we took the car south of the road, around the land there, and up to a viewpoint that I don't think I'd been to since my father died!  

On Thursday, the motorhome was ready so in the morning the SW went down to get it, and in the afternoon we drove round Clapham Woods again, up to the Oaks' Bottom (where my parents' ashes will probably eventually be scattered), although I didn't take any photos as we were in the car, and I didn't want to showcase how grubby the car windows are!  

On Friday we had to return to London in the afternoon, so the morning was spent doing the laundry and similarly necessary chores - packing everything (we had left various bits down there as we have been up and down since Easter).  It was the only day that there was a minor hiccup, as the carer who had been coming all week had had a night shift, and her replacement - who is, I gather, the other one's daughter-in-law - thought she was to come at 08:30, but she should have been there at 08:00 or just before.  This would not have mattered, but the hairdresser was due to come then - and did!  Fortunately Mum had realised what was happening, or not happening, and had got herself up, but it was a tad fraught.... Anyway, I got her breakfast ready and served it to her while she was under the dryer!

As it was our last day we went down to the village café, "The Junction" for lunch; the SW and I walking and Mum racing ahead on her scooter!  And very good it was, too.  We left about 16:30, but didn't get home until gone 19:00 as the traffic was horrible once we got to Mitcham!  My niece and nephew are staying with Mum over the weekend, and I have no idea what time they would have got there from Town, either!

A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing week!

Guildhall Art Gallery, 9 April 2026

 The Boys have been spending most of the Easter holidays with their other grandparents, but they are back in Town now, and came to visit us today.  We took them to lunch at Fish, Wings and Tings in Brixton; they have since pointed out that I had the fish, the Swan Whisperer had the wings, and they had the tings (to wit, chicken curry and curry mutton).  The Boy and I drank sorrel; the other two played it safe with diet Coke and Brixton beer!

After lunch, the Swan Whisperer, Boy Two and I - the Boy had to leave us to go and hit the books, as his GCSEs are imminent - went up to the Guildhall Art Gallery for the prime purpose of visiting the Heritage Gallery's exhibition on Epping Forest.  I had booked us tickets, but the receptionist said that was all she needed to know - she didn't need to actually see the tickets!  They were free, anyway, and granted access to the whole art gallery.

The exhibition was, as the receptionist warned us, very small, but nevertheless interesting.  It included a really old map of the City of London, and a Victorian map of Epping Forest together with some rather difficult to read info about how the City saved the Forest for London, and prevented it being "developed".  And some public notices about not littering and so on.  

We then visited the Roman Amphitheatre which was next door to that gallery - this was discovered when they were excavating the foundations for the building.  Very interestingly done - more photos on Facebook.

  We also looked at some of the pictures in the gallery - a very eclectic mix, although mostly about London.  One we loved showed the swearing-in of a Mayor, but none of the other aldermen present were listening, but were chatting among themselves!  

After that, we went to look at the church of St Lawrence Jewry, which was just across the courtyard.  This is a very old church, but the present building is Wren, although substantially rebuilt in the 1950s as it had been damaged in the War.  It was rather lovely, and I took a lot of photos, the best of which will be on Facebook.  

Then I had to go, as I had a much-needed hair appointment.  I left Boy Two and the SW to their own devices, and headed down the Tube at Moorgate.  But there were some lovely buildings from every era!  I do enjoy exploring the City.

Along the river, 6 April 2026

 A fine Easter Monday, for once, so we decided to walk along the river.  We've been along the South Bank umpteen times before, but we had never walked westwards - and there are some new bits to explore, thanks to the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which has created several new areas of reclaimed land along the Thames where they had works.  

We started by walking into Brixton, where we caught a no 2 bus to Vauxhall, and then a short walk brought us to the first of these, which is is Effra Quay, where the River Effra used to flow into the Thames but now flows directly into the Tunnel.  

It  has superb views over London to the east:

and definitely surreal ideas about seating areas:

Yes, those are what they look like!

I think these pipes are ventilators, but I could be wrong:

We moved on a bit, stopping to admire this very splendid lion on the edge of the quay proper (not, I think, yet in use)

past the Spies'R'Us building (otherwise known as MI6 HQ), to the Isle of Effra, which we thought was less exciting.  But they are building a garden below it (not accessible to the public), and there was an access hatch to the Effra itself!

Then we moved on towards Battersea Power Station, via the posh new developments:

Past lots of river transport

Including sailing dinghies

and barges, moored up.

Above is a good view of the former Power Station (known in certain circles as the Time Police HQ!)

This, below, was the second new bit of reclaimed land, known as the Heathwall Pumping Station, which we thought was a bit underwhelming.  There are plenty of other quays and islands, but on the other side of the river from where we were.

I don't know what the "Tideway Village" was, but there were a few privately-owned barges moored up in it.

and then, where we think was once where the coal barges came to service the power station, there was this rather splendid statue:

with these barges down below, between us and the horse

After which, the photogenic part of our walk came to an end, as we could go no further along the Thames.  So we cut down to the main road, and walked to the start of the P5 route, which took us home again!