Lockdown Lifted, 17 July

Last night's couscous wasn't very nice, but we ate it anyway!  And I slept a lot better than I had the previous couple of nights. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, as he usually does when we park up at Chamery, but he got a bit turned round and went further than he meant, which then delayed both breakfast and our getaway.  Not too badly, but we were an hour later than I should have liked. 

Our first port of call was, of course, the local hypermarket, which in this case was an E Leclerc, where I bought mostly vegetables for our casserole this evening.  And some strawberry tartlets as a treat, which got a bit squashed because I forgot they were there and put the fruit juice down on them!  

In the car park, just as I was about to take the trolley back and reclaim my token, suddenly, wonderfully, a squadron of what I think must have been the French equivalent of the Red Arrows flew overhead in formation, and let off their tricolour smoke.  Sadly, all over in 30 seconds, before I could even think of getting my phone out to take a picture, but it was glorious!

We then had another long, dull drive down the motorway to the rather unlovely municipal aire in Nuits St Georges. We have stayed here before, but its ain attraction is free services which we will use in the morning. 

It has been a lovely warm day today, only not very sunny.  The battery went up to its maximum 13. 5 at one stage, which led the SW to play with our new television.  Not desperately satisfactory as its plug doesn't work so it either has to trail across the kitchen or the loo!  Still, we will have fun with it when we have electricity, and it is an awful extravagance really!  But it will be lovely if they have another Oberstdorf and we can watch the livestream there on a big screen.

I had thought of going to the Cassisarium, which is only a few hundred metres from here, and which has reopened, but then bottled it.  I'm sure it would have been perfectly safe really, especially masked, but I find I'm not quite ready for that sort of thing yet.  So I read and dozed for a bit while the SW went up to the local Mr Bricolage to get some screws and then explored the town centre. 

And tomorrow, all being well, we reach the mountains!  How I am looking forward to it - I have so missed my week in the Alps this year. 

Pre-dinner drinks

Our new toy!