Early Winter, Saturday 4 December 2021

Because Sangatte is so near the UK, but an hour ahead, it didn't even begin to try to get light until nearly 08:30, at which point the Swan Whisperer decided to go for a run.  No sooner had he set foot out of doors than it began to rain, and by the time he got back, he was soaked to the skin.  Nothing that a hot shower couldn't help, but unfortunately one of the seat cushions has got very wet from where he put his wet clothes, and I am sure that it will be covered in sooty mould when next we see it.  He says it will dry, and so it will, but will it dry before the sooty mould sets in?

Meanwhile, I'd done a bit of packing and got breakfast ready, and after breakfast we drove over to Cité Europe where I did a final last shopping in Carrefour (I didn't take any photos today, so this is the second photo of the display of dried fruits - which I bought one of - that I took ten days ago). 

I also bought marrons glacés and chocolate orange peel for Christmas.  And one or two other things, like a chicken for tomorrow and some liver (the Swan Whisperer adores it, and it is so much more easily bought in France than here) for later in the week.

Then it was time to head for the Eurotunnel terminal, so we went through - again, they wanted the card I had booked the crossing with, despite my having cancelled it with them.  The very nice man who came to rescue us said it was a known bug in their programming, and he had had to help several people in the exact same situation.  But I had succeeded (with much swearing) in uploading all our documentation this time, so we didn't have to drone round the houses, and, apart from a minor contretemps with French passport control because their counterparts at Folkestone hadn't stamped our passports with the date of entry into France, we got through very quickly and ended up on the noon crossing, rather than the 12:20 on which we were booked.

But setting our watches to UK time didn't mean resetting our stomachs, so we stopped at Clackett Lane Services to eat our lunch (thus taking the final meal of the holiday in the same place as we had the first one), and arrived in our village just as the wedding party was leaving - we had been uninvited, or should I say disinvited, when the new restrictions came in.  So we had a brief word with our daughter and family, and then stopped again to greet the bride and groom and congratulate them in passing.  And, indeed, for a brief word with my mother and sister, and with my other nephew and his partner, who were staying.  My sister had kindly brought our unwanted wedding garments downstairs so we could load them on top of everything else.  I am quite sure that dress is jinxed - every time I want to wear it to a wedding, something happens and I can't go!

They all went off to the reception, and we transferred everything to the car, and made sure we had everything from the motor home.  And the Swan Whisperer washed it, and we turned off the fridge and the electricity (and he had to run back to turn off the gas) and emptied the loo and what was left of the grey water and the clean water..... and so back to London and mammoth unpacking and much swearing when there was no room in the cupboards for things!  Some of my purchases have had to stay in their crate.  I must go and finish unpacking the clothes I didn't wear, and the washing kit, etc..... am very tired tonight, but as we now have to isolate until we can get our PCR tests back, I won't need to do anything much tomorrow.

We're now planning to hibernate, more or less, until the end of February or the beginning of March; we will check up on the motor home when we go down at Christmas, though, and there may be one or two Expotitions between now and then.  Which will be reported on!