Early Spring Holiday, 9 March 2026

Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire

Memo to self: Where we park in Vichy is in one of the car parks by the Mairie!  We had trouble finding it and at first the Swan Whisperer wanted us to park somewhere where it would be about 30 minutes walk to get to the spa park and back - I don't think so!  But eventually we found where we like to park, and it was gratifying free on a Monday.  This, of course, means that most shops are not open, but it is not closed up quite as much as Moissac, for instance, is, and many bars and cafés were doing a roaring trade.

We had a lovely walk.  I gather it was proposed(?) named(?) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and it is doing what it can to justify that nomination in terms of refurbishing the place.  Most of the park has been refurbished now, and looks very nice - the Swan Whisperer said it had been heaving the previous evening, and I'm not surprised - but a lot of work is still being done.  We were able to enter one of the "Sources", but not to drink the water, which is a pity.

  

After our walk, we headed on to what I hoped would be the nearest Lidl, but the Satnav started taking us all round the houses, and there was a large Carrefour, so I shopped there, instead.  After which I was very low blood sugar and felt cross and weepy, and it was a good 15 minutes to the picnic place where the SW had decreed we would have lunch.  Once that had happened, I felt sleepy (often do, after a hypo), and slept most of the way to Chalon-sur-Saône.  We are parked up in the municipal aire we have used before, and I'm looking forward to a walk in the morning.  The SW has gone for a leg-stretch and to remind himself of the layout of the place.  I, meanwhile, am very amused by the plethora of young people, obviously going to or from playing sport, who, by their hairstyles and dress, could be clones of my older grandson!  Teenagers everywhere look the same.... 

Early Spring Holiday, 8 March 2026

Bellerive-sur-Allier, Allier

Today made a lovely change from the wet days we've been having recently.  It was very cold overnight, and I rather wished, after I'd got up to use the loo, that I'd had a hot-water bottle!  And my clock said it was only 10°C when my alarm went off!  But it soon warmed up, and today has actually been a lovely warm, sunny day!

The Swan Whisperer went into the town before breakfast and bought a baguette and some Sunday patisserie (pear tarts, which I found slightly disappointing - too sweet, and not enough pear flavour).   We actually had ordinary toast for breakfast, as it was boiled eggs, and you can't make soldiers out of a baguette!

After breakfast, we visited the services and then drove into Maissiac, where we found a car park very near the centre, and had a lovely wander round.  The town is so very pretty - just the sort of mediaeval village I love, with just enough modern buildings and so on to keep it interesting and relevant.  There was a lovely modern complex with the Mairie and the schools - an elementary school and a "maternelle" (nursery school), at any rate; I don't know where the older children go.

Photospam on Facebook!  When we had finished our walk, we called in at a different patisserie and bought a couple of quiches for our lunch, which were very good.  We then went back to the motor home and had coffee, and by the time we had had that, it was time to watch our church service on livestream.  When that was pretty much finishing, we had our lunch - including the disappointing tarts - and then we set off to come here, which is on the outskirts of Vichy.  Last time we were here, it was very disappointing as the park was being renovated (which the French always amuse me by calling "relooking"), and there was very little to see.  The Swan Whisperer says it isn't finished yet - he went on an explore - but most of it is looking very grand.  

It was a lovely afternoon, and, along with many other people in this aire, we sat out for a bit.  The SW said that there were simply no parking places anywhere along the river - but on the first fine and warm Sunday afternoon of the year, what do you expect?  However, it cooled down, of course, and I was just moving back into the WoMo when the SW returned, so he put the chairs and table away - and just as he came in to sit down, it started to rain!  Only a very brief shower, but of course the other motorhomes here were rushing about to put their tables and chairs in.... We felt smug that we'd got ours in in time!  This place isn't a Camping-Car park, for once (I think the SW feels about CCPs like he used to about Ibis hotels - you always know what you're going to get), but it is in many ways even nicer.  Well, nicer than some - they do vary!  And, like the CCPs, we have electricity, and allegedly WiFi (which basically doesn't really work unless you are parked up absolutely snug to the router), and of course all services.

Early Spring Holiday, 7 March 2026

Massiac, Cantal

Another very wet morning.  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk round La Cavalerie, but my eyes are still slightly playing sillybuggers after the bites, and I decided to stay in the dry!

We had some discussion about where to spend the night.  Originally I had planned to spend last night at St-Hippolyte-du-Fort, but then changed it to La Cavalerie, which is actually a lot further from St-Hippolyte-du-Fort than I thought it was!  So where we had planned to spend tonight was rather too near.  So the Swan Whisperer discovered this Camping-Car Park in this little town of Massiac, just off the A75.  It's the kind that is a campsite in the summer, and a motorhome aire in the off-season.  I think we are the only people here, despite the fact that it is so  near the motorway, and has over 80 pitches!  It actually has usable WiFi, which makes a change - we are making the most of it!

However, I think we made a bit of a nonsense of today's journey!  Had we been going straight from St-Hippolyte-du-Fort to the motorway, it would have made sense to have shopped in the Auchan in Millau first.  However, what I hadn't realised was that the SW wanted to drive under the viaduct, and to do that first, rather than shop first and then go under the viaduct!  So in fact it would have made more sense to have shopped at the E Leclerc or similar - we had lunch in its car-park once - rather than go all the way to Auchan.  However,  it did mean a rather lovely drive through Millau, and we were in no real rush.

Except that I should have liked to have stopped at the aire du Garabit-Viaduc Eiffel, where we could probably have bought sandwiches for lunch and maybe even patisseries.  However, it was too late for that, but we did stop in an aire - forget which one - that sold local produce and got bread and also some cheese.  Not Roquefort  - we already have some of that, although only the rather industrial "Société"  This is a "Brique" made from sheep's milk, and 'M looking forward to trying it, as I do love briques made from both cows' and goats' milk!  I'd been really fancying a "jambon beurre" and had bought ham in Auchan, so that's what I had (and half an avocado and half a tomato) and very good it was, too.

We drove on up the A75, fortunately now out of the rain although you couldn't exactly call the weather very nice, stopping near Lorzac for the SW to have coffee and some fresh air.  We debated stopping at the Viaduc Eiffel, but you can see it from the road, so we decided honour was satisfied!  I didn't have time to take a photo, though, so today's photos are all rather bad ones of the Millau viaduct.

Maissac looks like a lovely small town, and I hope to explore in the morning, if the weather behaves (I think it will); the SW did go for a walk round and says it is as lovely as it looks.

Early Spring Holiday, 6 March 2006

La Cavalerie, Aveyron

Last night, when I was practising tai chi outside the van, I was tormented and distracted by flying insects.  I had, unfortunately, taken off my spectacles and left them in the motor home, only to discover, some hours later, that I have an insect bite on my right eyebrow- and just underneath my left one!  And two eyes that are nearly swollen shut, and very uncomfortable - and me not feeling very great.

Plus the price of diesel has gone up by 30 cents a litre since the attacks on Iran.  And it is raining, and it is cold.

All of which sounds very pessimistic, and I must admit, I've had better days!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and after breakfast we headed along the D999, stopping at a random Carrefour en route for a little shopping, including a decent citrus press - the one we have has too small a dome to be comfortable juicing oranges, and the nicer one is at home!  Also some more blood oranges, which are much cheaper here than they are at home.

We stopped in St Hippolyte-du-Fort to have our lunch, noticing the turnoff to Monoblet, where a friend has a house. but she's still in the UK just now.  It was still raining, so we didn't explore, but it looks like a town that would be worth exploring, as would various others along the route.  One town, Quissac, I think, even had a very promising-looking mediaeval centre.  We arrived up at La Cavalerie mid-afternoon; I promptly collapsed on the bed and went to sleep - I don't know whether the Swan Whisperer went for a walk or not.  If the weather is not significantly better in the morning we won't be doing our usual trek round the ramparts!  Or I won't be, anyway!  We plan to shop in Millau, which is only a few kilometres away, and maybe stop for lunch in the aire du Garabit, with the lovely railway viaduct.  If their visitor centre is open, we can get lunch there.

This photo is of the view from my bedroom window today - note the leaves on the trees, despite being at about 800 metres!

Early Spring Holiday, 5 March 2026

Bellegarde, Gard

Winter decided it wasn't quite ready to depart just yet, and today was very wintry!  It started off wet, and pretty much stayed that way.  The SW didn't want to go for a run, as it was so wet, but did get a 15-minute leg-stretch before breakfast and between showers!

{Antique-looking tractor in the barn at Mas Alart. The Swan Whisperer was fascinated!) 

We are a day ahead of ourselves, and spent a long time this morning trying to work out where we would like to spend the night before heading up to La Cavallerie tomorrow and getting back on track. Eventually we gave up, and went into the shop to say goodbye to Madame, who was on duty.  She showed us the relief map of the area which we hadn't really seen before, and pointed out that their particular area of France - they are between Perpignan and the coast - was once an independent Catalonia, but was divided between France and Spain in the 17th century.  I hadn't realised it came so far north!  The French Catalans, if Madame is typical, are proud of being Catalan, but quite happy to belong to France as well, unlike their Spanish cohorts, who would really rather be independent.

(Vines and olive tree at Mas Alart) 

Anyway, once we had made our farewells, we headed off to the local Lidl, where I did a shopping (we always go to that Lidl when we go to Mas Alart, it's one of our things!) while the SW had coffee, and when I came out, he said he had asked the Satnav to take us to the coast where we could park up, have lunch and make a final decision.  I was not very impressed by the sight of the Mediterranean today - all grey and very rough! 

We ummed and aahed - lots of places we would have liked to have gone, but this one was too expensive, especially as it didn't offer electricity; that one was much too expensive in the off-season; the other one was either full or closed.... Finally we settled on Bellegarde, where we have been before - the aire is beside the river port, and really rather pleasant, although nowhere to go for a walk without having to come back on yourself.  

We arrived about 17:30, and had a cup of tea, and then the SW went for a walk and I did a tai chi practice (my usual habit if I haven't had enough exercise), and then I made a butternut squash and mushroom risotto for supper, and very good it was, too!

Early Spring Holiday 4 March 2026

Mas Alart, Pyrenees-Orientales

The Swan Whisperer went over to the convenience store across the road first thing and bought croissants for breakfast, which were nice.  After breakfast, I went over and got what we needed for the day, and then the SW went for a walk, which he enjoyed.  We decided to drive to Quillan and have lunch there, and a walk round the town.  But oh, it is such a sad little town.  It is very pretty, with a river running through it - and a notice for anglers explaining where the town beat was, which fish were in season when, and that it was catch-and-release exclusively.  Apparently the river was used to float logs down to the mills - we saw several of the lorries that now perform this function during our day.

Anyway, the sad thing about Quillan was that almost all the shops were empty.  I saw a convenience store, a pharmacy (of course), whose window display made me smile,

a second-hand shop and an English bookshop, the latter only opening two hours a day.  Later I did see a post office and a gendarmerie, but where we walked was empty shop after empty shop, so sad, so depressing!

So we came away, and drove up to Atax, where there is a little railway that you can hire pedal-powered machines to go on.  The Swan Whisperer would have quite liked to, but the first free slot wasn't until tomorrow, so we didn't.  Instead, we drove along the lovely D117 to Perpignan, and then to Mas Alart.  They do seem to have partly, at least, built the faster road to the coast, and the poor Satnav had serious indigestion about it!  It is so new that not all the signs are up yet, and we did turn left where we arguably should have turned right, but ended up in Cabestany, although we had missed most of the roundabouts!  

I don't know whether the Belmas' are away at the moment, but it was the son who welcomed us and who sold us our wine.  For once, we are the only outfit here, which is nice.  We decided we would stay here for the night, and although the SW did shake out the fidgets, we have been here ever since.  I had to frog a bit of my knitting (not too disastrously), so have been trying to catch up on that, and also reading.  I made shakshuka for supper, which I hadn't made for awhile, and it was delicious.  In a bit, it will be time for our Lent Bible Study.  We are a day ahead of ourselves, and not quite sure where we will fit in another day, but I expect we'll find something.  France is such a lovely country, and we can either revisit places we know we like, or try new ones!  Or, indeed, a mix of both.

Early spring holiday, 3 March 2026

Bélesta, Ariège

A much better day!  I don't know what the Swan Whisperer did to either the burner or the hab door, but both are now behaving themselves!

He went for a run this morning, although I think it was a bit muddy.  I  got up and got breakfast - scrambled eggs today, only I put a little too much salt in them.  After breakfast, we drove the short distance into Moissac.  Last time we were there, almost exactly two years ago, it was a Monday, and everything was closed.  Today, however, is Tuesday, and things were open, especially the Abbey church.  It still celebrates Lauds and Vespers every day, as well as Mass, so I wonder if there is still a Community there.  Unfortunately, the museum that would have told us about it doesn't open until 13:30 at this time of year, and we wanted to be away by then.

Anyway, we had a most enjoyable walk, and then drove to the nearest Intermarché so I could shop. 

I had said I was not so sure about going to Carcassonne this evening, lovely town though it is, as I would have to pay €13.30 - about the same as I've been paying in the Camping-Car parks so far - and we would not have electricity.  The Swan Whisperer said that the CCP was even more expensive - I think he said >€17, and what do you expect in a tourist area? - so we decided to give it a miss.  The SW thought this place, Bélesta, might be nice - it is on the road towards Quillan and Perpignan, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, but not so high that we are at a great risk of frost.  I think we are about 436 metres above sea level.  It was rather a dreary drive, though, as the SW decided to go non-toll, and for a lot of the way it was roundabout after roundabout.  Once we got past Toulouse, which was very busy, it was much better, and the main road was very nice.  And lovely views of snow-covered mountains!

We are still a day ahead of ourselves, so I am not quite sure what we will do tomorrow.  We won't want to head straight to Mas Alart, as, lovely though it is, there isn't much to do there other than relax, once you have bought your wine.  Still, this little village may or may not be worth exploring in the morning.  Usefully, this CCP is just across the road from a small supermarket, which opens at 08:00, so we can get fresh bread and maybe even croissants for breakfast tomorrow.  Unlike last night, we have company, but only one other WoMo.

Early Spring Holiday, 2 March 2026

Saint Nicolas de la Gave, Tarn-et-Garonne

Not the world's best day!  We had decided to visit a highly-recommended motorhome repair place, about an hour's run in the wrong direction.  It was a very lovely drive, though, cross-country, through lovely countryside and loads of pretty villages and so on.  But when we got there, nobody was at home - I think it is a sole trader, rather than a dealer.  The neighbour said they had gone to Spain for 3 weeks.  Wouldn't you have thought they would have put it on Google maps, as other businesses do?

There was nothing for it but to come away.  And we drove more cross-country, stopping to buy bread, and then again in a supermarket car park for lunch in the town of Sauveterre!  Yes, of course I thought of Fabrice, who wouldn't?!  Anyway, I didn't actually need anything as I'd got bread, so didn't go in, and they were the kind of supermarket that has solar-panelled roofs over the parking spaces, so we were in the shade - necessary, as the main skylight has broken.  This machine is ten years old, and is showing its age!  The bedroom door has also broken again.  And then the gas on one of the burners turned itself off and wouldn't stay lit.  At which point, I said we would have to call it a holiday and go home, as I couldn't possibly cook on just one burner - fortunately the Swan Whisperer found how to fix it, and has!  He now says it isn't working again - I am not prepared to put up with it, so we'll have to come home if we can't get it fixed!

Anyway, this was after we had removed the Satnav's prohibition on toll roads, and driven down the A62 (I think - I slept most of the way) and more minor roads down here to Saint Nicolas de la Gave, which is near Moissac - a town I know and love from a French Exchange here back in 1970!  I hope we can fix the gas burner and carry on with the holiday!  There is another repair place not far away, so if the SW can't fix it, they might be able to.

But what he has, finally, fixed is the hab door lock!  I don't think he knows quite what he did, but all of a sudden it started working.  Something to do with a solenoid, whatever that is.  Anyway, it's working, which is the main thing - we won't have to barricade it with the steering lock.  

Today's photo is of the pollarded trees around the aire.  I haven't had a walk today, but I did practice tai chi while the SW was having a leg-stretch.  

Supper is ready....

Early Spring Holiday, 1 March 2026

Verteillac, Dordogne

The Swan Whisperer went for a run round Lac Saint-Cyr this morning - only about 5k, but he enjoyed it.  Look at the daisies on the grass, not a very good photo, but they really were daisies!  

After a rather late breakfast, we headed on to the nearest supermarket - not that I needed much, but we like to treat ourselves to patisseries for lunch pudding on a Sunday (these were apple tarts, and very good they were, too) when we are travelling.  By the time we had done all that, it was noon, and we tried to listen to our church service while driving on, but the sound quality was dreadful - I don't think it would have been had we been listening on a laptop or even a phone via headphones, but on a phone which was then Bluetoothed to the car radio.... Not good!  Still, we enjoyed the hymns.

We stopped for lunch soon after the service had finished, and then continued on down to this tiny village of Verteillac, which is really rather nice.  After a cup of tea, we went round it to see what we could see.  The Sunday market was just finishing when we arrived, but really by the time it had spread itself over two squares and the car park, that was basically the end of the village!  Nice church, though!

It is very nice here; there are services, although you have to pay for water and/or an hour's electricity (useful for charging up a recalcitrant battery, but I don't think we'll need it); emptying services are free. 

We are basically a day ahead of ourselves, as I tried to send us down a route that What's Halfway suggested for the four nights we had changed plans, but the first place was in the middle of the Aquitaine floods, and thus closed out of use.  And the Swan Whisperer pointed out that this place was the exact same distance from Lac Saint-Cyr as the place I'd chosen, and it was two sides of a triangle.  So we will either get to Mas Alart a day early, or spend two nights at one of the two stopping-places en route.  We shall see..... We decided that going up into the Pyrenees and spending the night in a non-winterised motor home was seriously not a plan!  

Meanwhile the hab door is playing sillybuggers again; the Swan Whisperer has tried to fix it, but no joy so far.  We will ring our motorhome place in Sussex to see what they recommend, or there might, of course, be a repair place locally.  On verra.

P.S. Am rather annoyed - I bought a new set of pill-dispensers because they were rather lovely and I need a new set anyway, only to find that two of the lids broke as I was taking them off to fill with my week's pills!  Dreadful quality!

Early Spring Holiday, 28 February 2026

Beaumont-Saint-Cyr, Vendée

Bernay really is the loveliest town, and on a Saturday it has a street market, too.  It is quite a hike from the Camping-Car Park, so we drove to an Intermarché car park which is much nearer the town centre.  In fact, this Intermarché is "Drive" (Click and Collect) only, and they have opened a shiny new one literally just across the road.

Anyway, we walked into, and round, the town, and had a lovely time!  There will be photospam on Facebook, You Have Been Warned!  Meanwhile:

So when we returned to the car park, I did a shopping and the Swan Whisperer had coffee, and then we headed on to our stop for tonight, in a Camping-Car park near a lake, which isn't flooded, although rather muddy!  The place where we had originally planned to spend the night is closed due to flooding, so we had to have a quick rethink.  I hope this place will be nice for a walk in the morning.  

Our drive wasn't as nice as it ought to have been, as I fell asleep and the Swan Whisperer didn't hear what the Satnav was saying above the radio programme that was playing (which was, for some reason, My Fault), so we went the wrong way, and then the Satnav wasn't quite clear and I was too sleepy, so we went the wrong way again, and ended up having to drive a good 30 miles extra down the motorway and back!  And then, before we got here, the heavens opened into a very, very heavy shower, we nearly had to stop!

The weather has actually been very good all day, apart from that shower and a couple of others, but it meant it was after 18:00 when we got here.  Anyway, we've parked up and are snug, and the Swan Whisperer cooked our Saturday sausage and mash, and I have spent the evening trying to sort out where we are going next, as we decided to change our plans and not go on Le Petit Train Jaune, as we should have been there today if we were to take advantage of the cheap fares the local rail authority runs on the first weekend of every month.  So we decided we'd go up in the motor home instead, and then bottled out of the idea of spending the night way above the snowline!  So I have spent what has felt like hours trying to sort out a route that avoids the floods in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and finding places to spend the night that are actually open!  The Swan Whisperer was trying to be helpful, but really, what I need is my laptop when I can have several different tabs open at once and cut back and forth between them.  Anyway, if he doesn't like what I've suggested, he can do it himself!

Early Spring holiday, 27 February 2026

Bernay, Eure

I was awake a bit in the night worrying about a Church issue, which can and will be resolved but not until next week.  Why does one worry about things one can't control?  Anyway, I decided to treat myself to another half-hour of sleep after the alarm went off and I had taken my first pill of the day - it was actually nearer 45 minutes!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run before breakfast, and it is as well he did, as the rain started almost as soon as he got back, and has only really stopped this evening. It was not a wide band of rain, but it was a long one - and we were driving down the length of it!  Before we set out, though, we went to Auchan where I did some shopping and the SW got diesel.  The only two things I have definitely forgotten this holiday are some lip balm (which I remedied in Auchan) and the little bottle of antibacterial washing-up liquid that I use to clean my dentures.  That isn't important, as I can use liquid soap instead, but it has reminded us that we need to buy washing-up liquid tomorrow!

We got away about 11:15 and drove on in the rain down a succession of motorways, stopping for lunch, and tackling Rouen. Why they don't build a proper motorway bypass of the city is beyond me - the Satnav's directions weren't totally clear and we took a wrong turning, and then  got stuck in trafic, although not badly, and the Satnav did get us out of trouble, but all the same....  a proper rocade or ring road would be nice!

Anyway, we finally arrived in Bernay about 16:30 and found the Camping-Car Park which is obviously a former campsite - and may, indeed, be used as such in the summer.  There are a few hard-standing pitches, which we are on one of, and seem very well found.  The Swan Whisperer went out for an explore and I cuddled up under my duvet and watched videos, and it is about to be supper time!

Look at the sunset from my bedroom window!

Early Spring Holiday, 26 February 2026

Calais, Pas-de-Calais

This week appears to  have been inordinately busy!  "Tired" doesn't really begin to cover it, and getting up at 06:00 this morning really didn't help!

I think the older we get, the longer it takes to get ready, and it was after 09:00 when we set off for Sussex.  A slow old drive, somehow every traffic light that could be red, was.  Actually, I think that is an exaggeration, but not by much.  However, we arrived by about 11:30, and the Swan Whisperer went to get the WoMo, and we spent the next hour transferring stuff from the car and putting it away, all except the SW's clothes and making the bed, which we did on the crossing.

After a delicious lunch of kedgeree and home-made cheesecake, we set of shortly before 14:00; I fell asleep as we joined the M23, and didn't really surface until we were almost at Le Shuttle!  We got on a crossing 30 minutes before our booked one, and it was very empty.  Just time for a quick cup of tea, and we were through and on the train.

When we arrived in Calais, we did a quick trip to Carrefour to get some vegetable matter to go with the cooked chicken thighs I'd bought for supper, and then up here to the Camping-Car Park.  I am annoyed because I folded up my rainbow shopping bag, which I love as it folds almost flat, and now I can't find it.  It has to be in the WoMo somewhere, but where?  Oh well, it will either turn up or it won't, and I do have others.

Meanwhile today's photo is of the rosemary bush outside no 6, which is looking lovely.  Spring is definitely arriving - there was a polyanthus in their garden that was already in flower, and lots of blossom and primroses and so on.  Such a pity the weather is much colder today, and we have the heating on low.  

The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show, 17 February 2026

In hindsight, of course, we should have gone by train to the NEC, but when your tickets include free parking, you don't really think of it!  However, the NEC is about 3 hours each way from London, and it made for a very long day in the car.

We set off at about 10:15 am, stopping for petrol and buying sandwiches when we were at it, and arrived at about 13:30.  We were able to catch a shuttle-bus up to the NEC itself, our car park being about 15 minutes' walk away.  Once there, we made ourselves comfortable, and then spent a very happy 3 hours or so wandering around the five halls devoted to the exhibition.

We are not in the market for a new motorhome, but it was nice to look round the new Pilotes, deciding what was nicer than our one, and what was less so ("But where do they put their clothes?" we asked, of one model!).   However, the joy of these occasions is the huge variety of stalls scattered along the sides of the halls, selling everything from accessories for a motor home or caravan (but we couldn't find a reversing camera, which is what we really wanted, and the only thing that might have been a stove-top oven, which I quite want (like this one, for instance) was eye-wateringly expensive.  In the end, we didn't buy very much - a new power-bank which came with a free screen protector for the Swan Whisperer's phone, and some glasses-cleaner (what, has that got to do with camping, I wonder - something we wondered about many of the offerings!).  We did, however, pick up quite a lot of brochures about France (which, one of the stall-holders told us, is pretty much completely under water right now - I hope we don't get too wet when we set off next week), and about television aerials/wi-fi boosters, as ours doesn't seem to work.

After a much-needed cup of tea, with a slice of cake (for the Swan Whisperer) and a flapjack for me, it was time to head home.  There was no sign of a shuttle-bus to our car park, so we walked back, and then it was a long, slow drive home.  I did sleep some of the way, but found this morning that it takes more than one night's sleep to recover from this level of exhaustion.  But it was great fun, and I'm glad we went.  Next year, if we go again, it will be by train!

An afternoon with Bartholomew. 26 January 2026

The boys had an INSET day today.  The Lanky Teenager planned to spend the day with his friends, playing badminton and maybe revising (February mocks are coming up), but Boy 2, at a loose end, said he'd like to come to us.

He came by himself for the first time, having stayed on the Tube after his mother got off.  We met him at Brixton, although I'm sure he would have been perfectly capable of travelling the rest of the way on his own.  

We didn't do anything in the morning; the Swan Whisperer had a meeting, and then he had some paperwork to catch up on, so it was lunchtime before we headed off, to eat at Mama Lan (link) at Boy2's request - we've eaten there before and enjoyed it.  I chose chicken wings and vegetable dumplings, he had chicken noodle broth and the Swan Whisperer had chicken fried rice.  All delicious, although I did give the SW one of my chicken wings and probably shouldn't have eaten the last one, either.  

Then we went out. I wanted to see the Great Hall and the Hogarth Staircase at St Bartholomew's Hospital, which is on a direct 59 bus from Brixton, so we went there.  

First of all you come across the church of St Bartholomew the Less, which we looked into briefly, having come through the Tudor Arch with its statue of Henry VIII (didn't manage to get a photo of the statue, which is apparently the only one of him).  

It was well worth going - the staircase, portraying the Pool of Bethesda (link) and the Good Samaritan.  And the Great Hall is truly spectacular - three fireplaces, which reminded me of a mediaeval hall, and it's about that size! 

It is part of the North Wing of the hospital, which had three wings built round a large square (the East wing was delayed as their treasurer absconded with the funds but was eventually built),

designed by James Gibbs and built in the 18th century (I think - I am finding it a bit vague).  The site has been beautifully restored, and has not been open to the general public before.

When we had finished, we went into the hospital museum, which was quite interesting, and included a short film about the life of the first founder, Rahere.  Henry VIII had to refound it after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as one of the Laws of Unintended Consequences was a vast influx of sick and indigent people that had previously been cared for by the religious communities and now had nowhere to go.  

After the Museum, we visited St Bartholomew the Great church (link), just outside the hospital, which is apparently London's oldest parish church.  It works closely with St Bartholomew the Less, within the hospital grounds.  It was rather lovely, although it honked of incense (which isn't really a bad smell, but doesn't actually enable me to worship.  Still, each to their own.), with Rahere's tomb

and modern paintings and an appalling Damien Hirst statue (link) showing St Bartholomew holding his skin. I did not take a photo of it!

When we had finished, there was about half an hour before the Daughter was due to finish work, so we decided to walk over to Tavistock Place.  This was through a part of London I really don't know very well, through a couple of old graveyards and past the Postal Museum.  I'd shared our location with the Daughter, so she came to meet us.  Then the SW and I jumped on the nearest bus, and changed at Holborn on to a 133 to Brixton - I fell asleep! - and then there was a 35 just behind, so home.  

Photos on Facebook, as per usual.