Autumn Holiday, 3 October 2026

Sevrier, Haut-Savoie

It really was the most enormous Lidl you ever did see! Easily as big as your average hypermarket! I went over after breakfast to do my shopping, and even though I bought very little that wasn't on my actual list - some carrot salad (which would have been on my list had I remembered to put it there!), some pears, some grapes and a packet of pairs of socks for the Swan Whisperer, who is complaining because he has gone through the toes of all of his current pairs and I am making him throw them away - I found the shopping-bag very heavy, and when I discovered I had used the wrong exit to the car park and was walking merrily away from the aire, I had to ring the SW to come to my rescue. I had suggested he bring a second shopping-bag so we could divvy up the load, but he didn't hear that bit, and carried the lot for me. We stopped at a bridge over a stream where there were several nutria - we think that's what they are - and watched them for a bit. 

We had to stop again en route to the mountains as Lidl in France, no matter how enormous, doesn't seem to sell fresh milk. We stopped at a U Express, and I was delighted to find some greengages and some of the quinoa salad I like, as well as milk. 

En route to Lake Annecy, a small black squirrel ran across the road in front of us. I think it must have been a red squirrel - you know how they can be black, despite their name - and I reckoned we were having a wonderful wildlife day, especially as we also saw a black cat hunting in a field! 

The traffic through Annecy was very slow, but we got here in the end to this town on the lake where we are parked up in a campsite about 3 minutes' walk from the waterfront. The SW went for a walk but he said it was a bit boring as you had to go there and back again, there wasn't a sensible round trip. I just went down to the water's edge. There were two lovely chestnut trees, with loads of conkers underneath them. I don't think French kids collect them as passionately as British kids do, if at all!

As it is Saturday, the Swan Whisperer cooked sausages for our supper, which were lovely. Bratwurst, for a change, which we had bought in Lidl at home because they were on special offer! I gather we are going to miss Alpine Week this year, which is a bummer, so I hope they have it in France, too! 

Autumn Holiday 2 October 2026

Bourg-en-Bresse, Auvergne

My finger was a lot better this morning - I was still aware it wasn't quite right, but it didn't really hurt, and I have been able to forget about it. A good night's sleep also got rid of the shock, too, so I was fine this morning. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and called in at a bakery on his way back, so we had a delicious fresh baguette with our breakfast (and the end of it for lunch). After this, we walked round the lovely Lac du Kir, enjoying watching a group of schoolkids canoeing and kayaking under the stern eye of a couple of instructors, and also some wildfowl.

But the best bit was that I caught a glimpse of a marvellous fox leaping through the undergrowth. The Swan Whisperer isn't quite sure that's what I saw - he didn't see it - but it was a lovely fox red, and I saw the torso and then its marvellous brush. It must have been in wonderful condition - all those ducklings and goslings and cootlings - cootlets? - and moorchicks it will have been feeding on all summer!

Anyway, we walked round he lake and got hotter and hotter. It had been a cool morning, but the sun came out and the temperature rose. We regretted our long sleeved shirts and my jacket! 

When we got back to the WoMo, the SW had his coffee and then we used the services before heading on. Our first stop was in a random car-park in a village somewhere, beside a rather rough sports ground to which a group of young schoolchildren - no older than Year 2, if that, we didn't think - came to play some team game or other. We were rather shocked that there was only one adult with them - what if one of them hurt themselves and had to be taken back to school? Anyway, when we left, they were all starting to play (not an organised game, but something their teacher had made up) except for one small boy who was sitting between the goal posts watching. He wore specs, so we didn't know whether he was neurodivergent and allowed not to play if he didn't want to, didn't play because he was short-sighted, or was injured or disabled in some way. I hope that neither he nor any of the other children went home with grass stains on their bums; their parents would not be impressed! 

We drove on. The trouble with going cross country, as we have done so far, is that the drives are far too interesting for me to want to go to sleep! Very interesting country, especially once we got into the Bresse region, where there were lots of cattle, both Charolais and Montbéliard, and huge fields full of the white hens for which the area is so famous. 

We got here about 4:00, "here" being a free aire on the outskirts of Bourg-en-Bresse, and after a cup of tea the SW went for yet another walk, and on his way back called in at the Lidl that is only a couple of hundred metres away to get some beer. Apparently it is an absolutely massive one, about the size of a Tesco Extra at home, so I'm looking forward to visiting it in the morning! I hope it sells fresh milk - I've never seen it in any Lidl here, but live in hope - so then we won't have to stop off at an E Leclerc or similar. 

Autumn Holiday, 1 October 2026

Plombières-lès-Dijon, France

Happy Black History Month, everybody. 

It was raining when we woke up this morning (at 07:00; I had set the alarm again), so the Swan Whisperer didn't go for a run, but even still we were faffing about a bit over breakfast and so on, so didn't get away until about 10:30. We had hoped to go to the local Carrefour for the day's shopping, but it had a height barrier on its car-park (so short-sighted when there is a popular campsite less than a mile away), so we went to Lidl instead, which had no such thing. Got what I needed, and then we got diesel at a Total petrol station and tried to get air as the tyres were a little low, but it didn't seem to have any. 

So we headed on southwards towards Dijon - this suburb is by the lovely lake we visited last year - stopping for lunch in a layby, and, of course, finding much nicer picnic places a few kilometres down the road. Then we did find a garage that had air, and that is when a minor disaster struck - getting out to help the SW, I caught the little finger of my left hand in the square part of the door frame where the latch goes in. I thought at first I'd broken it, but actually think it's no worse than a severe wrench. But it hurts - typing is actually rather painful - and meant, really, the end of my day, as even though Voltarol gel has taken the worstof the pain away, I am very shaken and have been fit for nothing. The rain is away, but I couldn't face going out for a walk round the lake, although I certainly hope I can in the morning. 

The aire is very full, but I don't think there's more than one French machine here, if that - lots of Belgians and Germans, and at least one other British vehicle, plus one we can't identify. I must stop typing - it hurts too much!