A Weekend in Wales, Saturday.

It really was the most glorious morning. The forecast had been for a cold front to come in overnight, but I don't think it did. It was fresh, but sunny and bright, and I lay in my bed and watched the sheep on the hill, and dozed until about 7:30.

The Swan Whisperer got up and went for a run, but I just enjoyed my tea. After breakfast, though, we went for a walk up to the Horseshoe Falls,

where the water feeds in to the start of the Llangollen Canal, only used for pleasure boats now, but it also provides water for Crewe, among other places.  The valley is very busy, with our road one side, then the canal, then the tow path, then the river Dee, then the railway and finally the A5, all within a kilometre or less.

We cane back to the van for the Swan Whisperer to get changed into smarts, and then set off back down the road to the hotel, only a couple of hundred yards away for the lunch that had brought us to Wales. Not very enjoyable - I didn't know anybody, the food wasn't great, and it was horribly noisy, but I enjoyed watching the steam trains across the river,

and later we walked up to the station and had a look round,

before coming back here, whereupon the SW went for yet another walk (where does he find the energy?), and I read and drank tea.  We didn't need much supper, of course, but enjoyed cheese on toast.

A weekend in Wales, Friday

This evening finds us in a nursery gardens near Llangollen, from which tomorrow we can walk down to the hotel where there is a formal lunch with the Swan Whisperer's former colleagues, though quite why here I don't know.

So we set off about noon, and it was the usual slow going out of London. We stopped at Oxford services for lunch, and then it was fast until Birmingham, and then crawled past it, Telford, Shrewsbury, Uttoxeter and really until the turn-off for Llangollen. And people wonder why we prefer motoring abroad.

This is a Caravan Club certified location, very pleasant.  The owner is a Lay Reader and has offered to take us to the open-air service on Sunday morning, which should be lovely.  Meanwhile, the forecast is for it to be cold tomorrow, so we have bought plenty of warm clothes.  Enough, I hope, to do us this time! 

April Holiday, final day

We woke up this morning at the Aire du Baie de la Somme, and the Swan Whisperer went out for a run.  We had hoped to have a proper breakfast in the restaurant, but it was not open, only the café, so we got a coffee and something to eat while taking advantage of the free WiFi. 

Then we drove up to Calais, bought diesel, shopped, and came home on the Shuttle.  The drive to London was swift and smooth, and then it was a matter of unpacking and putting away and so on before I had to go to a meeting.

So we are home for a week, and then off to Welsh Wales.....  Meanwhile, I'm going to add photos to the other posts in this holiday.

April Holiday, Days 12 and 13

I couldn't post last night as we were staying with a friend, and while she has WiFi, it did not work in the garden and I could scarcely write a blog post while chatting!  And there was almost no mobile signal.

We woke up yesterday morning on this farm in Concèze, in the Corrèze department, and the Swan Whisperer decided to go for a run - and got lost!  Fortunately he found himself just as I was setting out to rescue him, so that was all right.  I have an app that marks where one has parked, so you can always get back, but I don't think he has that.

We decided to go to Périgueux for the day, and spent several happy hours there, wandering around the historic streets, visiting the Cathedral

and having a cup of tea on a café terrasse.  Then we set off north again to drive to our friend's house, which took about 3 hours. We had a lovely evening with her and her cats, and after a rather late breakfast this morning set off for our long day's drive north as far as the Aire du Baie de Somme, where we are spending the night before heading home tomorrow.

April Holiday, Day 11

I think that, next time I plan a 2-week holiday, I shall incorporate another rest day.  I just didn't feel like exploring and driving today, but no real choice. We set off quite late and drove north towards Cahors, after which we turned off to go to various villages recommended by the guide book I bought the other day. But it was a fine Sunday, and everywhere was crowded with tourists, and I just felt meh.... So we came to this farm where we - and two other vans - are spending the night, and we bought apples, and the SW went for a walk, but I want an early night, I think.

April Holiday, Day 10

Sadly, the clear skies under which we had gone to sleep this morning clouded over during the night, and the Swan Whisperer was lucky not to get wet when he went for his run. However, it didn't start raining until he was safely in the shower.

We said goodbye to our hosts at about 10:00 and set off towards Foix. Our first port of call was a supermarket, in Perpignan, to stock up for the weekend - only apparently Monday isn't a bank holiday here, they don't transfer May Day. Thursday is a holiday, Ascension Day, and they used to have 8 May (VE Day) and Whit Monday, too. This year that will be on the 16th, I suppose - it's always  the last Monday in May whenever Pentecost is in the UK, and has been for the last 40 years or so.

Anyway, apart from fresh bread we have enough to do us until Tuesday morning.  We thought, as we were in the area, that we would go a bit further south still and visit the Château de Gudanes, which is being refurbished by an Australian family.

Nobody was at home, but I'm glad we saw it, anyway.  Then the Satnav said it was only another 2 hours to where we had tentatively planned to spend the night, if we didn't mind paying motorway tolls, so we headed off.  Not nearly such an interesting drive, of course - the first bit, while on good enough roads, had been full of hairpin bends and mountain scenery and so on.  This was just boring motorway, mostly round Toulouse (felt that way).

We are now on a farm outside Montauban, so technically still in the South of France. It is still cold and windy, and we might have to have hot-water bottles again tonight, having not wanted them the past two nights.

April Holiday, Day 9

This morning found us at Carcassonne. We needed to check out by noon, or pay another night's fees, so we were up betimes and after breakfast we went out for a walk to walk up to the Cité, which was horribly steep but well worth it, not least for a glimpse of the the snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance.

  The ramparts themselves date back to the Romans and beyond, but were extensively, although not authentically, restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19 th century.  It was good to get up there early, before the crowds, although there were already long queues outside the museum.  And, indeed, when we got back to the campsite, our neighbours were only just having breakfast! 

So we drove away down to Narbonne and then turned right towards Perpignan, a city which to me is a dream or a fantasy. When I was in what would now be called Year 8, we had to memorise a series of answers to various questions in French, one of which was "Où se trouve Perpignan ?". I forget what the only acceptable answer was, but the question has stuck with me.

We stopped for lunch by one of the big sea-lochs with which this part of the world abounds

and, unfortunately, when we actually arrived in Perpignan, I was rather too sleepy to enjoy it.  But I have been there, and it is real!

We are parked up for the night on a farm about 10 km out of the city, which is part of the France Passion network. Beautifully quiet, we are the only van here.

The owners were very friendly, and we appear to have bought some wine, but it is very good. They devote different sections of their vineyard to different grapes, and are very much small-scale producers.

Dinner was home-made; couscous with chicken and enough vegetable stew to do us again tomorrow, when we shall have it with merguez...mmm....

April Holiday, Day 8

This morning we woke up, rather late, in a park to the NE of Castres, and, after breakfast, decided to have a wander round.

The SW said that the skating rink was "just over there", which it may well have been, but it was across a river and the bridge had been closed as, rather obviously, unsafe. And it would have been a long way round by road, on foot, we had to abandon that idea. We wandered down to the main road and saw a bus stop and, just as we had decided that it would take us into town, up came the bus itself. What's more, it was totally free!

So we went into town and had a potter about, and I went to Monoprix to buy the shower gel I like from there, and found that has a travel-size, so treated myself to one, too.  Castres was pretty, but not desperately interesting, so we bought some bread and a couple of quiches for lunch, and then spent a little while finding where to catch the bus back to the park, and there the bus was, so we caught it, and after a last wander round the bit we hadn't seen, set off for Carcassonne.

We stopped at a lake resort to have lunch, which was lovely; we tried eating out of doors but, although it was a beautiful day, there was a cold wind, so we abandoned the effort half-way through.

We are in a camp-site at Carcassonne, as it is in walking distance of the citadel - the SW promptly went to explore, and I hope to in the morning - but we are not in a very nice pitch - very sloping, and there is a tree in the way so we can't pitch our awning. The sanitaires are horrible, too, although clean. But there was a launderette, and I had run out of warm clothes so did a load, just in case it gets much colder again as we head north. It is not seriously hot here, but lovely in the sun, and we envied those whose pitches had enough sun to sit out in!

We went shopping at a local supermarket, and a nice thing about this place is that we have been able to order bread for the morning. Supper was fish and vegetables, followed by chestnut mousse, and now it is bed time.

April Holiday, Day 7

We are rapidly losing track of what day it is..... But we think it is Wednesday.

This morning, we woke up in Roquefort, and set off to buy the eponymous cheese and perhaps look round the cellars. The most famous brand is Société, but you can get that anywhere, even in Brixton Lidl, and, indeed, they do dominate the town. But we wanted something less mainstream, and ended up at Gabriel Goulet, where we were able to look round their cellars and see a short film about the production of the cheese. Which didn't actually tell us anything we didn't already know, and because modern EU rules say that cheese has to be matured on plastic shelves, not wood, the actual "cheeses" in the cellar were made of expanded polystyrene!

Anyway, we had a tasting, and the 15-month-old stuff was seriously wonderful, so we bought some. I asked the assistant how best to store it once we'd opened it, and she said to wrap it in cling film and keep it in a plastic box in the fridge, and it should keep 4-6 weeks.

The sheep the milk comes from look seriously odd. They are a rather manky brown on top, and have been shaved underneath, presumably for ease of milking, but it does give them a very moth-eaten appearance. We would have liked to find out what happens to the lambs, as they obviously can't stay with their mothers, and whether the wethers (sorry!) are used for meat. I expect one can find out...

Then we left Roquefort and drove, first to the village of St Jean d'Ales, a fortified former monastery, and then to St Affrique, where we had lunch. Then the main drive of the day, across very beautiful countryside to Castres.

When we got here, we found a notice saying the camping-car aire had been moved to, and gave the address, right the other side of town. So we went there and found it was just services, on an industrial estate. But we could park, so we did, and read and relaxed for a couple of hours before heading to the Buffalo Grill for dinner. However, the only reason to eat there is to use their WiFi, and it was not working, so we came away. There was a random WiFi around, which my phone connected to, so I was able to upload photos, but they got a bit out of order. And half my apps decided they needed updating (as does the system), but I firmly told then they would have to wait until we got home.

We were going to Auchan to quickly shop for something for supper, but there was a restaurant in the complex so we ate there instead. Steak and pasta and beans, followed by ice cream, with a glass of house red - lovely!  And Auchan has free WiFi, but I think they turned it off when they closed for the night.

Anyway, we drove through the town back to the original car park, as we reckoned they would still allow overnight parking, even without services, and we wanted to see something of the town, anyway. A fairly typical French town, nothing totally special. And, indeed, there are other camping-cars parked up here, despite the lack of services.

April Holiday, Day 6

We wanted to go into Clermont-Ferrand to see the Cathedral and the Basilica, but were not sure we would find parking. However, we were just by a bus stop, so I went over to investigate, and found that, actually, what we were next to was a tram stop, but that the southern end was not in service just now, and there was a replacement bus service. So after breakfast we bought tickets from the tram stop and caught the replacement bus and then the tram into town.

We found the Cathedral very easily, and spent a while looking round, and then walked over to the Basilica, which I liked even more. The Cathedral's USP is that it is built out of black basalt, and visible for miles around.  It is lovely, but I liked Notre-Dame-du-Port even more. Both are World Heritage Sites.

Clermont-Ferrand is supposed to be the driest place in France, so of course it rained most of the time we were there!  And my trainers sprung a leak and I didn't have a spare pair, so our next port of call was a cheap shoe shop, where I bought a new pair, and then a supermarket.

After lunch, we set off and spent the afternoon driving through sunshine and showers to the Millau Viaduct; we stopped about 30 km short as the SW needed a break, and I was delighted to find a book of suggested camping-car tours in France, with all the parking and so on suggested, too.  The SW is reading it as I write!

We got to Millau eventually, and went to to the visitor centre so we could see it properly, but it is quite a trek from the non-motorway part of the car park, and it was, needless to say, raining! And we had been before and we didn't want any food or anything, so we came away and drive through Millau (getting lost, but so what - it looked easier than it was, so I hadn't set the Satnav), and eventually under the Viaduct

and then on to Roquefort-en-Aveyron, home of the eponymous cheese, where we have parked up and will explore in the morning.  If it isn't raining, or even if it is!

April Holiday, Day 5

It was cold this morning!  Like 0° C outside the van, and I'm not sure it was much warmer in it!  "Do I have to get up?" I asked the Swan Whisperer, when I had drunk my tea, but of course I had to, and with a hot shower and the heating on for a bit, and cooking breakfast, it was not too bad. All the same, it was a cold, cold walk around Bourges this morning to look at its Cathedral, which is apparently the only Cathedral to have five naves and no transepts.  It also has an astronomical clock parked randomly on the middle of one of the naves, seemed rather odd.

We then drove up to a supermarket and I shopped for various bits and pieces while the SW got diesel, and planned our route to Clermont-Ferrand, which was across former N-roads, and a bit of motorway so that we could see the Puy de Dôme, the biggest of the chain of volcanoes in the area. It has a microwave tower on the top which rather dwarfs the original Cross that was there, a pity, I think, but they didn't ask me. We stopped en route for a cup of tea and a slice of fruit cake, and arrived in Clermont-Ferrand at about 6:30 pm. 

The trouble was, I had planned for us to park in a Lidl car park, but when we got there, no sign of any welcome for motor homes, and, worst of all, when I checked the list it wasn't on it!  I can't have been dreaming, as I had the latitude and longitude of the place, and everything. Weird!  So we came away and another list told us we could park in the university car park, so we have. Hope it is ok, and I also hope we can find daytime parking in Clermont-Ferrand tomorrow as I want to see its splendid black basalt Cathedral, which looked amazing on the way in!

April Holiday, Day 4

Today was Sunday. I woke up shortly after 7, not having slept terribly well - the Swan Whisperer was a bit restless, which kept me awake, plus he didn't put enough water into his hot-water-bottle, which went cold, so he demanded the use of mine, which I, kindly, let him have and then regretted it!

Anyway, it was a glorious morning, although cold.  Blue skies, birds singing, gloriously hot shower, orange juice, eggs and toast for breakfast - what more could one want?

Ice skating, of course, and today was the final day of the competition, with the artistic programmes, always fun to watch, including a splendid Popeye and a dress that lit up like a Christmas tree!  There was a break for lunch in the middle, so we treated ourselves to a sandwich and chips in the bar, and then came back to the van to eat that nice French compôte with cream on top.  And I had a short rest before watching the final skaters.

We decided not to stay for the show, but slipped away and drove cross-country to Bourges. I even drove for a couple of miles, although it was not much fun and I don't think I had my seat quite right. Not comfortable!  But the roads were very quiet, so not too nerve-racking.

Bourges provides a very nice aire for campers, near the town centre, with free services, what more could you want?  We had a cup of tea and some fruit cake, and then the SW went out for a walk.  It was raining, so I declined to join him but sat and read and knitted - and dozed, if I am honest - until he came back, whereupon it was time to get supper, which included asparagus, as I'd bought some from a little greengrocer-cum-florist beside the rink, and also more strawberries.  And wine, of course. The main course was kidneys in Madeira sauce, which we both love, with rice, carrots and cabbage. And very good it all was, too!

April Holiday, day 3

Woke up shortly before my alarm went off at 08:00 this morning, and after breakfast we made our way to the rink. Lovely to see old friends there, and gratifying to be told we are missed on the circuit.  "Maybe your stamina will come back," said one friend, hopefully, and while I hope it does, I really can't see myself putting in the hours I need to maintain my level of mediocrity again.  Still, we shall see.

Anyway, we saw some good performances and some mediocre ones, skaters that have improved since last time, and ones that have not....  There was a long lunch break, during which we went shopping and ate in the motor home.

The rink was very cold, and I was glad I had a rug with me. We came away before the podiums, and came back to the camp site. The SW went for a walk, and I curled up on the bed with a book, and dozed off!  Woke up when he came in, and eventually got my act together enough to cook a bacon,, mushroom, tomato and chili sauce for pasta, which was followed by strawberries and fromage blanc. I am longing for asparagus, but it is the white stuff, and still quite expensive. Oh well, we may yet find some....

April Holiday, Day 2

Today was a very, very long drive. The Sat nav told us that it would be quickest to go via the A26 and the A1 and then round the Périphérique, and then on South. I think with hindsight we would have been better to go via the A16 and across via Chartres and Orléans, but the SW said we hadn't been that way for ages, so we did.

Or first port of call, however, was to Auchan, where I did a bit of shopping while the SW got gas and diesel, and then we were off. I should have driven the first but, but bottled it - I am chicken about driving this machine!  We stopped for lunch at some random rest area north of Paris, just by the TGV railway line (how the Boy would have loved it!), and then again at the next one to quickly turn the gas off (oops!)!  Then it was round the Périphérique, and once we were off that, I fell asleep, to be woken by a frantic fantasia on a horn by a lorry driver. We think he must not have noticed that we are right-hand drive, and thought I had fallen asleep while driving.

We stopped again for a brief break and a quick cup of tea, most welcome, and then decided not to come via Blois, which we had planned, as it was getting late.

No problem at the camp site, which is ok but the sanitaires are a bit bleak - no loo paper and fixed head showers. We went up to the rink, where the competition had started, but only briefly as we didn't really know anybody. Really just to case the joint, as it were. Then back to the camp site for supper (choucroute garni, yum), and I expect we will have a fairly early night.

April Holiday, Day 1

The Swan Whisperer fetched the motor home from Sussex this afternoon, and we loaded it up and were away by 7 pm. Very smooth journey, and very little waiting about. We put our clothes away while waiting, and then when all was tidy, I got ready for bed and spent the last 10 minutes of the crossing snuggled down!  Had to get up again while we drove the short distance to Cité Europe, where we parked up for the night.

Delighted that data is now 75% cheaper than in December, but photos will be added later as I don't find them easy to add from this app. Plus I haven't taken any yet....

Off again!

I don't know how to access Networked Blogs from my phone to goose it, so this post is really a placeholder to say we are off again tomorrow for two weeks, the first of five weeks' planned holiday in the motor home - we come home on 4 May for a week,  then off again for a week, then home for I think three weeks and then off for two weeks for Oberstdorf and a few days' travel either side.  We might even go to Bavorov again, but that is a long way ahead.

Anyway, I shall now goose Networked Blogs and hope they'll keep checking as I journal the holiday!

A Trip to Epping Forest

I like to browse the Londonist blog, and have found some useful excursions and potential excursions on it.  This entry came very tidy, as we tried to decide where to take the boys on the Thursday after Easter.  The Daughter confirmed that the Boys had never been to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge, and it was an easy bus ride from hers to Chingford Station, and the Hunting Lodge only a short walk from there.

 When we arrived, we were asked whether we'd booked, which we hadn't, and I wasn't sure that we were going to be welcomed.  But the receptionist handed out Tudor hats all round, although Boy Two didn't really fancy his and gave it back.  The rest of us wore them, though.

The ground floor had an exhibition of posh Tudor food - not actual food, but models thereof - and also the plainer food that most people would have enjoyed.  I wish the table had been six inches lower so the boys could have seen more, but, in the way of boys, they were not really interested until we were about to leave!  The middle floor has a selection of clothes that you could try on, but nothing to explain who had worn them, or why, or in what circumstances.  The top floor, although the barest, was arguably the most interesting as it showed you how the various beams were fitted together, and the various joints.  And there was a wooden model of a fallow deer, with some facts about it.  And a wonderful view!

When we went back downstairs (and the Boy asked questions about how to cook a fish eating its own tail), we were directed to the exhibition about Epping Forest across the yard, almost part of the Premier Inn/Brewers Fayre which now occupies the Royal Forest pub next door (a mock Tudor building that looks far more Tudor than its real neighbour).  This was more interesting, as you could press buttons to listen to the forest noises, but a lot of the exhibits were behind reflective glass and not easy to see, plus there was really too much writing.  The real hit was the map of Epping Forest on the floor of the visitor centre, which the Boy was fascinated by, and we showed him where he lived, and all sorts.  He is just of an age to learn about maps, now, and his reading level is such that he can work out place names and so on.

Then it was lunch time, so we decided to try the Butler's Retreat café the other side of the Hunting Lodge, which was very pleasant and friendly, but it would have helped if the only copy of the children's menu hadn't been pinned up at the very narrow entrance.  The boys both chose sausages - it might have been better to have ordered only one plate and shared it, as it was too much for Boy Two, but the Boy ate both his sausages and all his potato wedges.  Neither child touched a green pea!  I thought the Swan Whisperer's bacon roll looked dull compared to mine, which was halloumi, pickled red cabbage and lime/chilli mayonnaise, and absolutely lovely!  I also enjoyed my apple tart for pudding, but didn't much care for my bit of the Boy's red velvet cake (he ate some of it, but it was rather a huge helping!).

After our meal we walked down to the nearby pond to see what we could see - mallard, Canada geese and a coot or two - and then decided to cut across the open land back to the station, which was a slight failure as the Boy's shoes leaked and his feet got wet.  But we saw magpies and a crow - he is beginning to take an interest in birds, hence the lists!  And so on a bus back to the daughter's.

I think the first time I came across Epping Forest was when I read D L Sayers' "Have His Carcase" where a minor character is found murdered there!  And I knew the family enjoy occasional walks there, but I'd never been there, and had no idea what it was like.  The whole Lea and Rother Valley complex brings a huge chunk of the country right down into London; if you go by train from Liverpool Street to Walthamstow Central or Tottenham Hale you pass cattle grazing on the marshes....

An afternoon on the South Bank

We had intended to start off today's outing by going up to Tower Bridge to listen to a 61-gun salute that was due to start at 1:00 pm.  Unfortunately, we were a bit late and only heard the last two blasts, "But if you've heard one, you've heard them all!" said the Swan Whisperer. 

You know, I'm sure HMS Belfast is further away from the bank than it used to be - it seems to be moored right out in the middle of the river, and does block your view of things!  But we did manage to see across the river to the Tower, where everything was obviously over, so we turned round to walk along the South Bank. 

I had suggested we had lunch in the Prets in Clink Street, but the Swan Whisperer wanted to try the restaurant at Southwark Cathedral.  Which was okay, but I'd rather have had a sandwich, and the loos were out of service and, although there was a disabled loo, you had to ask for the key.  Which, to be fair, they did provide.  And their brownies were lovely and fudgey. 

After this we continued along the South Bank, past the Clink Prison, under Southwark Bridge, past Shakespeare's Globe, past the Tate Modern, past the Bankside Gallery and the Founders Arms pub (one of the first places the Swan Whisperer bought me a meal back in the early days of our marriage), under Blackfriars railway and road bridges and so to Oxo Tower Wharf. 

We were there to see this exhibition, a photo essay on a year in the life of a London priest.  It was fabulous - many of the photos were very moving.  The priest in question, Kit Gunasekera, is the vicar of St James, Clapham Park, just round the corner from us, and a friend of ours is an unpaid minister there, too.  We were delighted to see him and his wife featuring in several of the photos, including one where they were centre stage as they had been celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.   The photographer, who was there, insisted on taking our photo in front of this picture:

I look a bit laden (and fat!).  Anyway, we chatted to him, and to the curator, and enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading up about what had motivated him and so on.  The best bit was that due to working on this project, he and his wife are now staunch members of St James, having not been churchgoers before!  God is amazing sometimes!

When we had finally had enough, we came away and walked on, past Jubilee Gardens and Gabriel's Wharf, and past the National Theatre until we came to Waterloo Bridge, where we climbed the steps up on to the bridge and caught a 59 bus home!

The exhibition is on until 20 March, and if you are in London it is well worth going to see.  Admission is free.

Trains and Trees

It being the Friday of half-term, we were, as we have often been, on grandparent duty.  The smaller boy is happily ensconced at nursery, so it was the 5½-year-old Boy who was our responsibility for the day.

When we said goodbye to him on Thursday evening, we had quite thought that we would be taking him to the South Bank to see what, if anything, was going on there that he might enjoy.  However, a couple of serendipitous posts that I found on-line changed everything.

The first was the news that "Princess", an engine from the Ffestiniog Railway, was visiting King's Cross Station as part of a publicity campaign for the said Railway.  So that was a no-brainer in itself!  We picked the Boy up from Senate House and caught a bus up to King's Cross, where, sure enough, the train was parked.  And a magnet for five-year-olds, it would seem..... plenty of other children clambering about all over it.  Mind you, some 65-year-olds did their fair share of clambering!

When we had finally had enough, we went over to Prets and bought some lunch, and then caught two buses down to Brockwell Park - with hindsight, we should have caught the 73 that came along, and then changed at Victoria, as we had to wait rather longer than we had thought for a 59.  Still, we got on one in the end.

The reason we wanted to go to Brockwell Park was that the London Wildlife Trust was planting trees there today.  So after using the facilities and eating our lunch, we headed down to that corner of the Park, and there they were.  The Swan Whisperer and the Boy promptly got stuck in, and I am delighted to say the Boy was fascinated by the whole process, and the different kinds of trees, and how these twig-like things were going to grow into huge trees, and so on.  You dug a hole (the Swan Whisperer did that)

and then put some woodchip in the bottom, put your tree in, and someone held it upright (usually the Boy) while you put the soil and grass back in,

and then you added some more woodchip on the top (me or the Boy, but mostly him), and finished it off with a plastic tube to deter rabbits, squirrels, etc.

Great fun, and they must have planted four or five trees in all before we came away home and ate ice-cream!  Maybe in 60 years time he will be bringing his grandsons to the park and showing them the trees he helped to plant today!

Cousins' Tour, Days 8 and 9

On Saturday it rained.  And rained.  And rained.  We had a "free day" in the rally, but the only time I left the van was to go shopping.  I knew my mother was going, so texted her and asked for a lift, and she agreed to pick me up at about 09:30, which she duly did.  We decided to go to Sainsbury's, since the parking there is underground and you don't have to get wet!

When we were done, she dropped me back at the Village Hall, and I went back to the van, where I regret to say I snuggled up in bed and didn't really move for the rest of the day, other than getting lunch!  The Swan Whisperer did go out for a long walk with my parents' dog, but he, too, spent much of the day hibernating.  However, in the evening there was a dinner-dance in the Village Hall, with entertainment provided by one of their own.  It could have been dire, but in fact it was absolutely lovely!  You bring your own plates, knives, forks, etc, and wash them up afterwards, and of course you bring your own drink.  As we had only one glass of wine left in our bottle, my mother sent down another random half-bottle she had, although really, we'd have been happy with the one glass!  We have masses of wine in London; it was just that we'd forgotten to bring it with us.  The singer, whose professional name is Mr Solo, had a really lovely voice - it almost seemed a shame to waste it on the 1960s disco classics that people our age love, and dance to.

I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get the Swan Whisperer on to the dance floor - he is happy enough to dance on ice, but not so good on a floor.  However, one of the songs was "Show me the way to Amarillo", which we did a free dance to many years ago, and I said if he could dance to it on ice, he could on a floor.  So he did!  Actually, it didn't matter that much; one could dance without a partner, and some of the women did.  But it's always nicer to dance with a partner, whether on ice or on the floor....

The evening finished at about 11:30 pm and we went straight to bed.  This morning was cold, but we had obviously had the heating on too much over the previous days, as we nearly ran out of gas!  The boiler said firmly that the pressure was too low, but luckily the bath-water was hot, and there was enough gas to boil a kettle for coffee and to cook an omelette for breakfast, although I decided against risking boiling our eggs. 

At 11:00 they had the final meeting of the rally, which was basically notices and thank-yous, and then it was time to pack up and get going.  The Swan Whisperer brought the car down to the Village Hall, and we packed it all up, and then I drove it up to my parents' place, while he drove the van and put it away.  We then went off to try to find some gas, which we didn't succeed in doing (that is not a problem, we'll find some in London), and bought a sandwich, which we ate in a lay-by on Long Furlong, looking over the Downs.  We were trying not to impinge on lunch at my parents', where my sister and brother-in-law were putting up their greenhouse; unfortunately when we arrived they hadn't started yet as they'd gone out to get a Vital Part.  So we sat and chatted to them while they ate, and then my father and I dozed in front of the rugby while the SW took the dog out for a last walk, the greenhouse got built, and my mother pottered around....  and then we came back to London, and the end of another holiday! 

Cousins Tour, Day 7

I forgot to mention that Thursday night was wonderful, as there were owls!   I remember hearing them in my childhood, but hardly ever since. 

On Friday, we took my parents to Hayling Island, as planned. It is about an hour's drive from their home along the A27. I hadn't been there for many years and had no memory of it.

You reach it over a permanent causeway across part of Chichester Harbour.  It is mostly villas and static caravans, of course, as it is a seaside town.  However, unlike most such, you can park right next to the sea, which we did. There were three oil tankers in sight, but they did not move at all while we were there, and we think they must have been moored.  At one stage, another ship came out of Portsmouth Harbour and went off across the horizon.

And, of course, we enjoyed people-watching and people walking their dogs along the beach.  The Swan Whisperer went for a couple of brief walks - we had left my parents' dog at home as he doesn't find the van very comfortable. 

Then he drove us home while all three of us went to sleep!

We dropped off my parents and then went to the village hall, where the West Sussex branch of the Caravan Club are holding a rally.  We haven't done a rally before, and I don't suppose we'll often do one, but it will be a good thing to take The Boy to in August. We parked up and got comfortable, and after dinner went into the village hall and met people and chatted until bedtime.

Cousins Tour, Day 6

It was a cold and frosty morning to wake up to. I stuck my nose out of the duvet and promptly turned the heater on!

We breakfasted in the cafe again, delicious, and then set off to visit a cousin in Winterslow, near Salisbury.

It was a lovely drive. It was frosty, and in some places the hedges were absolutely covered with ice, which, we realised, was because they were immediately above a large puddle, and the cars going through had splashed them! Mostly the drive was in sunshine, but there were some patches of mist over Salisbury Plain.

The cousin we were calling on is a "double" cousin, in that her father and my grandfather were brothers, and her mother and my grandmother were first cousins. I was her bridesmaids, and we celebrated their Golden Wedding on the day my first grandson was born. Unfortunately she thought it was tomorrow we were coming, but it got sorted out in the end and we enjoyed a cup of coffee with them before heading on to Sussex.

First port of call was the supermarket, to get food, as we had invited my parents to dinner in the van.  Then up to their, where we are parked up in their forecourt. We had tea with them and a friend of theirs who is celebrating her 90th birthday today, and then went back to the van. Supper was duck breast, with an onion and mushroom sauce, mashed potato and cabbage and leek. It would have been followed by a lemon tart, but we didn't have room!  And wine - even my parents drank some - and coffee or tisane, according to taste.

Tomorrow we will be parked up by the village hall, to see what a rally is like - I may not have any signal at all, as there's no phone signal here and I'm on Wi-Fi.  If not, I'll be back Sunday night!

Cousins Tour, Day 5

Today was our last morning at Carnon Downs, so after a leisurely breakfast we topped up our water, both tank and drinking, and headed off. We were due in Plymouth at 3:00, so went a scenic route via King Harry's Ferry, St Just* and St Mawes.

We then drove to Plymouth, after an argument with the Satnav, which wanted to take us on minor roads, stopping for lunch in one of those lay-bys that had obviously been made when the road was straightened.

We eventually found the pub in Plymouth where we had arranged to meet an old school friend of my daughter's, which we duly did, and it was lovely to see her and catch up on her news.  It transpired, incidentally, that she had had her wedding reception in the same pub we'd eaten in last night. What a small world!

Then it was on back to the Cartgate truck stop where we had sadly spent our first night with no running water and no alternator!  Apart from having to change our gas bottle, it was so different! And we even got to see the International Space Station go overhead, thanks to a timely heads-up from Facebook!

* There was a young lad from St Just
Who ate apple pie 'til he bust.
It wasn't the fru-it
That caused him to do it;
What finished him off was the crust.

Cousins Tour, Day 4

Yesterday was a lovely holiday day, with nothing to do on the van except the usual drain, flush and refill, so once we had done that, we went off to the Eden Project, as most visitors to Cornwall do, sooner or later.  It is well worth seeing.  The outdoor gardens were a bit bleak at this time of year, although there were some lovely daffodils, but the biomes were fantastic.

There are two, one with a tropical rainforest climate, and relevant plants, crops, and even birds,

while the other has a Mediterranean climate (including South Africa, California and parts of Western Australia).  It is much smaller than the other, but I think I liked it better.  It smelt wonderful. 

We drove home rather alarmingly (tiny roads) via Mevagissey, and Tesco's in Truro, where I stayed in the van and watched the swans on the river

and then the Swan Whisperer decided to go out for a walk, despite the hail, and he went further than he meant and got soaked!  So we were very nearly late to meet my cousin and his wife who picked us up and took us out to a lovely meal at a nearby pub they knew, which was super.  I had fish and chips and couldn't finish them!  My cousin's wife turns out to be longing for a motor home, too, although her husband is not convinced, so they came in to look at ours when they dropped us back. She is most envious!

Cousins Tour, Day 3.

Storm Imogen did all it could last night, but we were warm and snug in bed and, although the van did sway a bit in the breeze, it was not enough to keep us awake.

This morning, I showered in the "Bathroom", or at least that was what I intended to do, but the shower over the bath didn't work properly, so I ended up having a bath, instead. Tomorrow I shall use the "Family room"; both it and the bathroom have more privacy, and more space, than the normal showers and loos.  I must remember to take a bathmat, though, as it was cold standing on a tiled floor to dress!

When I got back, I found that the Swan Whisperer had found a place where we could get a new alternator, so after breakfast we went there and they were able to fit one almost at once, having determined that this was indeed the problem. One issue solved, but we still needed a new pump, so we went off and bought one and then headed into Truro to see what we could see.

Lunch was the first order of the day, so we went into the first café we saw, which did us a very nice, but rather expensive, pie and salad, with coffee.  I thought afterwards that oh bother, we are in Cornwall, we should have had a pasty, but too late. So we went round the Cathedral, which is lovely, quite small, but very pleasant, and they didn't charge for admission, which makes a change.

Then we went and wandered round the shops and the market, and I found some wool I wanted.

So anyway, when we had done that and bought one or two things in the Co-Op, we came back to the camp site and the SW tried to fit the new pump, but it didn't fit, so we went rushing back to the place where we had bought it, and he finally got it replaced by a much cheaper one, which does fit and works!

So finally back to the camp site, and we had a fry-up for dinner, and I am thinking about transferring to my bed, where it is snug!

Cousins Tour, Day 2

So after I had posted last night, I went to wash my hands and the tap sputtered at me and nothing happened - no pump!  The Swan Whisperer looked at it, but to no avail, so we baled some water into a crate to have available, and went to sleep.

In the morning, we found we really liked the truck stop we were at, and had breakfast in the café there (excellent!), and used their facilities. The Swan Whisperer had another look at the pump and made it work, sort of, but it obviously needs to be replaced sooner rather than later, and the car battery is not charging as the alternator, whatever that is, is borked. One flood too many last night, probably.   And have you seen the weather forecast?  So we rang up the campsite we were booked in for tomorrow night and asked us if they could take us tonight as well, which they could.

So we drove here as the weather  worsened and worsened, and really have done nothing since.  I had a nap, and we ate risotto, and that's about it. In the morning we can use the showers and loos here, which seem lovely and warm.

Meanwhile there is a bit of a lull in the storm just now, long may it last. It was very noisy an hour ago!  I hope we sleep.

Cousins Tour, Day 1

I just wrote a long post all about today, and it has vanished!  Bugger.

We set off late, and should, in hindsight, have gone down the M3, which would have been quicker. Plus we got stuck in a massive traffic jam on the A3 due to emergency gas works, or something of the kind. By the time we had stopped for lunch, in a random services on the A31, we were running about an hour late.

But we made it to my cousin's in the end, and it was lovely to see her and her husband again.  The road to theirs was very wet, though, and even worse coming back.  I hope they are not cut off, or worse, by morning.

We drive on to try to get to our stopping-place for the night, but couldn't get there because the main road was closed, and so was the side road the Satnav found as an alternative.  So we sadly rang them up to say we couldn't make it, and came back to a truck stop near Yeovil where we had planned to spend Wednesday night (and probably still will).

It is too dark to see what it is like, but there are plenty of other motor homes parked up, and we are dry and snug after scary driving through floods and the car battery saying it wasn't charging....  It still has 2/3 charge, though, so not too drastic yet, and the habitation battery is fine.

The Swan Whisperer is cooking sausage and mash, and there is beer in the fridge!  I have just realised I have forgotten the wine, though. Bugger.

The Cousins' Tour

Well, if Philippa Gregory can call the Wars of the Roses "The Cousins' War", then I can call our forthcoming tour "The Cousins Tour!"  This is because we are planning to call on no fewer than three cousins from various branches of the family during it! 

We are off to the West Country, and will, I hope not be blown away other than by awesome scenery.  We spend tomorrow night in Somerset, then off to Cornwall for three nights, then back to Somerset, and finally back to my parents for one night.  We're taking them out for the day on the Friday, and then we are going (if it's not too wet) to a Rally!  We haven't done that before and are not sure whether we will enjoy it, but hey, why not?  We don't have to do another one if it's too ghastly, but in August there is a weekend devoted to grandparents and grandchildren, and it might be a perfect opportunity to take The Boy with us.  Boy Two is still a little young, we think.

Anyway, the real reason for posting this is to tweak Networked Blogs so that, I hope, it will post my updates during the tour (mobile signal permitting - data isn't a problem this time) in a timely fashion!  Photos will have to wait until I'm home again, or Thursday, anyway, so posts will be updated after that.

Serendipitous Fire Engines

We had arranged to meet friends this afternoon at One New Change, the big shopping centre behind St Paul's Cathedral.  But yesterday, when I was browsing the Internet, I came across this article.  I did a bit of further research, and found that there would be vintage fire engines displayed outside St Paul's Cathedral during the afternoon, and then there would be a procession leaving from Dowgate Fire Station in the early evening.  So I promptly contacted my friends and said look what's happening, and, indeed, when we got there, they were busy looking at the fire engines outside St Paul's.

We had a splendid time looking round, and talking to the firefighters, who were dressed in vintage uniforms.  Several other people were also dressed in 1940s fashions - one woman's legs were covered in tattoos, which we didn't think was actually very authentic, but still!  I was reminded that this was how fire engines were, in my youth, when I was a little girl visiting my grandmother in London - they rushed about with bells ringing, and huge wheels on the back for the ladders.

When we had all had enough, we wandered back to One New Change and took the lifts up to the sixth floor, where there is a roof garden and wonderful views over London, especially of St Paul's - the lifts are designed so you see nothing but it as you go up!

Then it was getting dark, so we came away and walked down towards Dowgate Fire Station, stopping for a cup of tea en route.  On our way, all the fire engines drove past us, to much waving, going back to the fire station where they were joined by others - all privately owned and immaculately maintained - until 6:05 pm, at which point an air-raid warning was sounded.  Sadly, this could only be a hand-cranked siren, as they were afraid that people would be scared of the real thing, what with terrorist alerts and so on, but when it finished, the fire-engines all drove off, bells ringing madly, followed - and we thought this a lovely touch - by a modern engine bringing up the rear.

So we came away and took a 133 bus back to Brixton and then a 37 up the road, and I cooked dinner for us all.  It was a lovely afternoon out.

Tea on Bury Hill

We were spending Christmas with my parents, now rather old and immobile (my father's word - he prefers it to "frail"), and, as we wanted to take the motor home out for a run anyway, we invited them to drive somewhere with us where we could have a cup of tea and look at the view.  My father suggested Bury Hill, a local landmark.

So we piled into the van and drove off.  My father sat in the front passenger seat, and my mother and I and the dog sat in the back.  First mistake was not having brought the dog's bed, as the poor dog found lying on the floor struck rather chill on his underneaths, and was reluctant to settle, but eventually he did, mostly on our feet.  The back seats are not exactly comfortable to drive - I expect the window seat is fine, although my mother said she couldn't see out of the front very well - but the side seat is difficult, as there is nowhere to brace yourself, and only the seatbelt keeps you from being flung into the stove when the Swan Whisperer takes a corner too fast!  However, I managed to stay put, and we arrived at Bury Hill only to find that they have moved the car park and you can't really see anything now!  And the Swan Whisperer discovered the hard way that the reversing sensors only actually work when the reverse gear is engaged, not when he is freewheeling - luckily, not much damage!

The Swan Whisperer took the dog for a walk, which took rather longer than he expected, and we had got bored and made the tea by the time he got back!  We had brought hot water in a Thermos, and then boiled it up in the kettle, plus teabags and milk, biscuits (a Christmas present from my middle niece, which are absolutely delicious) and Christmas cake.  So we drank that, and then, at my father's suggestion, took the scenic route home, although it was getting dark by now so we could see very little.  Then we had piled the used crockery into the sink, where it rattled all the way home, and the lid didn't fit securely so it fell off and hit both me and the dog, and spent the rest of the trip squashed on my foot underneath the dog!  Not exactly comfortable.....

But the parents enjoyed themselves, to the point where my mother has asked if "next time" we could take a picnic lunch and make a day of it.  Which we certainly can, only we will put some water in the van so we can use the loo, and also do the washing up! 

2015 Christmas Trip, final day

It was cold this morning, although the rain had stopped!  We were glad for the heating in the van - the bathroom can get too hot if you aren't careful, but that's not bad when you're showering with as little water as possible. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk before breakfast, and then we set off.  We had heard that the queues going into France could be horrendous on the major roads, and wondered whether they might not have blocked off some of the more minor crossings, so decided to compromise and take a main-road crossing.  This meant driving through Belgium, and the Satnav took us mostly on country roads, which was lovely - we love French country roads, but don't often go on Belgian ones.  We stopped briefly in Ieper (Ypres) to see if we could see a bakery, but couldn't, so we moved on an d eventually had rather a late lunch in a services on the A25 in France. 

We were not held up at the border - some cars were being pulled over, but we were just waved through.  And, as I said, we stopped at the next services for lunch, and then drove over to Dunkerque where we got lost!  For some reason Google Maps insisted that the Auchan hypermarket was not where it in fact is, and it wasn't until we asked it for their petrol that it found the right place!  The Satnav never knows one supermarket from another, so it wasn't being much help, either.  Anyway, we got there in the end and did our shopping, and then got petrol, but what that Auchan doesn't sell is gas, and we needed to replace our "Cube" of Butagaz.  So we drove down to the one at Calais, which not only does sell it, but we could empty our grey water there, too, which was useful. 

And so to Eurotunnel, straight through, and a two-hour run home.  And now we have emptied it, and it will be taken home and put back into storage until the next time!

2015 Christmas Trip, Day 5

The weather was lovely this morning when we got up, and we went for a walk down to the river, and then back along the main shopping drag, stopping off at the supermarket to buy bread, milk, etc.

There is a car-ferry that crosses the Rhein between Königswinter and Bad Gödesberg, so of course we took that,

and drove through Bonn, which is fairly uninteresting, before heading out on the motorway towards the Ronquières Inclined Plane, where there is a car park giving specific permission for overnight parking (1 night). We thought it was very dull to go the same way as we came, which was out fault for not having planned the route ourselves (not that there really is much choice), so when the Satnav said it could save us 6 minutes we said yes please, but in fact it was only another motorway. We stopped at services at a place called Jülich for lunch, and should maybe have explored there, it looked quite interesting, but we drove on and it was quite a long way to here. And it is raining!  So we are parked up for the night next to the lift, which is quite noisy.

This holiday has been all about transport - the first night we parked up by the Strépy-Thieux lift, then we had two nights next to the barges and passenger ships on the Rhein, last night was all about the trains, and now it is all about the canal lift again.