In search of spring, 3 March 2022

The sun is out again, and we are still in the South of France!

A delightful drive this morning, although parts of the area are very industrialised. We saw ships (behind the groyne) ,

factories

and goods trains

before arriving in Avignon. We had hoped to go into the town, but sadly, the Park&Ride didn't allow motorhomes, and although I'm sure we could have found a paying car park nearer the historic centre, the free one we found that did take motor homes was just that much too far. But we had great views of the eponymous bridge

and the Papal Palace, shrouded in scaffolding 

and it's not as if we haven't been here before - a winter holiday that was not a success as I had flu, the hotel was horrible, the euro, at that time, was practically at parity with the pound so everything was expensive and it snowed! But the sun was out today!

After lunch we drove on to this aire near the Pont de Gard, which is very nice with electricity and services included, although a very nice woman warned us on the way in that the water pressure is very low so it takes ages to fill the tank!

The Swan Whisperer has been for a long walk, and I have had a quiet afternoon, mostly snoozing. Tomorrow we hope to be able to visit the aqueduct and the associated museum. 

In search of spring, 2 March 2022

Carro, Martigues

Today is Ash Wednesday. It didn't start very well, although the Swan Whisperer bought croissants and the most heavenly warm-from-the-oven baguette for breakfast, but when we tried to get to the nearest Super U for today's shopping, we went the wrong way and it took about three times as long to get there as it should have done. 

However, we got there in the end, and I shopped while the SW got diesel and had his coffee. He has now taken over the route planning for the rest of this trip and is, I think, beginning to realise quite what a job it is! However, neither of us wants to go north just yet, so we are rethinking our plans. 

It has been overcast and cloudy all day, and a bit of rain this morning, so we basically just drove around the Camargue, crossing the Rhone on the Bac du Barcarin

(which we have done before) and heading down to this aire at Carro, where we stayed a few years ago.

There is the local fish market in the morning, which I shall definitely look at, but probably not buy anything as fish guts and a motorhome really don't mix, especially as we don't have any newspaper to wrap them in. 

For tonight's supper I have bought something called tielles Sétoises;

I think they are octopus and/or squid in a tomato and garlic sauce, encased in some sort of pastry. They sound nice, but who knows? 

In search of spring, 1 March 2022

Murviel-lès-Béziers, Shrove Tuesday and St David's day. 

Not such a lovely day today, as it has been cloudy and windy all day. No rain, though. 

We had a nice lazy morning as the wine merchants doesn't open until 10, so there was no rush. We bought quite a lot of wine - not more than our allowance, though. It is horrible having to think about the amount one can buy to bring home. Apparently there is a strike at - I'm not sure whether she meant the bottling plant or the bottle factory, so we had to buy a 3 litre wine box of the rosé I love. But the Swan Whisperer bought two bottles of red for himself, and four of white for me (two dry and two sweet) as well as the 3 litres of rosé and a bottle of red wine vinegar, as I wanted to make a vinaigrette for our leeks tonight. 

First port of call was Lidl, and then we drove up here, to this village north of Béziers, which is a fortified village with quite a steep walk up to the church, Mairie and chateau (now a guest house) at the top of the hill. We enjoyed it, although it was not just as glorious as we had hoped. 

We are parked up in another Camping-Car Park; the Swan Whisperer loves them, but I have serious reservations. They are talking over a great many municipal campsites, as well as formerly free aires, and although yo are guaranteed water and services all year round, and there is electricity, caravans and tents are no longer allowed, any sanitary facilities that used to be provided (showers, loos, etc) are no longer in use, there is no reception and no little shop. Okay, so they are cheaper than a campsite, but quite dear if they have taken over a formerly free aire. 

Anyway, we are here now, and may well use others, especially when we need services. But there are alternatives - they haven't yet taken over quite all of France! 

In search of spring, 28 February 2022

Mas Alart, Saleilles, France.

Well, you knew we would end up here didn't you? Got to buy some of the nicest wine in France! 

However, we started off by needing services, so we drove to what we thought was the Intermarche in Latour-bas-Elne, which had them. However, although it had all the other things it was supposed to have, no services. On enquiry, we discovered we were, in fact, at the Intermarché in Elne, not in Latour-bas-Elne. 

So a few minutes drive rectified that problem, and I shopped while the Swan Whisperer did the necessary, and then we headed on to St-Cyprien-Plage for lunch, and a look at the Med - as wonderful as ever, and as blue as ever!

After which, the SW suggested going to a "Village des Pecheurs" on the Etang du Canet Saint-Nazaire

that he had seen on the map, and which intrigued him. I wasn't too sure, when we arrived, that it wasn't a holiday let, but quite the reverse, as it turned out to be a collection of former fishermen's cottages built of reeds, and a nature reserve. 

We didn't see many birds except seagulls, which were beginning to pair off and courting rituals going full blast. There was a tiny museum, but it was obviously closed on a Monday. 

After a short walk, we realised the rather small car park was getting very full indeed, so we decided to head on more-or-less straight to Mas Alart, where we are parked up with windows and skylights open and enjoying not having to be wrapped up warm. As last time, the place is crowded, but we will be able to buy wine in the morning when the shop opens at 10.

In search of spring, 27 February 2022

What a lovely day! We didn't hurry out of bed, although the Swan Whisperer went for a short run - he has had an injury and this was his first run for a few weeks. After breakfast, he went on an explore, and then came back for coffee, during which he looked at the habitation door again, and appears to have fixed the lock, at any rate for the time being. It seems to have been a to matter of a spring that had got stuck, or something. 

At noon, it was time for church, and we logged on to the livestream from Brixton Hill; unlike other times, we could actually hear what was going on. Then a quick lunch, and then the main reason we hurried to get here - the Yellow Train!

This goes from Villefranche Vernet-les-Bains right up to La Carol Latour high in the Pyrenees. We only took it half way, though, as far as Font-Remeu. 

It was not the most comfortable of trains,

but certainly one of the most scenic, cutting through the mountains in tunnels and over bridges and viaducts and finally coming out on a wide plateau. The train stopped for several minutes at many of the stations, and and for half an hour at Fort-Romeu before starting its downward journey again. 

This train has been on my bucket list for awhile now, and I'm so glad we did it. Today was the last day of service for a couple of months as they are going to do track works, and it was also the last day of the winter fares - €5 per person each way (although nobody checked our return tickets; we could have got away without buying them!). 

Once back in the motor home, I got supper ready and then it was time for Bible Study (our church hosts a Zoom study each month). After that, supper, and now I am catching up and will then go and watch videos in bed! We don't think our leisure batteries would really like us to cast them to the TV when we don't have external electricity. 

There are (rather too many) more photos on Facebook. 

In search of spring, 26 February 2022

Another bitterly cold morning - this photo shows the frost clearing away from the bedroom skylight while I was getting up. 

Our first port of call was to the supermarket for diesel and groceries, and and then we drove down to the Garabit viaduct. I have posted pictures of it before, taken from the aire on the A75, but this was the first time I had seen it from the other side. It is really rather spectacular! 

More photos on Facebook. We continued down the A75 and stopped for lunch before Millau (we had hoped to stop there, but time was getting on). The habitation door lock now seems completely buggered, so matter how often we clean the contacts, but the Swan Whisperer had a brain-waggle and has used the steering lock to keep it closed from the inside! Easily removed when I need to get in or out, and we can get the lock fixed in Sussex when we go home. 

We went over the Millau viaduct. It is more spectacular seen from below, but we wanted to get to our overnight stop before dark so the SW could have a walk. And it is pretty good seen from on it, although you can't see over the restraining walls (just as well, perhaps). 

And on, and on, and on, down the A75 and the A9, past Perpignan and Prades to Villefranche-de-Conflent where we will be spending two nights for reasons which will be revealed tomorrow. The SW has had his walk and will be cooking our Saturday sausage and mash - only the mash will be Aligot, which I rather extravagantly treated us to - we were in the area; it would have been rude not to, really! 

We are definitely seeing signs of spring here - there were speedwells in the aire where we stopped for lunch, crocuses in the one where we stopped for tea, and many of the trees are showing green. This seems to be a fruit-growing area, and many of the trees were in blossom. 

In search of spring, 25 February 2022

St Flour, France. 

Another long drive today, but much nicer than yesterday! However, first thing in the morning it was bitterly cold - and the Swan Whisperer said it was only 6°C inside the van! So, of course, the gas ran out before it was warm enough to shower, so the poor SW had to go out and change the cylinder before we could get up properly. 

So our first port of call after breakfast was an Intermarché, where he got gas and I went shopping. Was very pleased to find snail grippers and forks - something that had been singularly lacking when we fed the boys snails last week - they had to use skewers and we were reduced to the tails of mustard spoons! Which, I may say, I did the job but it is good to have the proper equipment for next time! 

Next, we drove about 20 kilometers to Saran, and used the services there, which Park4Night told us were open all year. The only reason we didn't go there last night was because it also said it was apt to be full, and indeed it was! But we drained, flushed and refilled, and so set off properly down the A71. I was delighted to see the old Aerotrain test track, and a TGV line (which superseded it) both parallel to the road. 

We stopped for lunch in an aire somewhere, near Bourges, we think, and again about an hour later as there was supposed to be a great view of the Auvergne volcanoes.

To our horror, we discovered that the hab door wasn't locking, and had to wait while the SW queried the wisdom of the Internet, which soon solved the problem - dirty contacts, apparently. Once we had solved that, we found we needed a cup of tea so had that, and then headed off again, this time down the A75. The SW decided he would rather stop at a Camping-Car Park (all right for him, but do you see him giving me the money to refill my card?) so we did another very quick stop to reprogramme the satnav, and now we are here, plugged into electricity and we can use the services again this morning, which is good as we won't have them again until Monday. 

It is going to be another very cold night, but we will programme the heating to come on at 07:00!

In search of Spring, 24 February 2022

Well, we may have set off in search of the spring but it most certainly wasn't in France today! It rained. It rained. And it rained. 

We had a very long drive today; the satnav said that the quickest way would be via Paris, but the Swan Whisperer decided not to do that, but and we came via Rouen instead, which was about two hours longer. 

Our first port of call was at a Lidl, where I bought one or two bits - blood oranges here are a lot cheaper than at home. I have a lovely But the Swan Whisperer texted me to say he needed milk and the one thing Lidl France appears not to sell is fresh milk! So we went across the road to an Intermarché or E Leclerc, I forget which where I got milk, drinking water, and beer and cider. And a Paris-Brest each for lunch pudding as they were on such a special offer it would have been rude not to, really! 

And so we went on, stopping for lunch in an aire somewhere, and again for diesel, off-motorway (it took some finding, but we got there in the end). And on and on and on, passing Chartres Cathedral, of which I singularly failed to take a photo. And there was a rainbow, a which was lovely. 

And so to this aire at Artenay, which is the car park of a public swimming pool; as this is open-air, it is not open at this time of year. There are no services, but we can get them tomorrow. Which will be another long drive, as will Saturday. 

In search of spring, 23 February 2022

Merlimont, France. 

So another adventure begins; we are heading back to the South of France to see if it is beginning to be spring there! 

Normally, we would be parked up at Sangatte for the first night, but our batteries were a bit flat, so we thought we would go to a Camping-Car Park place just south of Le Touquet where there would be electricity.

Unfortunately, I misunderstood what the ap was telling me and it was full when we got there, so we are parked up with no electricity in the station car park.  At least we are an hour down the road for tomorrow's trip! 

We will be going to bed very soon to save the battery; if we have to drive for 20 miles tomorrow morning before we can have a shower, so be it! 

I have just given myself a fright because I couldn't find my medications for the morning, but they were there, just not where I thught they were!  Phew!

A Valentine's Day Excursion

 Actually,  Valentine's Day had really nothing to do with it - I just couldn't think what to call it.

Over the past few days, I'd read posts from Ian Visits and Londonist about a new electric bus that is being introduced on to route 63, with various experimental features that may or may not be included if and when they get funds to renew their fleet.  So I wanted to go on it, of course, and the Swan Whisperer was, if not keen, willing to accompany me.

The sensible thing was to go to King's Cross by Tube and catch it at the start of its route.  Getting to King's Cross was fine,

but we took a long time to find the correct bus stop, crossing the Euston Road several times and eventually ending up almost beside the Tube exit we'd come out of!  Then, of course, the next two 63s that came were the old buses - I gather the entire fleet will have been replaced by "spring", but at the moment less than half has.  However, eventually a new bus came along, and we got on.

I didn't really get a chance to look round the inside, but upstairs was very grand!  

There is a skylight, which I gather is tinted to stop it being too hot in summer, and, as you can see, there are windows that can be opened, although the bus is air-conditioned.  

We started off sitting right in the front, but then the Swan Whisperer's phone needed charged, so we moved back a seat to get access to the charging points and phone holders: 

The actual route was new to us, too - from King's Cross the bus goes down Clerkenwell Road, past Farringdon Station and under Holborn Viaduct (such lovely lamp-standards):

We crossed over Blackfriars Bridge, and so on to St George's Circus and the Elephant.  I suggested leaving the bus there, and getting a 35 home, but the Swan Whisperer said that we would stay on until the end.  However, after it stopped for about 15 minutes in the middle of nowhere (somewhere near Burgess Park) "to regulate the service", and then again at Peckham Bus Garage to change drivers, I firmly said I had had enough and would go to Morrison's and then get a 37 home.  So that's what we did - I wanted fresh pasta for supper.  

It was a fun outing, covering a large triangle of London.  Rather pointless, really, but I'm glad to have experienced these new buses.  We both liked the "wooden" flooring but I regret to say I didn't notice the modern passenger information screens - I have a feeling that our one wasn't working.  They have them on the P5, though - as, indeed, they have power sockets - so I have seen them.  I do hope TfL gets proper funding so it can roll out these buses, or very similar ones, over the whole network.  

In search of Sevilles

I have spent the past few days looking for the Seville oranges that are in season at this time of year and bring brightness to dull January days.  However, Lidl never sells them, Sainsbury's in Clapham didn't have any and nor did Tesco in Brixton or in Streatham (the Swan Whisperer very kindly looked after skating).  I had thought of going to Tulse Hill Sainsbury's, but they probably wouldn't have had them.  

I thought that, if anywhere would have them, it would be the massive Sainsbury's in Nine Elms, but it is a serious trek to get there.  However, one could make a proper Expotition of it.  I thought at first I'd go up there on the 196, then take the Tube from Nine Elms Station to Battersea Power Station Station and the P5 home, but it is rather minor roads between Battersea Power Station Station and the P5 terminus, and it would be dark by the time I got there (I'd been watching the Men's Short at the Europeans, so hadn't been out earlier).  So I thought I'd postpone the excursion to tomorrow, and just pop out to Lidl for today's necessities.  But just as I got to the bus stop, there was a P5, so I thought I'd do the trip the other way round.  

So first I got the P5 to Thessaly Road, and walked under the eponymous bridge (which calls itself Thessaly Road Bridge, but as it is patently a railway bridge, that is a bit of a misnomer) to Battersea Power Station Station.

The trains aren't very frequent from there, so I had to wait 6 minutes, but of course the train was in the station so I could sit down, very comfortable.  It is only a couple of minutes to Nine Elms, which I'd been through before, but never got in or out at.  I love the inside-out "Underground" logo that you see as you approach the exit:

Sainsbury's is just next door

and I was delighted to find they did have the Sevilles in stock, so from that point of view it was a most successful Expotition.  

On the way back, I decided to change buses at Stockwell Bus Garage, catching a 196 from opposite Sainsbury's and changing to a P5.  Big mistake - normally, when I do that, both buses arrive at the stop within seconds of each other, but this time I must have just missed the P5 and had to wait for a quarter of an hour for the next one - which was just in front of the next 196!  Ah well, I got home at last, in time for a much-needed cup of tea - as I hadn't expected to be out for more than a few minutes, I hadn't bothered to bring my water with me, and missed it rather badly!

Early Winter, Saturday 4 December 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Early Winter, Friday 3 December 2021

The last full day of the holiday, so of course I have to feel rotten - aching, exhausted, and really not up to par. And still coughing nicely, although less than before. As I said, if I were at home, I'd take a test, and probably will when I get home tomorrow, although as I have to self-isolate anyway until the results of our day 2 PCR tests come through, not much point, really.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk in the morning, having been out first thing to find a boulangerie for croissants, while I read and dozed and researched a new smartphone (mine is giving notice to quit). Then I finally got dressed and we had lunch, and then drove up to Sangatte in the rain. We stopped at Auchan and I did about half of the necessary shopping, and then I made us a mushroom omelette for supper. And now I am snuggled up in bed with a hot water bottle! I feel quite a lot better this evening, so hope it was only a 24-hour bug. 

Early winter, Thursday 2 December 2021

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and came back not only with croissants for breakfast (yum), but also with the information that the tram stop into Reims was only a few metres away. 

So, after a hiatus when we couldn't find my woolly hat (it had been put away, but its matching scarf had not, hence the confusion), we set off. Tram tickets, like bus tickets in the UK, are valid for an hour, and we made full use of our hour, as when we got to the Cathedral, we found there was a Christmas Market.  One of the best ones we have been to, actually.  We had to wear a mask and show our vaccine certificates to get in (I accidentally showed the photo I had taken of my Bratwurst supper, which made us all laugh - I had opened the right picture, but must have clicked on "next" or something.  Oh well, no harm done! 

The market was much bigger than we first thought, and it was a great pity that we were neither hungry enough to make the most of the proffered samples of all kinds of goodies, from cheese to prunes and boiled sweets and everything in between, nor was it the right sort of time of day for glühwein (and the SW was driving, anyway), but we bought gingerbread for the boys (a Father Christmas and a St Nicholas, which will, of course, be for Boy 2), and ended up with a mug of mulled orange juice, which had slightly too  much cinnamon for my taste, but was otherwise very good. 

We got back on the tram with about 2 minutes to spare on our tickets and, once back at the motor home, used the services and then headed off. 

We stopped for lunch at a lovely aire in a village called Corbeny, which was by an artificial lake or pond of some kind.

It would have been a lovely place to spend the night, but there were no services of any kind, and anyway, it was only lunch time.  So we drove on to this aire, taking our time and going cross-country. This is the municipal aire of Marcoing, just outside Cambrai.  It is okay; the fresh water is out of use for the winter, and there is nowhere to empty the loo, but they provide free electricity while the street lamps are on.  I gather they go off at midnight, but I expect they come on again in the morning.  It is not particularly attractive; it is by a canal lock, but you can't see it.  Still, once  you are indoors with all the shutters closed you can't see out anyway! 

Early winter, Wednesday 1 December 2021

Another horribly wet day, and I have developed a really bad cough, which is annoying and tiring. If I were at home I'd do a test, but not sure how to get them here.

We went to a Lidl this morning, which was a bust as they didn't have any fresh milk, and I got loo paper instead of kitchen paper by mistake, but they changed it for me. So we then programmed an E Leclerc in St Dizier into the SatNav, but when we got there there were barriers all round the car park, so we went to Intermarché instead, which didn't, and I got milk and a couple of other things, including "rognons sauce madère", which we both love, but haven't seen for ages - I thought they had stopped making them. We then had lunch, and then it rained and rained

while we drove to Reims to use the services there, and there was space in the motor home park here. It's ok, but a lot of traffic noise. We nearly went back to Chaméry, but didn't. 

We didn't eat the rognons, either, but i made a big vegetable stew, which I hoped would do twice, but it didn't! Oh well. And the rain has stopped, for now, at least. 

Early Winter, Tuesday 30 November 2021

It is raining. It has rained. It will rain. It will have been raining. It is also cold, wet and generally miserable.

We drove up the hill this morning into Homberg Haut Old Town, which would have been nicer in nicer weather. As it was, I stayed put while the Swan Whisperer took a couple of photographs for me.

We drove on a bit, and I got my only exercise of the day plodging round a Super U - I think almost my favourite of the French chains. I got some nice shower gel, too, both for me and for MrsRev.

We stopped at Pont-au-Mousson for lunch, and then drove to Toul, but the water was out of use for repairs, so we drove oa couple of miles to this aire at Bruley. There is a lot of disagreement on Park4Night as to which is better - here or Toul. They seem much of a muchness to me, although there is no electricity here. But thete are services!

Early winter, 29 November 2021

It was a beautiful, bright early winter orning; blue skies and sunshine, although not exactly warm.  I gather the Swan Whisperer went for a run, but as I had fallen asleep again, I wasn't aware of it until he came back! 

Once we had had breakfast, it was time to catch the bus into the centre of Kehl,

where I visited Müller and got some 4711 shower gel, and then DM where I got moisturiser and miniature shower gels.  Finally I parked the Swan Whisperer at a coffee shop and did a shopping in Edeka, and then joined him for coffee, and we walked back to the bus stop in good time for the bus back to the camp site. 

Lunch was the next order of the day, although I found I wasn't actually hungry.  Then we used the services, and got ready to leave Germany.  By this time, it had clouded over, and was beginning to snow!  

On our drive over here (a town called Hoburg Haut in Lorraine), the weather varied between rain, sleety rain, sleety snow and snow, depending on the altitude.  But just as we arrived at our parking place (free, but electricity is very expensive so we are doing without), the sun came out again, thus proving me right when I told the SW that we would arrive before it was quite dark!