Oberstdorf Plus, 11 May

Is there anything nicer than waking up on a fine morning in Cité Europe and realising that it is the first morning of your holiday?

We didn't hurry to get up, but drank our tea and caught up with things. We finally got up about 08:30 and had breakfast, and then I went and did some shopping in Carrefour. I was annoyed  because I'd used a trolley, as I wanted a 5L carboy of drinking-water so of course my wristband didn't register my step count. Fortunately, the other app I have on my phone did.

Then we were off for the first long, dreary drive across Belgium. We stopped briefly to get rid of used coffee, and for lunch and another walk at the Strépy-Thieux canal lift,

and a third time as the SW needed a break. It wasn't actually too bad as it was fine and the traffic wasn't too awful, for Belgium. And finally we got to the far side of Liège, and the aire at Blegny Mine that we stayed at in December. It is somewhat fuller now, funny that!

The SW went for a walk while I read and knitted and then he came back and we got supper. I've gone to bed, although I've no plans to snuggle down just yet - it's only 21:00!

Oberstdorf Plus. 10 May

It's that time of year again, when we set off to Oberstdorf for the annual. ISU International figure skating competition.

However, at home, they have been building new flats on the top of our block, and refurbishing it. Its been a total nightmare and gone on for far too long, but this week they have got to the part where they resurface the back yard. Of course, the site manager buggered off on holiday without telling the contractors that the garages were in use and people needed access to them. We knew this week would be impossible, though, so parked the car in the Youth Centre until last night. But it was obvious that we would not be able to bring the motor home up, so we had to load everything into the car, very early, to get away before the workmen came.

We weren't quite sure that everything would fit in the car - we have done this before, but there's a difference between going away for the weekend and going for three weeks! But it did, and we got away shortly after 7.00 am. We stopped at a Tesco to buy breakfast sandwiches and orange juice, and arrived at No 6 at about 9.30. After coffee, the Swan Whisperer went to get the van,and put stuff in it, and then I did the putting-away while he took the dog for a walk and the others went for a little drive round.

By this time it was lunch time, and after lunch we set off. First port of call was a Homebase in Shoreham for gas, and then it was motorway all the way, and we got on the Shuttle an hour earlier than we had booked. So I had time to get a few things from Carrefour (which shut early as it is Ascension Day) while the Swan Whisperer got supper.  Sadly, I wasn't very hungry, for some reason, and am very tired, so am going to have an early night.

Bread and Beer festival

A  hot bank holiday, for once, and we decided to stay local, and go to the Brixton Windmill Bread and Beer festival, which is held in Windmill Gardens, about 15 minutes' walk from where we live.  I hadn't been to Windmill Gardens for six or seven years - I think we took The Boy there once when he was still in a pushchair, and now he is nearly 8, but the Swan Whisperer says he walks past it on his way down to church.

The gardens were rammed when we arrived!  The main bread stall, the Old Post Office Bakery, was totally sold out and deserted, and there were very long queues for beer stalls (not surprised - it was hot!).  There was a van from a local coffee shop, but that was not so popular.  The Friends of Windmill Gardens had a colourful stall, too.

Any maypole dancing was obviously over when we arrived.

but the Morris Dancing was still going on very happily:

There was also a sound stage, and you could queue to go inside the Windmill itself, but we didn't do that.  We did, however, spend some time reading posters about the history of the mill.

It's not the first time, obviously, that we have visited it - I think it closed to the public in 1990, but we certainly visited it on an Open Day before then, when the Daughter was little.  It's good that there is still a working mill in Brixton, even though the flour is now ground by electricity rather than wind power - it hasn't done that for a very long time.  The sails do turn, but are in poor condition and need to be repaired, which I think is the next thing the Friends are hoping to do.

We were surprised by the crowds - not the numbers, that was not surprising on a lovely day.  But the demographic was primarily white, middle-class young families; more Walthamstow than Brixton!  Whether the demographic has changed this much without our noticing, or whether people came from further afield and local people didn't bother, we didn't see anybody we knew.  But it was a pleasant interlude in a busy day!

South of France, 4 April 2018

So we woke up this morning and the sky was blue!  Ah well.... so it was a matter of getting up, getting breakfast, clearing away, and then heading to the terminal via the services at Coquelles.  We got a crossing 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, and were home shortly after noon, UK time, with plenty of time to unpack and put things away before lunch! 

Next time we're off will be to Oberstdorf in May, and we have not yet decided what we will do after that.

South of France, 3 April 2018

We had parked up beside a lake which, of course, the Swan Whisperer went for a run round this morning!  After breakfast, I decided to walk round it, such took half an hour, about 6 minutes longer than I was really able for, but nice exercise, and there was a heron!

We then drove back to Calais, stopping in Rouen for diesel and in an aire for lunch, and then in the Baie de Somme for a cup of tea. And then in Coquelles we stopped in at the motor home place where they exchanged the bin with no questions asked, and made sure the new one was not broken.

And so to Cité Europe, where we did a last shop (except for bread for tomorrow's lunch), and then ate in the Flunch, which was pretty dire, but I enjoyed a nice piece of lamb. 

When I woke up here two weeks ago, the sun was shining brightly and it was a lovely day to start our holiday. Tonight it is raining, as it has been all day!  France making itself easy to say goodbye to?

South of France, 2 April 2018

We left our friends at about 14:30 after a lovely lunch, and headed north. We are on the homeward run now, and tonight we are parked up outside Chartres. 

Cooked supper and delighted to discover the ice-cream still frozen in the freezing compartment of our fridge. It has worked so well these holidays, as had the heater.

South of France, 1 April 2018

Hallelujah!  Christ is risen!  Easter Day has been pretty much a rest day - we had arranged to go to an English service in a village near Lezay, to meet our old friend who lives in the area, which we did, and then went with her and her church to an Easter lunch in a local restaurant, and back to hers, where we passed a very pleasant and peaceful afternoon and evening, and are now spending the night.