The last dregs of summer, 1 October 2022

It was exactly 7 years ago that we set off in our then motor home on our first ever motorhome adventure, the Eleanor of Aquitaine tour. We have learnt a lot since then!

Meanwhile, it was not so cold this morning, although the heating still came on. There was an artisan bakery just around the corner from the campsite, and the SW popped up there for a baguette and croissants for breakfast. I had had another bad night, although my cold is very definitely almost over, and fell fast asleep after breakfast, but when I woke up, we went back to the bakery for some patisseries for lunch pudding!

Then we went into Nevers; we had hoped to park up by the Loire and have a quick look at the Cathedral but the parking was a bit full and not really suitable for motor homes, so we came away and I did a massive shop at an Intermarché and now won't need to get anything other than bread, and possibly milk, before Tuesday!

Then a very pleasant drive down the N7, A71, A79 and A75 to this Camping-car park at a place called Brassac-les-Mines. I did book, but it wasn't necessary

as I think there is only one other motor home there. The Swan Whisperer went out for a leg-stretch, and I watched videos, and now he is cooking our Saturday night sausages! 

The last dregs of summer, 30 September 2022

Stupid, stupid, stupid me! I forgot that the "nighttime" decongestant tablets really don't suit me, and took them. The net result was that I lay awake most of the night with a mouth so dry it merited its own hosepipe ban, and very restless. Dozed a bit, but woke every hour on the hour, so felt like chewed string this morning. No walks for me today, although I did pop into a supermarket for some necessities.

We had a very pleasant drive once we got away from the Paris area, mostly down the A77 (we decided it was worth paying tolls) to Nevers, where we have parked up in a small, free aire in a suburb called Marzy. Nice view, but I really didn't feel up to a walk, so read and dozed while the SW explored.  I did cook supper, which was mushroom omelettes. No photos today, so here is one from yestetday. 

The last dregs of summer, 29 September 2022

I slept really well last night, the first good night's sleep I have had since starting this cold! But we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof, and it was cold enough that we needed to turn the heating on while we dressed. The rain was away before we were, though, and we only met one brief, although sharp, shower en route. 

We told the Satnav that we didn't want to pay tolls as far as Abbéville, where I visited a Super U, but forgot to buy tea, which must be remedied tomorrow. By which time, the Swan Whisperer decided he liked the look of the non-toll route and it was, he said, only half an hour longer, so we went via Rouen and Evreux here to Sceaux. We are parked in the free car park for the Chateau de Sceaux (which the Satnav amused us by pronouncing it "Skucks"), and after a cup of tea we went for a rather slow walk around the Parc de Sceaux, which was absolutely gorgeous! More photos on Facebook, of course.

By the way, if you want a map of our travels and stops, do follow me on Polarsteps. Link on Facebook. 

The last dregs of summer, 28 September 2022

Back at the end of February, we went off down to the South of France to try to find the spring. This time we are going to try to salvage the last dregs of summer.. Although we don't know exactly where we are going after the first few days as we plan to meet up with the Swan Whisperer brother and his wife, who are touring in their motor home. 

My mother and sister have been on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords, and they returned today, so we all met up at no 6, we arrived about 5 minutes before they did. They unpacked their stuff while we loaded the van, and then they went to pick up the dog, who was staying with my sister's partner, and we headed off. 

Uneventful drive and crossing, and then a further hour to this Camping-Car park where we are spending the night. Supper was a German ready-meal that was edible, although not as nice as it looks on the packet!

 

Summer Holiday, 30 August 2022

 And so we came home.  First of all, though, we woke up in Bray-Dunes, and after breakfast took ourselves on a leg-stretch to the beach and back.

  Then we used the services for the final time, and set off down the A16 towards Calais.  We had hoped to stop at the big Auchan in the Grande Synthe commercial centre, but there was a traffic jam and we missed our exit, so went straight to Cité Europe and I did a Last Shop in France there.  We had a slightly early lunch, and eventually headed to the Eurotunnel terminus.

We had booked on the 15:20 crossing, and I had hoped we'd get on an earlier one, but even though the traffic wasn't as horrendous as it would have been the previous day, it was still pretty busy, so we had to be on our booked crossing, which was slightly late.  This meant we arrived at No 6 at about 17:15 local time, and then, of course, there was a busy half an hour or so packing up stuff that hadn't already been packed - we had done the bedroom and bathroom stuff earlier.

We had arranged to have supper with my mother - I provided the stew and potatoes, and she provided plum crumble.  And very good it was, too.  But of course we didn't get back to London until nearly 10, which is one reason I didn't blog yesterday.  We only did a bare minimum of unpacking - the stuff to go in the fridge and overnight stuff, basically - and I, for one, was glad to seek my bed.

However, this morning after breakfast I reached for my computer - and there it wasn't! We had totally forgotten that just before leaving for this holiday I'd led a Zoom service from No 6, and had left my computer there.  The Swan Whisperer went totally above and beyond and drove me down to pick it up, and while we were there, we looked in the motor home for a dozen eggs that had unaccountably gone missing.  The supermarket in Belgium had, improbably, had eggs on a BOGOF, so I had bought two dozen, but could find only one of them.  Anyway, no joy - and we did take the opportunity to open the sink cover, which we had forgotten to do.  We did find the eggs when we got back to London - they were hiding in plain sight!

Because the SW had been so kind, I took him out to lunch at the Chalk Restaurant at the Wiston Estate Winery.  This was delicious, if rather expensive - but probably cost less than a return train fare with taxis each way! 

I should explain that normally my mother would have given us lunch, or we would have taken her out to lunch, but it was the one day she had guests, so we literally just grabbed my computer (tidily in a briefcase) and ran!  So it was near on 17:00 when we got back to London, and of course we had missed a whole day of catching up.  Oh well.... I then had to go to the dentist and then there was a flat owners' meeting, but I have left the Swan Whisperer to deal with all that while I catch up.  

Summer Holiday, 29 August 2022

Do not, repeat not, drink Polish linden tea before going to bed! It appears to be an incredibly strong diuretic, and I was up at least five times in the night instead of my usual two or three! I was not impressed! 

We had a fearful fright this morning. The Swan Whisperer was cleaning his teeth when the pump suddenly started running and wouldn't stop! The SW tried switching it off and on again - which he said wouldn't work as it had no intelligent components. He looked under the van to see whether we had sprung a leak somewhere, and finally we found that the shower in the boot - the one meant for hosing off muddy dogs and boots - was turned on. He turned it off - blissful silence, and I could have my shower! We realised that there had been a jackhammer going full blast first thing, and It was probably that had loosened it. It has now been firmly wrapped in an elastic band to stop its working itself loose again! 

After that, we could have breakfast, and then we decided to go for a walk down to the boat lift and back

- we could have gone on to avoid coming back the way we went, but decided not to. We did see a boat being lifted, though, but we couldn't see where it said no overnight parking, and people obviously had! All the same, I think I do prefer the place by the old canal - the duck path, they call it! 

We decided we had better go somewhere there were services for our last night, so have ended up in this Camper Contact place at Bray Dunes, just in France. The telephone can't make up its mind where we are, which does not make for a good signal. 

Our first port of call, however, was a supermarket

where I bought the wherewithal to make couscous for supper, only I forgot to buy chickpeas, so had to go down to a convenience store about 500 metres away to buy some. And they didn't have small tins - only big ones and enormous ones! So I bought a big one and we'll have to save half of it. 

An uneventful journey to Bray-Dunes, except that we rather wish we had gone across country - that motorway from Lille is very dull! Every other car seemed to be British, probably heading home, which is why we decided not to cross today! There are at least two other British motorhomes here which may or may not have decided the same thing.... 

Summer Holiday, 28 August 2022

This morning we were in Düren, but of course it is Sunday, so all the shops are shut. We didn't head on very early, but used the services, and the SW went for a leg-stretch while I read and did puzzles on my tablet. 

It was always going to be a driving day, as we are on the way home. We started off cross-country, a mixture of extremely nice roads and really rather awful ones, much too narrow for the WoMo really. Fortunately there was not much traffic. 

We joined the motorway just before the Belgian border. It would appear that the secret to Belgian motorways is to go on a Sunday lunchtime - very little traffic and no hold-ups! 

Our original plan had been to stop at the car park for the Ronquières inclined plane, but for some reason neither of us was keen. I remember it as dark and gloomy, but that was in December a few years ago! 

So anyway, I found that a car park on the outskirts of Mons was recommended, but when we got there, it was a bit full, and we felt as though we were intruding. Also no shade, and it is hot again! So a bit of detective work finds us parked up at this lovely canal bridge

(even though the cars make a noise going over it) with a view of the Strépy-Thieu canal lift,

which we love. We would have gone there, but they have stopped overnight parking, alas. This place, however, is almost nicer. 

As I had barely been out of the WoMo - just to buy rolls in a random convenience store at a petrol station - we decided to go for a walk along the canal bank to the old lift

(one of the ones the big Strépy-Thieu lift replaced) and back the other side. It was a lovely walk, although you had to walk down to the roadway to cross the canal, and then back up the other side up a 19% slope! But we took it slowly and I managed, although I know I've taken exercise. Now cooking a big casserole and enjoying a lovely evening.