The last dregs of summer, 17 October 2022

There was a massive, massive thunderstorm in the night - absolutely fantastic lightning and almost continuous growls of thunder. And then it rained! How the Swan Whisperer slept through it all, I'll never know, but he really missed an amazing experience! 

However, this did nothing for my sleep, so I have had a headache on and off all day. First of all I woke up again (having dozed off) when they turned the street lights back on at 6, and then some very noisy machine came and Did Things for what felt like an hour, but was probably only about 15 minutes. I don't know what it was doing, but it made a very unpleasant noise doing it. 

So anyway, I didn't want to go for a walk this morning. I did, of course, go shopping at an Intermarché outside Evreux, and a short walk before lunch at the Normandy town of Vernon, where there is a mediaeval flour mill on the remains of a mediaeval bridge,

and a chateau.

We enjoyed walking round there and reading the panels about the buildings. Also the autumn colours of the woods above the Seine. 

We are parked up for the night at Neufchatel-en-Bray, in a very nice aire. Unlike last night's, it isn't free (there is, I discovered too late, a free one just a few miles east) but only about 12 euros, which is very reasonable. It even has a launderette! However, I think our laundry can wait until we get home now. We might even have finished it by the weekend!

The last dregs of summer, 16 October 2022

Today is Sunday, and because we are that much further north, it didn't really begin to get light until about 08:00. And we were not in a hurry, so didn't rush to get up. The Swan Whisperer went to find a bakery; the one round the corner from the Camping-car Park had closed down, but there was a shiny modern one not just so far away so he went there for our baguette, croissants and Sunday patisseries. 

After breakfast, we went for a walk round the "Etang Communal" which was exactly 1 km; there was a woman doing laps in the other direction who we kept meeting, as she was walking rather faster than we were, with the aid of trekking poles! We wondered how many laps she had done/was doing. 

We then had a look round the church - it did smell of incense, but I don't know whether there had been a service that morning - from the literature, it looked as though they only had one service a month and the other Sundays were at other churches. It was a pleasant enough building, but not especially memorable. 

Then it was time to set off; the Swan Whisperer had thought he knew what way we were going, but had not told the Satnav to avoid toll roads, so we ended up on the motorway. But we came off it shortly before Chartres, and even found a place where we could top up with diesel - only 30 litres, though, but that is enough to get us across the Channel. 

We are now parked up in a wonderful, if rather small, free aire which even includes electricity in the village of La Madeleine de Nonancourt, just by the Mairie. It looks as though it was once a private chateau.

I look forward to exploring in the morning. 

The Swan Whisperer did go for a walk, and this evening it was our church's Zoom Bible Study, so supper is rather late! 

The last dregs of summer, 15 October 2022

There was the most glories sunrise this morning.

After breakfast we act for a walk round the village, which was very short as St-Macel-en-Mersat is a very small village! The church was nice, though, and obviously cared for, although I don't think it has any source of music unless people bring their instruments.

We then set off and, after shopping and a successful attempt to get diesel, drove up the A71, stopping for lunch in a serious cloudburst, but it did stop raining shortly after we set off again. We are now in a very nice Camping-Car park at Lailly-en-Val, with a community sports ground - people were playing boules when we arrived - a fake and a church. Hope it will be fine for exploring tomorrow. 

The last dregs of summer, 14 October 2022

A quiet day today; we spent most of the morning just relaxing. My insides are all better now, you will be pleased to hear! Eventually we moved on and drove to a Super U some miles further north, where I did a shopping, and then to a service area to have lunch. 

After lunch, I think we came off the motorway and drove a scenic route through the Auvergne volcanoes, but as I was fast asleep at the time, it was wasted on me. Then we arrived at this aire at Saint-Marcel-en-Murat. We stayed here before, back in January 2017, when there was a bitter frost and our pipes froze! Tonight it is very windy and the odd shower, but no danger of frost! I hope we may get a walk round the village in the morning, if the weather co-operates. No photos today, so here is a shot of what Google lens tells me is baby sage that I took at Alès a few days ago. 

The last dregs of summer, 13 October 2022

Not a good day from my point of view, as my tummy went back on me and I felt rather rotten all day. So I only left the van to rinse out some washing that I needed to do to have enough underwear to last until I get home and a day or so afterwards.  There was a mini-helicopter - auto-giro? - on the aerodrome, which was rather fun to watch. 

We had a lovely drive today, though - a gloriously scenic drive up the D806 to the motorway (A75), and then we came off again to visit the Garabit viaduct, and actually saw a train crossing it! 

(This is the Swan Whisperer's photo; mine wasn't nearly as good) We had lunch there - I was beginning to feel better by then  Back to the motorway, and then off again to this aire at Auzon, very near the one in Brassac-les-Mines we stayed at on the way down! The Swan Whisperer has been for a long walk, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I have been knitting and reading. It is raining again, and the colours are definitely autumnal. I'm afraid summer is over for this year! 

The last dregs of summer, 12 October 2022

It is already Wednesday, and only one week left, so we must start heading north and bid a final farewell to summer.

The sunset last night and sunrise this morning were pleasant, but not spectacular.

We didn't see our nice pig farmer this morning to bid him farewell, as we could hear his tractor some way away. 

We drove into Alès and went for a walk. It is pleasant, but not very photogenic, as most of the old city was razed and rebuilt in the 1960s,with predictable results! The Cathedral is lovely, though,

as was the cup of coffee we fortified ourselves with before returning to the WoMo and heading on towards Mende.

It was mostly a lovely drive, very scenic, if a bit sick-making. We managed to get diesel, which was a relief, and hope we will find some more but might just make it without. 

Shortly before we arrived, the heavens opened and there was a terrific hailstorm! This aire is a bit out of Mende, by the aerodrome, but we were not sure whether the town would be worth seeing except the Cathedral, which looked formidable! 

The last dregs of summer, 11 October 2022

The Swan Whisperer, having said he wanted to go to Gap, changed his mind up and decided to go to Mende via Ales instead. However, as we had spent two separate nights within spitting distance of Brignoles but only visited a supermarket on the outskirts, we decided to visit the town itself. A guidebook of ours helpfully suggested that if you park up in the Casino supermarket car park, it is only a short walk to the mediaeval town centre, and so it proved. I did a small shopping, and then we headed on. 

We had a lovely walk around the town

- there are loads more photos on Facebook - and then headed back to the WoMo to set off on a long drive, mostly on the motorway (I dozed an awful lot of the way, I have to admit!) to a tiny pig farm outside the village of St-Just-en-Vacquieres. 

There was nobody around when we arrived, but the France Passion signs made it clear where one should park, and the owner - very friendly, but with an incredibly strong local accent I found difficult to understand - came up on his tractor to say hello when he arrived. I am not sure if it is a residence or just farm buildings.

Anyway, there is a simply glorious view

on both sides of the motor home and, the owner said, glorious sunsets in one direction and glorious sunrises in the other! Still another half an hour or so before I can attest to the truth or otherwise of that assertion. The Swan Whisperer has gone to look at the pigs!