Monday 22nd April.
We are now in Cheddar and slowly moving towards Devon. We now have a car and have got somewhere safe to store the motorhome for a few days so that we can visit family and friends before we move back into the Chapel on May 15th. Its strange having a car now and we get a few strange glances when I turn up on my own on a camp site closely followed by this woman in a car!.. Lorraine wanted to get back to work full time and thanks to a lovely boss has been given her old job back. Bradley's paws have mended and the spring in spaniel is definitely back. A temporary filling I had in France has dropped out so thats good timing for a visit back to my dentist and its off to Clarkes Village in Street today clothes shopping. One thing we have noticed since being back is how much cheaper everything is here and even diesel is almost the same now!.. Catch up later x
Monday 15th April.
The Channel Tunnel popped us out in record time again, It must be downhill from France and I'm sure the wind was behind us!. They put us on an earlier train so had plenty of time to get some food in before going to the campsite. We found Morrisons in Folkestone and Lorraine said she got quite emotional seeing all the familiar foods again. I was laughing more as Lorraine forgot her pin number for the UK bank card!. We have a few things we want to see in the UK whilst we still have the motorhome so are now in Milton Keynes to visit Bletchley Park. It wont be long now before we start to head for Devon and are already getting UK insurance policies and other matters sorted... so much to do!
Wednesday 10th April 2013
Today, as is always the case, we set off for our next campsite making sure the sat nav didn't take us on any toll roads which are getting really expensive now. It means in general we have a nice relaxed journey seeing many sights and town centres you would not normally see. I could see that we were only a few kilometres away from our next campsite at the end of our journey with only a small town to pass through. On approach to the town I immediately noticed a bit more activity at the side of the road than one would find normally for a town of this size. Then people in yellow jackets holding paddles started to appear at junctions which wasn't a problem until we reached a junction the sat nav wanted us to take, only to be waved into the wrong road. Suddenly people were everywhere and the sat nav was now getting cross with me as we were waved into more roads we didn't want to take. We now appeared to be heading towards the centre of the town and felt like we were the only vehicle on this section of road. The waving of the marshals with their paddles was getting more urgent with increasing numbers of barriers and people behind then watching our slow nervous progress into the centre of town. We reached a roundabout and the sat nav has a loud gong' sound on it when it detects you are on the wrong road and the voice was frantically telling me to turn into roads that were now impossible. It is at this stage when you realise that our lack of understanding the language etc is really against us when at a roundabout I decided I wanted to take the third exit when the man with the paddle was pointing at the first exit. I put my thumb up and he replied with his thumb up and we swung around taking the third exit. His expression was priceless and I could almost detect the gasp from the crowds either side of us. We slowly crept up into what was the real centre of the town and the road was looking less like a road now with barriers getting narrower and the crowds closer to us watching us with interest. As it dawned on us we were now in the latter stages of an important and large bike race I suddenly heard the sirens and saw in my mirrors the lead car of the impending peloton. Also I realised our snails speed of 20mph would now have to increase to stand a chance of keeping ahead of the peloton. The gongs from the sat nav were now deafening joined by the towns tannoy system and crowds trying to hurry us along towards the finish line which was now in sight!. I will never forget the official as we approached the now very narrow finish line hanging out of his elevated box shouting at us "aller, aller, aller" (go…go..go!) So I did, putting my foot down exiting the finish area and disappearing up a side street to recompose ourselves. The sat nav was now trembling on the dashboard and we soon found that roundabout once more taking the first exit this time and giving the nice man with a paddle a courteous smile as we passed. We managed to navigate around the town and arrived at the next campsite a bit later to really enjoy that relaxing cup of coffee.
Au revoir
Thursday 4th April 2013
We have come to the end of our stay at this lovely house in Angoville au Plain. The owners David & Sue returned on the 27th March and ourselves and some friends gave them a fantastic surprise 'welcome home' french style at the train station with a banner, air horn, champagne and chocolates. After a lovely visit to Bayeux and that famous bit of cloth and a wonderful send off from Angoville we have been back on the road for a few days thinking that the winter would now be behind us but how wrong were we!. This time last year we both had our shorts and T'shirts on but what a contrast?
We always said that we would know when it's time to come home and that moment arrived when we reached Brest and the snow arrived just behind us!. It may have been that we were spoilt with the space and luxury of the two houses we had over the winter and it's not that we didn't want to get back in the motorhome as we still love the cozy feel, the fun and the flexibility, but the time is now right to go back home. When you think about it we first had snow at the end of October last year and since then you could count on one hand the times the temperature had got into double figures!. We have given our tenants notice and will be back in The Chapel on the 5th June at the latest.Whilst the days outside still barely reach above 4ºc it gives us a great opportunity to arrange and organise things for the return. There is so much to organise with insurances being the most important. We have to arrange Bradley's vet treatment and passport visit and will head for the Channel Tunnel on the 15th April. Lorraine decided on going back to work full time so that I can continue to live the life I am accustomed too (Ouch, that slap hurt!) and her old boss has just offered her a wonderful position back at County Garage. With that problem out of the way we may even be able to visit a few more locations in the UK that we have wanted to for some time and hopefully arrive back in Dover to some sunshine and higher temperatures!.Off towards Paris tomorrow to visit that wonderful castle (Chateau de Pierrefonds) where the BBC filmed the 'Merlin' series.
Au revoir
Sunday 10th March 2013
Yes, its one of the many clichés used here in Normandy but from our perspective it's not until you spend some time in amongst it, being so close and hearing so many stories that you begin to realise just what went on and what those men on 6th June 1944 did for us and our future. The scale is just immense as is the loss of life and next time we are out moaning in a cold, rain soaked Britain our minds will always think back to the sheer hell experienced here in Normandy. As a local poem clearly writes - 'as if heaven itself dared not see, the hounds of hell that day set free..' We have been very busy visiting The D Day landing beaches of Utah & Omaha, two of the main German gun battery emplacements at Pointe du Hoc and Longues sur Mer as well as Pegasus Bridge, Arromanches and Sainte Mere Eglise. We could write all day about the stories learned and sights seen but to sum up we have had the most amazing time and a big thank you must go out to our new friends David & Celine who have been wonderful in making sure we have been guided to the best areas and telling us so many stories. David is committed to supporting the families of mainly the American forces that landed on Utah Beach and the surrounding countryside that want to visit the area and learn what happened to their loved ones. David even has a memorial in his front garden and is becoming a great historian for this area. We have been invited back to his place on the 6th June this year to meet two remaining members of the 101st Airborne Division.Our time is coming to an end here in Angoville au Plain and we are starting to plan the next leg of our journey around France before we decide it's time to come home. No doubt there will be more wonderful things to see and rest assured we will tell you all about it on this blog.
Don't forget there are many photos we have uploaded to our website gallery here.
Au revoir
Friday 15th February 2013
We have arrived in Normandy at our next house sit. A lovely farmhouse built in 1700 with its own moat and used in World War II as the Forward Command Post by the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles). It is right behind Utah Beach with lots of history to explore over the next few weeks. The owners have kindly let us use their car whilst we are here.
The drive here was relaxed and easy as we keep forgetting how uncrowded the French roads are meaning you can plan to drive far greater distances in one go than you would normally consider in the UK. The sun came out half way and has shone for us ever since we arrived.
A friend of the owners of the house came over with a set of keys for us and being an avid historian himself on the local history, soon advised us on the best places to go and visit. We are both amazed by the bravery of those who fought in the D Day landings and the resulting history is everywhere. The church next to us was used by the 101st Airborne as a military hospital and still has its bloodstained pews.
We took Bradley to Utah Beach the next day and it was lovely to smell and be beside the sea again as we have been landlocked since last August. Bradley went loopy on the sand and after a good walk we all went back for a lovely tea and what better movie to watch than Band of Brothers.
Our new website album 'Normandy' has been started and can be seen here
Lots to see and visit over the next few weeks so back again soon.
Au revoir!
Tuesday 12th February 2012
We are packing up the Farmhouse here in Aigurande ready to travel north to our next house sit, few days travel and arriving in Normandy near Carentan on Friday. We will settle into our new house till the end of March when all the campsites are open again. This new house was captured from the Germans in World War II and used as a forward command post by the 101st Airborne Division so looking forward to walking on Utah Beach and the surrounding history. Catch up again when we have arrived.
Sunday 3rd February 2013
Just realised how much time has passed since our last blog. we are still having a lovely but peaceful time here in the centre of France. Believe it or not we have had plenty to do but as yet do not need a diary apart from reminding us of family birthdays etc back home. It is so easy now to fit in with the local lifestyles around here and one thing we enjoy is going out for lunch every so often. Its a strict 12 o'clock stop for lunch as all of France stops work and the local brassieres and restaurants quickly fill up with locals giving a lovely atmosphere. One waitress who speaks good english and loves Bradley has spent some time chatting to us at our table telling us how the French feel about various issues which has been really interesting.
Lorraine's shoulder is gradually getting better now so I will have to watch the left hook again soon!, it's the swimming that seems to be doing the trick and one more trip to the local physiotherapist before we move north next week should make things even better.
The sheep are constantly getting stuck as they search for more food in amongst the brambles, I now have a technique on quick extraction without getting thorns stuck in me everywhere. The one that got wedged in between the large rolled hay in the barn was another issue though and had me doing gymnastics by crawling over these large rolls of hay that stand higher than me and hanging onto the beams before she finally reversed and saw the light of day again. I must have been swinging from the rafters for about 10 minutes and later Ruth pointed out there was a door I could have used to get in to the stuck sheep!… duhhh, I'll never get my shepherds badge at this rate!
It rained on Friday so we drove to Chateauroux to get some bits and bobs and have lunch. Not much to see as it was a very wet day but only one unlike the poor UK. We watch the weather maps and for whatever reason all the bad weather seems to curl right over and around the UK, yes we get wind and rain here but it doesn't last and there are many drier days for things to recover.
Today we are giving the motorhome an early spring clean and start to get things ready to move north. We plan to leave here on the 13th or 14th Feb to arrive and be settled in our next house sit on the 15th Feb.
Thats about it for now so will check in again soon.
Au revoir!
Sunday 20th January 2012
Another week has passed and its only 4 more weeks before we move on again to our next house sit in Normandy. We will be right by the landing beaches used in the second World War so looking forward to visiting that area.
Nothing much has happened here and the cold weather and snow is with us now so thank goodness we are not in the motorhome for a while, we remembered to drain all the water out and every now and then we go for a drive to keep the batteries charged. There is a pleasant town called La Chatre about 30 minutes drive away where we visit a lovely restaurant called Fredys that has to have the oldest and biggest radiator in France. The owner see's us come in out of the cold and immediately points to the table for two right by the radiator, the hats and gloves are placed on the top ready to go an hour or so later. Needless to say lunch is not rushed and we have a lovely meal before walking back to the supermarket where we have parked the motorhome before doing a shop and returning to base.
On the farm I am getting my animal skills back now as the sheep will often get caught in bramble or tangled in a fence somewhere so you have to be on your guard. Also their water gets constantly frozen over so that needs regular thawing. Ruth who owns the sheep has two lovely dogs, one is a flat coat retriever called 'Dillon' and the other a very large and shy Griffon (French Hunting Dog) called 'Stella'. Bradley loves them both and on a recent visit Ruth suggested I bring him in the field with the sheep as Dillon and Stella are both used to them. I had him on the lead at first as Bradley has never been allowed off his lead near sheep, as we walked into the field suddenly the whole flock were behind Bradley sniffing his rear and watching his every move from about a foot behind, my goodness these Dutch sheep are really friendly to dogs as well!. I was told to let him off so with a bit of hesitation I released the catch on his collar and Bradley shot off like he normally does being watched by the sheep from a distance. Bradley has a good nose for a delicacy and he suddenly realised like a kid in a sweetshop that there were very tasty blackcurrant shaped things all over the floor in neat heaps that he could feast on!, some where still warm which made it even more pleasant!. At this point the watching sheep took a dim view of what he was eating and without warning made a charge in his direction and the 'back to front' French sheep trails started with the sheep in hot pursuit of Bradley. With all this going on Stella decided it was time for a poo so she stopped to do what dogs do in fields when suddenly the 'pack' turned towards Stella and chased her off!. I was in hysterics by now and wished I had my camera as the sheep wouldn't let poor Stella stop anywhere until we all got out of the field.
We have met some more friends called Tom & Rosemary (Who used to live in Braunton) who now Iive at a nearby town called Bonnat. We were supposed to be going over today for lunch but unfortunately the snow has prevented this. We have plenty of time so will reschedule for another day. Lorraine will meet Rosemary over in La Chatre on Tuesday for a swim at the towns swimming pool so it will be another visit to Fredys as well.
Thats about it for now so will check in again soon
Au revoir!
Made our first French bread today following a simple traditional recipe and it turned out a treat. Of course you just have to have it with real butter (The French wouldn't have anything less!) and it did literally melt in your mouth.
Whilst we have the time I am also perfecting a fantastic curry recipe using all natural ingredients, something I have always wanted to do and so far with the second attempt we are nearly there. Just got to find some better chilli's in the market and it will be the perfect curry.
Lots more time now to try some traditional local recipes and using the log burning oven and hot plate to cook with is a real treat.
More pictures of the progress can be seen here
On a hectic shop over Christmas I bought some quality sparkling wine to make our Kia Royale drinks, I knew it must be good as the locals were buying it!. Last night on closer inspection whilst making said Kia Royale I had only gone and bought 'Sans Alcool' Sparkling Wine.... That translates to 'Alcohol Free' in English
I really must learn more of the language! :-(
Tuesday 1st January 2013
Happy New Year everyone and today is a 'Fête Day' here in France. The meaning being a 'Day of Feasting'. Its starting with a giant fruit brioche (Local speciality) for Breakfast followed by home made Tarte Nature (Like a giant custard tart) which leads nicely to the Roast Duck and cranberries with real English type roast potatoes!!. I won't mention the pudding but its huge and made of chocolaty type stuff before the selection of local cheeses and sausages come out. Things lighten up a little then when the hot toasted garlic bread and goats cheese is made and if you feel hungry there is a multitude of light snacks to have whilst it is all being washed down with local wines, d'Artigney (Sparkling wine) and shots of Creme de Cassis.
And..... not a box of Quality Street in sight!!
Bonne appétit!
