Near Alresford, UK

Friday 21/06/19

Bokkie can't believe her luck, a huge field all to herself!  It turns out she can't fit down the driveway to the house we are sitting, but the field (in spite of all the rain) is perfect for her.

A lot has happened in the last week and it's taking us a while to catch up.  We traveled across on the Normandie from Caen to Portsmouth, a trip of about 5 hours.  Luckily the trip was between storms and the weather on the day was perfect for travelling with a partner who get seasick.  First time on a ferry for us and it all turned out to be pretty easy, although squeezing Bokkie in next to a large truck was quite nerve wracking.

The Normandie

All aboard!

Like a game of Tetris, fitting us all in.

A Bientot France

Driving in the UK again took quite a lot of adjustment, the roads are so busy and the narrow access to our campsite for the night was no fun at all, Bokkie's left hand drive configuration working against us.  We went to meet the owners and their dogs and then returned to the campsite with plans to take over the sit in the morning.  We have three beautiful black labs to look after ranging in ages from 11 years to under a year so we are getting plenty of walking in.  

Old girl Tang (L) and Charka

Exuberant Plum having a rare quiet moment

We have the use of a car at this sit which makes moving around easier but I have already taken Bokkie to Poole twice to have the MOT and some repairs done - the downside of owning an older motorhome.  

Our plans have changed a bit, an advantage of such a flexible lifestyle, and we have lined up a few more UK house sits - so will be staying here until the first Brittany house sit in August.  

In the meantime, we are getting time to spruce up Bokkie, and enjoy seeing family and friends in the UK.  We will be limiting our blogs during this time, but will keep you posted on developments....

Mont-Saint-Michel

Wednesday 12/06/19

We've had a few recommendation to visit Mont-Saint-Michel, and it has always been on the list anyway so it was nice to be able to stop over on this trip.  

The weather was very bleak this morning, misty drizzle so we almost decided to give it a miss until next time. Luckily we decided to chance it and it was just as well - it really is a sight to see.

 

Return of the tidal explorers

Our lunch spot near the chapel

The Gothic style Benedictine abbey is perched on a rocky island with the ancient village formed around its walls. The abbey is dedicated to the archangel St Michael (hence the name), and was built between the 11th and 16th centuries. It has been a place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages, and has a long and rich history - even surviving being abolished as an abbey in 1789 and transformed into a prison until 1863.  

We visited at low tide so could walk around and get different views from the tidal sands.  The village itself was very busy with tourists, but we managed to find a quiet spot on the rocks outside to have our coffee and lunch.  We were entertained by a mad Frenchman who decided to try and cross the rocks (to avoid the very muddy patch in front of us) with his dog who wasn't the least bit keen on the expedition.  His ambition also far outweighed his skill level and we were certain we were going to have to carry him and/or his dog off the rocks again but luckily he survived.  He ended up going back through the mud, though, so his shoes weren't spared.

It was also fascinating to see the groups of tourists and school kids going far out on the tidal sands, presumably to learn about the area.  We had a wonderful time; it really is an awe-inspiring location and well worth a visit.  

Saint-Brice-en-Coglès

Tuesday 11/06/19

On Monday morning we awoke to unexpected sunshine so, as we were only meeting Barbara and Tim, our Brittany house-sit owners, in the afternoon we decided to take the opportunity to dry Bokkie and all our paraphernalia out.  It was one of the rare times our weather app has been wrong and we enjoyed it while it lasted.  It gradually clouded over and we were treated to a hailstorm before we left.  

It was an easy drive to meet our hosts and we had a lovely time getting to know them and getting a tour of the house and property we'll be looking after over the winter.

Unsettled skies on the way to the house

The neighbours seem quite relaxed

As it is quite a long sit - six months - it has really helped to have a good look at the property to get an idea of what we need to bring.  Unfortunately one of their cats went missing on the previous sit so, unless they get another one before October, we'll only have the one cat to look after and she is a cutie.  The garden is stunning and it was lovely to see it in spring as we will move in in autumn and keep it running until next April.

Toni inadvertently captured a dragonfly emerging from the nymph skin

We had a very social evening and were treated to more food and drink than we are used to so left with rather fuzzy heads this morning.  It started raining quite hard on the road again and Bokkie had a rare moment when her three windscreen wipers stopped mid-stroke.  Luckily I could keep going long enough to get off the main road to have a look and the repair was quite minor.

We're in a lovely aire and decided to have a quick nap (!) and quite a long walk before a real thunderstorm hit us. Fortunately we could just close everything up and Bokkie kept the weather out, but not the noise unfortunately and it was VERY loud.

Bokkie in the aire which has designated bays separated
by bushes which gives some privacy from neighbours

Our time in France is drawing to an end for this trip and we need to be on the ferry first thing on Friday morning.  

Péaule

Sunday 09/06/19

We spent a lovely morning pretending to be enthusiastic parents shouting 'Aller, Aller!' at the cyclists (all youngsters) as they raced past us.  It was great fun and we were amazed to see, what appeared to be road racing bicycles, making short work of grass meadows and forest tracks.  How they get traction with those tyres I don't know!

The course was quite a long, hilly track and the kids set off in heats followed by three marshals who make sure the track is clear before the next heat can set off.  They must have been exhausted as their morning was a continuous dash around the course.  

As usual the parents seemed to be taking it much more seriously than the kids but great fun was had by all. Perhaps the future 'Tour de France' winner is amongst this lot!  There were also a few technical courses where they had to do a very slow slalom course with various challenges, I wouldn't have managed nearly as well as they did.

We stayed around for a few hours and then headed off as things started to peter out.  We passed a large group of 1st generation VW Golf convertibles along the way which was amazing, I didn't know there were so many in existence.

Bokkie hiding in the back corner

We are in a lovely aire and have the prime spot next to a grass area with picnic tables.  When we arrived the sun was out so we managed to dry out some of our kit and lockers which was useful, and have a picnic lunch in the sun.  

We've been for a long walk around the very pretty village but the highlight came later when we were treated to the Tour de Bretagne vintage car and motorbike rally streaming past the aire.  We probably caught a third of it -  we missed the start and it began raining quite hard later - and still photographed over 150 vehicles (I've only posted the most unusual shots 😉). 

It was fantastic - a nice end to a lovely day!  

Pontchateau

Saturday 08/06/19

Bokkie has had a confusing day: we pulled into an empty aire around mid-day, thinking we would be all on our own and now we are surrounded by French families, all very exuberant with hordes of kids on bicycles.  It turns out there is a cyclocross event (I didn't know what it was either) in the park behind us and loads of cyclists have arrived in anticipation.  We may stick around to see what happens in the morning.  It's been quite comical to watch the normal motor-homers arrive and look at the packed aire in horror, convinced they have happened upon a gypsy camp by mistake.

Bokkie's kitchen tap has a leak so we popped into an camping accessory shop to try and find a replacement with no success.  Insulation tape and Vaseline is a temporary fix, we'll have to see how long it holds.  Water leaks are always a bad idea in a mobile home so we'll have to keep an eye on it.  

We also found that fuel is very cheap in this area so we quickly filled our tank in case they change their minds.  We even squeezed a shopping trip in, all we wanted was some shampoo and pickled pork tongue (random, I know but we bought some earlier in the week and it was lovely so wanted some more - the tongue, that is).  We found we had inadvertently led Bokkie into a parking area that had a height restriction so we were the only motorhome and had to sneak out the back way again when we were done.

As usual the town has an oversized church but what a handsome one it is.

A gardener with a sense of humour

Lots of storm damage in evidence

We went for another walk this evening and spotted three otters in and alongside the river which was a real highlight.  Unfortunately we only had the phone with us so the photos aren't really good enough to make out any detail. 

River walk, unfortunately you can't make out the otter on the bank

If you use your imagination you can see the head at the front of the wake

A garden shed with attitude?

A very pretty goat rounded off the strangest garden in town.