Back in Brrrrittany!

 Friday 20/01/23

Icy pond

It's hard to believe we've been back at the Brittany house for two and half weeks; time has flown by in spite of most outdoor activities being hindered by the weather.  

The incessant rain has finally stopped but it has now been replaced by very cold conditions so, while outside gardening isn't out of the question, it is best done in short spells - for our fingers' and toes' sake!

Having said that, we're thrilled to be back at base, reunited with Jess and Jasper and looking forward to the next three months here.

Some videos:-

We've noticed that often, when the wind blows very strongly, flocks of seagulls take to the skies and swirl around in the eddies as though they are enjoying a giant roller-coaster.  We're not sure why they do it but they seem to be having fun!

I had some trouble getting water to flow from a watering can that had been standing outside and when I blew out the blockage, it turned out to be a mass of rat-tailed maggots, the larvae of hover flies.  Gross-looking but very beneficial to the garden.

RIP Shadow.  Charmaine's beloved cat passed away very unexpectedly and is already missed hugely by all of us.  He was a character and shared our lives for almost 10 years!

Hornfleur - at last!

 Tuesday 03/01/23

One of our favourite aires, overlooking the Seine

We had four days of seemingly endless rain at our campsite on the hill but the upside was a quiet, firework-free New Year's Eve!  Perfect!

As is our tradition, we set off early on New Year's Day, travelling down to Canterbury on the quietest morning traffic you could imagine around the M25.  

Canterbury has a nice paid motorhome aire (a rarity in the UK) which is cheaper than the campsite we usually use for our crossings.  It is an easy walk (there is a free bus available as well) into Canterbury and, as an added bonus, is only half an hour or so to the ferry port or Eurotunnel station.

The White Horse of Folkestone, one of the more modern white horses

On Monday, we made our way to the station and were lucky enough to get an earlier crossing and, even though it was delayed, we still got to France earlier than expected.  It was clear when we set off that there had just been a major downpour although the sun was out.  We spent the afternoon either driving though rain showers or squinting into the sun, which is very low in winter and seems to shine much brighter in France.

We stopped at an aire in Yvetot but found it a little noisy as it was in the middle of a bustling town, so decided to press on to an old favourite of ours, a secluded aire on the banks of the Seine.  There was only one other motorhome and we sat in awe of the pretty view of Caudebec-en-Caux on the opposite bank.  We had a peaceful night in spite of the heavy rumbling of the occasional freighter heading up-river.

'Pretty France' indeed

Hornfleur, artist's delight

This morning we popped into a Lidl for some grocery shopping and stopped off in Hornfleur, a lovely village on the south bank of the Seine estuary.  We've wanted to visit here for ages but always seem to be in a hurry to catch a ferry, so it's nice to stop off at last.

Motorhomes along the quayside with the magnificent Pont de Normandie in the background

We can't believe that, even in the middle of winter, there must be over 100 motorhomes parked here.  It is a lovely place, full of character.

If you think your house is looking a bit weathered, 
take a look at this one.

We are absolutely loving being back in France!  Tomorrow we head down to Noyal-Muzillac to start our three month sit, and are looking forward to seeing the owners and Jess & Jasper again.

Bonus video:  Watching the huge ships pass up the narrow river was amazing; we would hear the rumbles coming from some distance away and watch them  through the window.