Trouble in Paradise !!

Where has the sun and warmth gone? It’s cold, wet and windy. We are wearing socks for heaven’s
 sake!! The locals are dressed from head to foot in heavy duty winter clothing but we two Intrepids continue in our shorts, but got goosebumps..
It rained heavily last night and it would appear that we have a serious ingress of water. Yes we have a leak. It seems to be running from back to front and entering one of Sue’s clothes lockers. I say it like that because she has two to my one solitary cubby hole.
It could be that the sealant around the cable entry,for the solar panel, has failed. Nothing we can do until we get home except hope for drier weather.
A ray of sunshine through a small patch of blue and Sue is out there hanging her soggy shirts.

Hopefully we’ll  be ok as soon as we reach some stable, dry weather.
Despite everything, we are enjoying ourselves.

The rocks are fascinating.

Shells are colourful and ....
we continue to practice our ukuleles!!

Think 🤔 Prince

The opening line of his most famous song is .....
Look closely at this pic of my Senior pal for the answer

One wonders if the quantity of Sangria supped , had anything to do with the outcome. 

Spanish onion for the first to reply with the correct answer. 

Our first campsite ...... Tarifa

I’m sat here using free WiFi and being bitten alive by an early batch of new mosquito arrivals. But the post must get through!!

So here’s our pitch with a clear view of the sea through the shade trees and the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach is deafening.

The sky is full of kites from which dangle the lithe bodies of muscular young men!! Forgive the fantasies of old pensioners.

 Beyond the trees is a  carpet of huge yellow daises, interspersed with clumps of short stemmed lavender. As you can imagine, the smell is intoxicating and they are the deepest shade of purple.

 Beyond the distant headland lies Cadiz and here’s another couple of pics from yesterday’s walk.

.

Ok, time to do some chores. Sue is doing our laundry, cheap washing machine,  no not Sue, the real thing and I’ve got a dead fly cemetery to remove after 6 days on the road. Bye for now Pals.

On the hoof in Cadiz

What a glorious day it has been. First the boat trip, then the sunshine and finally lots to see.

We had mixed fish sat at a tapas bar in front of the cathedral 

Someone  photobombed my sculpture of Simon Cadiz

Along the sea wall you can see so many fine architectural views.   

Fountains in every piazza then weary legs were ready to the ride home

Palencia to Cadiz via Caceres

The days in the saddle have been long but the ever improving weather and the fascinating landscapes have helped the kilometres go by. Note there is no mention of intellectual conversation.

We left Palencia and pointed Billy towards Caceres. Enroute we saw several of these big boys on hilltops

A shepherd drove his flock across the garage forecourt before I reached the pumps.
By the time we reached Caceres, we thought that it was time to enjoy the cafe culture scene. So we sat huddled in our jackets attempting to look “cool” at 7 in the evening, with a chilly breeze around our ears but the senior citizen in us soon sent us scuttling back to the warmth and comfort of the van and a hot water bottle!!
Today we have skirted Seville ( did the tourist trail there a few years ago), en route to Cadiz where we are now parked up.

Tomorrow, a boat ride across the estuary to explore the old town. 

So it’s comfortable shoes, cheese, baguette, water and camera, as we go in search of culture ....... and Sangria!!!!!

Floating into Spain

Hello Pals.
The foul weather continues to plague us.
We sailed over the border into Spain on a tidal wave of giant raindrops, with a violent tail wind forcing us towards Vittorio Gastez at a rate of knots while the van was being pebble dashed by hailstones!!
Apart from the weather, I’m afraid that the Sat Nav lady had a senior moment and took us on a round trip of €15 worth of toll roads and the sights of the  small coastal  towns around San Sebastián.
Having seen signs for the AP1, the N1 which became the A1, she crumbled under the weight of too much information.
Eventually all calmed down and we cruised down the N1 enjoying occasional glimpses of the sun.
Distant Sierras were snow covered but evidence of a colourful Spring was to be seen in the unfurling of leaves and the pink blossom of cherry trees. There were fifty shades of green from fields to forests.
Then we overtook an idiot ......... who was driving his huge artic using his feet on the steering wheel.
As you can imagine, we both sounded like Victor  Meldrew “ I don’t believe it !! “
Tonight we are parked up in the town of Palencia and tomorrow we head for Caceres. It is wall to wall motor homes, as the returning French Snow Birds from Morocco meet the Springtimers heading south to the Mediterranean.

The wild north coast 

Mellow Yellow

Hello from our last stop in France, at St. Vincent de Tyrosse. Since leaving Canterbury, we have had free sleepovers the whole way to the Spanish border.
Today has been quite ordinary. The black rain cloud continued to hang over France.Sue continued to sound like Victor Meldrew with rants of “ I don’t believe it” whenever she thought about our defrauded cash and the colours of Spring continued to show their glory.
Fluorescent greens from willows and hawthorn, vivid yellow from cowslips and primroses along the roadside, daffodils and forsythia in village gardens and vast fields of rapeseed.
In fact it was all made the more beautiful when the sun finally broke through this afternoon. At last it was off with the shoes, socks and woolly  hats and on with the sandals and T shirts!!  Still a tad too chilly for shorts.
The Bordeaux peripherique was manic as everyone left work early for the Easter weekend. Four lanes of traffic gridlocked in both directions and every slip road backed up. Caution called for.

A happier navigator during a coffee break and leg stretch after the congestion. See the sky?

Day three and not without incidents.

It has been a somewhat long drive but the obligatory, end of day glass of the white stuff, has sorted the weariness issue.
Who ever said that the sunshine begins when you are south of The Loire, is telling fibs!!.
It absolutely bucketed down as soon as we emerged from the Tunnel at Calais yesterday and by the time we arrived at Pont de L’Arche in the afternoon, the van had grown fins.
The level of the River Seine was was abnormally high, in fact our riverside walk was under water and ducks were sat on tree branches. The rain finally abated and left us with a dirty grey sky and the prospect of more rain to come.
Came the dawn and the sun shone down to .......MELT THE FROST!!!
Water pipes escaped unscathed so now there was only the gas tank to worry about. One full , one empty and the LPG pump at the garage just kept blowing out the gas as we tried to fill it. They are supposed to be linked. No worries, we can manage with one tank.
During the night, when it’s cold, we have what’s called a Silver Screen,which we put on the outside of the cab windows,to add extra insulation.In a morning,it’s removed and laid on a bench to dry.
As I returned from taking a photo by the river, I saw a council Workman dragging it along in the dirt and gravel to dump it in a litter skip. “Oi”, I shouted in my best French accent, caught his attention and reclaimed our kit with further French mutterings which included windows and camping car.
His response was the Continental shoulder shrug and a snort.
On a further two hundred kilometers ,to the supermarket and our horror story for today.
Sue went to pay and our Travel Money card was refused. Ok so we used a different card and back to the van we shot for further investigation... we have an app that lets us see what’s left on the card.
£21-72p. What??!!! It also showed that the money had disappeared in Brooklyn USA.
Mobile phone and the man at Thompson’s Travel to the rescue..
Incredibly, by the end of the day our tale of woe had been resolved. We,weren’t the fraudsters, they had discovered and the money was back in the account. What a result in such a brief time frame.
Well done TUI!
Finally, we have a first for us. Tonight’s Aire comes with free electricity and a serve yourself baguette machine.

Ps. We are on the D347 at Angliers.

Start as we mean to go on.

Here we are, parked up for the night on a Motorhome aire, just off the A2 outside Canterbury.
It’s actually a Park and Ride for the city but as the we have visited before, we thought that we’d take advantage of the hostelry at the main entrance rather than immersing ourselves in city culture. Anyway the Archbishop isn’t home for a afternoon tea. Pinot Grigio or tea? Come on, we’re on a trip, retired and living each day as it comes. No contest!! Here’s the proof, the Tarts are supping at The Old Gate Inn

No day passes without an incident and we had two today. Firstly we entered a garage for gas and fuel and whilst Sue was hollering “ mind the bollard “, I was smacking each fuel pump handle with the giant wing mirror that we have on the van. If they had been dominoes they would have fallen in sync. 

Then there was the payment machine at the car park. Being frugal, we noticed that if you arrived after 4 pm you only had to pay a pound In went the coin. Small print said “until midnight”

Sue, being the clever person that she is, made the observation that you don’t pay until you leave because the ticket won’t know how long you stayed. Smug mare. So I got in the van, drove the full circuit in order to get a new ticket so that we can escape at 6 am and not miss the train. 

Feeling a bit of a numpty, I left her to guard our space!!!! My revenge. 

Then we came to the pub. 

Thunder Birds Are Go !!!!

All’s ready for the big departure, with campervan groaning on its axles,under the weight of gas, water, food and outdoor living gear. Why we require 4 chairs, 2 tables, 2 bikes and 2  scooters .... only Sue knows. Every time I mention weight, she adds another item with “ it’s not very heavy “. Then the boules appeared. Oh yes I stamped my foot. Have you ever picked up a set of boules? You could use them for weight training at the gym!! As a concession, we are taking the boules but only 4 instead of the 6 normally used in a game, leaving a few kgs free for a couple of bottles of fresh water.
Oh, talking of water. The other day when I managed to let all the water out of the tank and boiler, it didn’t soak away. Several days later there appeared to be more than ever lying on the surface. I panicked, assumed the worst, and rang the Water Board in case there was a burst pipe on the driveway. Checked the insurance policy. Phew, up to date with payments but no chance of a repair at such short notice. They expect the home owner to be present while they dig up your property!!
Now in headless chicken mode.
Service engineer arrived yesterday, used his special rod to open the metal flap on the pavement and extracted a fancy tissue from the pocket of his bright yellow, high viz vest, to wipe the dirty dial on the meter
Pause for effect ........... the needle was motionless, not spinning like a whirling dervish. The trip’s still on.
You just never know who or what ,might put a Spaniard in the works. John Lennon said that not me.

So here we are, with the front door locked, engine ticking over and Sue, stood in the middle of the road,  holding up the traffic, so that I have a good run up the slope and hopefully don’t leave half the van on the drive. Ok this is it, Thunderbirds are go !!!!! X

Everything’s coming together.

Only 3 bedtimes and so much still to do. It’s the tazzing  about that’s time consuming. Getting a spare part here, collecting death defying meds from there. Dry goods purchases to be done before fresh stuff. Meat frozen in house freezer can’t be transferred to van freezer until it’s rock solid. Make a chilli for overnight stop at Canterbury and set the timers on the security lights to take into account lighter mornings and longer days. Pause for breath ............ Then there’s all the “ See ya duck” goodbyes with friends and family, advanced purchase of birthday cards for those special days that we will miss, and the filling and refilling of the water tank because I forgot to close the tap.
Meanwhile, Severn Trent are deciding whether to dig up my drive because of a possible water leak, all the house plants have to be found temporary carers and next day delivery of a new swimming cossi hasn’t arrived!!! Such trials, before going off to relax and have fun and adventures.

 Still not got long enough arms for taking selfies

Photo says it all














See you all on the other side, as we do our own version of Brexit !!

It’s that time of year again!

Hello Pals.
Daf and Sue are about to hit the road again and point our Motorhome in a southerly direction, towards France and Spain, with a glimpse of Morocco from from the southern most tip of Andalucia.
There are still places to explore on the North African continent but not this year. We’ll make do with our memories for now.
Only a few more sleeps before we shake off the Beast from the East and leave the snow, frost and biting winds and replace them with sun, sand, sea and sangria, commonly known as the Kids from Cadiz.
We are abandoning our Dover overnight stop on Marine Parade for the Park and Ride camperstop in Canterbury. Two reasons really. The police are sticking parking fines on windscreens, as the total redevelopment of Dover continues at a pace. Secondly, in all our years of travelling, we have never used Eurotunnel, so we have saved our Tesco vouchers and converted them into a return ticket on the train and are excitedly looking forward to the experience of going beneath the English Channel and re  emerging south of Calais!

This was our shakedown weekend but it was too cold to fill the water system in case of burst pipes.

We came home early so that we weren’t snowed in, but the next time you see Billy Burstner, he will be travelling in Spring sunshine, taking The Intrepids to warmer climes.

On the high seas

Blue of every hue

Forgot to say that there are showers and toilets available.

Susan emerges after a good night's sleep in our personal cabin.. By the way , we watched a DVDs last night, to while away the hours of darkness.

At last only half an hour before we disembark. This is The Rio Bridge which links Patras with Athens on the motorway. We head in the opposite direction towards Pyrgos on the Peloponese..

See you later for the short ferry ride from Kyllini to Poros.

To the ferry and beyond!!

The cavernous mouth of the Anek ferry awaiting the travellers, queuing patiently in line

Like us!!

This is the camping on board car deck and everyone always hopes that they will get a place by one of the arches.

And we did!!

Next thing to do is to get hooked up to the ferry's electric system and turn off the gas appliances. 

Now to get ourselves hooked up to the ferry's electrical system and turn off the gas.

 Happy lady off to the restaurant deck for our traditional kebab, chips and beer as the boat leaves Ancona.

The ramps go up and we are off

It didn't take someone long to get back into bad habits.

Italy is left behind in our wake and our mini cruise begins.

Fingers crossed for a calm crossing..

Home is where you park it.

Here we are on our patch with the sea in front of us. Once Richard launches his boat for the new season, we will have his place so that we can be sideways on. Apart from anything else, it will be better for the fridge not to have full sun. It won't guzzle precious gas with the same rapidity 

Goodbye cold. Hello warmth!!

Here we both are. The house is locked and we are about to set off. What is it with these selfies that means you have to have long arms for them to be successful!!

The sun is streaming into the van here at Ancona and Sue is in T shirt mode so it must be warm. 

Wifi at last!!

At last an opportunity to let our pals know where we are, how we got here and how we are doing.
So far so good. Smooth crossing from Dover, then we blinked, missed France and spent the first night at Han sur Lesse in Belgium. From there we had a long drive to Willisau in Switzerland. It was never going to be a slow drive to Ancona because we only had five days to link up with our Adriatic ferry. I blame she who made the ferry bookings.
We spent much of the Swiss leg underground and emerged periodically, like moles, from endless tunnels. That's what we buy a vignette for, so that we can keep moving on good roads. Soragna in Italy was our next stop. In Italy, the free night stops are known as "sostas". This was a delightful town, just off the motorway, We endured a night of torrential rain and in the morning, took minor roads in the direction of the coast and the resort of Pinarella. Here, along with several other camper vans, we parked on the edge of a small 'lake' and as the rain fell for a second night, we woke with concerns that we could be floating if we didn't move. Happily we remained a Motorhome and not Noah's Ark.
Off to Fano, just a short drive down the coast and another free night in the company of fellow travellers. Finally,here we are in Ancona. The Auchan supermarket has a designated area for us, with all the facilities and free wifi!! Tomorrow we will drive a few kilometers to the port and board The Hellenic Spirit for our mini cruise down the Adriatic.

Pals with their first Motorhome!!

We are over in Newark,Nottinghamshire today
Our two dear friends Paul and Gill have just bought their first Motorhome and as this picture shows, they are thrilled. More Newbies swelling our numbers.

Meet Stanley Starfire!!

Some of our other motor homing pals are getting ready for the new season on the road. Col and Pam are flying over from New Zealand , to pick up their van Lefty,  which is stored in London, ready to head for Dover and onto mainland Europe. Tom and Mariejan, from the Netherlands, have a new dog and are spending the Spring in Italy and in a little under three weeks we are off to Greece.

My 70th Year

Oh my word, there are plans afoot for this special year.
Already booked are extended travels to Greece for the Spring, possibly via Croatia, Macedonia and Northern Greece, returning with our oft used route up the Adriatic to Venice.
Various mini breaks throughout the summer months to enjoy the UK and France for a few weeks in Autumn.
The highlight of  2016 will be India in Novembet!!

Not an Exotic Marigold Hotel visit, but 3 weeks spent travelling from the north to the south of India.

The Himalayas, Amritsar, an  Indian mountain railway from Kalka to Shimla, religious ceremonies on the Ganges,The Golden Triangle, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and the Taj Mahal. Then on to Mumbai. Planes, trains, rickshaws, elephants and rice boats on the Kerela backwaters before collapsing on the coast, south of Goa, for a few days, in order to relax and absorb the colours of India.

Happy 70th Birthday!!

Hello .... We are back!!

Hello friends, sorry that it's been so long but the Wifi signals have been so poor that the photographs could not be downloaded to tell the story of our Autumn sojourn.
But we are back, with a rapid breakdown of the last four weeks, which have taken us from Kerver in Brittany, southeast towards the Loire, then on to Albi, bypassed Carcasonne ( went there two years ago ) and headed for the Canal du Midi and a village called Homps. Time for the sea, sun and sand, so St. Pierre on the Mediterranean, with distant views of the Pyrenees, was our next resting place. Then eastwards along the coast to Cap d'Agde, Palavas Les Flots and possibly the Camargue.
However, heavy rain, due to last several days, put a dampener on that. Oh sorry, poor pun. Just realised.
We decided to head north west, based on weather reports, in the direction of Bordeaux and the Gironde. On the way, we spent a night up a mountain, overlooking Lake Pareloup.We then enjoyed the delights of the Gorge du Lot and the Valley of the Dordogne before spending a night amongst the trees at Azerat. Eventually we came to a small river port between Blaye and Royan, called Mortagna sur Gironde, where we awaited the sun.It was not to be, so now we are in Nantes on a luxurious city campsite and tomorrow we are going sight seeing ..... possibly in the rain but certainly on a tram!!
As you can see,if you have followed us on a map,we have certainly explored central and western France, especially the roads which have taken us off the main tourist routes and motorways.
The warm sunshine has failed to appear for any length of time and Autumn is well and truly in the air.
We have used sites rather be than Aires so that we can have electricity to power our small heater and make hot meals in the Remoska. No BBQs for us. Outdoor living will have to wait until next year!!
The colours of autumn are all around us: maples have turned gold and orange, the white flowers of the Russian vine are clinging to the walls and out buildings of farms and the red and claret of Virginia creeper hangs from the gable ends of cottages. Recently ploughed fields are terra cotta brown and the bright green shoots of winter wheat add to the artist's pallet.
So here is a picture gallery of most of our trip,with the odd caption so that you know where we are.

The Cabin of the Red Fish,where we had snacks by the beach.

Got to have a sunset and this was a beauty.
                                     
                             

The amazing Rose City of Albi.

Better light shows the pink brickwork

The narrow Medieval streets, where I found an Apple Store for a new charger cable

The beach ravaged by Hurricane Henry, on the Atlantic Coast

Then later in the holiday, the Mediterranean , at St. Pierre, which was covered with logs and tree trunks as far as the eye could see.

Here we have Homps, on the Canal du Midi

On the day we arrived ther was a car boot sale taking place on the tow path by the marina

And here is Sue enjoying herself, routing amongst other people's cast offs, looking for a bargain

Look what she found for us, a couple of bike helmets!!

Later we went on a boat trip down the Canal du Midi, which winds  under tree lined towpaths that turn the environment green

A mirror image of a small aqueduct

Having left the warmth of the South, we found ourselves at Lake Pareloup with this view from the Aire where we stopped, not realising that we were almost 1000 metres high , so we're very cold in the night!!

A tree that had been given a woolly jumper.

A tree wearing it's woolly jumper in St. Gyldas de Rhuys, Kerver.

 

Sue in cycling mode on one of the many safe velo routes, on the way to the supermarket. 

         

A street market with fresh produce, cheeses, spices,wine and bread.