normal service

will be resumed A.S.A.P.

being more than aware, that it has been a week or so now, since my last post, I do feel guilty, don't ask me why I do, but the fact that I have let that amount of time lapse before I put digit to keyboard. There has been good reason.

Kevin, a good friend, who had been diagnosed with cancer six months before I was, sadly lost his fight against the disease, on Monday. 
His cancer turned out to be very aggressive and with the help of the very best the medical profession could offer, he survived a year longer than was expected. He played in his jazz band and led as normal life as was possible. I will miss him.

A bientot Kev, thanks for being a part of my life.

what is it about

french drivers ?

I am more than aware that most countries have their fair share of lunatic drivers, I think, here in France, we have more than our fair share. I have been driving and parking here now for about 15 years, and the utter stupidity of some people still manages to amaze me. 

Yesterday, I drove Herman the camper van for about 3 hours in both directions to get the window fixed, all went well by the way, they did a grand job, better than new now. EVERYBODY just had to overtake, no matter what speed we were doing, the camper van is no slouch, with a big turbo diesel engine fitted. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with overtaking in principle, but not on blind bends or whilst there are double white lines down the middle of the road, boy racers you expect, we saw one of their cars vertical at the side of the road yesterday, (still trying to work out how they managed that) but you don't expect young mothers with their children overtaking or driving dangerously, I'm afraid it's quite a common occurrence most days whilst I am driving my Fiat Panda. Because it's a Panda people just have to overtake, no matter what speed I'm going. IDIOTS

Parking is just as much a problem here, especially in supermarket car parks, the designers of these places still believe everyone still drives Renault 4 or Citroen 2CV size cars, the spaces are all far too small for the 4 x 4's people drive today, and as such, this is where you receive the dings and bangs around your car. Someone bashed our new Rover a few days ago. ARSEHOLES.

I was once  sitting in my car in a supermarket car park, a few years ago, and  heard a car screaming in behind me, it was in fact, an old van driven by an old boy and his wife as passenger, it didn't slow down as it turned at the end of the row of cars and at the same speed, turned again, with a screech of tyres into a vacant space, well, not quite. (I think the old boy must have thought his eighty odd year old wife might be giving birth and mistaken the supermarket for the hospital). It actually managed to hit both cars, one each side of him and straight into the car in front of him, so hard it was moved backwards about a foot. Well, they both got out, expecting them to inspect the damage that they had caused, I watched closely as the wife inspected the front of their old van, whilst the old boy was too busy searching for the shopping trolley, she didn't even give a glance towards the other vehicles and after she had decided that the damage to their van was nothing much to worry about, she joined her husband in the great shopping trolley hunt. The three car owners were very grateful that I had witnessed the incident, and I hope the van driver had to pay up for his unsocial behaviour.

Why are some people like that?    ARSEHOLES.

the web

here's my sort

I think it's the right way up

I took this photo yesterday morning just outside the kitchen door, it's very warm here in the afternoon's, around 30 degC today, that's about 86 degF in old money. The mornings in contrast are around 10 degC, with plenty of dew and the occasional heavy mist. The spiders' webs are everywhere, I know a place on top of a local hill where the webs literally cover the whole field,  getting there on the right day at the right time to take the photo is the most difficult bit, I intend to try soon.

Busy day today, clearing and cleaning the camper van ready for the grand day out tomorrow, that's when, with any luck, Herman will be getting his new front window, only a six hour round trip, I hope the one they have ordered is the right one, ( I'll say no more today about French businesses , we will find out tomorrow ). I must say, up to now the garage has been very professional, and whilst I am there, I might take the opportunity to look around and drool over all those 60 grand models.

Our 25 year old Herman will do us. Next year, here in France, it will be classed as a "voiture de collection"  That will be nice.

the Acadamy

and a battery

At last, the new battery has arrived for my computer, it's been a while since I ordered it, I guess it took a long time to cycle to China and back !! Put it in the large hole at the back of the machine and waited and waited until it farted and grunted and eventually lit up. It's still the same old computer, takes an age to wake up, flashes a lot and sends me lots of messages, the meaning of which I don't have a clue about, but at least I have a spell checker now, although it says it's American, apparently, it doesn't do proper English!! So altho it dos not make scents, it wil bee spelt rite.

Whilst we are on the subject of languages, did you know that about one quarter of the world's languages, like the French, give inanimate objects a gender, Wiki says it dates back to the Greeks, but doesn't have a clue why anybody would think of doing it in the first place, (over active thyroid probably). It actually makes those languages very difficult to learn, as well as having to remember the words for things, you also have to remember what sex it is. 

Here in France, we have the Acadamie Francaise (sorry I can't remember if they are male or female), a bunch of academics whose job it is to decide which new words should be allowed into the language, and also to decide what sex they should be. Now, if you were a doctor, teacher, nurse or any one of those people who did a really worthwhile job, at the end of each day, when you got home you could reflect on what you had done and those people you had helped, what do those academics think they have achieved ? I reckon they achieve bugger all, and get paid a fortune for doing it.

If like me, you are not entirely aware of the sex of inanimate objects it can be rather embarrassing when you sit down to eat at the table, not knowing whether or not it is politically correct to cross your legs coyly or to give the table leg a swift kick because it's not quite straight, (mother always told me to sit up straight at the table). I do not even like to think of what the French think when I turn on my computer (whisper sweet nothings in its' ear) and then proceed to place it delicately on my lap, not knowing beforehand if it male or female. I suppose if I were catholic, I wouldn't do that kind of thing !!

sausage rolls

quickie

I like quickies, don't you ? Today, I made some sausage rolls, quick to make and better that the shop bought variety, (quick, if you know that you are going to make them in advance) if that makes sense. All will be revealed.

So, rough puff pastry. Weigh out 175 grms of butter and put in freezer until solid, (I always leave that amount in freezer all the time, for such occasions).
Next, when well frozen, weigh out 225 grms of plain flour in a large diameter bowl and grate the frozen butter into the flour little by little, you don't want a mountain of butter, so after each 50 grms gently stir the butter into the flour, so that each small bit of butter is coated with flour, when you have finished, add sufficient cold water to bring the mixture together,(do not over work!). put the pastry in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge to rest.

Next, caramelise about 4 medium onions. (cut up the onions into rings and place in a frying pan on a low heat for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally)

Next, sausage meat, sometimes I buy sausages and take the skins off, if not, buy the meat and add your own herbs.

Next, roll out the pastry, the same width as the length of the sausages, about 2 or 3 mm thick, and place the meat on the pastry, covered by some of the onion, bring up the two sides of the pastry, after having cut it, to completely cover the sausage and onion and pinch the joint together well (a little egg wash will help it stick)

Next, place on baking tray and with a pair of scissors, cut small incisions on the top of the pastry, (so it looks like a hedgehog), brush with egg wash and put in the oven for about 30 mins at about 180 deg C. (I normally put them on greaseproof paper on a tray that has a lip around the edge, because some of the butter does lend to leak out).

I generally use the same quick puff pastry mix for loads of recipes that would profit by using an ordinary puff, it's not quite the same, but very nice none the same, and easier to make of course.

As an accompaniment, how about some roasted tomatoes ? This time of the year we generally have a glut, so, cut some in half, add some garlic salt and put them in the oven, cut side up, on a low temperature for about an hour. if you have more than you need, blitz them up with one of those machines that covers everything in gloop, put into disposable plastic cups and freeze. I use that for pizzas and for tomato sauce.

Enjoy !!

why is it ?

people do that

Oops, got another warning light up today, on the dashboard of my "new to me" Rover. This one was to inform me that one of my lights wasn't working, that's nice of it isn't it ? Have you any idea how many light bulbs there are on a car ? LOADS !! Head lights, (dip and full beam) side lights (front and rear) indicator lamps (6 in all), stop lights, front fog lights, rear fog lights, reversing lights, and on some cars, lights that make it look like it is always Christmas !!! So began the search. 

Some are easy, others less so, have you ever tried keeping your foot on the break pedal whilst trying to see if the rear break lights are working ? My garage man can do it, (or so he says), eyes in his arse I think, or is it his brains ?

Any way, it turned out to be one of the afore mentioned break lights and I set about replacing it. As it is the law here in France that you have to have a complete set of replacement bulbs in the car I quickly found one and opened the tail gate (trunk for you Americans out there) to fit the new bulb.................... Hang on a minute, nothing is ever that easy is it ? and ........................no it wasn't.

Apparently you have to prise open two plastic (my favourite material !!!!!) flaps to reveal two screws, simply unscrew those and the whole lot falls out, SIMPLES. Well, I think a monkey had got there before me and done just that, but also, snapped off the screws and the plastic they go through, thus rendering the whole operation a total waste of time. What I hadn't noticed, were the wood screws holding the whole thing in place, that the monkey must have found in his wood shed and thought that it might be a good idea if he put them through the plastic and straight into the bodywork. To put the whole thing back, reverse the operation whilst aligning up six lugs, most of which were missing, and those that weren't were too short to see before it was misaligned. Job done, back in the car to see the orange light still on the dashboard.

This time, it turned out to be the reversing light, which just happened to be in the same place as the stop light, it was just as difficult the second time around, but at least the only light that is on now is that ruddy airbag light. Looked it up on the Internet, it's nice to know that I'm not alone, apparently it's because I had the audacity to move the driver's seat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it kind of loosens the cables under the seat  WHAT. !!!

no: 1 why do they build cars like that ?

no: 2 why do people let monkeys loose on repairing their cars ?

no: 3 if it was the guy who had the car before me, give up mate, stick to bananas.

ruddy Norah

they are at it again !!

French companies, I'm on about.  I ordered a new battery on line nearly two weeks ago now, for my computer, with a french company. I was advised by email today, that it was just being shipped from China and would take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. WHAT ARE THEY ON ? these numpties. NO mention on the site, or when I placed the order, at the same time, or in fact about 4 days later, my wife ordered from the UK. a battery for her computer. It arrived last week. It's not rocket science, is it ?

You live and learn don't you !!

More problems with finding a new window for the camper van. All the specialists around where I live have shut down for their annual holidays, (there's organisation for you) the window suppliers will only sell to their agencies, and guess what ? there aren't any in France.         England, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, yes, but France no thank you. 

I did actually manage to find a camper van garage open, but after having put his hand through my carefully stuck on repair and having consulted his one and only catalogue of spare parts, the garage owner declared that it was not possible to repair as nobody made that size window! That was a waste of a particularly nice afternoon. It's looking like we will be off to Barcelona (the nearest agent) to get Herman fixed.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

On a brighter note, we have sold our old car, and our new car seems to working well, although, things would be a little bit better if I could find out why the ruddy air bag warning light keeps coming on. There is always something, isn't there ? 

I went to the rowing club to do my good deed, and changed all the outboard motor's oil and filters, and repaired one that would only go backwards (perhaps it thought it was French). That was last Tuesday, and since then, I have basically being going around in circles, and getting a bit of gardening done. Oh yes, and a few impossible bike repairs. I do sometimes wonder why some people bother keeping some of their two ton wreaks they call bikes. Holland has got a lot to answer for !! New bikes, made from aluminium (for lightness) to which they add , integral stainless steel locks, rear carrier, bike stand that would be good for a motorcycle, 5 speed hub gears, steel chain guard,  huge saddles (perhaps they have unusually large backsides) and of course, rear view mirrors and a ruddy big flag pole so people can see them coming. Just to mend a puncture is an half hour job, trying to work out how the rear wheel comes out.

Give me my trusty old Cannondale bike any day.

decisions

and why I can't make many

Trouble is with making decisions is that if you make one, you then, at least for the time being, exclude all the alternatives.

Yesterday was a fairly rainy day, stayed indoors, except to feed my chickys, and thought that it may be a good time to make a few decisions. It sort of started off very well, I decided to make a broccoli and courgette quiche, then I decided to make some bread rolls and fill them with home made beefburgers for dinner. I had already decided the day before, to make a sponge cake, so I think that my "decision making ability store" was beginning to become somewhat depleted. I am a mere man of course, as my wife tells me, and my abilities are limited, so I have to go with that.

The really important decisions, remained unmade. 

Next year (starting this autumn) will be the year of the garden. I make that decision every year, but am never quite able to achieve it.

Am I going to finish off building my model boats I have started, or shall I start a new one ?(good job my wife doesn't read my blog)

Ditto for my model aircraft,

Perhaps I should think about putting my model trains out again, they were out before, but had to be put away to make room for our "home school". The layout took up one room 12ft by 16ft, so to lay the track and make the scenery and everything would probably take me through to next year, and beyond.

Am I to build the tricycle that I have bought the plans for ?

Am I to learn to play the banjo I bought recently ?

Am I to buy this new computer I keep going on about ?

Am I to sit down and plan the route for the long distance cycle ride for charity I have been thinking about ?

Life is full of decisions, and they don't get any easier as you get older either, in fact, I reckon there are more of them, and they get more dificult to make. 

As a kid, growing up in the 50's, in the UK. we were still on rationing for certain items following the second World War, there wasn't so much money floating around, credit was a dirty word, so if you didn't have the money, you didn't get the goods, it was as simple as that. I think I have already mentioned my bike, in a previous post, but, following that, the next year I asked Father Christmas if I could have a model aircraft. Well, a rather large, round, yellow and black object with a ruddy great diesel motor bolted to it, smelling of aircraft fuel, was duly delivered on Christmas day. I had never seen such a wierd object in my life, (but I was quite young at the time) the young airman my dad had bought it from had obviously built it himself, deciding to ignore completely the laws of aerodynamics, being about as succesfull as a flying brick, and about as fast. I don't regret my dad having made the decision to buy the aeroplane, it was a learning curve, I had an exceptionaly good time starting the engine, and eventually putting it into a boat the following year, which managed to nearly take off and elicit the complaints of the parents of the fleeing children, who managed to get out of the paddling pool in time, before my "bluebird" disintegrated on impact with the side of the pool. One lives and learns, that is what life is about.

Past experiences make decision making more informed of course, but they still don't make it any easier.

bread and butter pud

yummmmmmmmmmmm

You may or may not have guessed, but we are back home in the Dordogne, as of yesterday, and it's a darn site warmer here than it was in the north, it was beginning to feel decidedly chilly in the evenings with a really fresh breeze up your trouser leg. But not to forget of course, that one of the reasons for visiting the north, was to get away from the sometimes insufferable heat here at this time of year.

Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly, does it ? The trip back, was quite uneventful, the sticky, sticky tape held, (it should have done for the ruddy price I paid) and we remained dry for the journey. All we have to do now, is to negotiate the nuances of our camper van insurance, and wait six months until the "specialist" tells us the part is not available but he can sell us a very reasonably priced new camper van, "made in France" NO TA.

Computer has gone on strike !!! Odd really, it wasn't made in France, (perhaps the battery was !) so, I'm having to use my wife's machine, which is super quick, (well, it is for me) it makes odd noises, which I think are there to wake me up every now and again. Computers are NOT very cheap, are they ? I will have to save up my pocket money for a new one, and in the mean time, use this one, (and be very careful which sites I visit !!!!!) say no more. 

OK, what's all this about bread and butter pud, well, that tonight's pud, and I've just made it as follows.......................

2 inch deep oblong baking tray thingy, about 10" by 6" greased

Butter 6 slices of stale good quality bread

Put 3 slices in tray and sprinkle on 30 grms currants and some candied cut peel

Place rest of bread on top and add 30 grms more currants, and a bit of grated lemon rind

Meanwhile, in a jug, 50 grms sugar, about 350 mls total of milk and cream ( 60 of cream ) add 3 beaten eggs, and pour gently over the bread, (it is not meant to cover it), put in oven for 40 mins, or until golden, at 180 degC.

We've just eaten dinner, and I must say, that the pud was yummy, and very light, it should be eaten warm, and I like it with just a little light cream.

Over the next few days, I will try and sort out a few more photos which I put on this new computer of the coast up in Brittany, and after that, maybe do a few day trips on my bike around here, just to give you a taste of the Dordogne. At the moment, it's gardening and perhaps buy myself a hedge trimmer, to help make the place presentable.

Pity I can't write my blog on a hedge trimmer (could kill two birds with one stone)

revenge

sweat revenge

I know I shouldn't have only taken photos in the church yesterday, God got his own back and persuaded me to have langoustines at the restaraunt and during the night and all this morning I got a good dose of the skitters. Life's like that. Bugger.

My thoughtful wife gave me Immodium, isn't she good ?

Audierne

moving Herman

Thought it might be worth while moving Herman today, just so we could have a look around a bit, and have an evening meal at a restaurant  by the side of the harbour at Audierne.

So, off to Pont Croix this morn, stopped on the square and had a bite to eat, after having bought some nice bread, cheese and patè, (why is it everybody complains about the cheese I buy ?), glass of rosè and off to the cafè on the corner for a petitè cafè. Paid a second visit to the church ( hope God noticed), not that I actually did anything other than take more photos (sorry God), and then an afternoon in Audierne and the meal which was memorable for the reasons that it was pretty good and cost a bloody fortune, I paid for it out of my first UK. retirement cheque, (thanks UK).
The camera battery ran out of umph this afternoon after about six photos, I had forgotten completely that I needed to charge the thing, but the place is certainly worth a second visit, so I will probably take some more then. I will now try to download the few photos I have if I can stay awake for the hour that it takes here

Audierne harbour

That has just taken an hour to download, I am going to bed, good night

trip around the bay

on foot

view from the coastal footpath

my first girlfriend was called Heather

very very pretty place Por Peron

It's difficult to find things to moan about here. Seems to be a nearly perfect place to spend a holiday. The sun has decided to grace us with its' presence these last few days and I have walked the coastal footpath and cycled quite a bit too. 

The beach is just visible at the bottom of the last photo, and is about a five minute walk from our campervan "Herman". Herman is just about standing up to the strain of being lived in by the creatures from the blue lagoon, covered in sand and I have managed, I think, to find some sticky, sticky tape, and have stuck again the aluminium stuff over the hole where our window used to be, and apparently because we need to visit a few different places, we will test the effectiveness of the repair during the coming few days,"watch this space", (I will be watching the space where the window used to be).

I must just say, that this holiday and what I am managing to achieve physically now, is far removed from this time last year, when I was recovering from my cancer operation, when I had little or no energy and all the mental bumff that went with it was sending me a bit odd. The side effects of the operation have not gone away, they have diminished, but even after a year now I still have problems. But I am still around to annoy my wife and lad and I can't complain about that.

first day

on my bike

churchy pic

churchy pic

Pont Croix

Out on my first cycle to the village closest to the campsite, Pont Croix. Pretty little place with an enormous church right in the middle of it, and I mean BIG! 

It's supposed to be about a 10 km round trip from the campsite, but with hills like there are around here, it felt more like 20km. Pont Croix itself is built on the side and top of one enormous hill, descending into the village is great, but getting back out again, with panniers full of shopping is something else. Actually, I've done the trip about three times so far, and what with the cliff top walks here and all the fresh sea air !!! (wind and rain more like) I feel a little bit  fitter than I have done for a while now.

I must admit to being a bit of a bicycle anorak, not that I do a lot of riding mind you, it's just that I like bikes. I did have five of my own until I gave one of my road bikes to my son, last week. So now, I have one road bike and two off-road bikes, together with the dogs doodles I brought with me here, which is more like a tourer, old and American (but I won't hold that against it).

It's just a pity that I don't have eight lycra clad buttocks to straddle each of the saddles at the same time, (or at least that is what my wife says)

Herman the

teutonic camper van

I took a photo of it today on our happy campers camp site, minus front window of course. Herman , as you may have gathered is somewhat Germanic, well, at least the top half is, it is an LMC. you may not beleive it, I didn't at first, but LMC. is short for Lord Munsterland Caravans. Who in their right minds would want to call their company that !! perhaps Mr Munster, but that's only a guess. They don't make them any more apparently, I suppose the name just didn't roll off people's tongues.

The rest of the campervan is a bit of a cross breed really, engine from Citroen, noisy, diesely, smokey and grunty and the chassis from Peugeot (so good electrics there then!) the whole thing just rolls canardly, but it's comfy and does its' job. Bit like a brick shithouse with a heated lambs wool toilet seat. 

And it's as tidy on the inside !!

This is our home from home, up here in northern France. please note the red thing under the plastic sheet, it's an oven. Not many French campervans of this vintage were fitted with ovens, so we thought we would buy one so I could do the pies and pasties. And of course the pizzas, tonight, we had croissant, filled with ham, sliced hard boiled egg and covered in a home made cheese sauce and baked in the oven until the sauce was hot and bubbly, all washed down with red water.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !!

unsticky tape

receipe for something different !

ingredients.

1 camping car (or motorhome, depending if you are metric or not)

1 13 year old son

1 apparently patient and tolerant wife

1 flimsy plastic window, on aforementioned campervan

1 bed next to plastic window

1 overnight parking full of Roma gypsies

1 rather loud bang

Once you have gathered all the above ingredients together, stop at about 1 o'clock in the morning at a service area, then put your son in the bed next to the window and wait.!! Eventually, he will want to open said window to listen to what is going on with the 50 or so Mercedes and BMW cars of all nations parked next to us.

There were tents and sleeping bags everywhere, in the cars, on the cars and next to the cars, it's a wonder we didn't run any of them over when we pulled up, it was like tent city at the French ferry ports. 

What I want to know is, how come they all drive fancy NEW cars, and I've got an old Fiat Panda. There again, I don't choose to put a sleeping bag on the road to sleep, do I ?

In the morn, after having nearly choked the poor buggers to death with our big Citroen diesel motor trying to start, and having negotiated tent and sleeping bag land, we set off on our second leg to holiday heaven (at least, that's what the brochure said). Up the free motorway at 80 kph (50 mph in old money), singing the wheels on the bus as one does UNTIL? BANG. s**t, what the f**k was that, plenty of cars on the road, and no one honked, so we couldn't have lost all the bikes off the back, BUT, it was begining to become decidedly draughty.

Half hour later, "DAD" we seem to have a big hole in the front of the van !!! Time to try the emergency stopping area on the side of the motorway.

You're not wrong there son, where has the bloody window gone ?

Then it started to rain, Thank you God !!

I was just slightly upset, as one could imagine and when we eventualy arrived at the campsite, decided to patch the hole with one of those silvered screen things, designed for keeping the heat off the inside of your car (don't need one of those here).

I borrowed some tape of the campsite owner, big roll of wide silver sticky stuff.

Question,         who makes the best unsticky sticky tape.

Answer,            the French of course !!!!

Duct tape?, Gorilla tape?, never heard of it mate, but this stuff is French and it only costs twice as much as proper sticky tape, anyway it's all we've got!

It lasted about one day on the van, and we are not even moving. I reckon that it takes as much effort and cost to produce sicky tape as it does unsticky sticky tape, so why do these armpits sell us stuff that doesn't work at inflated prices????????

Stupid as it may sound, in future I will buy stuff that I want to work properly, from a reputable manufacturer who sells online at regular prices.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

very special expensive unsticky sticky tape as available here in France

still alive and kicking

just

contrary to popular belief, and because I haven't posted this last few days, there has been a rumour going around that I have managed to find the end of the world, and have fallen off it. It just feels that way. We have some good friends who are house, cat and chicken sitting for us, whilst we are off trying to find the edge of the world. (we did find it by the way, it is called Finistere, top left hand corner of France). Oh yes, and before I forget,  a big hello to Pam And Nick, hope you are enjoying your stay in our hovel, and you haven't been bitten by too many cat fleas.

So, a few days ago we filled our camper van to absolute bursting point with all sorts of things we couldn't possibly need, and headed north to get away from the intense heat and hoards of holiday makers (wrong move!! rains a lot here and every other car is either English, German or Dutch). It's a nice place though, and I will be taking photos and relating the story of our eventfull journey in a post to come. 

The campsite has wifi (apparently) and after three days trying, I have eventually managed to access it. However, just to complicate things, I have to use my wife's computer cos mine blew up, and I cant find my photos and the spell checker is in french, so according to that, I haven't spelt anything correctly yet. Life is interesting like that ain't it ?

The best time to get onto the internet here is about 2am. it's only 11pm. now, so I am receiving copious messages telling me it's stopped, no, it's started, no, it's just farted, it's raining, no really, it's really raining AGAIN !!!

My first ride on my bike today, after a break of over just one year, it felt very good to have the cool sea breeze whistling up my trouser leg, I've got my camera with me so expect some photos, if!!!! I can find them.

Poland

powitanie

I think that's Polish for welcome, feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.
I mention that, because, someone from Poland was reading my blog recently and it reminded me of when I visited Poland back in the early 1970's. I think it's changed a bit since then though.

Still well behind the iron curtain in the 70's, I did find the whole experience completely different from where I was living at that time in the UK. and in some respects, rather odd and perhaps at times a little frightening, let me explain.

I was an engineer officer at the time in the British Merchant Navy and had been working for some time for a company that shipped raw sugar from Trinidad, Jamaica and Mauritius back to London, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards and although those countries were extremely interesting to visit, eventually the novelty wore off and I was on the lookout for more distant shores to discover.

Mearsk, is a Danish company that at that time were building three huge ships that were going to sail under the British flag. I had applied to join the company, was accepted, and was awaiting the delivery of the second of the new ships being built in Norway. It eventually turned out I had a six month wait (on full pay of course) until the company decided that I would join, what was, the first ship which was sailing into Poland a couple of weeks before Christmas. Because I was an officer, it was my privilege to take my family with me if I so desired, I was advised at the time that it might be better if I waited until the ship arrived in Dunkirk, its' next port of call, but, being youthful, we thought "what the heck, it will be an adventure" I wasn't wrong !!

British Airways into Warsaw, and that's when the adventure started. There was supposed to be someone to meet us, NO-ONE. nobody spoke English, but we eventually found out we had to go to another airport and fly Lot Air to Stetin. We had to take a taxi, but had no Polish currency. Money had to be exchanged through a certified government bureau (I thought robbery went out with Robin Hood, but I was wrong) Finally, after all the paperwork we received our zloty and headed for the taxi on route to another airport somewhere, I didn't have a clue where we were going, I couldn't even pronounce it !!

So, when I saw the plane, I nearly turned around to go home, (when I was young my father bought a black and white, hand cranked movie projector, together with a five minute Mickey Mouse film, he had an airplane that looked a lot like the one that awaited us on the runway). It was freezing, everywhere covered in ice and snow. After what seemed an eternity we landed in Stetin (I think). We were the last plane to land there until the snow slowly melted in early spring. There was supposed to be someone to meet us, NO-ONE. In the tin shed that was the arrival and departure lounge, a nice Polish business man asked where we were going, as there were no taxis , and as it was coming on for midnight, the very hour that we turned back into pumpkins and our Polish Visas ran out, we decided to take the gentleman's kind offer of a lift to the port where the ship was waiting. Somewhere decidedly unpronounceable. 

The ship had gone, no-one knew where, and so the kind gent who had given us a lift, suggested the police might know and would help us. Ummmmmmmmmmm. as our visas had run out at midnight, I, my wife and my five year old daughter were promptly arrested and were given a police escort to where they thought the ship might be, (about three hours away, early hours of the morning, very very cold, road deep with snow, at 80mph.) could have been worse, these guys were bristling with guns, at least they didn't use them. More by luck than judgement, I reckon, after circling this new port for about an hour and having been asked about fifty times "zis von" no "zis von" no "zis von" no, it's the big blue one, we saw the big blue one, and were really looking forward to a little sleep time, think again mate. We could almost touch the ship BUT!! the man who had to look at our papers before we went on board, didn't start work until 9 o'clock and it was only 4 o'clock in the morning, so into a small, cold wooden shed we were ushered to await the man with the rubber stamp, wooden bench, just what the doctor ordered, no drinks, our luggage taken away, oh yes, and an armed guard outside our home from home. What a lovely welcome, it's no wonder that everyone wanted to leave !!

Time passed slowly !!! dawn arrived as the one single window slowly lit up, the door opened and we were invited to go on board the ship. Where is the guy then ? you know, the guy with the rubber stamp, oh, him. He was off apparently somewhere else, just keep telling yourself that it's a good job you don't live in a communist regime.

Just got sorted with my steward in our cabin when I got "bing bonged" (tannoy from Captain) to present myself in his office to meet and greet the guy with the rubber stamp. Couldn't believe the conversation we had with him, like talking to someone from  planet Zog. Did you change any money ? yep. How much ? about £200, have you got the receipt and any money you have left ? so I put it all on the table, at which point he pocketed the lot, rubber stamped something or other and left, jingling all the way. Don't worry Mike, the company will reimburse you everything, which they did straight away, out of the safe in the captain's office.

I got my own back. I changed on the black market sufficient dosh for a super Christmas, at about one sixth the cost in the UK. Not much choice though, just three shops , bread shop (queue half way down the road) shoe shop (queue half way down road) and a toy shop open with about a dozen different choices, my daughter ended up with the Polish equivalent of a Meccano set and a teddy bear about twice her size.
Perhaps I might go back some day, now it's changed, just for a visit.

Cyclists

can you spot the bikes ?

These pics were taken about half an hour after the caravan pics. The heavens opened, as you can probably see. When we arrived at about midday, we were probably about the twentieth car to park up alongside a very small road, half in the ditch, half in the road (that's why I took my old square box Fiat Panda). But when we left, the line of cars parked up must have been about half a mile long and on both sides of this single track road, which was a problem for those who didn't have the foresight to turn around before they parked and for those with impossibly large people carrier things, who must have been stuck in the pouring rain, waiting for the gendarmes to re-open the road the cyclists had been on, but of course, only in one direction. That's France.

the need for speed

there's a few

there's a few more

fast fuzz

there's three more of the guys

just a drop of rain !!

A few more

just before the heavens opened

I really enjoyed taking these pictures, with my new camera, I hope you enjoy looking at them. The next post will include the pics of the cyclists, I hope, after all, that is what the tour is all about, oh yes, and the rain.

the official time people

fruity syrup drinks

called frites here

glasses for the cyclists !!!!

your guess is as good as mine

chips

big supermarket people

                     

that's plastic bread !!

Tour pics

more photos                  

cakey thing maker

something to do with seeds

                                                   bear ?           

haven't got a clue !

                                                                        

even more sausage

the sausage throwers

Tour 2

rain on my parade

This years Tour de France was a bit different wasn't it ? We went to see it on the road between Eymet and Bergerac. I suppose we must have arrived about midday, sat down in the sun and munched the picnic and wine we had prepared the night before. If we had known, we needn't have bothered, as there were some guys doing a barbecue opposite, selling melons grown there and the wine was flowing, they seemed to be happy !!

The barbecue boys

One man and his melons

As you can see from the photo's the weather was pretty good, that was, good up to the time the cyclists appeared. This post will contain the best of the caravan photos in sunshine (all the photos are on Google plus, if I have done it right) the caravan being by the way, the advertising vehicles that precede the cyclists and of course chuck things at the roadside audience, when the mood takes them. didn't get hit by a sausage this year, just a few hats and key rings, and as wet as we got, It was an experience not to be missed.

Pretty little 2cv

Lunatic

Wahhhhhhhhh !