More adventures in France Episode 16

After our problems with the computer, finally having to resort to using another machine to send an episode through, we ended up with quite a short week to report on. In the end, we did not make the return trip to Garstang until the Wednesday which turned out to be a good choice. Monday had been quite horrendous with gale force winds and pouring rain, while Tuesday was calmer but still wet. Wednesday seemed to be the beginning of a dry spell so we took advantage of that to make the two and a half hour trip. We chose a route that meandered down through the Cumbrian lakes and which provided us with magnificent views of the countryside. It really is the most stunningly beautiful area. When we got home, there was just time to unload our bags from the car, and get the old car into the garage before the rain started falling again! Thursday was drier but very windy so it was Friday before we could go out on Steve’s little 23 foot cabin cruiser on the canal.
The Lancaster Canal runs almost past the house – one block away, in fact – and the boat is moored in a marina further down the canal. We set off in overcast and slightly windy weather, which later cleared up quite nicely and it turned into a lovely day. As Ratty said in ‘The Wind in the Willows’, ‘There is nothing so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats’, and I can heartily agree. We glided along to Lancaster and back, a trip that took six hours on the water, and there was never a dull moment. The same trip by car would probably take only an hour or perhaps a bit less, but what a lot one would miss. Apart from the other boats on the canal, both cruisers and narrow boats, there were ducks, with chicks all paddling furiously to keep up with Mama; there were haughty and regal swans, also with chicks, just as keen to see if there were any scraps of bread to be had. There were cows and calves, and sheep and lambs in the fields on either side and we even saw a tiny foal which must have been very, very new as it really didn’t know what to do with it’s legs. In places the trees had grown into an arch over the canal, which gave the impression of being in a long, green tunnel. Then, every so often there would be a humpy-back bridge to allow the traffic to cross. All the bridges are numbered and on the waterways map of the canal, it is how you know where you are. We were entertained by the names some people had given their boats especially the narrow boats, some of which are occupied permanently. Names like Auntie Rincal, and Stressless stand out for me amongst the many Louisa’s, Mary-Anne’s and Betty Boop’s. All I all it was a good day out.
On Saturday we went into town, a five minute walk away and were accosted by a lady who appeared to be in fancy dress. She was in a bright red outfit, with a cape or cloak over her shoulders, shiny black shoes with a buckle over the toe and a red and black hat. I’m almost sure the costume was something special but have no idea what it could be. Anyway, she told us that we really should go and see the flower display in the local church, so on the way home again, we took her advice and were treated to a wonderful show of colour. I am constantly struck by the number of bright blue flowers that one sees here and in Europe – I’m sure we don’t get as many in South Africa.
And so we come to the end of another week and the beginning of our last week away. We shall treasure the time spent with family, and have made many memories to look back on with great pleasure.

More Adventures in France Episode 15

Having arrived back in Garstang, we continued to battle with our internet connection, finally managing to get online on about Tuesday, when ,with great relief I could send off the next episode of the blog. From then on we were caught up in a whirl of activity! Although the house that sister Carol and brother-in-law Steve are moving into is not a new house, they have done extensive alterations and have turned it into a really beautiful residence, but the builders, who seem to have been on site forever, are still around but mainly working outdoors on all the finicky finishing off bits. Neels and Steve joined the crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and brickies and have been terribly busy fitting shelves into cupboards; moving piles of unused bricks and clearing space in the three-car garage to accommodate Steve’s pride and joy – his 1938 Rover car. Meanwhile Carol and I have had the easier tasks of deciding on colours and designs for window blinds and floor covering for the utility room! It is quite amazing how long such things take, leaving remarkably little time for browsing the shelves of the local supermarkets.
At the end of the week, we returned to the old house in St Bees in Cumbria to fetch some more things to be taken down to the new house, to cut the grass and to collect a trailer load of rocks for the new rockery. And, of course, the Rover. I can’t actually believe that so much has already been taken out of St Bees – enough to furnish the Garstang house – because there is still so much left. Having moved house several times in our lives, I am fully aware of how hard it is to find space for all one’s treasured possessions in a new house, but when down-sizing it is almost impossible, and this is the position Carol is in at the present time. I foresee many trips back and forth over the next few months as more and more gets transferred from one house to the other.
We were supposed to return to Garstang on Monday, in convoy – Carol driving one car towing the trailer full of rocks, while Steve follows at the wheel of the Rover, but if anyone was watching the news that day, you may have heard about the terrible gales in Scotland which flattened trees and left 40,000 people with electricity. So we decided that it wasn’t prudent to try to attempt the trip then so stayed over for another day. A heavy trailer would not make for fun driving in high wind conditions and the little old Rover prefers to travel in fair weather anyway.
I am unable to attach any photographs this week as I am using a remote computer to send this in an attempt at getting back into the old routine. Pictures will have to wait until next time.

More adventures in France Episode 14

Profuse apologies for the long hiatus in our saga! After arriving in the UK we were completely frustrated in all our attempts to set up a cell phone connection and get on to the internet. To make matters worse, the cell phone service provider did not operate their Customer Care over weekends, so we were rather stumped until Monday morning which was the day we set off for East Anglia. I had the next episode of the blog all written and ready to send, but it was not to be. So now, four days into the following week, we have finally concocted a connection.
The week before we left France was a very busy one. We were suddenly inundated with invitations to tea, lunch or supper; the house had to be spring-cleaned; arrangements had to be made for housing the car over the coming summer and then winter, and there were lots of goodbyes to say. We were sad to have to say goodbye to the cats especially Flo who is such a soft, cuddly little animal, but I had still not been able to work out how to squeeze her into our luggage. However, after a good flight to the UK and an enthusiastic welcome from the family there, they were soon forgotten. We were excited to see the new house, and were not disappointed. It is spacious and airy, and being recently re-decorated, it is, of course pristine.
Having examined the house from top to toe, the next thing to explore was the town and it’s surroundings. Steve was quite willing to oblige and over the weekend we went on a long rambling drive which took in the town, the countryside and the canals, where Steve’s little cabin cruiser is moored. While nosing around there, we met some friends of Carol and Steve’s who were cruising the canals on their narrow boat. We were invited to inspect the inside of their boat and, having never seen the interior of a narrow boat before, we accepted immediately. The boats are fifty feet long but only six foot six inches wide, so fitting every in is quite a feat. The owners say that they can quite comfortably live on board even through winter as it even has a tiny wood burning stove in the living area which heats the whole boat.
The countryside around Garstang is beautiful at present, with a thousand shades of green all around and darling baby lambs bouncing around in the fields. There are wonderful long, green, leafy lanes where the trees meet overhead and we felt as if we were driving down long green tunnels.
On Monday we left for Saxilby in Lincolnshire to spend two nights with oour landlords of the French house we had been staying in. They live in a marvellously compact terrace house which has the steepest staircase I’ve seen in ages! The road from Garstang to Saxilby took us past some villages with simply delightful names which made us chuckle. How about Blubberhouses? Or Spital in the Street? I was dying to stop and take pictures of the name boards but it would have been quite insulting to the residents so we didn’t.
Our first night at Saxilby was spent chatting and catching up, but the following day we went into Lincoln to a piano recital in the restored Drill Hall. The restoration has been done very sympathetically and we believe it is frequently used. After the concert, we walked around Lincoln a bit but I’m afraid we declined to pay the (rather large) amount required for visiting the cathedral. It is a shame as we hear that Lincoln has a really beautiful cathedral, but as the French would say ‘Tant pis!’ (Too bad)
From Saxilby we went still further south to Framlingham in Suffolk to visit an ex-South African friend and her English husband. What a lot of talking we did! We also went for a long walk around town and through some fields where we saw rabbits hopping about in the grass. Although our friend does not drive, they travel a lot by bus and she was able to direct us perfectly all over the surrounding roads to do some sightseeing. She took us first to Blythburgh Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral in the Marshes, which took us completely by surprise. We pushed open the doors and expected to be met by dingy, dark and dank interior, but what a surprise! Due to the style of architecture, it was wonderfully light and airy, lit by the usual long side windows as well as others which are high up in the walls. The exterior was also unusual as it has a flintstone finish which gives the appearance of a massive mosaic with plastered quoins. Quite charming!
From there we headed to the coast and a little place called Southwold. This seaside resort has somehow been missed in the great commercialisation of all tourist spots, and we loved it. It has a pier with a few shops on it and a quirky amusement arcade containing homemade penny-in-the-slot machines which had us rolling with laughter. My favourite was a machine which simulates an eldery person trying to cross a busy road while clinging on to a zimmer frame. We didn’t actually try it but watched others and it was hilarious.
About then the weather changed, so after having a light lunch we drove slowly back to Framlingham via a whole collection of little villages, just viewing them from the car. By the time we were back ‘home’ again, the rain had stopped and the sky was clear again. The next day, after saying our goodbyes to our friends, Neels and I returned to one of the small towns to visit a steam museum, but were a bit disappointed and did not stay long. Our ultimate destination had been Lowestoft where our eldest son is currently studying at the Maritime College. When we arrived, we found that he was in the process of moving out of his holiday flat and into a more permanent rented apartment. As the holiday flat was fully equipped and the rental had only very basic furniture, we spent the rest of the day helping him to buy things like crockery and cutlery, linen and saucepans and a few things in between. The next day though, he refused to do any more shopping and instead took us out for a full days sightseeing. We drove cross-country to Sheringham which is on the north Norfolk coast and then returned very slowly all along the coast line visiting almost every village on the way. We were fascinated to discover that every village had an almost identical square-towered church and the villages couldn’t have been more than two to three kilometres apart. It was just like a line of defence in a war zone! Once again the weather changed as we were returning and we arrived home again just in time to dash across the road before the shower started again.
On Sunday we will start back towards Garstang to spend more time with Carol and Steve.

More adventures in France Episode 13

A quiet start to the week but a busy end! Halfway through the week we at last met our last-year’s landlords face to face for the first time when they entertained us to dinner. It was quite strange to be there as their guests when we felt so at home in the house, but lovely to meet them at last and to be able to chat properly and get to know them a bit. Needless to say they have been busy in their garden, in spite of having been away since January until mid-April, and the veggie garden is already looking good, with onions, garlic, carrots, peas and leeks. Not being a gardener, I find it quite hard to think that anyone could enjoy working in the garden during the bitter November and December months, but this is what they must have done to achieve the present result. They have invited us o return to their next year while they are away, spending the coldest months in Spain (where it is warmer) but we are still thinking about that one!
At the end of the week, we met another couple whom we had previously only known through email messages or phone calls. They are South Africans who are embarking on a similar campervan tour to that which we did in 2008, and had been referred to us for advice. I’m not sure if we helped much in the advice department, but they are a great couple and we had a lot of fun in the two days that they spent with us. On Saturday we all piled into the little gold car and made a round trip which visited numerous little villages in the area, and also managed to fit in a lunch stop at our favourite restaurant at Bassoues. By the end of their two days, they were so entranced with the area that they have booked in to a camp site nearby and are spending a few more days here. We were delighted to have made two converts so easily!
Our three months here has flown past and by this time next week we will be in England. We will be really sad to leave as everything is just reaching it’s scenic best, but I can’t wait to get to England to see my sister again and to visit their new home which is a bit further south in England than they were previously. We will also be visiting some other friends while we are there, some of whom we haven’t seen for ages so we are looking forward to that too.
As I look out of the window of the study where I type, I am struck by the fact that I can no longer see the house across the road – it is totally hidden by trees and bushes which were bare when we arrived and are now thick with leaves. There are doves (pigeons?) nesting in a large pine tree at the edge of the garden and there is constant commotion as they fly in and out. One of the cats has got the gardening bug too and has taken to sleeping curled up in one of the flower pots outside the door. Obviously she has as much enthusiasm for doing the actual work as I have. She also enjoys far more, watching the plnts grow!