Cornwall

It was any icy morning at Moreton today, but we were up with the birds; and dogs going for their walk in the adjacent dog walk. After packing and breakfast we set off for the long drive to Cornwall, and it turned out to be a very easy, although boring, drive down south. With very little traffic and good weather the four hour drive went very well. Our only problem was when we stopped for some food at a motorway services, which did not seem to know how long a car and caravan can be.

We were only overhanging by a couple of metres, but at least it was a quiet day. We hate to imagine what it is like here in the middle of July.
We were concerned about the narrow roads of Cornwall but we had no problems. Even the bumpy, mud road into the owners land was OK, and we arrived just after four, to find our names placed next to the pitch we were to take. It did take us a while to set up as the motor mover decided to stop working, but once we did we had a wonderful view.

There is no-one else here at present, we have payed the owners and have some fresh farm eggs for breakfast. On top of that the weather forecast for tomorrow is sun. After an M&S Chinese ready meal we are settling in for a very comfortable night.

Delayed 2016 Summer Holiday Begins.....

At last we have started our much delayed 2016 summer holiday. We managed to actually leave on time, at ten this morning, and had a very easy drive over to Moreton in Marsh. The weather was good and there was not much traffic, so we arrived just a few minutes before midday. We were glad to see a sign advertising a fish and chip van would be there that night; and also happy to see who had been left in charge.

She looked very much at home; and it was probably warmer in there. When we set up the caravan, the thermometer announced that it was 2.2°C outside, but just 1.9°C inside. So we set up very quickly, and then had some hot soup. Had a drive afterwards to fill up with fuel before long journey tomorrow, then had a walk around the town. We have many fond memories of Moreton, but it has become very expensive here, and apart from pubs and cafes, there are not many shops. We visited the cheese shop, and the toy shop where we had to buy some Lego. Back to the van to warm up, then a fish and chip supper, which was nice, but quiet expensive again. Enjoyed watching "Saving Grace" with the views of Cornwall.

Back to England

We awoke to a slightly damp morning, but not to bad for our last day in France. We had a lazy breakfast of our favourite of egg on toast, then started to pack up. We were off the site by noon, and even said goodbye to our cat friend and the owner of the site.
We set the sat nav "Penelope" to avoiding the tolls, and the we set into the countryside, with some really nice roads. As we headed north, avoiding Beauvais, the roads were great, but we were being slowed down by having to reduce our speed each time we went though a pretty village.
So after we had to driven around Amiens, we set the sat nav to tolls, and had an hour on a motorway. During this time we stopped on an air for some lunch. As we were doing OK for time, we then came off the autoroute and continued to Calais. The drive was going well, and we stopped to fill up with fuel, where we discovered the wind had really picked up. A short hop to the tunnel, and as we arrived we were put on the 5.05 train.
No problems getting through customs, and we had time to stop for a loo break and coffee pick up. Straight onto the train, and we were back in the UK. Just 11 minutes to the site, and we arrived just before they closed. We set up the van, and then headed into Folkestone for dinner at the Weatherspoon pub where we had been to before we left. We had a nice dinner of surf and turf, then back to the van for a film and sleep.

Our last full day in France, shopping

Our last full day in France, and we wanted to get a bit of shopping done. We went to Intermache, and we also filled up with fuel.

A day of planned rest, but some stress

After our long day yesterday in Paris, we had a nice lie in this morning, although I had to get on with my OU essay. I worked on that all morning, and we realised that the internet had gone down at the site. So after lunch we head into Beauvais, where we hopped to get some internet. We eventually found some at McDonalds and I was able to send my work off.
We then did a bit of shopping and headed back to the van.

Second trip to Paris

Up at 6 this morning, and as the sun rose on a very clear morning we were off to Saint Sulpice train station. We were there in plenty of time before the 8.50 train to Paris.

This was my last birthday treat, a trip back to Paris, with a surprise. All I knew was that we had to be there for 11am. For some reason I had decided that Chris waking me on a boat down the Seine. When we reached the Gare du Nord, he said that we had time for coffee at the book shop. So off to Notre Dame we went, up the stairs to another beautiful day, and then Joe ran across the road, said "hang on" and ran off. I thought I was dreaming, and started to cry. Was I imagining things? Then he reappeared with Jade. This was my last birthday surprise.

We eventually got to sit down in the Shakespeare & co cafe, after they had finished a photoshoot. We had a lot to talk about. Jade had only discovered Monday morning that her passport was out of date, so before catching the Eurostar from London on Tuesday, Jade and Joe had gone via Peterborough to get herself a new passport. They had arrived the night before and were staying tonight in a hotel.

We walked to a couple of caches, then onto the south bank. We found a great toy shop where we got a new train game, then had lunch outside St Sulphice (Di Vinci code).

Walked back to river, via a wonderful little model shop, past the Louvre and finally found a cookery shop I had been looking for. It was amazing.

Back past the Louvre, through the gardens and along the Christmas Fair. We managed to find a few more presents, and lots of nice food. Started to go cold, so went into the Louvre for an hour.
Then it was time for us to get our train home, so we headed for the Metro and they set off for their hotel.

A day off for our tired feet

We had a nice lie in this morning and got up slowly. Did ou work and Chris managed to locate the owner and pay. Very cheap and we got our 7th night free, then after lunch went in search of Carrefour in Beauvais. Not that easy, and we got lost several times. Found an Intermache to fill up before we ran out of fuel, and then we found Carrefour. After all that it was a bit disappointing, but we did buy a lot of cheap cider.
Once home we found a car parked in front of the caravan so we could not park up. Chris found the owner in reception, who then spent the next 10 mins trying to locate the owner. Turned out to be a guy just wandering around the toilets. He just got in the car and drove off. Very odd.
Dinner, film, early night.