2. May, 2017

1. May, 2017

MONDAY 1-5-17

When we woke we slid back the cover over the skylight to reveal a blue sky with very little cloud. However as we lay there more cloud appeared. The forecast for today was not good. Heavy showers with sunshine from 11:00 to 23:00. We put the showers to the back of our minds and concentrated on the sunshine.

The shower block here is a peculiar French arrangement. It's unisex, even down to a urinal for the men to use whilst children use facilities around it. As I left the block this morning a chap gave me the old "Bonjour", it's something we all do. Most of us don't go beyond the one friendly greeting, because most of us would not understand another word that was spoken by the other party.

Today's plan was to play it by ear regarding a trip by bus in to Bordeaux if the weather looked promising enough come the time to catch the one bus of the day at 12:54.

Heavy rain showers at the present time, never mind, they still had time to clear.

Yesterday when collecting a watering can full of fresh water from the tap in the next avenue of pitches I noticed one of those tiny flip-up tents on one of the pitches. It was more like a child's play tent. I assumed that it was a camper from the newly formed FDUCA, 'French Dwarfs Under Canvas Association'. It was so small, and just as importantly very short. Surely an adult could not be camping in it.

When I returned for the second watering can full, I heard voices inside. 'Blimey', I thought, 'There's two of them squeezed in there'. It was only when I returned for the third time with the watering can that I realised there was a radio on in the tent, so it must have been one camper and one radio.

Later this morning I heard somebody outside of the motorhome (we had the door open to air the vehicle), it was the man who had said "Bonjour" as I left the shower block this morning. He needed help, he was gesturing that he needed a hammer. So out to the back I went to fetch the toolbox. I then followed him - to the tiny red flip-up tent in the next avenue of pitches. He needed help in pitching it properly, although he had spent last night in it, the tent needed pegging down. So out comes the hammer and I get it all sorted for him, problem was he was one peg short, so back to the vehicle I go to rummage for a steel peg. Fortunately for him I had just one onboard which I then used to peg the back end down. I should just add here, looking for a bit of sympathy, that by now it was peeing down with rain and I was getting very wet. Ok, so I could have fetched my mac, but we're talking focus here, commitment to the task in hand.

He was telling me that he spoke Spanish (he had a Spanish passport), a little French and not much English. I believe he said he was Moroccan by birth. The thing is this chap had a load of personal effects as well as his tent, but no car. So how was he getting about?

Anyway, job done, until I realised that all of his personal possessions were getting very wet, so back to the motorhome I went to donate the plastic tarpaulin I'd only just bought before we  came away, to use should I need to lay under the vehicle to sort out any problems. The tarpaulin covered all of his kit nicely. I also gave him my peg-puller, and demonstrated how it worked, so that whenever he was ready to move on he could get the pegs out of the ground. He was very grateful bless him and my motivation was simply that like us all, he was trying to make his way in the world as best he could, and we all need a little help from time to time to do that. Besides that, if he was Moroccan, he would perhaps stay longer and scare the thumb-suckers.

This was the second day we have been denied fresh bread, so it was another lunch of cheese and biscuits with a glass of wine.

The sun was shining again. We decided that the weather was too nice to sit around the campsite and so we would have to make a break for Bordeaux on the bus. So suitably attired, and with the backpack containing our waterproof clothing etc we made our way to the bus stop.

Soon after arriving another couple approached the bus stop from the campsite, Brits as it turned out. Ooohooo we thought, here's another couple making their way in to town . No they weren't. They'd been told by the Kamp Kommandant when they arrived this morning, that as it was a National Holiday there were NO buses, they were simply checking the timetable for tomorrow.

We contained our rage until they were out of earshot.

So that was it then, another day on the campsite, here in the middle of nowhere, so back to the motorhome we went. Eventually we motivated ourselves to take the Petanque balls up to les Petanque pitch and take our frustrations out on that. Les Chef beat moiré 2-1. The things I do to keep her happy.

Back to the motorhome to chill before our evening meal, washed down with a very nice glass or two of wine.

I then went down in to the next avenue for more fresh water. My thinking was to fill the tank up a bit more today to save time doing it tomorrow. I couldn't help but notice that 'Mr Bonjour' had now acquired for himself a matching set of red plastic chairs and a table for his abode. I had to assume that my tarpaulin and his possessions were now inside the tent while he was up at the bar or restaurant.

30. Apr, 2017

30. Apr, 2017

SUNDAY 30-4-17

Today we had planned to catch the one and only bus in to Bordeaux city for a look around. The morning bought reasonable weather and so we decided to do a few bits of hand washing including both of our micro-fibre bath towels, hanging them over both the reclining chairs, brought out specially for the occasion.

However about mid-day, about an hour before we were due to make our way to the bus stop the heavens opened. According to the on-line, computer-generated weather forecast from the BBC, it was only supposed to be showers between 14:00 and 18:00, but this was not a shower, and it wasn't 14:00. It was one long, steady downpour of heavy rain. Fortunately we'd managed to gather up the washing and put it in the two washing up bowls which were then placed in the rear garage.

So we then had a dilemma****, should we risk it and make for the bus in the hope that the forecast was partly right and the weather gradually improve, or do we not risk it? If we went, and things stayed as they were, we would, even with waterproofs with us, have got cold and wet, with no means to get back to the campsite until the one and only return bus at 18:15.

We decided not to risk it. Instead we'd spend the day indoors enjoying the warmth of the electric fan heater (after it had dried the towels hanging in the bathroom), a glass or two of the wine we'd bought back down the road in Spain at an amazing price of just over one pound a litre, and thankfully even though we hadn't had a label to identify the wine, it was exactly the right wine in the boxes. I was a bit fearful having bought forty litres of the stuff that we'd (that is 'I') got it wrong and were stuck with an awful lot of glorified toilet cleaner. But no, it was luvverly jubberly.

Staying indoors today gave me the opportunity to finish my book 'Taking the Micky', written by Michael Lander aka Micky Zany, the comedian we met on the Fred Olsen Norwegian Cruise in February. A very funny, and an even nicer man. So that's it, no more reading material. We are so far from civilisation that we cannot even buy a copy of the Daily Mail or the Sun, two newspapers which seem to be available everywhere this side of the Channel.

Today the campsite has been lovely and quiet. Lots of people moved out, presumably on their way home, including the French, who haven't got far to go before they can hide under their pillows and suck their thumbs, safe in the knowledge that those nasty Moroccans can't find them now. Even the few barking dogs have gone. Gosh it's almost worth a wet day for such peace.

As there are no photographs today I will share one I took back in Jerez during the very interesting tour of the 'Tio Pepe' Bodegas, but due to the number of pictures uploaded that day, didn't share.

Now very often we see on TV these people drawing sherry from a barrel with a small, deep, round steel  'cup' on the end of a long steel handle, and then pour the contents from on high in to a few glasses held in their other hand (a useful skill to show off with in front of friends and family when emptying a catheter bag in old age).

Well the thing is, those barrels are not full (see picture of a glass fronted barrel for demonstration purposes). If they wish to take sherry from the barrel they need to pass the 'cup' through the layer of yeast on top of the wine, take the sherry sample, and then withdraw the 'cup' back through the same gap, allowing the yeast to join together again afterwards sealing the 'hole'. How about that then, interesting or what?

Tomorrow we are hoping to catch the bus in to Bordeaux for a look around. If we don't do it then we have wasted our time and money sitting on this campsite at €17 a night.

After that it's St Emilion and Cognac. In Cognac we (that is 'I'), plan to stay at an Aire next door to where they produce Hennessey brandy. This tourist business can be hell.

**** A dilemma:

You're a chap. You find yourself lying naked in a king size bed. On one side of you is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, she is starkers and hot for it. On the other side of you is a man, a real hunk, good looking, he's gay, and he has the hots for you as well, - which one do you turn your back on?

29. Apr, 2017

SATURDAY 29-4-17

Considering we spent the night on a Rest Area site on a busy toll road, I for one slept very well. The Chef heard a few vehicle movements during the night, but me, nothing.

It was a nice sunny morning, and although it was cool during the night it certainly wasn't as cold as it had been the past couple of mornings. I did get up about forty-five minutes before we were due up, just to turn the hot water and heating on. We weren't going to bother with showers, just good washes as we would be at a campsite later with all facilities.

Before setting off I wanted to check the vehicle tyre pressures. I hadn't done it for a month, and although they are seldom out, there's no room for complacency.

In the end we didn't get away too early, never mind we didn't have far to go. We had one nasty surprise - the W05 motorway which would take us all the way to Bordeaux, a distance of about one hundred miles, was now a toll road. So that nice Frenchman 'Jacque the TAG' will be taking even more money out of our bank account at the middle of next month.

The traffic around Bordeaux was horrendous, thank heavens the satnav didn't decide to take us through the city centre today, something it is prone to doing on a 'bad hair' day. We are at Camping Bel-Air www.campingbel-air.com  (GPS: N44.783689 W0.370973) just outside Créon southeast of Bordeaux. Of course they don't tell you such things in the campsite books, but there is just one bus in to Bordeaux each day. It passes by outside at 12:54 and returns at 18:15, so we'll be looking to try and knock off Bordeaux Old Town etc tomorrow afternoon. If the weather is good enough on Monday we'll stay here for a day of relaxation, if not then we'll be off down the road about twenty-five  miles to St Emilion, where they just happen to produce rather nice wine.

As for the weather today it has been glorious, what a difference a day makes. I think the very cold windy weather we have been experiencing was due to our altitude up in the Sierra's. Whatever the reason, it has suddenly made us appreciate a nice hot sunny day, something we had just taken for granted up until then.