France - Holiday 2013 (8 july)

Another hot and sunny day, So we planned that today would be a "long lazy hazy summer day" lazing about in the Gite garden.

And that's what we did.

Little Gecko who lived outside our front door

Early in the morning (well close to 11) we walked to the Gite Garden where the pool is armed with out books, swimming cozzies, magazines, headphones, cold drinks, towels and suncream.

Isn't lounging out in 30 degrees wonderful when you have all that and a cool pool to yourselves?

I was (am) reading The authorised biography of Graham Chapman. I would recommend that you pick it up and learn something of this (at first glance) quintessentially English Monty Python comedian who became more and more flamboyant with fame but still retained a sense of fun without ever being "too stuck up".

The late Graham Chapman

So winding forward, after lunch and a beer and an odd coke, etc...oh yes and dinner, I settled down for a wee while before deciding to use the bikes the owner of the Gite, Jon had kindly left for us to use and that I had used the previous night.

On I got and cycled out the gite gates with my daughter Zoe in tow.

We cycled out through the fields of wheat, vines, sunflower, barley and wheat to arrive at a little grove of trees surrounding a circular pond (with a central island). It made the pond more of a "doughnut" shape.

Golden Pond

We sat down for a while chatting before circling the pond, where there were some local fishermen on the other side.

Pondering at Golden Pond

Weather was superb.

When we arrived back at the gite, we showered and settled in for the night.

Jodie and me (damn bunny ears)

FRANCE - HOLIDAY 2013 (7 July)

Settled into our Gite at last, I woke up to a sore head...I can only put this down to the lack of sleep from the previous few days...travelling, driving on other side of road, etc. Nothing to do with the wine.

Anyway, we woke up to a glorious sunny day. We planned to stay at the Gite today and soak up some rays.

Kids were in the pool early on and I slumbered round with a drink, phone (for music) and a good book. I had picked up a biography of Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame a couple of weeks earlier. so thought it would make interesting holiday reading.

I was soon lying on a lounger in the lovely pool garden, birds singing. a gentle breeze and easily 30 degrees +  today. Sipping cold drings and taking it easy while listening to Jodie and Lucie splashing around in the Pool.

Zoe and I sat for a while chatting about music and we were soon joined by Lucie, Jodie and Angela.

By two o'clock thoughts were turning to lunch, so Zoe and me went off and made a lovely salad consisting of ham, juicy tomatoes, cucumber, french cheese and a traditional baguette.

Soon, I rejoined the book and we all took in more rays  on what was proving to be a lazy hazy day

Thoughts soon turned to dinner and the plan was for pasta salad, but we had mistook gnocci and had bought some tiny potatoes instead, therefore our pasta salad became a potato salad.

The potatoes were lightly boiled and then bathed in melted butter and garlic for 1 minute with some fresh thyme from the garden adding an extra special twist....mmmmm.

This was all added to a salad of peppers, tomato, spring onion, brie, mustard and lettuce with some magnificent local bread and washed down with a lovely cool drink. We had dinner out in the sunnt=y back garden, surrounded by roses in full bloom...magnificent.

Clearing all away quickly, I took the advantage of borrowing a bike from the Gite owner and cycled into the countryside. It was tres formidable. I cycled through field of vines and barley to the vollage of Puy de Notre Dame. We had seen it the evening before in the distance when out walking.

Puy de Notre Dame was a small olde-world place with crumbling buildings but amazingly neat and tidy streets. The big church walls were quite crumbly when I touched them. I think they consisted of limestone.

Church at Puy de Notre Dame

Some information on the region

Street view of the church

After circling and touring the streets on the bike - time to return. Soon I was pedaling out of the small village and back out amongst the vines and fields of the Loire region. Cycling through legions of flys I stoppes alongside a quiet lane to watch the sun as it dipped below a small grove of trees in the distance. It was a lovely sight and it was unexpectedly nice to be on my own, nothing but evening bird song and a gentle breeze as the Sun decended into the grove, casting its orange/gold glow in my direction.

The winding roads of The Loire

More quiet country roads

Sunset

Sunset behind the trees

I was soon cycling again and reached the gite in no-time. I retired with a well deserved cold beer and my feet up on the couch in front of the TV. What a nice way to round off another glorious day.

FRANCE - HOLIDAY 2013 (5 July)

Hooray, at last, it's that time of the year again...holiday time...whoop whoop.

Set out this morning (Friday 5th July) from home at 1am, driving to Liverpool, John Lennon Airport.

A fairly uneventful journey despite the growing tiredness that almost surpassed me a couple of times.

Reminds me, I tried that "Red Bull" or an ALDI supermarket cheaper derivitive. Gave me wings for about 10 minutes before reentering land of the slumbering driver.

We made it to Liverpool at approx 4:30am and were greeted by an elderly scouse gentleman who parked up our can and took our cases etc over to the Airport Shuttle Bus.

The park was about a mile away and we disembarked right next to a yellow submarine (Beatles and John Lennon influence there)...still will be easy to remember where we will be collected on the return.

Into the airport we went, threw our bags at the easyjet rep...I have to say easyjet have been more professional than I last remember them and efficient too.

Had a sit down and a crappy snooze for 2 hours on an airport seat then went to our gate to embark on the plane.

Waiting on a Jet Plane

Allocated rows 21a-f, we set off and landed at a cloudy Nantes approx 1 hour later.

On achieving the impossible (retrieving our bags with no delay) we went to the Alamo desk for our car and were given the keys to a Mondeo...actually ok but still warm from its last user.

I sat for half an hour like a novice at the controls of a Jumbo jet, bemused by the gear stick on the right and the drivers seat where the passenger should be. Zoe and me caffuffled the sat-nav for ages, wondering what was a street and a postcode and deciphoring French like it would ancient Greek.

We eventually punched in the coordinates and set for the off. Sortie in French means exit, however in this instance it was exit via a carwash...strange...could we be wrong....well we went through and soon were on the open road...nails chewed to the qwik.

Have you driven abroad? its daunting at first, but you soon grasp it and the lady on the sat nav kept us right.

We travelled and stopped after about 40 miles at a large Carrefour Supermarket at the town of Cholet for some provisions and had lunch at a place called frunched...some French chain of restaurants.

Sun was out now an 24 degrees - wooooo.

We set off again and eventually made it to Doue la fontaine and the hotel Auberge de la Rose.

View from Hotel Balcony

We are staying in the hotel for one night as our Gite only becomes ready on Saturday at 4:00pm...so a longish day tomorrow.

Dinner in the hotel was tres superbe...I had a pate starter as did zoe, the kids had a half canteloupe melon with cous cous and Angela a salad. This was followed by a selection of steak, chicken and fish and cheese, ice cream, creme brulee and rasperry soufle.

Jodie tucks in

Ohhh and there was red wine too, a local speciality from Saumar.

Afterwards we went for a walk.

Took an attratcive picture of the Planet Venus. Spotted some Bats flying overhead.

Venus over Doue-La-Fontain

Back for bed and another day tomorrow.