Sugden’s posterous

August 16^th - 20^th

Saturday, and we were joined by Steven and Rosie for breakfast at 10.00am. They had sailed from Portsmouth on an overnight ferry and were knackered. They had not had sleeper reservations and had had to make the best they could of seats available. Nevertheless we passed a pleasant (and food filled) day until they could enter their Gite at 4.00pm. This was the same Gite that Sharon and I had rented at Easter and although it was theirs, we were looking forward to seeing it in Summer.

Steven and Rosie (Steven is Sharon's brother) had taken over the booking from Joanne (Sharon's sister) and Mike – who had originally booked it. Mike had had to arrange an operation on his neck (I think) and couldn't come to France. Joanne had originally seen the Gite over winter and had booked it then. Sharon and I had remembered seeing the building when we were in Pont Farcy last (Spring Bank 2007), so booked our Easter visit knowing that it was now a Gite.

August 12^th - 15^th

We didn't do much for the rest of the day, or the day after as it clouded over, the wind picked up and it intermittently stormed. We read and worked (I worked on my Bury college stuff for Wednesday and Thursday – but as the weather was crap it didn't matter). We had a walk around Pont Farcy Wednesday evening but it was uninspiring in the gloom. It was so cold that night that we had to light a fire.

We started with a cup of tea and presents (I didn't get any) and then shot out to Vire for the Friday market. We had breakfast in our usual café and just missed the sun – which rose above the building opposite, just as we finished. But apart from the odd cloud – it stayed out all of the glorious day. After 'doing' the market, we shopped a little more, to make sure we were ok for tomorrow when Steven (Sharon's brother) and Rosie, arrive for their week in the same Gite we stayed in at Easter.  

We just read and sat in the sun all afternoon.

I've finished three books now and have just started my fourth.

·      Sepulchre – Kate Mosse (set in Languedoc)

·      Life of Pi – Yann Martel (shipwrecked Indian youth and Bengal Tiger)

·      The Alchemist's Secret – Scott Mariani (set all over the place but centred on Languedoc)

See Blogger pages --- http://dsugblog.blogspot.com/

August 11^th and 12^th

We got there in time to have lunch in a town centre bar before booking into the Hotel Balzac – see intermediate (previous) posting.

Our evening meal was in an Italian restaurant at the bottom of town and it was delightful. The service was excellent and the food was fine. So well done, after the 'fun' at lunchtime, it made a refreshing change.

August 11^th - Begin

We read through Sharon's essay last night – over a couple of beers, so that should make interesting reading for someone! Food was passable at the Campanile, if a little regimented.

We drove straight through to Fougeres as we wanted to spend some time looking around the town. We've been before, but never quite had the time, or the weather to do it justice – so the plan was to do just that. And we did.

We'd booked into a town centre hotel – The Hotel Balzac and http://www.balzachotel.com/index1.htm - (on a semi-pedestrian area) – so we were nice and central. Parked the car and went for it.

You have to see Fougeres to understand what it is all about. Like Carcassonne, it has an ancient building they call the Chateau – but it's very big and very Citadel-like. Today wasn't too hot or too rainy (although it did try …) to walk around the town and the Chateau, so we enjoyed ourselves.

We're both tired of travelling now and look forward to getting to Mark's tomorrow, from where we don't have to move unless we want to, until Wednesday 20^th – when we set off home (breaking the journey I can now tell people, at Monet's Garden in Giverny. My anniversary present to Sharon).

Not sure now either, when we will get internet again. So until next time?

August 10th

Some photos have managed to get up to Flickr – see http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsugden/ (they are taking an age on this FREE WiFi …)

We had our first Campanile [www.campanile.fr/] breakfast today. And – it wasn't half bad. We'd not been having the best of French breakfasts – the croissants in Olonzac and around seemed greasier than we were used to, so to have a spread of meats, cheese, fruit, cereals and SEVERAL types of bread, was a delight. The croissants were still crap, but there you go! We set off without problem today and shot up the motorway towards Bordeaux, to get us a little closer to our day's destination – Niort, just west of Poiters.

Having circumnavigated Bordeaux (losing tempers, changing drivers etc) we headed (on purpose) towards Blaye, which is a good way up the Gridonde Estuary. We chose this for no other reason than it was the town closest to the sea (that we would pass-ish). But what a great choice. The weather was belting down with sunshine, the town was in a happy slappy mood (cowboys and Hells Angels were having a hoe down on the (spit?) AND they had a huge citadel to explore.

We bought pate and bread in one of the few shops open and had a super picnic on the grassed lawn beneath the Citadel (in the shade of a gradually disappearing bush – the shadow was shortening!). Then we spent a couple of hours up in the Citadel itself. The views were great and we took 1,000,000 photos.

Following this great stop over we drove (mainly) up A roads to Niort, where we are now writing up our diaries. Well, Sharon is booking our room for tomorrow night, in Fougere. This gives us a short drive on Tuesday to our final week's destination – Pont Farcy in Normandy.

Tonight's story – next time.

August 9th – continued

We set off promptly at 10.00am from Cesseras. This had been a relaxing week and we had even learned to sleep through the amazing church bells. The bells, not content with ringing the hour once – rang it twice! So – at midnight we got the full twelve bongs and then two minutes later twelve more bongs. Almost as if it were resting then, it only ever bonged the half hour once with once desultory bong. No quarter hours or anything fancy like that. At only two times of day did this routine change: at 8.00am and at 7.00pm. Following the twice delivered hourly bongs (16 and 14) there would then be a cacophony of less regimented bongs obviously designed to show free will. Why – I can only guess but there you go – I KNOW that we set off promptly at 10.00am.

But then the battery light came on and by 10.05am we were stuck at the side of the road (almost) crying.

The battery light, like the air conditioning, had been once of those things I'd started to get sort ed out in June, long before our holiday came upon us. But this time, I was assured (but not as you will see) that the battery light on Fords (this engine anyway – which includes many Transits) has a fault. It comes on when it likes – but (and here's where the re-assurance came in) the battery is still being charged by the alternator – no worries. And so it was: sometimes it would come on and worry me) and at other times it didn't – ce la vie. This time it came on and I thought 'sod it', I'm not driving across France with that shining in my face all morning, I'll stop the car and re-start – no worries.

So I stopped the car and – it wouldn't start.  Nothing happened, no click (so not starter motor then) – nothing. No lights, nothing. So what does a chef do? He lifts the bonnet (whilst swearing profusely and blaming every inanimate object he's ever come across) and lifts off all the lose bits that he knows how to lift off. Then he swears some more, threatens to have a heart attack and tries the starter key again. The engine sweetly fires into life. No worries.

I hate cars.

Because the battery light came on again DURING the journey, we decide not to stop the engine until we reached our destination in Agen, on the Garonne. This meant a very late lunch and several strange toilet stops en route. The biggest disappointment was that we couldn't stop at Moissac, where the Tarn and the Garonne meet. It looked beautiful. Nevertheless, I can't take anything away from Agen. The car restarted properly (which deep down we'd know it would but weren't prepared to chance it) and we drove into town for a walk around and eventually to eat. I suspect that it was a barracks town in Napoleonic times, as the entrance to the town was via a huge, wide tree (multi) lined space that might have once been used for training purposes. But, as I say, it had a nice feel to it and we enjoyed our stay there.

Today (10^th – see later) we set off for Niort. And it's Ben's birthday. Happy birthday Ben.

August 7^th and 8^th – begin

Wedding Anniversary today (7^th). We got a congratulatory text from Sal who is in Kalashnikoffistan, doing a spot of bird watching. That was a great and pleasant surprise. Thanks Sal. I'd created a USB stick web site for Sharon to show her the arrangements I've made to visit Monet's Garden at Giverny on our way home in two weeks time (actually just less – 20^th August). Sharon's gift to me was a Crocodile – made of bike bits, from Florida! Photo imminent.

Apart from that and walking into town, we did very little. Sharon has work she needs to do or University – so she did that, I spent a few hours doing some work I have on the books for Burry College. It's interesting work and I don't mind sitting in the sun whilst I do it – but it's frustrating without the internet (which I've been using to underpin my understanding of the subject I'm working with). Tea was a fridge emptying risotto with Bresse Bleu cheese. Delicious.

The 8^th has been a bit overcast and windy. It's still not cold, but a great deal cooler than it has been all week. We spent a little time this morning, in the crappy internet café in Olonzac. It robbed me blind yesterday – I've still not managed to upload pictures to Flickr. But we had to book a hotel for Saturday night (and we managed – we're going to stay in Agen – just N.W. of Toulouse). We will have WiFi access to pictures will be up there soon enough.

Tonight, we hope to have a take away pizza – unless we find a place that looks inviting enough to sit in!

7^th and 8^th August. Ends.

August 9th – begin

We went out for pizza last night. Olonzac town centre at night was less busy than it was during most days, and the bars appeared quieter; but – the restaurants were open. We'd decided upon pizza, so we went to the one and only pizza restaurant in town. What a disaster!

We'd asked to be seated 'interierre' (however it's spelled!) because it was coming cold outside (and we now realise – this is the fly[as in bluebottle] capital of the black mountains!). The boss lady busied herself with taking orders from all those outside in the street and remembered eventually to drop some menus on our table. We were not the only ones inside – three or four other tables were munching away. Eventually, after half an hour without bread, water or 'kiss my arse' she took our menus away and gave them to another table. . . and continued to serve those outside. WE GAVE UP and went for a take-away around the corner.

This took 20 minutes (which considering that the two girls were cooking pizzas for regulars as well as for all those which the restaurant was turning away (she turned away three tables to my own hearing!) was quite brilliant. The family before us, who'd been denied a table at the one and only pizza restaurant in town – walked away from the take-away with seven pizzas!

Anyway here are a couple of pictures from today's home made lunch. J

We're in AGEN now - more soon (I tried uploading this twice yesterday but GMAIL gave up the ghost)