Terrafirma Travels

L out at 0630 for a run. Impressive. Another beautiful day after the dawn cloud cleared, but v cold start. We put the heater on during the night. After a lovely shower (9.5 / 10) I collected our pre-ordered warm baguette and had a piece with chocolate in - a first French breakfast tradition started by Tim Ward. Drove to Dijon without incident. Mrs Googlemaps is doing well although she sometimes prompts too early to leave a roundabout. Found a place to park on the street right in the centre, paid by phone. Dijon is mustard! In both senses. It is also all about owls. We went to Rue de Chouette and made a wish while stroking the owl carved into the side of the Notre Dame church. 

Off the ship v quickly, on the road by 7am French time (yawn). Neither of us slept well. Lovely empty road towards Paris. Stopped after an hour for coffee. Long vistas of enormous flat fields, some yellow rape and green grass. We began to realise just how huge France is. We headed for Paris, then jinked away to the south east. Stopped often at very impressive aires or service stations on the peage motorway. However, the electronic toll gizmo Nic had carefully selected failed to work and we had to pay with contactless. Another annoyance to add to the apparent failure of the toilet flush. We arrived at the plush campsite we had booked by a famous Lake. It was all we could wish for, and the weather was amazing, hot and clear. We had a wander, an ice cream and a coffee, and decided despite the tiredness to go for a swim in the freshwater lake. It was clean, clear, windless and quite beautiful. We both felt refreshed. Back at the van, Nic started to get tools out to tackle the toilet proble...

The foreign adventure in the campervan (fully laden) starts here, leaving home at 1430 with the Trip mileage reading 2,500 (no, I can't figure out how to reset it without resetting everything!). Yesterday we discovered a leak in the wastewater pipe when flushing the tanks through (because we hadn't used them all winter). Bilbo's could not improve on my idea of using duck tape and a jubilee clip, so that's what I did. We stopped en route for a pee in a layby ... no, stopped in layby for a pee in the van ... and discovered the flush mechanism is dead. Second problem. Not disastrous cos can just tip some water in but annoying. And not fixable with duck tape. Has a great meal in Portsmouth in a lairy, buzzing Turkish. Now trying to stay awake in the boarding lanes waiting for our ship to come in.

Packing. Stripping beds. Last breakfast. Car tetris. Amazingly we have a property selected for the next one. Tim just has to wrangle dates that suit everyone. 

Said tearful goodbyes to John W and David who both needed to be home today, after the obligatory though oft forgotten group photo. John took Guy and Lesley to church the he and I met up with the others in Wirksworth where he gave us a guided tour, including buildings he worked on in 1982. Quite a lovely village.  Back home for lunch on what remained in the fridge. Out past the village mill pond to Cromford Mill again where the waterwheel was working. We bought a basket to replace our laundry basket and some items from the antiquarian bookshop. I carried the basket back on my head - it was easiest but caused much hilarity. (Note the heated gloves!) Dinner was yesterday's that had been rescued from the recalcitrant oven. Followed by more quizzing and hilarity. I reported the wasps/hornets to the owner. At least the Internet is now behaving.

V diff weather, no frost, rain instead. Went in two cars to Kedleston Hall. T&A stayed behind to watch Charlton play on Sky Sports in The Boat, and David stayed behind for a chilled day after doing his Park Run. The Hall was v grandiose, home of the Curzon family for 500 years. Really OTT display of wealth. Had a reliable NT lunch and obligatory browse in bookshop and shop - even bought a book. Home for tea and lazing. Tried & failed to set up my new dartboard, foiled by the lack of a screwdriver. (Must put a multitool into the car.) Tested Internet and found EE had finally fixed it after we (I) pressured Paul the owner all week. Eric and I spent an hour reconnecting the booster routers.  Much drama with John & Guy's dinner when the oven door would not open, with the food inside cooked! Owner sent young Sam round and with screwdriver and WD40 he released it. But not before we had ordered replacement dinner from the chippy. After delayed dinner we had a PantSoc meeting ...