A bit of Anger in Angers and an unhappy Landing in Landes

Bayeux: D-Day 75!

We left Bristol on the Tuesday for Poole, where we stayed overnight with a leisurely afternoon and early fish-and-chips supper. We expected that the ferry next morning to Cherbourg would be quite quiet, given that extra crossings had been scheduled for a No-Deal Brexit, but in fact it became clear that this was far from the case, and we had a long wait for boarding during which we were passed by numerous vintage cars, and a few WW2 vehicles. In the lounge we sat next to a group of middle-aged Brits who were associated with at least one of the jeeps, and were crossing ahead of the D[Day commemorations, Most were dressed (and in the case of the women coiffured and made-up)  appropriately in US uniform. Some interesting eavesdropping there!

Angers - a fine city, nice when it's finished!

All we then had to do was spend the afternoon getting to Angers for a three-night stay, The southerly progress down the Cotentin peninsula was going well, but we then hit the East-West autoroute and the significance of dates dawned" The next day would be Ascension day, so for many this was the after-work escape from Paris for a four day "pont" The traffic got increasingly dense, culminating in a gross "bouchon" before the Porte d'Angers toll. It was so bad we began to wonder if we would make a deadline for Reception at the hotel, but once through it we got into the city quite easily only to discover serious roadworks right in front of said hotel, with no chance of even a brief stop!  We were directed to their idea of safe parking and struggled bag through the pavement closures to find that the "lift" was a vertical coffin with a mind of its own!  The,  manageress was called in response to our lack of enthusiasm, and she offered a move to another hotel. We declined and set off frazzled and hungry. The first ten minutes' walk found nothing open, but turning a corner we found the heart of the Old City and it was lively and interesting. We found a small Italian and took a call from booking.com resolving issues. Next day we found ourselves a room in the Ibis, and the rest of the stay was delightful!

The weather helped, as did the hotel having temporarily free easy parking outside and a bicycle rack inside the front door! We went for walks around many parts of the city - quiet with the bank holiday - and Bob did a ride along the river. It was good to be back in France and we were relaxed! We ate in a "street food" Thai, and a bizarre place where everything came in a jar! After checking out on the Saturday we drove to a point Bob had been to on the bike - where the Marne and Loire join. This was very pretty!


Next we spent the weekend - as we have for years - in Confolens with George and his household, but this time - unusually -  we had beautiful sunshine! Unfortunately G was suffering from back trouble. so we were largely based at his model home, where son Gregory and girlfriend were also resident for holiday and revision. We did show our "wedding" slide show, and on Sunday go as six to Angouleme for another Asian buffet.wok.grill! This one was particularly impressive!

Mind the Gap!

We had chosen the next place to give us a nearby beach, high quality accommodation on a 5* campsite and bike ride potential, whilst being en route to Toulouse. As we neared Contis Plage it was looking good, and we were made very welcome. There were not many punters about and the only drawbacks seemed to be a strong wind and the distance from a sizeable village! Oh - and a bit of a struggle to get up the two steps from ground to terrace with no handrail! Otherwise it looked like a good place for a week! We visited the deserted pool bar, inspected the restaurant, and got in some goodies from the little shop! Next morning we were preparing a birthday breakfast, and Ruth was laying the table on the terrace when she took one wrong step around it and tumbled to the rough ground below! Thus was Greyrocks' fate for the summer sealed!

Pre-Brexit GB Part 3: 'Goin down Bristle

A Week in Bristol: - Greyrocks' longest stay yet - and our first time as house-guests of the offspring and spouse! They even swapped bedrooms to accommodate the wrinklies! We tried to behave ourselves, but caused frustration by not having smartphones with which to navigate, and by our preference for the little community bus from the end of the street over the major routes.
We set the tone of being locationally challenged on the short journey from Bath to their home in BS5, by getting stuck in a long jam, and then trying to avoid the city centre and losing road signs! The "kids" were working at different points in our stay so we let ourselves in unloaded then dropped off at the local, where Ruth swallowed a piece of a back tooth along with the bar snacks!

Since we last used it there have been extensive improvements to Stapleton Road Station; a most bizarre set of ramps! All we had to do was go a few stops on the line and walk to a pub to meet J, C and the parents, but we set off incorrectly and walked for an age until Bob "refused"! We sent texts and Ruth went off alone. By the time she was spotted on the fourth side of a square he had been rescued! At least it wasn't raining! We had a very good fish dinner, and heard of Grant's plans for the coming week which involved cycling near the Loire. This was the first of a series of eating treats organised by Chloë, only one of which had to be revised to cut down on long walks!

Euro Election Day

Our daytime activities revolved around finishing off the summer preparation shopping, failing to get a blood test, succeeding (eventually) in getting International Driving permits, and some general wandering around the city centre, sometimes involving some fine real ale! We didn't get to Weston, Clevedon or beyond as had been originally planned, but we did use the little ferry and walk back to the M-Shed for a quick re-visit.



A special midweek treat arranged for us was to be the last customers for the "cheapish" lunch at Pasta Ripiena, which - having been lavishly reviewed by Jay Rayner in the Guardian requires some forethought. It did not disappoint - even if hard to find!

Whatever rocks your boat!

When we reached the Bank Holiday weekend we had more time with the daughter. We met her after work in a lovely waterside pub and then went for an Indian meal, which was to be followed by jazz in a long-established club, that turned out to be a bit earnest and we abandoned! On Saturday morning Ruth walked to local master butchers' for barbecue stuff and in search of lamb for the Sunday. In the latter she failed so we took the car to the supermarket and got caught up in the major disruption that was the Love Saves The Day 2 day festival. Completely inexplicable to Greyrocks, it looked like you had to be a white well-heeled student to be there,  but hey! The vast Tesco car park was the official drop-off point and was dominated by Portaloos and pre-drinkers! For the rest of the weekend we avoided the area,  visiting the garden centre and holding said barbecue to which Jack's Mum was invited! The weather was starting to look threatening, but the rain saved itself for the Sunday!

That's more like it!

Jack was working but we three did our own bit of "festival"  by walking down the road to the Sugar Loaf for their free gig - with plenty of real ale options! The pub had been lavishly decorated - inside and out, but was near-empty when we arrived. The stage was outside, but by the time the first act was due to start Plan B had to be enacted and all was moved inside due to heavy rain! We saw a really good singer-songwriter from Cardiff, and a couple of other acts, then the sun came out and the rest could be back outside and was very busy! We loved Millie and her band.

Ruth left early to start prepping, Jack returned from a busy day at "the ship" and we enjoyed a proper Sunday roast in a "jolly" state, waiting for Euro election results, and falling asleep in chairs!

With Jack needed for another busy day at work on the Bank Holiday Chloë and Bob went for a long ride towards Bath, then we were taken by her to buy some CBD oil in town, and onward to the centre of "Broadmead", where there was an outdoor Bordeaux wine fair!

The weather, however, was not reminiscent of the south of France. and whilst this was well-organised and theoretically appealing there were not many punters braving the cold wind! We each had a "flight" of three small tasters and cheered up! The sommelier who guided us was very interesting and we somehow ended up discreetly discussing Brexit! We two owned up to being en route to France next day!

Jack met us for the Early Bird dinner at The Cowshed, but scornfully eschewed the film we three were going to see! It was "Rocketman" - which even Elton-phobic Chloë enjoyed. It was raining buckets when we left the cinema, and it had to be an Uber back to the ranch. The following day we started our own "managed exit" from Britain!

Pre-Brexit GB Part 2: Roots and two cities

The next eight days took Greyrocks initially into "hostile" territory with time in East Anglia. As so many times before we were staying with Bob's "cousin" in Oulton Broad, Suffolk, who was very recently returned from a long stint in Malaysia.
He is always happy to go out to eat with us, and after a trouble-free journey from London, and in reasonably bright weather we went for a drink beside the water, and then - after a false start - for a very good meal in an empty pub.

Oulton Broad: -It wasn't this warm!

Wednesday was our day for spending time with the vestiges of Bob's Suffolk/Norfolk family. This involved a lunch at a beach-side establishment in Kessingland, followed by an attempted walk on  said beach - which didn't last too long in the fierce North Sea wind. Bob's cousin's son - who has Down's - took us to see his new home in Lowestoft. He has been waiting for a place in a suitable supported living environment for some time now.(His Mum is older than Bob!) He was delighted to show us round and we attached the Dr Who plaque we had brought as a gift to his door, and eventually sorted out his WiFi! We left feeling very optimistic and impressed by the staff, opportunities and other residents!

Another day was spent on the traditional trip to Great Yarmouth. Bob went on a serious bike ride round his old haunts whilst Ruth did some shopping. He came back with recommendations of two points of interest for us to visit. The Winter Gardens - part of the Wellington Pier - is at last to be restored, so is surrounded by fencing on which a thorough set of old promotional posters, press photographs and a historical account was displayed. Although fairly low-key it was fascinating and we only left because our parking time was elapsing. ('Shame two antisocial drivers had partially obstructed the offering! Ruth took photos and mentally composed a letter to the Council about non-enforcement, but life is too short!) The other was developments on the "spit" between river and sea. We have driven round it on every visit and seen dereliction and closed-off areas, Now, with Scroby Sands being one of the UK's offshore wind farms there are turbine parts waiting to be transported and assembled. Fascinating! Is this some sort of regeneration?

Back to the comfort zone!

The journey to Cambridge could be leisurely, but despite meticulous planning we failed on the ring road and ended up in a zone where every student was Chinese! Resolving the mistake we reached our chosen pub accommodation and realised it was an excellent choice for our three nights. It was motel-style single storey and on the Park and Ride bus route into the city. The only problem was that there was no restaurant service as they had no chef - did we know of one? They also gave us instructions for reaching a launderette, which was where we spent the afternoon!
Trip Advisor showed three eateries near our base and on the first night we used the gastro-pub, which was an extravagant pleasure!

'Did the sights - but no punting!

We had two full days for sightseeing, and some minor clothes shopping, but the first was tainted by rain. We looked for a pub in which to shelter, but the most obvious was a Wetherspoons, which we are now boycotting! It is, however, in the same building as an arts cinema, so that gave us an idea for other rainy spells! Saturday was a better day, but the city heaving! We seem to have hit a graduation day - so our traipsing round the obvious tourist targets was not a solitary experience! We ultimately took refuge in the cinema, and watched an engaging film - unimpaired by dialogue in Icelandic and Ukrainian!  
We had eaten the previous evening at a very good Wok/Grill/Buffet, so for this final evening we tried the standard pub menu across the road. We may have had to suffer the tail end of the FA Cup Final, but later a band turned up. which kept us very content till closing time!

Greyrocks enjoyed the little break in Cambridge and will be back, in spite of coming across a bus stop where busses don't stop (unpublished Limited Stop) and a Post Office with no post box!

Next stop would be Bath for two nights. Plenty of route options were offered by Messieurs Google and Michelin. We picked the worst involving the traffic delights of Milton Keynes and disrupted bit of motorway! By the time we had negotiated this, and Ruth had misdirected the joining of the M4 resulting a very tedious A4 passage through towns like Hungerford and Marlborough we were dreading locating the hotel, but it worked and we had chosen a cracker for our short stay! The Travelodge looks out onto  a large pond with swans, and - at least during our stay - free parking. We had hoped we would find somewhere still serving Sunday roast into the late afternoon, but didn't! The two nearest eateries were, however,.  both inviting and we ate very well at The Ring o' Bells and stayed for some of the live jazz.

Ruth had lived and worked in the area for years pre-Bob, so had some idea of the city's potential for a restful few days. We did a lot of walking - particularly along the river, and Bob cycled down the canal towpath, The weather was kind and we felt rested and ready for the crammed programme submitted to us by Chloë.

Normal service will resume .....and pre-Brexit Britain Part 1

The regular reader might be wondering what happened in UK and beyond. Even by Greyrocks' sluggish standards it is a bit late to be picking up from 7th May on 17th June! The main excuse: a second fall on a celebration day and requiring the EHIC (whilst still in the EU!) The other was on our wedding anniversary in 2015 in Crete and alcohol may have been a contributory factor. This one was on Ruth's birthday in France and was at 8.30 am so booze-free, but resulted in a torn Achilles tendon and much-fractured upper end of the humerus (not funny!) We are thus still in France {Dax, 40). The full narrative will follow at the correct historical point in the blog! Picking up from the last post (and typing one-handed) Ruth will attempt to cover a phase per day before admission to hospital on 24th June!

Part 1: Friends and Essential Tasks in London!

We had not been expecting to still be in the EU when we got to Dover - but Phew we were! No real signs of impending disaster in the first twenty unimpeded minutes and then we hit the infrastructure for "Operation Brock".   For many miles on the M20 the fast lanes in both directions are sectioned off with heavy concrete to form HGV parking post-Brexit. Just the sight - along with rain showers - to set the tone for the visit of disgruntled ex-pats!

We stayed six nights in trendy Forest Hill with old friends who now often have guests through AirBnB. With both now fully retired we wanted to pad out the sensible tasks with some culture that they might also enjoy. On the first day we had a brief sunny and dry spell in which to enjoy the garden and let off steam with the like-minded. but then it clouded over and a run of foul weather started!

In the morning Greyrocks had to take Yvette for servicing and MOT testing in Bromley. The rain was dire: we waited but couldn't even make it to a bus-stop and had to call a cab to get us to the town centre for a few hours of lurking in shops and an eye test for Bob. We returned early by bus, and later went as a foursome to see our old friend Paul in his nursing home. He seemed pleased to see us, and we showed him the slide show from Chloë and Jack's Crete wedding. In due course - as last year - we returned to Forest Hill to cook for his wife's meal with us all. She is now vegan and what was billed as an easy dish kept us busy for ages in preparation! A great sociable evening followed.

Thursday was designated as Balham loft visit day, and so it poured again! We dropped in on Pete next-door to see if he could join us for a drink later, but it would be too late for him, We got access to our belongings with some difficulty and assembled some things for the charity shops. putting other stuff for Chloë in the boot in the rain. Whilst enquiring in charity shops Ruth was spotted, and hailed by name, by Sophie, with whom we spent a lot of time during the children's schooldays, We had  a very long update and reminisce:- particularly in the light of the untimely death of two boys from that era! She tried to identify a house in Streatham where the family of one still lives and on whom we  had considered dropping in, but in vain and after doing the business we simply went for a drink in a trendy pub and for an early meal at Nandos!

"I had one of those!"

"Culture"'s first manifestation was trip as two couple to the V&A museum to see the much-praised exhibition of the life and work of Mary Quant. (We had a particularly good deal on entrance, details of which should not be revealed!)  Magnificent! It is beautifully curated, and many of the exhibits were lent by members of the public, one being the friend of a visitor we met, There were quite a few "ladies of a certain age" walking round sharing stories of the fashion on display. Ruth having had no money and little interest at the time could not add much on that front, but her companion had been a make-up enthusiast and got very excited about that section! We had a few drinks in a nearby pub and then went for a very sound meal on the South Bank. Just the sort of day we were waiting for - and less rain!

The Barn, near Tunbridge Wells Station,

The Tunbridge Wells area had been a bit neglected on Greyrocks' grand tours, so on the Saturday we went there by train and met our two old friends resident nearby, and another couple of mutual friends from Morden that we hadn't seen since we "emigrated". We had a long and very jolly lunch interrupted only by a hailstorm! Yes - in May!  Later it was dry enough for the beer garden of a rural pub, before being returned to the station.

There were, by now, house guests in Forest Hill:- two couples from Brussels - each with a baby. They were attending a craft fair in town, We had a few chats with them, and one child took his first steps while staying! We four pondered how to spend Sunday and came up with a trip to the National Gallery, where there was a special exhibition of views of  Parisian life by Boilly. So - after a quick errand to butchers and supermarket and some advance preparation we took the train. The special exhibition was fascinating in its witty detail and historical context, and then we went largely separate ways pursuing works by favourite artists :- a risky exercise given many closures and the poor signage!

We found a pub for lunch, and then walked down to pass Downing Street and hurl abuse! We hit Parliament Square as an Extinction Rebellion rally - focused on mothers - was breaking up. All very civilised and lots of confident kids! Then we were shown the new London Bridge Station on the way back, and hunkered down to produce the most traditional of Sunday roast dinners.  Then on Monday morning we set off on Stage 2