Blogs from Champagne-Ardenne, France, Europe - page 7

The countdown has well and truly begin. It is Friday. A whole two weeks to go before we depart for a months holiday taking in France and Spain. 14 sleeps to go. Mum used to say Patience is a Virtue . One of those proverbs I hated when I was a child as she drummed them into me. I can still remember them as if yesterday. Now, though they ring true. I can see the point of them and I feel saddened that they are no longer used as part of our language. Our heritage seems stripped away without them and the language devoid of colour. 14 sleeps seems as if it is closer to the holiday than a fortnight away. Fortnight - another word replaced by the more regular use of two weeks. I know ... read more

PA revenant en Europe cette année, nous profitons de son voyage pour le rejoindre en compagnie de Tiffany en Champagne... Nous nous proposions d'aller participer aux festivités organisées à Verdun pour le centenaire de sa bataille, mais Leslie faisant défaut au voyage en dernière minute, nous pensons que le Zoo d'Amnéville sera un meilleur arrêt en route pour Tiffany. C'est ainsi que nous passerons une belle journée au Zoo d'Amnéville en Lorraine. Nous sommes un peu décus mais gardons tout de même un bon souvenir des beaux animaux découverts. Notre route continue en direction d'Epernay où nous retrouvons avec joie nos amis et leurs enfants, fières de nous faire visiter le chantier de leur prochaine maison... Merci à vous la famille J. Nous avons été heureux de vous revoir et encore plus heureux de voir combien ... read more

Our last day in Dommartin –le-St Pere didn’t get off to a great start. The trucks that have trundled through the town and past our apartment seemed to come in a greater number during the night. And even though they were at infrequent intervals they seemed to arrive just as we were getting back to sleep after the previous had come through. We hadn’t noticed them during the night until last night and this morning. One small good thing was that we could still laze in bed and have a late breakfast today as we aren’t planning anything that we need to get underway until later in the morning. The weather is not quite as warm as the previous two days but still very pleasant and we will take whatever we can of this sort of ... read more

One thing we didn’t factor in to our stay in DLSP was that trucks were going to rumble past the apartment at infrequent intervals. We thought we were coming to a quiet little French village well off the main road. And its location is well off the main road. It is just that there is a road deviation nearby and trucks are using this sleepy little village as the alternative route. It’s not that there is a continual stream just the occasional one and then sometimes in two’s and three’s. Had the apartment been set back up the little street we are on the trucks might not have been as noticeable. Never mind we will survive! We are quickly back into the routine of a late breakfast even though the nights are now very short and ... read more

Eating with Skippy Thank you for your various comments on this blog. A question I get from time to time is about the standard of cuisine on board Skippy. Well here is an answer that will hopefully dispel your fears that I have forgotten how to cook. I can assure you hat I still like my tucker, and the environment en la belle Francais is as inspirational as it is rewarding. So what did we have for din dins tonight? Answer: Fish and Chips of course When we were at the market we saw a poissonnier and bought some fillets. Then I coated the fillets in flour ready for a quick fry. With a few spuds peeled and cut lengthways an some carottes and haricots prepped up, and we are ready to turn on the gas. ... read more