Finally back in Europe (on holiday at least!)

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Days one and two

This year's ridiculousness started the day before we left when a friendly wasp took a liking to my sunflowery scarf at a friend's daughters party. Sadly it then got annoyed when it realised it wasn't a real sunflower. After some cold compresses and bite cream, it was still a tad stingy so, in the afternoon when I was due to be packing, I was feeling sorry for myself, trying to keep a damp towel round my neck (I'm ridiculous) and dosing up with antihistamine. So instead we picked up a kayak from friends to take away (yippee) and then between us got packed up with me on more of a supervisory role, ensuring no one was in any doubt able my neck being sore (did I mention I was stung?!).

Sunday, neck now just itching (I may not have mentioned I was stung and it hurt?!) we left alarmingly on time and, after lunch at grandad Ian's we were on our way. Seths current thing is telling the time. Ash does not like to be reminded of how far away things are on our long drives or the time left to get there. I am going to be in the middle of this for three weeks, we'd barely left Snarestone before Seth was asking how many minutes we'd be going and what time we'd get there. Sainsbury's on route provided more bite and sting cream (it really hurt, I may not have made that clear!!) and some 'my neck still hurts' chocolate (planning on milking this for a while) and it was time for the final leg to Portsmouth. In an attempt to have fewer stops this year, I bought Seth an on the go wee thing, However it is not as easy as it first looks to get it right, first time nothing could come out, second time, everything came out into all the wrong places, fortunately not far from the restaurant for tea.......so after a quick shorts change in the harvester car park we sat down to eat before the last ten minutes to the port.
Portsmouth port was gloriously quiet, we got there early (very strange feeling) and sat and waited.....we eavesdropped on conversations, mocked seagulls and watched cranes. Seth made friends with a little girl in the van next to us (she will forever be known as 'squishmallow') and we got on board.
After a short (by the time we were on board, settled in and had left it was super late) but surprisingly comfy night, we headed to breakfast, Seth was pleased to see squishmallow in the play area, I ate all the pastries to try and quell the mild nausea and Ash slept. Swapping places, I had a glorious sleep while the boys discovered the very windy roof and all the playing things you could want on the top of a ferry in the Atlantic! A paw patrol movie and lunch followed and later we headed back to the play area. For the sake of our marriage it's probably as well Ash followed a few minutes after me and the boy so he didn't see me fall like a slightly drunk sow, off a kids large foam orca into the wall and onto the floor, legs akimbo (If there's CCTV I'll be on you tube by Tuesday I think) and the pitying looks from the couple outside as we left suggested that people definitely saw...... The rest of the day was filled with hunting Pierre the bear, eating more food, seeing the same four families everywhere we went (including squishmallow), why does that happen I wonder? and trying not to bump into any more things (we failed as Seth's leg will testify)

This morning started early, again after a very comfy night, so early in fact even Seth was woken up by the bingy bongy wake up call and we docked in Bilbao, early, with no problems. Unusually we managed not to leave anything on the boat and had no problems getting through into the wilds of Spain (no one even wanted to see our specially downloaded covid passes!) We drove a bit up the coast, over the border into France (again, no issues, no checks and feeling like 'normal') to the loveliest seaside town for a stop. Originally for lunch but after failing to take the beach stuff with us (I really wasnt expecting such a great beach) and having a very very wet five year old ('just paddle Seth' clearly means 'get as well as you can straight away Seth' in sethese!) meant lunch was out of the question but a good hour of playing was very much enjoyed. After climbing alllll the steps back up to where we parked the car (some crazy man was running up and down them repeatedly and there were a lot) we changed Seth into something less wet, admired the customary parking ticket we got (despite having actually paid!) and headed off to the Pyrenees.

Google maps seems to only know the crazy twisty windy back route to get here, three times now we've come from that direction and been led through deepest darkest France. Fortunately we weren't as desperate for the loo (or something?!) as the guy in the camper ahead of us who would have been at home in the F1 but we eventually made it to the Mecca which is a French supermarket. So far I've been restrained but tomorrow I'm going in big. Tea, and 'my neck still itches, did you know I've been stung?' chocolate purchased and we finally made it up a mountain to the house. Having been empty a while the vines took some hacking through and the cobwebs were fairly big but we're here, everything works and who doesn't want to do a bit of pruning before bed? Seth has already told me several times he loves the Pyrenees so hopefully tomorrow will just add to that awe and wonder.

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