Chateaux, Green Men and Underpants

Dickie in the distance

The Loire is a tad full at the moment after the heavy rain they've had here recently but the last few days have been glorious. We are parked in the shadow of the chateau of Chateaudun, not far from Chartres, and the river has broken its banks in a few places but is not out of control. The town is busy with Christmas shoppers and the boulangeries are as fabulous as ever. We've just consumed a 'cravatte' - no not a neck garment for Terry Thomas fans - a chocolate and custard yummy thing in the shape of a flat rectangle.

Green Man Peeping

We managed to see our first Green Man of the trip. Hiding behind a down pipe in the old town, he peeped out and said hi - in a muffled voice of course as his mouth was full of leaves. Just around the corner is a rather smart set of carved doors I thought worthy of a photograph. These look a little more girly than the Green Man - perhaps they were a couple/threesome.

Green Man's Girlfriends?

Mr Fluffy's underpants have remained unmolested even though he insists on draping them over the back of the van to dry every morning. Quite remarkable. Even in the lovely village of Nonancourt, where we noted a rather 'out-of-character for the place' penis drawn on the road, the inhabitants weren't tempted to nick Graham's genital coverings. 

Bienvenue a France

loving this beach

sticks

Arrived to a gorgeous day in Calais and headed straight to the beach at Wissant followed by a second night by the beach at Quend. It's amazing how much fun a dog can have with a feather. 

Dickie in Quend

The beach had a very eerie quality as the low wind and setting sun made the sand swirl like dry ice. I have a video of it which I'll put up shortly.

We're now heading south where the weather is a little more grey. We're in Nonancourt parked up next to a lovely old french mansion...very lovely.

Off We Go

As we sit in Dickie (on 13th Dec) waiting for the train in front of us (which is stuck in the Eurotunnel) to be towed out of the way, I am wondering why Mr Fluffy thought it would be a good idea to feed Hugo the old sardines he has been rejecting all week. Dickie now reeks of rancid warm fish and poo-flavoured warm dog. Hopes for a good resale price for the van are fading fast.

Linda meets Hugo 

Mr Fluffy and our friend Ray on the razzle

After a night of too much red wine (again) with friends in Eastbourne we are once again heading across to the continent, this time southwards in the hope of getting a bit of winter sun. We plan to wend our way through France to Spain and Portugal, catching a few megalithic sites along the way. Will post pics when we get decent wee fee.

Winter Exit

Sunset over Boscastle

We've been very lucky with the weather in Boscastle since we came back from Scandinavia. There's been sunshine, rainbows, and cloudless skies. Cornwall is such a lovely county and we feel like we're on holiday even when we are at home. The murmurations on Bodmin Moor have been rather spectacular too. As the gales and rains start to come in it's now time for us, like the birds, to head south for winter.

Murmuration of starlings at Bodmin Moor

Our trip may be a little different this year as we have Hugo the chorkie to contend with. We've been slowly getting him used to Dickie the Van and he's starting to get more comfortable with it. Unfortunately his first night went a little awry as I foolishly fed him some leftover gnocchi and he had a rather aromatic attack of diarrhea on my duvet. Not something I'll forget in a hurry!  

Hugo learning a few tricks

We'll be starting out a little later this week and have several house sitters booked in over the next few months - funny how people love the idea of a free holiday in Boscastle:). It's great to have the house looked after while we're away. Portugal and Spain are our destinations and we're hoping to check out the sacred sites - stone circles, underground temples and prehistoric cave paintings are on the list. Our friend Paul Broadhurst has given us a list of sacred sites in Portugal that are a bit off the beaten track.

If you're interested we will be restarting this blog to keep track of our travels so check in occasionally if you feel the urge.

Welcome Hugo

At last I have succeeded in getting Graham to agree to rescuing a small dog to travel with us in Dickie. After much searching on the internet and one unsuccessful visit to the Rspca in Cornwall (Graham liked a dog but I wasn't too keen), we happened upon a photo of a chorkie (chihuahua- Yorkshire terrier cross) called Hugo at the National Animal Welfare Trust in Somerset. 

As Graham was going to be in the area he agreed to have a look and immediately fell in love with this scruffy little chap with the huge eyes and slightly foxy face. I saw him a few days later and within seconds I knew he was the dog for us. He's not the prettiest dog in the world but he has so much character and cuteness we couldn't resist. A couple of weeks (and a lot of chicken wire around the back garden) later he arrived and has settled in so well. Graham actually thanked me for forcing him to get a dog as he is now totally besotted with him. I can barely get a look in!

Photo from NAWT in Somerset

Yesterday he had his rabies shot and we have his passport in readiness for his trip to Europe with us over winter. He coped rather well with his first trip to the supermarket in Dickie although he spent the first ten minutes shaking like a leaf. He settled down and I think he'll be fine once we can arrange the best place for him to sit while we're moving. We're checking out doggie seat belts today. 

New Travelling Companion

Eeeek! It looks like we may be getting a new companion to travel with in Dickie. We have reserved a rescue dog (chihuahua cross yorkshire terrier) and we hope to have him with us next week. He should be just the right size for Dickie and, hopefully, won't suffer from travel sickness. Will post some pics when all is complete and he's moved in.

Favorite Pics Part 2

Wow it's so busy being retired. Have just snatched a few minutes to put some more of our photos up. These are ones that we find particularly lovely and we may have not put on the original blog.

Gormley statue in Mo-I-Rana Norway

Dickie from a distance in Tanumshede Sweden

this girl's first fishing trip and she caught a giant halibut - Norway

Mr Fluffy loving the Brocken steam railway

Tollund Man Silkeborg Museum Denmark

busy traffic along the Mosel Valley

witchy water tower in Ellezelles Belgium

4 year old knights on a giant horse Ath Belgium

We love being in Dickie! We get to see some amazing things happening on our wonderful European and Scandinavian doorstep. We highly recommend travelling through Scandinavia especially as they are so motor home friendly up there - yes it's expensive but you save on accommodation/parking charges in most areas as you can just park for free. Take your own booze though.....