23^rd August

Travelling always has the potential for delight or disaster.

Bicycle in the Andes or Mercedes on the M1, the chance is always present. Our trip down the A1 proved uneventful and we made good time to Folkstone. No terrible traffic queues, the pet reception people were friendly and we got onto the train before the one we had booked. Chortling, we settled down for the journey under the Channel.

That’s when the PA system informed us that “a train has stopped in the tunnel so our journey will be delayed.” We sat there for an hour or so while the stalled train was rescued and the people for the train we had booked on were loaded onto our train. (Very few cars had loaded with us and but for seeing pictures on tv later that night of people from the stalled train walking out of the service tunnel, I might have believed the delay was a ploy so that they could fill up our train! A'hem - suspicious, or what?)

At Abbeville the Ibis was ready for us and after a swift shower (did I say that the temperatures had been in the thirties all the way and even hotter in France?) we ate outside in the courtyard and I had my first ever Croque Monsieur with salad and chips. Very tasty though I doubt anyone would consider it high cuisine!

24^th August

After an excellent night’s sleep we set off south. The temperatures rose throughout the day and the air conditioning was a boon but hard on the ears. We stopped to collect essential groceries at the local Intermarche and arrived at the mill at 5.12pm. First thing was to offer Perla a nice walk in the shade and then feed and water her. She seems to take all this travelling in her stride which is wonderful. Tim used to be up and whining every half hour – like a child crying “Are we there yet?”

I had a short swim in what proved to be a rather chilly pool since half of it was in shadow as the sun went down and then surveyed the "garden.” It is amazing that all our efforts in April to tame the undergrowth have been wiped out. Greenery springs everywhere, crowing out loud at our puny efforts.

Just let it wait until we’ve slept and recovered from the journey – and then we’ll see who is crowing!