Ooo, well what do you know purely by chance and my natural ineptitude I am typing between pictures. Perhaps I will remember that tomorrow but don't count on it. The pictures are in reverse order, another perhaps, maybe tomorrow I will load the latest first and the oldest last and get them, no hang on that's what I did this time oh well.
Plan A was to leave the site here today and go up the coast and lounge on the beach.
I slept exceedingly well and despite starting to listen to the "Best of Steve Allen" about 4am BST I was gone and the next thing I knew it was after 8 and no mints already. I started dithering around taking my douche etc and using up the last of the muesli that I like, tomorrow it will be the other one! About 9am Emerson Fitipaldi entered the campsite in his Citröen van with the bread - if you were not awake before you were certainly not going to be sleeping after this, I don't think he did a hand brake turn at the end of the two rows but he seemed to be coming back in the other direction pretty damn quick. I believe the French are thankfully 20 years behind the English and common sense and self preservation still survive unlike our own litigious expect it on a plate lot.
I plan to retire over here so by the time I snuff it they will have descended to our level of degradation and every thing being someone else fault and how much can I claim Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh.......
Enough rambling, tonight's vintage is a Fronton which I discovered years ago while doing the sim down at Toulouse (such happy days but the bean counters think it is cheaper to do it at Amsterdam, sadly bean counters only see a price ticket and never the cost - we have not saved a penny and lost the support of the manufacturer (clever bean counters), sorry to go on but my experiences of late suggest to me that people never consider the consequences of there actions before implementation and once they commit are forever. pleading "well I never expected that" and of course they didn't because they never thought it through. Now, I wonder if I can move between the next two pictures and actually report on my day. which will be of much greater (well maybe) interest.
Mmm, interesting, I did, ok so on to today -
After Fanjo had left to terrorise the camping cars parked on the quay I tidied up, packed everything away and decided to go to Super U at Gemozac. Ah, forgot to mention, when I dragged myself from my pit this morning it was a typical Guernsey morning - thick fog, so I decided to quit the beach idea and decided to stay here another night and do some of the "odd jobs" I had been neglecting so long.
So up to Gemozac for fuel (gazole (Helen) and essence for Honda), plan A was to get fuel and then shop. Under the 2.8 metre barrier no problem - I have been under it before, decided to obey the directions instead of my usual short cut and went beneath another 2.8 barrier - I was not at speed but I had not slowed down because I was alright before "dong", oh expletive, how? what? why? As I turned and looked I could see the barrier swinging madly - I think it was an attention seeker, I went under the next one with trepidation and nothing. Parked up and looked for damage - nothing hooray, the tip of the Status ariel must have caught it.
Into the shop, bought my bits into the station service, filled up and. the tank for the generator as well - still have not started it and it looks as if I need not have bought the petrol afterall (see later).
Well here I am below what should have been the first picture oh well all will become murky.
Anyway back at the camping I took lunch and stock and decided there was no point in me chasing around and I would stay here a couple more days, how wonderful and empowering it is to have that option!
Now then, I enjoy cycling but I am no Froome or Cavendish, that said I am slightly clinically insane and am probably one of the few riding a Raleigh hybrid that has bought a Garmin Edge 1000 with the extras . I bought it a while ago and have never had the time to fit it - well today I did. After lunch (late and only a couple of 1664's) I fitted it up.
Time for a test.
Off I set, followers of GCN will expect all sorts, I think I was closer to Bertie, but I have cadence, heart and gawd knows what else but what the heck. I have an aversion to hills and elected to descend to the port along the quay then along the coast generally northerly before returning South, picture 3 is where I turned round to go back and promptly fell off, first time for a long time, felt a right chump and over the moon I was the only witness.
On the return leg, I saw a magnificent bird of prey, a wingspan easily in excess of 6 feet, to me it looked like an Eagle but my knowledge of birds is basic at best, I thought wow if only I could get a picture but previous experience has shown that by the time I get the camera out the bird is two continents away. It lingered, I thought well maybe and braked in the loose gravel nearly falling off again. Got the phone out and clicked, yes I know it is not much but you had to be there, the bird was absolutely beautiful such a privilege to enjoy when cycling.
I plodded back, no Olympic gold for me, and routed out to the South beyond the Hermitage before returning to base.
Picture 1 is Helen set up, there are two chairs but sadly only me. The other chair is for one who .....
I have decided to stay here another two nights and then start back, Tuesday I will be with the railway chaps then up towards Dieppe and the return to Blighty.
Another gripping installment tomorrow if you are unlucky:
