Four go to France (Mousy, Mr Mousy, Cliff and Ger) (1 Viewer)

Mousy

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Martin left a message on his work phone explaining he was on holiday until the 14th September, the lap top was turned off and put away. Van stocked up with water, clothes, a minimal amount of food and the all important pool noddles, bikes on the rack we were ready for the off. Hugs and kisses of goodbye to our son Harry now left behind to hold the fort. I was wishing he could of come with us but with college starting next week and animals to look after we sped off the drive.
A quick text to alert Cliff and Ger to our departure and our holiday was under way.
We met up with Cliff and Ger and made good time to Dover, where we went into the AA shop and looked at their massive wall map deciding where to go. We'd both checked the weather reports and we're hoping to pootle around Brittany but sadly weather was not playing ball and a decision was reached to head east chasing the sunshine. Now fellow Funsters some of you may have followed our earlier trip this year to Annecy with both our sons and spookily it looked like we would be repeating this journey. After talking each other out of buying any AA crap for our vans, an earlier than booked train was available so we arrived in France at 20.30. Cliff knew of an aire at Arras so dodging the immigrants at Calais, sat navs set, off we went. We both commented on seeing more than last time, if fact we all had an African moment as it's not unusual to see people walking down the motorways there. Although this lot in France didn't seem to trying to sell us oranges or cashew nuts. We saw both men and women mostly young but no kids, they must walk for miles every day. Leaving them behind we arrived to a full aire at Arras. We took a French approach to this challenge by parking half on the pavement and up on the road. Downing a few G&Ts we were in the holiday mood although we took sensible Funster inspired precautions by flicking on our gas alarm, hiding all our electronically controlled devises and sleeping with my (new for the holiday) handbag. As you know ladies every holiday requires a new handbag, a concept Mr Mousy can't comprehend even after 26 years of marriage....

Photos to follow....
 

funflair

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Martin left a message on his work phone explaining he was on holiday until the 14th September, the lap top was turned off and put away. Van stocked up with water, clothes, a minimal amount of food and the all important pool noddles, bikes on the rack we were ready for the off. Hugs and kisses of goodbye to our son Harry now left behind to hold the fort. I was wishing he could of come with us but with college starting next week and animals to look after we sped off the drive.
A quick text to alert Cliff and Ger to our departure and our holiday was under way.
We met up with Cliff and Ger and made good time to Dover, where we went into the AA shop and looked at their massive wall map deciding where to go. We'd both checked the weather reports and we're hoping to pootle around Brittany but sadly weather was not playing ball and a decision was reached to head east chasing the sunshine. Now fellow Funsters some of you may have followed our earlier trip this year to Annecy with both our sons and spookily it looked like we would be repeating this journey. After talking each other out of buying any AA crap for our vans, an earlier than booked train was available so we arrived in France at 20.30. Cliff knew of an aire at Arras so dodging the immigrants at Calais, sat navs set, off we went. We both commented on seeing more than last time, if fact we all had an African moment as it's not unusual to see people walking down the motorways there. Although this lot in France didn't seem to trying to sell us oranges or cashew nuts. We saw both men and women mostly young but no kids, they must walk for miles every day. Leaving them behind we arrived to a full aire at Arras. We took a French approach to this challenge by parking half on the pavement and up on the road. Downing a few G&Ts we were in the holiday mood although we took sensible Funster inspired precautions by flicking on our gas alarm, hiding all our electronically controlled devises and sleeping with my (new for the holiday) handbag. As you know ladies every holiday requires a new handbag, a concept Mr Mousy can't comprehend even after 26 years of marriage....

Photos to follow....

Photos of what, the holiday or the handbag.

enjoy.

Martin
 
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Sounds like you are off to a good start (especially the G&Ts) Have a great time look forward to the updates (y)
Sue

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Trikeman

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Martin left a message on his work phone explaining he was on holiday until the 14th September, the lap top was turned off and put away. Van stocked up with water, clothes, a minimal amount of food and the all important pool noddles, bikes on the rack we were ready for the off. Hugs and kisses of goodbye to our son Harry now left behind to hold the fort. I was wishing he could of come with us but with college starting next week and animals to look after we sped off the drive.
A quick text to alert Cliff and Ger to our departure and our holiday was under way.
We met up with Cliff and Ger and made good time to Dover, where we went into the AA shop and looked at their massive wall map deciding where to go. We'd both checked the weather reports and we're hoping to pootle around Brittany but sadly weather was not playing ball and a decision was reached to head east chasing the sunshine. Now fellow Funsters some of you may have followed our earlier trip this year to Annecy with both our sons and spookily it looked like we would be repeating this journey. After talking each other out of buying any AA crap for our vans, an earlier than booked train was available so we arrived in France at 20.30. Cliff knew of an aire at Arras so dodging the immigrants at Calais, sat navs set, off we went. We both commented on seeing more than last time, if fact we all had an African moment as it's not unusual to see people walking down the motorways there. Although this lot in France didn't seem to trying to sell us oranges or cashew nuts. We saw both men and women mostly young but no kids, they must walk for miles every day. Leaving them behind we arrived to a full aire at Arras. We took a French approach to this challenge by parking half on the pavement and up on the road. Downing a few G&Ts we were in the holiday mood although we took sensible Funster inspired precautions by flicking on our gas alarm, hiding all our electronically controlled devises and sleeping with my (new for the holiday) handbag. As you know ladies every holiday requires a new handbag, a concept Mr Mousy can't comprehend even after 26 years of marriage....

Photos to follow....

I envy you Mousy,
very lucky indeed, going on an adventure in France,,,,, dreams are made of this.
:love:
You could not have wished to go with a better couple either - we met Cliff and Geraldine at the Balloon Fiesta - a wonderful couple and no doubt a fun loving pair to be with.(y)

Have a great time all.

Regards,

Trikeman. ;)
 
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Madwife

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Glad you have recovered and hope you all have a fantastic time. I agree on the handbag but also have to have at least one pair of new shoes!

Kath
 

Gellyneck

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More than toes wet now!
Oh no, another commando raid on Annecy!:eek:;)(y)
Have a great time and looking forward to the "and now for our latest update report from our correspondent in ............".

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Jul 29, 2014
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Had one for 5 years many moons ago. Now starting again.
Glad to read that you are feeling well enough to go exploring again.(y)
Roll on your fun and our enjoyment of reading all about it.
Have a great time.:)
 

themogs

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Great to hear that you're on the mend.(y)(y)
Have a great time; you're bound to with Cliff & Geraldine(y)(y)

P.S. Martin....I don't understand that handbag thing either:whistle::whistle:
 
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Have a great time, we thought we might bump (not literally) into you all in Brittany next week as we are off on tuesday to Oustreham,
ENJOY, Terry & Ann

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Aug 21, 2014
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Hope you had a good one where in france did you go.
:smiley: We were with daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren so we did something we wouldn't normally do and stayed on commercial sites, one in Jard sur Mer and the other in St. Catherine de Fierbois. Both very nice but when we go back we're going to use aires.
 
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Mousy

Mousy

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We awoke to rain in Arras and after filling up with Gazole €1.06 made our way towards Dole. We had both been there before but we wanted to put some miles under the van and find this elusive sunshine. Also we knew we could have a lovely meal of moules frites. Cliff had suggested we didn't try and "stay up each other's asses" but just make our own way there, staying in touch by text. Roughly 4 hours to Dole.

1 hour in Martin suggested I try driving...I was reluctant but could appreciate the wisdom both to give him a break and in case anything happened to stop him driving I'd then have to do it but under a stressful situation. We pulled over and swapped seats. My hands were damp and my heart was racing, the Moho felt both massive but also deceptively easy to drive, with a slightly sick feeling in my stomach I pulled back onto the motorway straight up Cliffs arse...
I drove for what felt like hours but was actually only 20 km, martin dosed but kept being woken up by the rumble strip! I did mention to Martin that he was brave to let someone with recent leg numbness drive his 4 tonne pride of joy. He laughed, then looked worried and suggested we swap back "and quit while you're ahead"!

We then got a message from Martins sister and her husband....they were coming to the end of a holiday in a gite near Langres, would we like to join them for a BBQ and stay the night. After careful consideration and consultation we replied "qui" (yes in French). As they live in Belguim we don't see each other often so this seemed a perfect chance to catch up and thankfully Cliff and Ger showed their endless "up for anything" spirit and agreed.
Still in the rain and with tummies rumbling we stopped off in St Dizier for lunch.

Both managed to drive where we shouldn't through the narrow village centre
Found this little restaurant..
image.jpg


Had lunch..
image.jpg


Going non toll to Ormoy we passed field after field of sunflowers, now sad and bedraggled with their heads dropping down, how magnificent they would of looked a month a go, bright yellow, heads up worshipping to the sun.

We stopped to shower and spruce up, Cliff found a new friend.
image.jpg


Arrived at the gite.
image.jpg


space for both vans and finally sunshine..
image.jpg


Andy (brother in law) chef for the night.
image.jpg

We enjoyed a lovely evening of wine, food and good company.
image.jpg


Andy and I sat in the shade of an old apple tree at the bottom of the garden overlooking the river Saone. We watched the sun dip down behind some distant trees, his border collie Alf at our feet. He mentioned his hope to take early retirement next year at 55 and returning to the UK, to me he was still the young man of 25 I met almost 30 years ago, me a mere slip of a girl aged 19 and I couldn't believe the passage of time. Where have those years gone? His dream of owning a gite as well may have taken a bash as my sister in law fell in love with our van and the ideal of motorhome ownership.


After a lovely breakfast we bid our farewells heading down to Annecy again..
image.jpg
 
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cruiser

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looking great. almost back to your old self. we hope you have as much fun as last time. making us green with envy.

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Carol

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Keep them coming Mousey, you always manage to make me smile with your holiday adventures. :Smile:
 
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great start Dawn, we do like to read your updates (y)

now a sensitive comment, mindful as ever of rule 1

Qui is not yes in French, not actually sure what it is yet, but for now be careful how you use it (just in case)

Oui is yes in French :)

edit - I think qui is who, so not overly dangerous, just slightly confusing to the French, however as you were replying to English speaking relatives it is pretty much irrelevant :D
 
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Mousy

Mousy

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Thanks for all the best wishes, limited internet makes replying difficult.

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cliffanger

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On Saturday, having put the coordinates in the sat nav for Annecy, we left Ormoy in beautiful sunshine, having spent a lovely evening with Martin's sister and her husband.

Keeping in contact via text I soon discovered that Dolly Daydream was determined that we should get the full benefit of the toll system by taking us 40kms out of our way to the very start of the motorway! The Mousies sat nav being a far more frugal machine took them in a straight line getting them onto the toll system at least 60kms ahead of us!

Apart from the knock taken to Cliff's wallet this wouldn't have been a problem until disaster Struck! I had just taken over at the wheel, and was happily ambolling along, singing to the music when I commented on the abysmal state of the road surface. 'It's the worst I've ever driven on' says I, when we hear a clunk, clunk, clunk...next thought... well the surface WAS bad, but we didn't think it was THAT bad.... Next thought... S**t it's a puncture! Pulling over onto the two feet of hard shoulder... next thought... S**t all four tyres are intact! It sounded like a wheel bearing had gone, but on such a tiny hard shoulder Cliff had no way of looking. We knew we were in imminent danger of becoming roadkill if we stayed where we were so limped up to an emergency space (3 foot wide) and rang the emergency recovery phone.

The Benny Hill scenario followed with texts going to and fro, us thinking that the Mousies were still north of us, and so we could all meet up at the services where the nice recovery man would drop us off, only to find they were infact miles south of us, and when the nice recovery man came to pick us up he dropped us off outside his garage at the next exit, with our toll ticket left in the van, giving us another opportunity to pay for the WHOLE system at a very reasonable cost of €90!

I went off to pay for the recovery, and a very nice lady said that will be €229 sil vouz plait, which my flexible friend covered, and I went out to find Cliff very efficiently sorting everything out with Safeguard - who I have to say after our bad experience with them some months earlier - were much better, although transfer of information was still somewhat lacking.

While all this was going on, we kept in touch with the Mousies and Dawn in true Mousy style had been imploring us to stay safe, keep hydrated and wear sun hats! However technology let us down at a crucial time. We were sat outside the garage not knowing where the Mousies were, and they were at the Annecy turn off not knowing if we were safe, we're roadkill or had been hijacked by Motorway Pirates! (I must admit it felt like the latter when I got the bill for recovery!). The mobiles weren't talking to each other. After a load of crossover texts we managed to tell them where we were and like true Funster Besties they turned round and came all the way back, having been within spitting distance of Annecy!

Cliff decided to take a closer look so attempted to jack the van up. The new jack which had never been used was completely useless, being unable to raise the skin off a rice pudding - so rather than feel as useless as the jack, I got the ACSI book out and booked us all into a campsite 9kms away from the garage - By a lake - albeit the wrong one.

We decided to limp to the campsite, but had only gone 2 kms at 10mph when the clunking sound was so bad we were just about to stop. We then heard a horn and saw a French man frantically waving at us to stop. With visions of the van dragging along on its bum we jumped out - and in true Gallic visual language he managed to convey that the wheel was going up and down - we had a split tyre! I could and would have kissed him had the smell of garlic and bier not put me off, so after much 'merci beaucouping monsieur', and entente cordiale we drove into a school car park and attempted to survey the damage. It had now developed and was now visible after being hidden from view previously, we were all tremendously relieved it wasn't a wheel bearing as we thought we were going to be there until at least Tuesday.

As I said, our jack had never been used before, and after the poor show it put up is now sat sitting next to a skip, never to be used again! Luckily Martin had a 'Big Bad Boy' jack in his van and they had the tyre changed in record time, with Mousy imploring Cliff to lay on her Moroccan mat to protect his skin and feeding him diet coke to keep him hydrated - he's never been that well looked after in the last 40 years!

The last 9kms should have been stress free but we raced off in front, with a new found sense of abandonment and Martin was left stranded and lost in the wilds of Le Miroir for which we apologise!

We set up camp after a 'chemical toilet' incident - let's say entente cordiale is alive and well, but the same can't be said for British/German relations (splash back adjacent to his awning)... - And settled down for a much needed BBQ and beer, finishing the night with a drink by the side of the lake - just a pity it was the wrong one.

However as I write this we are 26kms from the right one having had an amazing afternoon at the top of Mont Blanc, the sun is shining so much that Dolly has her sun hat on and we are anticipating Spanish omelette Al fresco, accompanied by copious glasses of Prosecco, Mousy putting her feet up, surrounded by three happy, Chillin Funster Besties!
 

Popeye

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Wonderful,


........................just remember every silver lining has a cloud, really wish we were there with you..... xx and they are both for Cliff........ Griff

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Mousy

Mousy

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image.jpg


Changing the tyre in 33 degrees, Ger and I sat in the shade offering words of encouragement and advice!

image.jpg
 
Feb 24, 2013
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That is odd damage to a tyre, do you know when they were last changed and what is the manufacture date on tyre wall?

Glad it all resolved itself so relatively easily, now back to your travels (y):)
 
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Mousy

Mousy

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That is odd damage to a tyre, do you know when they were last changed and what is the manufacture date on tyre wall?

Glad it all resolved itself so relatively easily, now back to your travels (y):)

Sorry David, all too busy laying in the sun with G&Ts:whistle:

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