Kings,boules,quiz,whist,sun& money

Mk..a week flies by

Sun 12th Jan

We hadn't parked the van or switched off the engine before Harry wanted to know who we would partner for the quiz....we only teemed up with them ( very successfully) as Paul & Marianne didn't make it last year due to the shoulder accident in Croatia. As P&M are here this year, the four of them had been winding each other up for weeks about who we would partner when the quiz started on Wednesday. We had discussed this at length, the choice being high probability of cash prizes versus loyalty to old friends .......
The weather cleared on Saturday to bright, warm sunshine. We had the chance to move onto the pitch next door (slightly larger and flatter) as Roy had cancelled due to the untimely death of Joy to cancer, but after messing about for hours the satellite dish would not lock on with a tree in the wrong place so we moved back to the original. This meant that the hardware shop across the road had closed and I couldn't get the plastic I needed to put under the groundsheets in case it rained to protect the awning extension....technical stuff...so the day was wasted and we played boules. And on Sunday, which was epiphany, and we all went into town at 6pm for the 3 Kings festival, which became a bar crawl and the parade of floats with kings hurling bucketfuls of sweets into the crowds and then hurling toys from the top of the tower in the central square for ages whilst the Gf had a panic attack about being trampled to death and had to stand between Harry & Paul who are both large for protection. Followed by a bar crawl back home but all very Spanish and jolly.
Monday, being a bank holiday, the hardware shop was closed so another day in which we didn't get unpacked and settled but we did play boules. And I ran into Jean Marie and Martina who run the site who greeted me like a long lost son and gave me a bottle of wine wrapped up in a calendar which everyone on site was given at Christmas but which they had saved for me.
On Tuesday we finally got sorted and the awning erected on nice protective groundsheets and I think we played boules. We also discovered that we had a problem with the Caxton currency card which was refused at the supermarket with a chip error. Phoned Caxton to find that it would cost £50 to have a new card sent out by courier. Decided to try an ATM.
ON Wednesday we joined a jolly crowd cycling to a local venta  for lunch ( €8 for 3 courses incl wine) and then the quiz....of course we did the decent thing and partnered P&M and of course came 2nd. And no, Harry & Joan did not come first. We were beaten by a foursome including Paul & Caroline who we won with last year before dumping them for Harry & Joan so a club is now forming of quiz partners we have dumped.
Thursday was boules and whist, interspersed with a Zumba session that Harry talked me into. Bastard. Won't be doing that again.
The boules is very competitive and the sledging could teach the English cricket team a thing or two.
On Friday I tried the currency card in every ATM in town and the supermarket again with no success. Rang Caxton again and refused to pay the £50 . They then offered to refund the € 1470 balance  back to our account but at a stupid exchange rate which would have left us £75 out of pocket, having only loaded the card 2 weeks ago.. Eventually spoke to someone sensible and they are now sending a new card out by mail rather than courier for no cost which is what I wanted from the start.
Found a great microbrewery in town for lunch with H&J...extremely nubile young waitresses as well..
Weather is great, lots of sun, chilly overnight, lots of beer and wine flowing with the rioja at €1.69, and no flooding,gales or a polar vortex in sight.

On the road again

Dec 29th - Jan 3rd
The trip to Conil

Left Martlesham mid afternoon for 20.20 euroshuttle, expecting to arrive the usual 2 hours early and get bumped onto an earlier train. Unfortunately, had not foreseen the population of Belgium and northern France who had popped over for the sales and were now returning home. Never seen the tunnel so busy. In the end our 20.20 was called at 19.40, loaded swiftly  and departed at 20.00 and unloaded in Calais at 20.40 or 21.40  it being continental time.
After the hectic few days of returning home after a very jolly Christmas chez William & Lynn and getting packed for 3 months away we had planned for an early night at the aire in Calais and an early departure on Monday morning.
Monday
Off to la Suze sur Sarthe. Weather grim with strong headwinds. North of Le Mans we crossed a bridge over the Sarthe which was half a mile wide instead of 30 yards so began to worry about the aire at la Suze which is on the river bank. Arrived la Suze at 16.00 to find the aire closed as the river was overflowing the banks as far as we could see. Most of the nearby Aires were also on the river and not worth considering but eventually tracked one down only 9 km away in the right direction at Mézeray. Not particularly pretty but plenty of space on edge of village where we purchased an excellent tarte aux pommes at the patisserie. Rained hard overnight.
Tuesday
Little traffic on road down to Poitiers and then easy drive on N10 to Bordeaux without the usual nose to tail lorry convoys.
Campsite surprisingly busy but quiet. Against expectations the satellite dish found Astra 2 which we had thought may have been retuned by now with the smaller footprint that has been threatened for 2 years so we had an excellent meal and nearly saw the new year in. The GF is getting over a cold so was in bed by 22.00 and after a few phone calls, so was I.
Bordeaux sounded quite lively at midnight and then  again at 5.20 as more fireworks were set off for some strange Gallic reason.
Wednesday
We were the only vehicle on the Bordeaux ring road at 8.30  everybody else being hungover. Long drive down the newly tolled N10 ( €15.80 but the alternative is now longer ,slower and probably more costly in fuel)  which was as empty as we will ever see it. Only problem was persistent headwind.
Spanish border at lunchtime to discover fuel now more expensive than in france. Started raining and winds stronger, a bit nervy over viaducts. Thought winds might drop when we turned inland but no such luck. Playing havoc with fuel consumption.. Arrived at aire in Palencia 17.00.  Stormy night and thinking may have to sit this out for a while.
Thursday
Morning arrived calmer, as fain turned to drizzle and low cloud on the route to Salamanca. Long climbs into constant headwind really costly in fuel terms. Passed Salamanca at lunchtime and arrived Caceres aire around 15.30 to find it deserted but it was overflowing within an hour. Rain and wind overnight.
Friday
Thought weather might improve as we dropped down to the plains of Andalucia but it got worse. Finally found blue sky round Seville  and on to Jerez where we detoured to fill up the LPG tanks but clouds came back with rain as we passed Cadiz and reached Conil. Stopped at the supermarket for essential wine supplies and found a very pleasant offer of Pata Negra Valdepenas 2005 at €3 which, as it later turned out, was much in evidence at the campsite, having been the wine of choice since it appeared on offer.
Settled in just in time for the friday night outing to the sports bar with the usual suspects and a very pleasant evening was had renewing old acquaintances and catching up on the news.
It wasn't the worst journey down, as it didn't snow, but it was probably the most unpleasant. Sun shining now though a and it is very mild when the sun goes down.