THE DAYS JUST FLY PAST.....and then you get ill

Jan 12th. - Jan 31st. 2016

We'll try again as I lost an hours ramblings yesterday through pressing the wrong tit on the bluetooth keyboard ( just to show that I am a techie). .  as I am still confined to the sickbay trying to shake off an irritating and debillitating chest infection, more of which later. I would have posted sooner but the last 3 weeks have been hectic socially and we've only spent 4 nights in on our own
WEEK 1 flew past, getting unpacked and set up, catching up on all the news around from old acquaintances and meeting some new ones. The situation in Morocco has meant that the french aren't going in their usual numbers and we have a new lot of friends  here now. Our new neighbours are Josef and Carmen, been going to Agadir for the last 10 years but not again. They speak no english so my french improves daily. They all play boules so the boules courts are now overcrowded and the competition is fierce but great fun internationally. The first quiz of the season saw us come a creditable third with 39 behind 2 dubious scores of 39.5 after the contested awarding of an extremely dodgy half point. ....and as we should not have changed 2 answers, morally we should have had 41 anyway. Harry&Joan have teamed up with Paul&Caroline (both expartners of ours but good) and beat Don&Sandra Phil&Anne in the tiebreak....we'd have still come third in the tiebreak if the half point hadn't been given.
The GF got her owm back by winning the whist(females) but Harry was as usually unbearable by winning the men's prize and thus claiming the double.
New friends also included Derek& Laurel, Canadians or Australians or (possibly Kiwis) having dual passports, houses on 2 continents and embarking on a world tour. We met them over dinner and they were leaving next day but stayed a fortnight after enjoying the pleasures Conil has to offer. They were great company and Laurel keeps an interesting blog but it's private and needs a password and they'll kill me if I divulge it.......so If the 2 of you are  reading this, happy & safe travels and when you pass through the UK again, send us an email and we'll meet up. Highlight of the week was the Harry&Joan Production of the Token Ceremony with a cast of thousands (17), a dragon, Horseman, Geishas and no-expense-spared firework display (€34). No words can do justice so you'll have to watch the Videos on YouTube. Search for Japanese charm Ceremony 2016 (1-4) but Joan and Pia did an incrediblejob on costumes. I've suggested a public execution scene for next year with Harry in the leading role. The week wrapped up with local San Sebastian festival, as colourful and noisy as ever.
WEEK2 started with a bang with the Rosaleda Oyster Fest when Laurent&Jaqueline took delivery of dozens of oysters she ordered for those interested from Arcachon (one of my favourite places in France) and sent by courier. It was a remarkable occasion for me as I learnt to shuck oysters in industrial numbers.....all the oysters that I've ever eaten and I never learnt the secret as it seemed fraught with the possibility of losing digits or punching holes through hands. But no, after 5 mins of instruction , Jaqueline and Jean-Yves had me stabbing,wiggling,twisting and finally cutting & draining like a huitrier in a  Paris bistro. Top fun. There were 20 dozen to do so we had a few glasses of wine before the hordes arrived. There were meats and salads for those not included and I enjoyed a wonderful plate of 24 very large oysters for €24........and a lot more wine from the banks of the Loire. Quiz was a disaster this week and we didn't score but I did win the men's whist just to annoy Harry.
WEEK 3 started with me feeling unwell with a cough which got prgressively worse and there was a lot of it about. I tried to battle through, perhaps mistakenly. Couldn't miss the quiz, and we creamed it coming first with 47/50......and I won the whist again, completing the double and taking the earnings up to €65. If there was a prize for Line Dancing (and Harry & I could dance, we would no doubt be competing for that). The coughing got worse ,despite buying medicaments from the Pharmacy so I ended up at the new local Centro Medico San Sebastian, having been told by the Insurance Co. to tell them to send the bill direct to them. After they stopped laughing, they swiped the credit card for €120 and sent me back to the Pharmacy to spend another €27 on what appears to the contents of a small dispensary. But I did get a cd which contains the Xray and results from machines that go beep...I wonder if the NHS has a program that that can open and read said cd. If it doesn't clear up in 3 days I can go back at no extra charge so nothing to lose. There's been a lot more so I'll drop thosr into future posts.

THE SKY IS BLUE...THE SEA IS GREEN

12 . Jan 2016
The journey down was uneventful but filthy......the weather just as nasty as that we had left. The Sarthe was high but not overflowing so the aire at La Suze was available although again busy. Fortunately, local knowledge being invaluable, though all the hookups were taken ( much to the apparent delight of a brit who leaned out of his van to tell me the bleeding obvious) I know that there are some standby electric sockets on the wall of the public convenience which can be reached with a long lead. So it rained all night and all the next day to Bordeaux together with a strong headwind coming off the Atlantic.
Mon 4th at Bordeaux. If the weather had been better we would have lingered as the cycle tracks are so brilliant, and at least it was warm.
Tues 5th.To Burgos, where the rain had stopped but not the wind. Temp down to 0° but no hint of snow. Walked along river to city, decided to stay a day abd do the cathedral, but morning dawned cold and overcast so the GF said move. One day we will stop at Burgos for more than one night.
Wed 6th. Rained all the way to Caceres, but temp 10° as opposed to last year when it was -5° and forced us into the campsite rather than the aire.. strolled into town for a drink ...v busy being epiphany or Kings as they call it.
Note....Diesel is 75p a litre in Spain, cheapest for about 8 years and 30p cheaper than the UK. 
Thurs 7th. Another overcast and rainy day until Jerez where the skies cleared. Found a new LPG station 100yds off the motorway in Seville which meant we could fill the tanks without having to drive into Jerez and waste time. Arrived Conil at 3.30, having stopped for essential supplies ...a box of 4 Parta Negra down from €10 last year to €9.40 wich is another result...though not for the liver.
The weather is warm and sunny. Rained Monday . Apparently nov/Dec were superb with one day of rain so it's bound to change now.
All the usual suspects are either already here or arrived soon after us,Paul  & Marianne being the last to arrive on Sunday, having had their Portsmouth Santander ferry cancelled on Tuesday ( when we were in bordeaux and congratulating ourselves on not being in the Bay of Biscay.). This meant going to Caen and losing 3 days plus 600 miles of unexpected driving with his bad shoulder.
The Japanese Good Luck Charm has been scheduled for Saturday ...with or without me....and is now a full blown Harry & Joan Production. ...take cover.

OFF TO THE SUN.......hopefully but not yet

3.1.2016

Packing seemed hard this year as the GF insisted on the kitchen sink. We're away for 3 months so she has planned for every eventuality plus some more. The van felt sluggish, suggesting a high payload. Weather forecast indicated rain all the way and so far has been correct.
Left home 15.30. Channel tunnel surprisingly inefficient and although we were offered an ealier train than our booking we only left 5 mins before the original time as they seemed to be doubling up. And when we arrived at calais the Ron Haslam Racing School transit van in front of us refused to start. Jean-Pierre who drove the tow truck was on his dinner break and it took 1/2 hour to find him and get Ron Haslam shifted whilst 50 odd vehicles waited.Heigh ho.
Having searched the forums for migrant reports around Calais and found nothing serious since October, the plan was to head for the aire at the marina and see how the land lay...number of vans overnighting and signs of migrants. Maybe because it was pouring with rain nobody was about but only 2 vans so we headed over to the usual site opposite the ferry where we found 30-40 vans and not too many vacant slots so we slotted in nicely. Having eaten out at lunchtime we did the crossword and sudoku in the Telegraph and went to bed. The predicted storm materialised and strong winds all night and heavy rain.
Sunday morning dawned later than usual due to CET, but the wind had abated....temporarily as it transpired.  Off to la Suze SUR Sarthe and had one the nastiest days driving ever. The wind was head on and rain relentless. The wind was so strong that it looked doubtful if we could get to the SuperU  at La  Suze for cheap refuelling so had to put some diesel  in on the motorway. ..
Diesel is €1.14 -1.25  on the motorway or €0.98 at the supermarket. With the € around 75p these days, that is a lot cheaper than the UK as usual.
Monday 4/1..to Bordeaux. Started sunny but horrendous rain by the time we arrived though temp still mild..  new wonder wifi hotspot fails to work.