HARD DAYS DRIVING....

Monday 27th June 2016

Lovely afternoon and evening in MOSJŒN,  we got the bikes off for the first time in ages and cycled around the town and up and down river.....very old traditional houses to be seen, and then a 10 pin bowling alley on the site was commandeered for an impromptu competition in which I signally failed to trouble the scorer.
The days drive had been arduous but Mondays was harder. We've now done 4000 miles and the roads have been difficult for the last 2-3 weeks. Sweden and Finland  had long straight boring roads through zero habitation.  These roads are winding,twisty,up and down and narrow. If there is a central yellow line, each carriageway is a minimum of 3 metres wide  otherwise there is no yellow line. There is seldom a yellow line. A Motorhome  is 2.35 m wide plus mirrors which add 0.4m, so we are 2.75m wide. There has been a lot of traffic and every other vehicle is another motorhome....passing is stressful especially  when you've just paid £500 for a mirror......and then there are the lorries.  They are big and take no prisoners....pedal to the metal and speed limits are for wimps.....and the speed limits change all the time, often with no notification except that at the town limit  it automatically goes to 60kph and 50kph in built up areas without a signpost. ...you are supposed to know this. All this means a low average speed and a tiring and stressful drive...145 miles took over 5 hours of driving today and a lot of people are saying they are feeling the strain, me included and I've got an automatic. .....and seldom been up to 6th gear..and a manual may be hell on these roads.
D&M have found a winning streak at cards and suddenly money is being demanded with menaces as though everything is hunkydory. With exceedingly  good grace I have bitten my tongue regarding non payment of past winnings and paid up 4€ over 2 nights......OK Margaret?  I've said it in public so you can gloat but we have 2 more weeks AND we are still well ahead... them fish still swim round that barrel.
A bizarre picture is circulating of 2 men in a comprising situation......unfortunately  one of them bears an uncanny resemblance to me......