General camp life

Clare here, just writing a little bit about camp life/ living in a motorhome in general whilst Ed has gone off for a bike ride. I know lots of you saw the van in various states of me packing, and some of you saw it fully loaded. Don't worry, I managed to fit in all my clothes that I wanted, and I even have 8 pairs of shoes!!! (That's if you can count hiking boots as shoes!!!). With the cupboards all packed to full capacity (photos to follow at some point) we are slowly but surely finding everything that we brought and occasionally the odd surprise too as Jasper and Maya did some of their own packing. This afternoon for example, they are playing in the sunshine with a box of lego that was smuggled in much to Ed's annoyance as it rattles on every bump we hit!!! I know where everything is as I packed it all, but Ed has absolutely NO idea and keeps opening cupboards for salt, pepper, cooking utensils, towels and being genuinely surprised by what falls out!!!

Daily chores have been allocated so that as a team we work together. In a small space we soon realised this is vital. We can't cook whilst the top bed is made up as the ladder is in the way and also we decided (health & safety) that it would be dangerous to move duvets with the gas flames on!!! I must confess that the jobs are rather gender stereotypical as Maya and I sort the bedding out and then Jasper and Ed do the "heavy work" and lift it up to the top bed out of the way for the day. There are other jobs that we take turns to do, such as the daily trip to the boulangerie for a fresh baguette, cooking, sweeping up (at least twice daily!!!) and also getting drinking water. Although we carry water on board, we don't have sterilising tablets to ensure it stays safe to drink after a few days, so we drink water from a bottle and only use the motorhome tap water for washing up. 

We have learnt quite quickly to use the on site facilities when and where possible, and within an hour of arriving here at Maisons Laffitte, we had set a load of washing off at the laverie. Thank goodness the washers are industrial style as it all fitted in, and itall came out very clean excepted for a pair of Ed's old shorts which now have a strange mark on them!!! We use site facilities for showers and washing up in order to save the precious resources that we are carrying. We will need our gas for hot water whilst free camping later on in the week.

So life is good, it hasn't taken too long to adjust but I think that's because we are quite savvy about saving energy at home anyway. And to date, the children haven't once asked about watching TV which is good because we don't have one!!! 

Bye for now,

Clare 

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Post Paris antidote

This is what we needed today! WATERFIGHT. The kids won though, I had the wrong shorts on and was the only one to have to change their trousers! Good times!

Ed

Paris in a day... It can be done!

So it can't be done? Well, we have given it a good go and damn near did most of the key stuff. Please don't leave a comment about the stuff we have missed out. We have a book with all that in. Suffice to say that all said and done, we have had a mega and busy day, and are done in. 

It all started with a poor nights sleep for all. Jasper had some mad coughing fit and was not well in the night, then Maya had a headache, for which I gave Calpol, which we then saw again later! I slept in Jasper's bed, which is about 2 foot  too short and only about half as many covering material as would be desirable. Clare also had a bad night as she wakes for anything, regardless of her earplugs!

Anyway, we took Paris on. City days are intense affairs, so after our double decker tube ride, accompanied by accordion playing buskers (cue 'allo allo music in your brain) we walked around the Arc de Triomphe and then down the Champs Élysées and went straight for the simple tourist affair.... Using the Bateau Mouche we had a tourist ride for an hour or so around all of the best sites. We were very taken aback with Paris from the water. Quite something, very pretty. So to save a long story, we saw everything along the Seine! We then walked 2km to the Louvre. This was quite something for the kids, but they were tired and hungry, and the sun was absolutely belting. So after a short break, we tackled the Louvre. Being the tourists that we are, we headed straight for the Mona Lisa. She was busy...quite busy! But we got there. However, finding the way around was impossible, and following a previous post about lack of directions for campsites, the same follows in galleries I have found (in my limited experience). We got lost, stuck, lost, found again, lost, bored, and faced with an amazing amount of cumulative stairs. We got out in the end and trained it to the Eiffel Tower. This was great, and we approached it from the Trocadero. We took the obligatory photos, bought a nice cream, then paddled in the water with everyone else. (Adrian, we saw the wizbit trees, but didn't do the photo, sorry!)

Anyhow, we returned home after further long walks and manic metro changing. Tired now. I will post some photos though. Whilst I type this, 10:03 pm, I am watching the photos that Jasper and Maya took, and begin to question the wisdom of giving the children cameras. I will post their photos for the Somerset children's photographer of the year award ( in it's inaugural year, and suffering from a dirth of entries from Ilminster. You can all play along too!)

Ed

Photos include our best Mona Lisa smile, the Eiffel Tower, and having a look around on the boat at the world around us! 

Ed and Clare 1 - 0 Paris road system

We have to feel a modicum of pride here. We set off from our night camping on the street (see previous post). We certainly cracked on. So much so that without the aid of satnav, just clarenav and a map that  has a scale that basically leaves no information for city navigation. Anyway, after much hullabaloo fighting our way through the endless traffic lights and avoiding trams and oddball junctions, we actually found ourselves on the inner ring road of Paris. This was a triumph but also a slight error. However, we fought back and used 'Hugo's' ( yes it/he, has a name now) weight and size and bullied our way through some four lane fun. Four lanes of a similar principle to the Coventry ring road. If you haven't experienced this, then essentially, the outside lane pops in and out with endless traffic. However, the remaining three lanes, was pretty much a playstation game of car Tetris, with cars filling invisible gaps. We found our first camp destination, but weren't assured a place, so we moved on, with additional fun and games to our present setting called Maisson Lafitte. It is a rather spiffing place, with fantastic resources, and a serious mark up on the previous places. So, we continue to enjoy a glass of Rene Clements' best red wine, chosen only for namesake at the local carrefour supermarket. Good old Mr Clements, a job well done! 

Ed

Living the dream - part 1

We have tried to find a spot between Amiens and Beauvais for some free camping. We were on the look out for a quiet spot in a town somewhere. Anyway, to cut a long story short we ended up in a town called Crevecoeur-le-grand. Not exactly a special spot, but for all intent and purposes please believe it is, so that the 'living the dream' part of our tour is a reality. 

Anyway, we went to find the local Aire as per sign post on the local map, however, this seems to be a discontinued site. So having been given advice by a local, and confirmed this advice with another, we parked by the town hall. All was good. Before tea though, the obligatory toilet and hand wash was followed by "there's a red light on the toilet!" Having never seen said red light before, upon further investigation we realised the toilet was full. Thus followed an apt and abrupt curse! However, as we were right next door to the town hall we noticed that there was a toilet, so we could use those facilities instead of ours. So we sat down and we had a lovely tea cooked by Clare of spaghetti bolognaise and home made garlic bread. Then a sense of urgency gathered as the cleaner decided to lock the toilets. After much muddled discussion and running around with a .....well you know what....we managed to use the town hall loos for an emergency evacuation and quickly got the whole procedure finished. Yippee! 

Upon embarking the vehicle for the next course following a thorough hand wash, the alarm was sounding that we were out of water. So the pump wouldn't pump water back into the toilet, the sink, or the water heater. So emergency measures were afoot to not use any water and survive the night somehow...when across the other side of the town square, I saw a girl at a water pump pumping water for fun. I decided that this was a frivolous waste of a rare commodity, and with bucket in hand, I went and filled it. With a certain relief that the problem was going to be solved, I ambled back to the van. The next problem arose though; how to get the water into the correct department in the van without losing all of it. So with a chopped piece of hose, half a water bottle cut with scissors (it's all sounding very Apollo 13 I know) and a measuring jug, we managed to fill a quarter of a tank of water. 

Happiness set in, so after reading and bed time stories, it was time for bed for Jasper and Maya. It then transpired that the town hall car park was a haven for youths, bicycles, mobile phones and then football. A brief discussion ensued and we are now sitting quietly in the van, the children are back in bed, and we are a few corners round the block in a car park. So you'll all be glad to know... We are living the dream!

Ha ha! 

Ed

Glad to be here!

It has been a manic few days, I think that everyone is aware of that. However, it feels good to have travelled a few miles on the French roads and had a smooth transition into French camp life. So our first stop is here in Wimereux on the northern west coast of France, only a few miles down from Calais really. So we are here for 2 nights.  Booking in was fun, I used my little French, gestured, and then worked harder at the French and rather enjoyed it. The girl behind the desk was very forgiving and helped me out, but I still charged on regardless in Franglais! 

Tomorrow's venture will be to cycle down to Boulogne sur la mer for some holiday time. Jasper,  Maya and myself have already experienced the on site pool successfully, and we have ordered breakfast croissants and a baguette. Now, where is the cheese..........?

Ed

Au Reviour Ilminster

On Friday we said a fond farewell to our little house and waved goodbye to Zola and our neighbours who had turned out en masse to wave us off. I must admit, it was a surreal moment and one that will stick in my mind for a while! We are so grateful to our neighbours for their well wishes and support. One of them even gave us a "glad you are buggering off" present, which was meant in the nicest possible way!!! So with a tear in my eye, we set off to Auntie Dot and Uncle Len's in Camberley for the night. It was so lovely to see them again, and Jasper and Maya were thrilled with the little Bon voyage presents they received for the journey. I must say that it's lovely to be supported every step of the way and to feel encouraged that this mad idea is actually everyone's life ambition. We are quite literally living the dream. Last night though was another story. No campsite that we found through Romney to Folkestone (via Dymchurch and Hythe) had a vacancy for us with our rather large motorhome, so after a 50 mile round trip we ended up almost back where we started and paid £15 for the night to stay in a lovely pitch, lovely flat shaded landscaped plot, but with awful facilities which I will not describe as you will honestly wonder how I managed!!! Even Ed felt that I deserved a medal for bravery for using the showers! Needless to say, we will not be staying there again! EVER! Today we have crossed La Manche via the tunnel and I navigated our way through the rolling French countryside to reach our first port of call near Boulogne. The site is huge, with all sorts of activities going on, pétanque in the middle of the road for example, and now as I type and prepare supper, Ed and the children are swimming in the open air pool. Some guys have all the fun!!! But life is good. Thanks for reading. 

Clare 

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