France May/June 2010
Leave 16th May on overnight ferry Plymouth to Roscoff and the journey to St Tropez should take 2 days. Hope to update with pics and news then – hopefully while basking in the sun!
May 21st
First view of our new house
Our new home is called La Maguellone – it’s near the sea in a wooded area with a swimming pool and is very small compared with Dunelm! The first day was wet and not very nice but the summer weather has now arrived and it’s 25 degrees or so and rather pleasant.
The pool
Wendy and Mum in Med
May 24th
All good news but one big problem – how to convert a piece of land that resembles a neglected corner of the Gobi desert into a garden. After all the hard work of the last few weeks I had to go to the garden centre and actually BUY some plants. With the prices over here I would only need a plant sale every 3 or 4 years to do the business!!
It's a start anywayRome wasn't built in a day!
Happy memories - at the pool
June 3rd
So relaxed I forgot to update. Is there another level of relaxation before one loses consciousness? We tried 2 days without any wine and felt like aliens surrounded by vineyards and cheap bottles of nectar. Christian (Bannier) once told me that there was no french word for a teetotaller – I thought he was joking until I looked in the dictionary – it’s true!!
Weather superb – hot but a nice breeze near the sea. It’s certainly different – no TV, no phone, no computer connection (I have to visit the clubhouse to connect) – trying to find a balance between being on holiday, and at the same time finding out what it’s really like to live here. Got a radio and a CD player though – well used. There is the odd downside – mainly the noise caused by all the helicopters. The St Tropez Hospital is only 200 metres away so there’s the air ambulance as well as all the sightseeing trips over St Tropez Bay – at times it could be a sound track from MASH. There’s also lots of insects which bite if you forget to spray. Besides that it’s pretty well perfect.
Dining balcony (wine cellar below)
view from dining balcony
Cavalaire harbour
choosing plants
- cleaning pots
that's better!
Went to Agay today to the scene of many family holidays on the beach and at the Esterel Caravaning. Breakfast in the Mocca cafe. Down memory lane in fact . Viewed EB6 our van for 2 holidays – things hadn’t changed, maybe a bit more modern with a balcony – but guess what – problems with the drainage and water. Things definitely haven’t changed.
Agay from the coast path
EB6 20 years on
June 10th – time flies by! Having the Challis’s round for a meal and it’s rather windy today and very warm. The excellent rose wine will make up for any shortcomings I’m sure. Exchange rate working in or favour at last – got 1.21 for our pound from nationwide. Barclays are only giving 1.18 and commission and handling charge on top of that – rip off!!
We wish RCB good luck with Saturdays Concert at St Johns. Just heard it’s been cancelled.
Went to St Tropez market on the local bus. Waited for ages for the bus – we asked a local at the stop if it was often late – her reply ‘C’est normal’ – only 20 minutes, she seemed surprised. The market was busy and hot, but Jean found the dress she wanted. The bus on the way back appeared to be ‘en panne’ but after several conferences between driver, mechanics, managers etc it was declared fit to go – only 10 mins late. Great fun! Played bingo in the clubhouse in the evening. Tonight is the AGM for club members followed by an aperitif.
Sat 12th June – only 1 week to go. 3 miles of coast path + swim in sea + ice cold perrier = BLISS Really hot today – shouldn’t grumble really
Sun 13th June. Hiked up in the hills to the reservoir supplying St Tropez and area. Amazing number of insects and butterflies. There’s a beetle here that has a luminous emerald green back in great profusion, plus lots of furry and rather large caterpillars which hang from trees like a thread and then sometimes land on your head or back. The reservoir was disappointing for the bird life but we saw a red kite as soon as we arrived at the dam. After returning we went to Grimaud, an ancient hill fortress and village, and did the tourist route around the area. Pics of our expedition:
Reservoir near La Mole
Grimaud village street
Grimaud windmill ripe for conversion
Thurs 17th June
Haven’t updated for a while, but you’ve probably read the papers and heard on the news about the storms down here. We’re OK but the roads, electricity, water are all affected. It was mainly the storm on Tuesday night – we’ve never seen rain like it – but also another storm last night (Wed) with a lightning strike on our patch – 10 metres from where we slept – thunder and lightning were simultaneous although we didn’t know about the tree that was struck until the next morning. From the papers this morning it would seem we got off lightly compared with other places up in the mountains and the death toll is past 20 I think.
We leave here on Saturday to start our journey home – just as well if it stays like this ! All blue skies and sunshine again at the moment of course.
Friday 18th June – all packed up and ready to go first thing in the morning. Weather back to sunny and warm but still wet up in the mountains. Death toll up to 25 I think, but several still missing. Thank you for following the blog dear reader! A bientot.
Dunelm1's Blog 
May 17, 2010 at 4:27 am
This is great! Hope you have a wonderful time. WE are headed to the Baltic on the 26th so will update you with all that too.
May 17, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Have a great time. Sorry I missed you. Bon Voyage
May 22, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Come back to UK, where the temperature is even higher – yes, after frosts last week. And send over the rain – the ground is parched.
Enjoy yourselves
Judy and Alan
May 24, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Hi M&D, pleased you’re having a good time. The photos look fab … wish we were there too! Can’t believe you’ve been buying plants, but pleased to see you’ve limited the ‘garden’ to a manageable size! I planted all my bedding at the weekend so BG is looking rather nice too.
Weather here is possibly better than it is there – 29 degrees on my way home from work today and not a cloud in the sky :0) Only thing is we have to work and go to school here – wish we had a pool to jump in – its ssoo hot!!
Anyway, take care and speak soon,
LOL xxx
May 26, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Lovely photos. Fancy having to go out and buy plants for your garden!! Anyway, they are looking nice. Getting ready for France. 8.00am departure to-morrow. Weather forecast for La Baule not very good for the weekend. But, I am sure we will make the best of it.
Jim
June 3, 2010 at 11:30 am
Hi Geoff and Jean
Glad you are relaxing and enjoying the local food and wine.
Weather here is ideal, sunny and a little rain to keep your garden here damp!
Dunelm greenhouse is fine and growing a pace.
No swimming here. I did have a sea dip at the w/e – freezing!
Saw Wendy and Lucy with families at the w/e. Daniel and Alfie enjoying a game of football and cricket.
Av wil get results tomorrow re Chemo dosage. Hope for the best.
Continue to enjoy France.
Jude and Barr
June 6, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Hi Geoff and Jean
Enjoying your blog and seeing the pictures looks and sounds just perfect.
I am glad you are keeping your hand in with gardening,don.t overdo it!!!
We had a wonderful time in France all the club send their love and best wishes. it was not too hectic this time ,weather poor on Saturday but we were lucky with the BBQ on Sunday.I expect you have had sll this news and heard about Michells eco friendly modern house where we had the BBQ. Ver y interesting! Very comfortable journey both ways.
We also had a very good w/e in Wales there were 15 of us ,Have run out of space, to be continued
June 6, 2010 at 5:49 pm
2 The w/e in wales was saddened to see John Moore looking so ill,but he was overcome to think we had gone to see him. The journey was good too. We were very sorry not to have seen Maggie as the y left the day we arrived back. I came back with my dreadful cough i had all w/e. I really was a nuisance,anyway with anti-biotics I am on the mend.Tomorrow we go to Malpas for the PLC. WEather very good and warm,have no swimming pool though!! R sends his love along with mine Bye for now Dot.
June 9, 2010 at 9:37 am
Pots look good – just hope we can keep them alive when we’re there! We were talking about Agay the other day and thought we might go there in August. I think we got the boat from St.Tropez to Agay once(?!) so maybe we’ll be able to do that.
We got a letter yesterday telling us that one of Daniels poems is going to be pubished in a book as he entered a competition with school – fame at only 6 eh! He’s getting really into the world cup – keeps telling me its only 2 more sleeps etc.
Amy is fine too – walking around with fairy tatoos on her arms – rewards for going to bed/sleep nicely which seems to be a challenge for her at the moment. She doing really well on her ‘ride on’ bike – can’t walk anywhere now!
Bit wetter here this week, but still warm. Just come in from a run to Chalfield so best go and have a shower!
Love you lots,
Lucy xx
June 14, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Can’t believe they painted EB6 – I wonder if it still has a sewage problem!!
L xx
June 17, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Pleased to hear you’re OK. Not good up in the hills! Have a safe journey back.
Alan