In which I do practically nothing...

The fuzzy head is hanging around. In fact, I spent the morning in bed, dozing watching morning TV on my iPad. The day looks rather cool and windy, not enticing me out, I’m afraid, so I’ll make use of a day inside by carrying on with my clearing out looking at old photos.

I read Book Two of Travels with Eric (in 1994). What a carry on! I have always had a misty-eyed memory of it. The fun! The freedom! The adventure! So this has reminded me of the reality. No wonder, when I occasionally mention doing it again, in a more modern vehicle, I get a swift NO!

A few of the highlights: lowlights:

- Breaking down several times (‘Ma voiture est en panne!’).

- After one garage visit (lasting all day) the only way it could be fixed was to insert a wire into a certain bit of the engine, which was at the back. In order to stop the engine, we had to jump out and take this wire out (or else just stall the engine - best method in the rain) and put it back in to start. We got quite used to this, and though it was quite a nuisance, it worked.

- Daily searching for (preferably clean, but not a deal breaker) toilets.

- Daily searching for a safe place to camp (all the official camping sites were closed in October/November/December…)

- Never having a whole night’s sleep because of scary noises nearby.

- The petrol gauge didn’t work, and in the French countryside with towns few and far between - that’s not ideal.

- Eric didn’t like rain (we weren’t too keen either) and took to complaining by just suddenly stopping. On one memorable occasion, he conked out as we crossed a busy road in a thunderstorm. Near a corner.

- Eric developed two slow punctures, so we constantly had to pump them up and not many garages had air. Sometimes we even had to pay (I always noted this, of course).

I have chosen a shot of Eric to share. JR had gone into the village to look for a toilet (I read). This is the Marquis de Sade’s village of Lacoste, apparently.

I’m not sure I’ll make it to the Concert tonight. If I do, I might change this to an amazing fireworks shot.