Planet Ruby Starrs

This post is punctuated with random pictures for attention cos the rest of it is really boring.   We have gone almost 2 weeks without decent teabags - the stress is starting to show. Definetely time to head home! Afrer a broken night having held a masterchef dinner party for local mosquitos we left the farm camping - managing to run over and destroy our folding step into the van. Then we went to the local petrol station as we were low on fuel. It wouldn't accept our card- or any of our cards! Total psych out... last day in France no petrol!!! We had to do a detour to find another petrol station hoping this was just a blip. It was and we managed to fill up.   We decided it was Calais or bust - the quickest way i.e. the Peage. We have avoided (mostly) peage roads but after yesterday and it being the last day... low energy... lack of enthusiasm we hit the motorway - Joy 🤣 simple easy instructions not a single tractor in sight...

We meant to get up early but didn't manage it 🤣. Still we got organised pretty sharp and headed to water and can emptying facilities... I have to give it to France, they really look after campervanners. At the local supermarket we got drinking water and were able to empty loo and bins all for free. There was also a free overnight parking a bit further down the road - but we were heading for the cliffs halfway to Calais. We had changed our ferry for the following day so just one last explore before heading home . The road across northern france was dominated by tractors and cement mixer lorries. I've never seen so many concentrated🤣🤣. But it was a good road and made driving the first couple of hours much easier..  We passed through some very pretty places lots of old buildings but then.... the journey turned into a complete nightmare... ridiculous roads farm tracks more tractors (coming the wrong way down one way roads) and then we discovered we were heading...

The forest was a lovely spot to stay in .. quiet, eerie, lots of birdsong, dappled light and then total darkness. In spite of this niether of us could settle... we've been doing quite a few early nights ... once its dark might as well sleep and get up early to make most of the day. The night before we had slept really well and even slept in so the next night we were restless. Decaff tea past midnight... finally sleeping probably about 2.00 ish meaning very late start the following day.  It didn't really matter. Our intention was a meandering drive to a supermarket and then to the highest point in Normandy (not to confused with previous highest point which was ALL of western France) Mount Picon which has a war memorial on top.  It was easy enough to find and a good spot for the night - but the weather is changing... actually rainy rain! Not extreme thunder deluges - just miserable drizzly rain.   There were supposed to be good views from ...

Finally found a sunday market.... yey... purely by chance we were driving from Ecommoy past the giant traffic cone near where we had camped to the Belvedere du Mont des Avaloirs and we came across a banner saying fetes dans la ville... but in better french. Then we got diverted because the fete was on the road we wanted! Then we found visitors parking and as we were in no rush and Dr Fred was being spontaneous we stopped and had a wander. Little fun fair, food stalls and quite a few rows of.... glorious junk mainly.   It was nice to meander through the different stalls looking for bric a brac that might become treasure. I was very restrained - these days things have to call out that I just cant live without them. Odd items almost did and then some orange and red 1960s/70s weird juice glasses did faintly whisper and more importantly the lady selling them said 2 euros... six juice glasses in a pretty tray with room for jugs - deal done. ...

Slow pace for today. We packed the van up and headed to the Emmaus Sunday Shop. It was very chaotic. It was quite big and they seemed to have a very bizarre ticketing system. We're still not sure that we got to grips with it completely - And I may have genuinley accidentally misappropriated two Euros worth of olive forks!!  We didn't buy very much an interesting box, a couple of wine glasses, and the olive forks. There was a lot of stuff and if you didnt have Dr Fred you could have had a really good rummage... I might try and do one more Emmaus before we leave France.   After the jumble sale we went to find somewhere to park for the night. The first place we found was just a car park it wasn't very nice - It wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't where you wanted to hang out for the afternoon.... and the town, as usual, looked closed (i.e Saturday in France) I think everybody's at the Emmaus markets actually🤣🤣 or just driving around - theres plenty o...

Quiet day at camp... late morning ... chores .. van tidy,  and then a wander round the old bit of the town. It included a very interestimg looking partial ruined abbey but it was closed (friday in France). The town had the usual ancient, surprising plain church, a t iny section of 15 century city walls, some  pretty french buildings and a nice river walk. We ate out at a place on the park adjoining the camping it was quite pleasant. It got dark quick so having made a plan for the next few days - including a second visit to a huge charity shop - forgot to mention the first visit where I got some elegant wine glasses.. - we went to bed early.  I'm posting this now , unexciting as it is as no wifi imminent and we need data to keep planning route and sleeping options. 

We were up at the crack of the Woodpecker breakfast first and on the road ready to spend the day at the Château de Chenonceau. It's very well organised lots of parking including plenty for campervans but the place was absolutely heaving.  The tour starts with the obligatory chapel.. compact but beautiful. Then into the main body of the building.   For the first half hour it just felt like we were on a conveyorbelt... it's a very beautiful Chateau though and once the crowd started to thin out and we'd managed to get through the cellars which were the kitchens it became a very pleasant visit. There was a dove nesting under the bridge... It's incredibly grand with some amazingly beautiful plaster work particularly the fireplaces the cornices are all extremely ornate - as are the ceilings - in fact, actually the whole building is just like a fairy tale castle both outside and inside.  Evenethe dr...