How we dismantled the awning in record time and the first day of ‘The Journey Home’ was in unbroken sunshine.

Sorry, UK, but I have to tell it as it is! Our turn will come, maybe sooner than we think!

Wednesday 1st December: A brilliantly fine start to the day. We took our time, got up late, did a word puzzle after breakfast (as we do) and Carol did a load of washing. We decided to have main meal at lunch time in the tent before breaking it up, but after that we saw this big, black, snow-and-rain-bearing cloud looming big on the horizon! But was it coming our way or not? Couldn’t tell. But a drop or two of rain could be heard on the roof of the tent, which was dry, so we had that tent decluttered, the furniture dismantled, the pegs removed (most of them) and the fabric off the poles and into the back of the car quicker than …. well, quicker than ever before!

The threat of serious rain never materialised, so job done, we wrapped up warm and waterproof (in case) and walked up into the town, as on the first night. We popped into the estate agent’s and asked for some photos of ‘that’ house.

     

     

          

                    They don’t do it justice ….

We made our own way to Spar and bought some milk and bread and stuff, and as it got dark we made our way back to ‘Le Camping’, without getting lost on the steps.

The night was COLD! There was ice on Sally’s windscreen in the morning, and getting out of bed was really hard – you can’t put the heating on first …. ! But the  dawn was beautiful, and I had another go at photograhping it.

That’s where the BIG, BLACK cloud was yesterday! 

There were still lots of jobs to do, including packing the awning into its stuff sack (in our anxiety to keep it dry we hadn’t done that on Wednesday) so by the time we had the vehicles coupled and everything stowed, it was – midday!

We avoided routes that would have taken us up into the hills, opting instead for setting off, again, in the ‘wrong’ direction and heading for Perpignan. The étangs and glimpses of the Med between P’nan and Narbonne were the same perfect blue as when we arrived, but at Narbonne we turned our back on the Med (literally) and headed up to Carcassonne. We had a ‘civilised’ (i.e. sitting at table with knives and forks) lunch surrounded by vineyards and windfarms, then avoiding the (toll) motorway, we seemed to have no choice but to go through the centre of  Carcassonne, but it was OK and Carol took the chance to take a couple of piccies as we crossed the Aude and came up to a square where there either has been, or is going to be, a Christmas Fayre.

The blue sky and sunshine were still with us, but after a stop for fuel and a bit of shopping, it was getting dark and Harry was clanging warnings about low outdoor temperature, so Carol found an all-year site just off route at Nailloux, so we headed there. We’re parked within reach of an electricity connection, but ‘on the road’ so as to avoid sinking or the need to uncouple. We’ve had supper of a beef dish bought at E. Leclerc, with dips before and cheese and apple tart and cream after, not to mention supporting the local economy in the matter of vin rouge to go with, so we’re well fed and warm – for now.

I joked with Rachel last week that if €20 for a week’s internet access was quite good, and €5 was amazing, it would probably be free this week ….. well – it is! And although the lady warden said we probably wouldn’t have a signal up at the top of the park (where she sent us so we could park on the through road without bothering anyone), we have one. It’s weak and intermittent, but it’s useable. Pity, in a way, that we’re here for only one night ….