doug Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 As of the crack of the dawn chorus tomorrow. Will give the trees a shake as we go. Off to South of France tomorrow folks (sorry andsome). Now an annual event. Flight done by air-miles. (It can be hard work shopping but good old Tesco CC). Will be staying in a caravan at a site between Marseilles and Toulon on the RN8 nr Circuit du Paul Rickard. Taking 7 yr old G'daughter with us. Drive down to Brum, jump on the plane to Nice, the drive west along the A8-E80 motorway to Brignoles. Then cross country to le Camp. Important job on Thursday is to visit the local wine garage where you get your gallon containers filled via a petrol pump of the appropriate flavour. First year I saw this I hooted and politely asked for 2-stroke but the chap didn't understand me.My only concern is getting a bit training in will probably have to be round the camp site. The roads are very hilly and twisty round that region and the locals are all crazy. The only people respected are the cyclist and the man with his baguette.So be back on the 12th Aug and will look in on 13th. Please do look out for nellie and keep her out of mischief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moon Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Have a good one , doug. If you're going from Heathrow , chin a striker for me. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nellie2 Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Dougie........what am I going to do without you to keep me on the straight and narrow?? :(Have a good time and I promise not to get into too much mischief..... well, not when anyone is looking anyway!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 By the time you read this it will be too late to say "have a good time". So here's hoping that you did have good one. It really is a pity that you did not let me know earlier, then I could have given you an atom bomb to take in your case and leave behind when you left. Ah well, that was a missed opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Smith Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Doug, you're off to Nice, that's nice!! :lol: Hope you have a great time.Enjoy the local hospitality, cuisine and liquid refreshment. ;) Despite what some may say, I have always found the French to be pleasant people, and the countryside is truly beautiful.Regards. Mr. Mouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moon Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 I have always found the French to be pleasant people, and the countryside is truly beautiful.Right on. Now if they just took the trouble to vote............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted July 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Right. This is positively my last. Last bags to load ready for the morning. Have sorted e-mails, now to switch off and unplug - sob sob.So see you later alligators.In a while crocodiles.Bye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nellie2 Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 I don't think he wants to go :huh: Can I go instead then?.....I could do with a week in Nice. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madboy33 Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Doug matehave a lovely timeDon't forget my stick of rock :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted August 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Hi Folks. I'm back. I think I put the wrong return date in my first post. Weather has been awful. Day temps up to 36/37. Had to shelter under the trees with copious quantities of G & T's. Sea was freezing 22/23 C by afternoons. I heard it rain once during a night. G'daughter had her bestest Holiday ever. That was the comment tonight as we dropped her off at her Mum's.Bit of a traumatic day. There has been a bit of problem with the local water supply - may be a form of rationing due to hot weather. Anyway didn't go for a jog today - more to follow - but went straight into the shower this morning. Wife called out to remind me of last years problem when the water went off just as we were leaving and there was nothing in the cistern to flush the loo, so I had to bulk up all of the remaining soft drinks for a final woosh. Anyway I went and did a bucket. Went off to the little bain shop for the croissants and baguettes and said my farewells to the 2 ladies there who have suffered my personal version of their French for the last 4 years, back to the caravan. Broke my fast and we set to to set everything straight. Second insult was the antiquated vacuum cleaner decided to through Its drive belt. Struggled and eventually managed to replace the belt - must phone the owner to get some more from the next antique's fair for the next occupants. You may remember the model the drive band is a very large O ring that twists around the end of the motor shaft and around the middle of the brush roller. After plenty of personal mutterings got it working. Relief, thought we were going to eat into the spare time I had scheduled. So we set off for Nice airport at 11:30 should give us a spare couple of hours. Decided that for a change we would go to Nice via Toulon, the up and over. Went OK UNTIL we tried to come off to the Nice airport turning. They are building new motorway interconnections there and we kept getting lost in the temporary barriers that were installed, the signs to the airport were suddenly blanked out. Started to sweat about the time, tied a second then a third time. finally ignored the turn off and finished up on the motorway to Italy. Found our way off and sneaked back to the airport via a back passage. When we got to the Avis check in I asked if they could get us a taxi for the transit to the other terminal - they don't do that, really getting bothered at this stage as the long walk on the outward journey creased the missus. So G'daughter took her in tow and they made off while I checked the car in and loaded the 3 large travel bags, wheel chair, ruck-sack and wheel chair cushion onto a trolley. My language then started to deteriorate as over a distance of 50 yards everything fell off the trolley 3 times. Finally caught the family just at the bus pick-up point as then got to the other terminal. Had to leave wife and G'daughter and "race" to the far end to check in.At this point was on the receiving end of ear problems from the flight dispatch manager who said I was too late and she had closed the gate. It the struck me that I had forgotten to leave a suitable package of fissile material for andsome. I made some very english replies and demanded assistance for my wife. This straightened her out and she said she would help me to check the wheel chair into the over-sized luggage check-in. The woman said we would have to hurry. On the return to the family she said could I possibly run and would my age prevent me fromm keeping pace with her. WELL I exploded out of the starting blocks, really surprised myself. When she caught me up back at the check-in desk I had to ask if she needed any help to recover, a glass of water perhaps? No reply. A security chap arrived and pushed my wife and borrowed wheel chair through to the airport to the exit door to the aircraft where we had to wait for 20 mins - no explanation. We were really getting concerned thinking that everyone else was on board and we were holding them up. The there was sudden movement and a mob of people arrived and were passed through to the transit bus. A "disabled" bus arrived for us. It turned out the delay was because of the plane being late arriving because of air traffic control problems. I thought again of what I could do with quite a small amount of fissile material encapsulating some Tritium hydride of Lithium, all surrounded by some uranium 238. This would not only have resulted in a good firework but satisfied andsome and my then very personal feelings.Once on board everything then collapsed into normality, English trolley Dolleys. Having commented on my raging thirst was served with a glass of iced water with a slice of lemon and 2 cans of Heineken. Everything the started to become bliss.So thats a "brief" resume of todays events. Will drop a note off about my jogging adventures tomorrow. Quick scan just now showed that Northy has departed. This makes me very sad. He was such a nice chap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Welcome back Doug.....I trust you are nicely tanned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted August 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Very. Most embarrasing are the white bits where my sandal straps go over my feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Glad you had a good time Doug, welcome home. You have just however confirmed my point though, we also found them to be in the main, ignorant and unhelpful, and would never go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Very. Most embarrasing are the white bits where my sandal straps go over my feet.Well at least they aren't the stereotypical british sock marks! :D Hope you had a lovely time, anyway. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Smith Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Good to see you back doug. Glad you enjoyed the bad weather :lol: Hope you are nice and refreshed, and ready to get your posting fingers going again.Mr. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LB Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 welcome back doug....i feel fitter already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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