Christmas Wishes to all Ark Readers

    I hope all Ark readers have a peaceful and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year !

The Ocean-going Ark.

    Well, we've successfully completed the first parts of our peregrination and completed the complicated procedures to load ourselves no our dogs onto the Brittany Ferries vessel Armorique. In fact, this blog is being written from a rolling seat aboard in the seaway opposite Roscoff. It promises to be a turbulent crossing, luckily we are both good sailors

   Later... In fact, it has got quite rough, it's better to stay seated, as to walk about risks to make you into a caricature of a drunk, reeling from side to side searching for a hand-hold...luckily, there are not a huge number of passengers on this crossing, it always puzzles me how Brittany Ferries can make a living in the winter, I don't suppose these large ships do many miles per gallon , or more likely per ton of fuel...
  It's quite noticeable how the move to the north from home causes the surrounding conditions to change. It was colder this morning at St. Brieuc , and still dark at eight when I went out to feed the dogs, in France dawn would already have broken. I have just put my watch back to Greenwich Mean time and night is falling fast , over a wave-tossed sea. Not hard for me to find reason to live where we do, even though it's good to visit Plymouth from time to time.

Right, bye for now before these musings disappear, as they've shown worrying signs of doing. See you soon from Angleterre!

New transhumance-- first Christmas in England for thirteen years!

   This year, for the first time for ages, we decided to spend Christmas at Plymstock with our daughter Alyson and her family, rather than at Lille in northern France with Cecile and her large extended family. We felt sad at not seeing our friends in Lille and will miss them. However, the lure of a new great- grand daughter and to see Alyson again proved too strong!
   Mind you, recent health problems  with me left the destination in doubt up to very recently, I secretly feared spending the festive season in Niort Hospital, but I am pleased to say that things are going better and this blog is being written at St. Brieuc on our way to the ferry port. All being well, we should be crossing to Plymouth tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately, my stroke means I am not allowed to drive until re-assessed, so poor Kim has had to take the wheel for the drive, which she has done with great skill. We left  Mort Limousin only half an hour behind schedule at ten thirty, despite an unscheduled washing of the bathroom floor, when the handle of a plastic bucket of water broke off in Kim's hand, inundating the room.....she valiantly drove us here arriving at four thirty. We are now going to find our evening meal at the nearby Buffalo Grill.

 Bye for now from the travelling Ark!

Progress report

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   Rereading my last few blogs, I feel that they are a bit self centred, but when you suffer a stroke and find your life suddenly changed and all your previously- held certainties put in doubt, it's difficult to concentrate on anything else!  In my previous blogs I had reported steady progress in regaining the use of my hand, arm and leg... Unfortunately, I have sadly to report a set-back , which has slowed things down for the moment.
  I developed a sudden crisis of arthritis in the thumb joint of the ' good' hand, which was of course not good news as it had been doing a lot of the work that the poorly hand and arm was unable to do. On Saturday after an enjoyable meal at our local Salle de Fetes for us older citizens, this pain moved up the arm and involved both shoulders and neck, very painful!it has since left the good arm ( thank goodness ) and is confined to my left shoulder, which forced a cancellation of my Kine this morning. I am hopeful it will continue its migration and go altogether, the doc has prescribed some strong painkillers to encourage this....
  Kim has been most supportive, she has even had to dress me at times, besides doing the lion's share of the household tasks without complaint. Anyway, there are signs of progress, and I hope to be able to give better news soon.

 Bye for now, tea and drugs parade calling!