A very long day for the Ark.

   Yesterday was the day we were due to pick up Kerry, our daughter, from the Bordeaux airport. She was due to arrive at 11am so we set out in good time at 830. Despite a few mist patches, we were making good progress and had covered more than half the journey, when we received an alarming phone call from Kerry. Her flight had been cancelled, would we stop and await news. We accordingly pulled off the road and found a very pleasant aire to drink coffee and run the dogs, one of the few good memories of this stressful day. Kerry eventually called back she was diverted via Paris, and wouldn't be arriving at Bordeaux until 1730! Poor girl, she had got up at some unearthly hour to catch her direct flight and now this...
  We continued our route but decided to stop for lunch and after trying to find a resto for some time off the Bordeaux periferique , we stopped at a Brit Hotel . They served us an excellent lunch, the second compensation of the day. The dogs, we had fortunately thought to bring with us, could be left in the shade, round the back.
   We went on to the airport , parking in their expensive car park, and had to while away the afternoon until 1730. We found the flight from Charles de Gaule arrived in the main terminal , rather than the Billi, as the budget airlines do but luckily, the flight was on time, even five minutes early. We had a touching reunion with Kerry, whom we hadn't seen for some time, as this is her first visit to Mort Limouzin.
  We set out for home, a journey which should take some three hours or les but now came the final straw--the N10 was blocked by an accident and we were stationary for what seemed like hours creeping slowly forward a few yards at a time. By the time we arrived at the scene, and could proceed following the directions of a helpful Gendarme, some hours had passed and we arrived home exhausted at 1130! What a day....

   Bye for now, even thinking of this is wearing me out and Mrs Noah and daughter are having a sieste.

The Ark's tender is up for Controle Technique

   The dreaded test has come round again, the French equivalent of M O T. However, it only comes round every TWO years and the test is done at a special test centre, not in a garage as in England. I have always felt uneasy as to the honesty of the testing garage, anxious to provide some work for the repair side of the business . One hears unpleasant rumours of sharp practice.... These pressures are not present in the French test centres, so we can be sure all the problems are real. Luckily, the problems were not very serious, and only one needed a re-test.
  The van went for its test on Ninth of Aug, but Our garage couldn't do the necessary until yesterday, never mind, there is a delay in booking the re-test. Laurent at Couture arranged to have the van for repair yesterday  but lent us the garage 206 to use while the repairs were carried out. It's a shock, driving a car with no power steering or brakes, isn't it? We were told the van might not be ready before tonight, but in the event, Nadia rang late yesterday afternoon to say it was ready, a happy surprise ! Booked in for free re-test tonight at 6 10. I don't anticipate any problems, Garage Bayou is most reliable . Nadia said to call in next week for the bill, not ready yet! An English garage wouldn't have released the car without a payment , preferably in cash, ,even for regular customer, the attitude of the French garages is most refreshing ...
  Bye for now, going to have a little doze....

Alyson's visit

Our daughter Alyson has just returned to the UK after spending two weeks on thE Ark. The weather was kind to her, Al likes nothing better than to bask in the sun, improving her sun-tan. We put out a sun bed in the cour, and she lay there, roasting like a chicken. I don't know how she does it, Kim and I stay in the shade during the heat of the day.
  On Friday, we took her to see the Ile d'Olreron, which she had never seen. It rained all morning as we drove to the Ile, but after we arrived, the sun came out and we were able to sight see on the island.  Al wanted to see Fort Boyard and we found a spot where we could see the Fort in the distance. Afterwards, we drove to the Chassiron lighthouse at the tip of the island, and had a coffee at a near-by restaurant . Then we went to see the sea where the currents meet as they sweep around the point, it's obvious what the lighthouse is for!
  Then, the long drive home, where the dogs were anxiously awaiting us for their tea... A very pleasant excursion in spite of the morning's rain.
   The next day, we had to reluctantly take her to La Rochelle airport to catch her plane home. The nightmare delay on our previous trip, when traffic queuing for the Ile de Re bridge nearly made her miss her flight made us anxious but in the event there was no problem and we arrived early . We said our goodbyes at the barrier, and set off for the drive home with heavy hearts. Als flight was forty minutes late, although check-in was at the normal time.. She didn't get home until after one am! Almost quicker to walk to Plymouth than to take a plane.
   Bye for now, Kim gone up for an afternoon nap, might doze myself....