Bonjour mes amis!

Well, that is about as far as I can remember of my GCSE French, so I have to switch back to normal now.

Why am I starting in French? Well it is because I am writing to you from France. We left our home at 11pm on Wednesday 14th August heading for the Tunnel.  We had a 0320 train and then another 6 – 7 hours driving to reach the beautiful town of Richelieu, situated in the Loire Valley.

The reason for this long drive?  We were going to join my close family who were already vacationing in France.

Little Chick, Hubby, Theodoreable and I got into the car and I drove down to Kent to catch the Eurotunnel.

Although not the quickest route, it was the only way we could take the baba with us and I sure as heck wasn’t going away without him.

Three hours of driving later and we were ready for the tunnel. Then the long drive in France after, which hubby did amazingly well, especially as he had never driven on the continent before.

The purpose of the trip (apart from a little holiday) was to celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary of my Sister and Brother in law, Angela and Gordon, along with a large group of their friends and family.

The seven hour drive down was really tiring and at first I couldn’t understand why they would buy a property so far down the Country. I just didn’t get it.

We eventually got down to Richelieu and instantly I got it.

I felt like all my worries had dissolved. That I was somehow ‘home’ yet not quite.

We were warmly welcomed by my Sister in law, Brother in law, Niece and Mum.

Oh and their dog, Billy.

Wine, bread and cheese was set out for everyone and we had a wonderful lunch a la Francais.

After lunch we all walked into town to see what it was like and I can honestly say I fell in love with it. Provincial French life; cafes, tabacs, boucheries, boulangeries, charcuteries. Everything you could possible need and more. The scenery was stunning and Gordon told us all about how the town was the birthplace of Cardinal Richelieu (him of the Musketeers fame) and there are statues and murals dedicated to him around the town.

We popped into a small Carrefour and got some supplies including some super cheap wine, 6.5 litres for the bargain price of 13€

Getting back to the house, I admit I  needed one of my beloved Nana naps, as it had been a really long day.

After a couple of hours sleep, I was refreshed enough to join the rest of the family for an al fresco dinner. And what a wonderful dinner it was.

The following day was spent chilling out, swimming in the pool and a few visited the town again. My knee was playing up a bit so I opted to stay home and get stuck in a book.

We were introduced to Angela and Gordon’s friends; Sara, Andy and their son Cameron. We had an absolute blast of a night; ukulele playing, Disney song singing, and much laughter.

Everyone tried out the bargain wine against a good bottle in a blind taste testing; All but one person preferred the cheap plonk.

Result!

The next day was the Party and all hands were on deck; cleaning, prepping, moving furniture and sorting out the party things. I wasn’t able to assist with this as I had an appointment at the vets around 30 minutes away to get Theodore a tapeworm treatment. This has be done before coming back into the UK by a registered Vet.

Whilst we were off doing this the guests had already started arriving. It was going to be an all day party.

And what a party it was!

Lasting well into the night, there was a lot of laughter and frivolity. It was a very special day.

Sunday was the last full day for us as we were needing to leave very early Monday morning for our Eurotunnel back. We packed all our belongings up and planned on having a relaxed day.

We walked into the town centre and sat outside in a little cafe. Wine, beer and steak was the order of the day and it was absolutely delicious. Some of the friends came passed and had a bit of a natter. It was a lovely day and was so relaxing that I felt like I could have stayed there forever.

Eventually we returned to the house and sat in the garden chatting and getting ready for an early night. The holiday was amazing and had really relaxed us all. And we had certainly needed it.

Too soon it was time for bed; we needed to be up at 5am for the long drive ahead.

As you all know, I am not a morning person so it was a struggle to get up. Sitting in the back of the car with Theodore, we both made the most of the duvet in there and got our heads down. It was around a 7 hour trip back to Calais and the dog made the most of it.

By that, I mean he slept for the whole journey!

Arriving in Calais we did a little bit of shopping at the Carrefour for some cheese, wine and pastries. Then it was time to get the train home.

Arriving back in the UK we had another 4 hour drive home. By now it was 4pm and we had been on the road for many hours. Deciding at the last minute to finish off the holiday in style, we headed for a local Bills restaurant for some dinner before going home.

It was a great idea all round and really made a great end to a great holiday.

Here’s looking forward to next year!

Till next time,

SPSG xx