Heat, Hoots & Housekeeping
We made an early morning escape from Paris, enjoying a beautiful drive along the Seine as the sun was rising. It was a peaceful start to what turned out to be a very warm travel day.
The ferry crossing was an adventure in itself. We somehow managed to pass through five checkpoints: ticketing, an EU passport check, an EU vehicle check, a UK passport check, and finally a UK vehicle check. By the time we drove onto the ferry, we felt very thoroughly inspected!
The crossing itself was lovely—about the same length as our regular Duke Point to Tsawwassen ferry back home, around two hours. As a bonus, we were treated to a fantastic view of the White Cliffs of Dover as we approached England.
Driving off the ferry, we dutifully reminded ourselves, "Keep left!" Before long we found a quiet roadside pull-off where we enjoyed another delicious picnic lunch. One thing we've become very good at on this trip is finding yummy things to eat along the way.
Somewhere along those English country roads, the Blue Gnu quietly rolled over another milestone—450,000 km! It seemed fitting that it happened in the middle of another adventure.
Later in the afternoon we made a nostalgic stop at the Three Horseshoes near Lavenham—the very same pub where we'd stopped on the first day of our trip. Back then it had been bustling, and everyone looked so friendly and welcoming. This time, thanks to the relentless heat, it was almost deserted. It was still lovely to be back, but it felt like we'd arrived in a completely different place.
By the time we arrived in Weston in the late afternoon/early evening, we'd hoped to stop and see a few things along the way, but it was simply too hot to do anything overly ambitious.
Our first full day was all about giving the Blue Gnu some love. A full spa treatment was in order. We emptied, vacuumed, and reorganized everything.
Funnily enough, we're once again taking a surprising amount of stuff out of the car to bring home, while leaving the mattress behind for our next adventure. I have a feeling we'll end up with exactly the same amount of luggage... Though possibly even heavier. 😂
While we had everything spread out, we also made a catalogue of the contents for anyone who's ever wondered what we consider essential for these journeys. (Warning: it could be dull viewing!)
We tackled a few little projects around the estate with mixed success. My sister's car and phone are finally talking to each other a bit better, and some apples were successfully wrangled. Mostly, though, we've excelled at relaxing and doing very little. Judi keeps threatening to finally start some craft projects... but that may be a bridge too far.
We wandered down the main street to admire the church steeple, but poor Cotty had yet another run-in with nettles. You'd think he'd have declared them sworn enemies by now.
On our walk we also came across a little fledgling dove sitting on a gate looking rather sorry for itself. We decided to leave it where it was in the hope its parents were nearby. When we came back later it had disappeared, so we're choosing to believe Mum and Dad found it and our sad little story turned into a happy one. Fingers crossed. 🤞🏼
To round out the day, we joined some of my sister and brother-in-law's friends, who live just a few houses down the road, for a mini pub crawl. We started at a fun outdoor pub with food trucks before heading to the village hall for quiz night. It was a lovely way to spend the evening and a wonderful reminder of how friendly village life can be.
Thankfully it looks like today is the last of the really hot weather. We're crossing our fingers for cooler temperatures tomorrow and going forward.
One thing that has made us laugh is the complete change in décor. After being surrounded by a pandemonium of parrots at our friends' place near Paris, we're now living amongst a parliament of owls with the family. Apparently the birds have been following us across Europe. We can only wonder what species will greet us next.
