RETURN TO MONSEGUR, THE BASTIDE VILLAGE

Up at 8am, we were breakfasted at our lovely hotel breakfast, packed and off to market early. WE split up to buy more fruit, cheese, salad fixings and more important - 4 dozen oysters to take on our way. Good thing we decided not to tail o ne another as we hit a huge traffic jam en route to Bordeaux. I consulted the map and decided to head across country. Later Liz texted me to say that's what they were doing. We didn't take the freeway so got there a bit later BUT we had travelled slowly through the Graves and Sauternes area, past famous chateaux and beautiful vineyards.
  Amazingly, villages were silent, it was lunch hour and France closes from 12 to 2:30. We just could not believe it.
  AFter a nice lunch together at "our" house in the bastide village of Monsegur (thanks Greg!) we set off to the village square and butcher, where Liz found lamb chops to BBQ and I found lamb kidneys. Along with cream, cognac and butter, they made a nice supper that evening. The boys got the BBQ up and running and our amazing oyster shucker (Clive) got started on the first of 3 feasts we would make of them.
  Cheeses, eclairs from the local patisserie and my special meringues found for me in Arcachon finished us off nicely for the first of 7 great days of  touring, eating and drinking.
  May I add that you can drink well for E4 a bottle here if you stay home.
  Ted became our man for the morning run to whichever bakery he could find with fresh pain au chocolate and croissants. And bread.
  Our first day Liz got out the map and then  expertly navigated us around the whole region for the week. Clive and I just sat in the back and were taken from one marvellous site or cafe or restaurant to another. Ted was on his own side of the road anyway and calmly got us everywhere in one piece too.
  We returned to the nice basyide of Issigeac for a picnic by the river, to also watch a game of petanque (boules0 across from us which resulted in fisticuffs for a while after a fair quantity of wine had been consumed no doubt. WE discovered that there is a set of boules in the ca but we never got around to using them. 

ATLANTIC FRANCE AND SUN!!

Easy EasyJet made our trip to Bordeaux very simple. Gatwick was very weay to navigate  - droop rental car, push bags to check in, no lineups, lots of walking. A stop at duty free made the priority boarding unnecessary!!  Ted not amused...WE had 3 seats for the two of us so a comfortable ride, and after a greasefix breakfat, no need to worry about drinks or food on board.
  Into nice Bordeaux airport, again easy car rental with Hertz, cost twice as much as the UK cars, and soon ot of the airport ad rund a roundabout several times to connect to the ocean road.
  A nice drive through pine forests much like Oregon coast, with dunes at the end of the road too. We were now in comunication with Liz, who had arrived at the hotel just beofre us, left us insructions how to find it (quite intricate and difficult) but I didn't see them until after we had checked in and found the hotel quite easily! Yeah for GPS.
  I later found that I had run up $100 in roaming charges quite quickly (19meg at $5/meg) so Telus has cut me off until I buy a package...holding off on that as I should be Ok on wifi now.
  The small boutique hotel on the beach at Arcachon was really lovely, walking distance to all the good restaurants, market, oyster market, boat tript over to Cap Ferrat, perfect really.
  We spent 3 days there, quaffing oysters apace, along with lots of other lovely seafood and fish. It's a town where retired folks with plenty of money hang out but we managed not to run up too many big bills, even though we ate like kings or rois the whole time. Ice cream shops provided a little variance in the diet, esp. once we discovered the cassis variety.
  It was hot (32 one day) and sunny, with some fluffy clouds for variety some days, almost a relief. But cool enough for the leather jacket in the evening all the same.
  At the daily market we bought melons, figs, strawbs, peaches, pears, stocking up for our journey. Then a drive to the oyster bed area east of Arcachon, and lunch at a super little restuarant on the river with a plate of fruit de mer - grey shrimp (eat the whole thing apart from the head), prawns, whelks, cockles washed down with a bottle of white Entre de Mers, which we are finding perfectly compliments everything we eat.
  Later we took our tastebuds to the gym again at the swanky Victoria restaurant where the food was mostly really good but we were cold with the doors to the ocean open all evening...
  WE spent our last day in Arcachon taking the boat over toe Cap Feerrett, the little train out to the beach, back to squat on stools at the bar for more oysters and shellfish (no mussels, Liz is allergic) and a nice walk along their beach too.
  Our last night we checked out another swanky place, Chez Pierre, and he did not disappoint. WE headed to the bar for the rest of my party to quaff a cognac and finish our day properly. Our waistlines are not gonna thank us for all this later...

SUNNY FOLKESTONE - THEN DOWNHILL FROM THERE...

Playing catchup on our travels, I am finding it difficult to remember that it is almost two weeks later that I have found my blog again. Lack of wifi and time, having too good a trip I guess.
  We took a good drive down to the English coast at Folkestone to visit my nephew Simon and family, Julia, Robert and Nell in thier lovely  new house there.
  A sumptuous lunch, with fois gras to get us in the mood for Perigourdine France, then summer BBQ lamb kebabs. Then a walk along the beachfront in gorgeous sun, where a holiday weekend festival was going on, and everyone having a good time before the kids return to school there.
  Only one small detour on the way back but nearly an unwarranted trip through the dreaded Dartford Tunnel. AT least we checked on our rouote to Gatwick for the next day.
  The statuory  holiday in England proved a bit disastrous weather wise, heavy rain almost all day and a pool outside our house. Anne's plan for a summer BBQ was quickly converted to indoor visiting with all her family, which wasn't weather dependent. All had fun together, the little girls (1 and 4) behaved perfectly and we would up with the usual family card games before Sarah left for home and work in the morning.
  Tuesday is Anne & Graeme's day with granddaughters so Ted and I drove south to Oxshott for a visit with long-time friends Trish and Art Torr, sadly our last gvisit with him I am sure. We enjoyed hearing all about their growing dynasty, 8th grandchild expected soon, and about all the family spread across the world.
  I navigated our way back to london across town to Chiswick, dropped off a spare suitcase of UK clothing (hope we don't need it in France) to my sister Mary, who was not in residence. Thus Ted ad I took a walk down to the Thames pubs at Strand on the Green, and renewed our acquintance with several draft beers and pub grub. While we sat outside, it began to rain...
  That evening we thanked our hosts with dinner at Loch Fyne, not entirely a success with no beer, no mussels but lots of other good things to quaff and devour, including a great lobster bisque.
  Wednesday morning, we set off at a reasonable 8:45am for Gatwick airport. I should ad the traffic jam coming into London was horrendous and people do this on their daily commute. Perish the thought. But Simon & Julia commute by train from Folkestone too!
  Off to France looking for sun...