barbados 30th december

at 91 degrees F we were melting of course.

went on an organised tour taking in an orchid garden, so have a load of pics of different types of orchids, and an old plantation house which was interesting for it's carriage and saddlery collection , as well as its insight into how a planter would live.

one of the carriages, a governess cart, had been donated by the show jumper Harry Lewellyn, and there was a side saddle that used to belong to Lady Alfred Munnings, wife of the artist.

the usual collection of bits - have you ever noticed, what goes around, comes around, in bits as in other matters?

then after lunch we took ourselves into bridgetown, and were impressed by their parliment museum and the "national heroes gallery" - they've had artists do stuff based around the idea of 10 national heroes - only one of whom i had heard of, GAry Sobers the cricketer.

straightness

not something i expected to be learning about in the middle of the atlantic, but they started a Pilates class which we signed up for, and essentially, that's what it's a bout a lot of ti - that and getting the muscles working properly, which you can only do when you are straight in yourself. i guess i did know that really, but taking lessons for oneself on the point makes a difference in "getting it".

haven't had a lot to say, due to being in the middle of the atlantic, ; we're not in the middle so much now, arrive at our first destination tomorrow morning bright and early, and i'll tell you all about it tomorrow..

in the meantime we've been getting our exercise by going to the gym and using the cycling machine, and swimming now they have filled the pool (with sea water, so it's very salty, and because the boat is moving it's like swimming in a mini sea.

funchal, madeira

we were supposed to get there for 0800 tuesday morning but didn't get into port until 1600 tuesday afternoon, due to the ship having to slow down and have a passenger helicoptered off on monday night, and storm 7/8 gales thereafter... so all the trips were cancelled and we got 2 hours to wander round Funchal, which was very nice but wet - 71 degrees F and raining!

but a very nice place, shame we could not have had longer there, and their lights are fantastic. the town is built up a very steep mountain and when the street lights are lit they go right to the top of the mountain and it looks fantastic from the sea. shame i can't post any pics!

we now have 5 days sailing to our next port of call, and hping that the gales abate soon (although apparently not before tomorrow at the earliest). whilst we're not being ill, it's difficult to sleep when the ship is banging and groaning all around!

La Coruna (Corunna)

was the stop for yesterday, 21st december.

it is a deep water port in north spain, where the armada set off from, used by the uboats in WW2, has the only surviving roman lighthouse (which is also still in use as a lighthouse!).

We did a "tout" partly by coach with photo stops and partly on foot in the old town.

The problem now is i can't show you any photos as the ship doesn't' allow you to attach memory sticks etc to their computers -i'm reducing the charges to me by log in in remotely to my home computer, but that doesnt' help on the photo front.

after we left Corunna, the weather turned horrid and there were some scary noises ... but we're still here, currently the morning of the 22nd on the way to madeira, where we arrive tomorrow morning.

i'm going to try and work out how to send pics from my phone

so guess what i left at home

we got to the boat, got to our cabin, i started unpacking, thought, i'll do the stuff to hang up first ... that was the point at which i thought.. hang on, somethng missing..

my suit carrier with my evening wear, and the separate carrier with allison's dresses etc, are still hanging up at home.

oops.

happily, her evening kit was in the case, we both have other smart formal type things .. but oops.

not pleased!

good night's sleep and we're about to enter the bay of biscay.

internet access is 30 pence a minute! scary!

i don't DO winter holidays...

So WHY am i going away over Christmas/New year? well you might ask...

partner is in a singing group. a member of the group has cancer, and HER OH bought her a lush holiday to help her recover etc; unfortunately, she couldn't get travel insurance so they couldn't go; it was offered out to anyone who wanted it at a reasonable price, and partner happened to have the money and said, why don't we.

I said, but first year new business and winter and molly and etc... but of course, we won't get this opportunity again

So you'll find out where we're going as we travel and get there, but as a clue, i will say we have to be in Southampton by 1400 tomorrow...

I will have internet access and anticipate I will be able to remember my log in/password to keep you all informed, LOL!

Burghley... but not as you know it!

given that it's on the A1, and on the way home, we decided to go see Burghley house.. its normally shut, of course, during the horse trials.

You aren't allowed to take photos in the house...

I highly recommend the house ... fantastic collection, and you can see it all (unlike in the NT places, where everything is usually in stygian electrically lit gloom....)

and then we went into Stamford,

and had lunch at the George. Both Stamford, the town, and the George, the pub, have featured in lots of films and telly...

so that's the end of the Holiday, this blog is now closed until our next holiday! normal service will be resumed on Molly's blog tomorrow - the farrier is due at 15.30 and we will be discussing ringbone, if you recall....

Blois

is where we stopped on the way North, decided to have lunch there and then visited the Chateau, which was a Royal Chateau. Then, of course, there was an RTA on the motorway, and then we got stuck in the Paris rush hour (should have known that would happen) so didn't get to hotel until 9.30 pm! ah well. it was a good day.

And, Trudi, I had to log in in French tonight (everything else is still in english, save that!)

so some towers and staircases

well, there WILL be pics of towers etc but tonight it isn't uploading!

service resumed...

sorry about that! the internet, landline and everything went down but Trudi & Patrick are back now so all back online! Here is the last 2 days; didn't do anything except pack, today, but partner went for a walk round a reservoir so there may be some photos later...

Friday

Lovely day at Di's at Le Puy, tried the Vogue on Corky who was then discovered to be not quite right behind... not lame, but not right... but nice to ride! All her horses are lovely, Bon Bon the 2 year old learning how to tell the gelding to go away! He's a bit outnumbered, LOL, the only gelding with three mares! Lovely house, good craic, arena really good going. When we got back I discovered that there's no landline anymore...something has gone wrong with it, possbly as a result of storms, so therefore no internet access either. Can send emails via the phone, but the phone had an accident yesterday in water and whilst most of it has survived, no one can hear me talk! Happily I found the one i'd originally lost, so will be able to put the sim card back in that when I get home. Then dropped partner off for her to try the correct walk home again, which she did....but no deer pics tonight.Partner cooking.. duck! And nice tarts for pudding. In the meantime, we are listening to the last disc of an audio book (we like those when on long journeys) Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, excellent.

Saturday 25

Our last full day before we have to start packing tomorrow for an early start Monday. Went into St Yrieux in the morning to look at the shops that were shut on Monday, then went to Chateau de Puygeilhem at Villars after lunch. This was built in the 1530's by an advisor to Francois 1, fell into ruin in the late 19th century and was restored during and after WW II.

the facade

an inscription on the oldest tower

the back

the dovecote

and a lizard, because it was there ...

closed castles and whiplash in horses...

first, the closed castles..

We decided to go to Chalus for the afternoon, the Chalus Haut Chateau is where Richard LIonheart died....


it was shut. it is privately owned, but according to michelin one could get in. we were disappointed, as were a Belgian family and another brit. The Chateau Malmont was open, but it had nothing to do with Richard


we then went to the Chateau de Les Cars. this could be seen ... but was all fenced off, probably because of structural unsoundness.

so, third castle, Lestours ... also in private ownership, also closed.

so came home, having dropped partner off for her to walk back...she got lost, but to good effect:

and Whiplash in horses? it was partner used that phrase, but essentially it's right.... a problem caused by horse pressed too hard against front bar in trailer on trailer being braked sharply...

Hadn't thought of that before as a possible issue, but really, it has to be.

also, interestingly, partner had thought he was wrong behind, and we hadn't credited that.. but she was right.

so further treatment wiill happen. and she was a lovely lady and shame she lives in france, LOL

thunderstorm

and rain woke me up ... must go get horse in for physio coming ..and my raincoat is back in Durham, LOL

there's more to brive than rugby....

Brive-la-Gaillard has a very good rugby team, which often plays Newcastle Falcons (the main rugby team at home....). Today, we went to Brive. it's a good shopping centre, an interesting old town, and a nice church. But i wasn't inspired to take my camera out...

Pompadour, on the other hand, was a different matter... we went there on the way back, as it is on the way pretty much.

It houses the Haras National (National Stud) but we didn't have time to do the full tour and see the stallions.

We did, however, have time for the chateau tour which was interesting.

Here are the stables built by Madame Pompadour


and a view of the Chateau

and a view of the racecourse/cross country course (very clever) seen from the battlements

and a nice bit of metalwork outside the chateau

weather all over

yes i know that's the title of my other post on molly's blog.. but they're both relevant, LOL.

here, we've been tottally melting... horses had fans on in the stables and were still hot! and i didn't turn out until 8 pm...but now it's raining, which is good all round!

we went to Limoges... where it was very hot. but cool in the cathedral


this mural is great!

and looking at this fountain was relaxing if not cooling.....

shut on monday...

everything except the supermarkets, pharmacists and tourist attractions...so the first plan, a tour of the china shops in the local town, went by the wayside.

so we went to thiviers, also shut, but found a "salon de the" run by a chap from Halifax, West Yorkshire, and his wife... so i was able to have a proper pot of tea with my lunch.

this was the view from the church at Thiviers


then we went to St Jean de Core, a few miles outside Thiviers, which was open LOL - a medieval village pretty well preserved and lived in with a church datin from teh 11th Century and chateau started at that time currently being restored on an occasional basis as and when funds become available.

hautfort

a chateaux with its foundations in a roman fort, via medieval and Louis Quatorze; rather impressive at the top of a hill! and some rather neat formal gardens...

travel and first day

good travelling weather yesterday, as it wasn't too hot and didn't rain TOO much, just the odd patch....

stopped at one motorway service area near Abbeville where there's a tower overlooking the Baie de la Somme, and they have a lake with loads of ducks



Today was planned to be a horsey day with some riding and stuff, and Diane from Le Puy came for lunch ... but unfortunately the horse came in lame, and the vet had to be called. hopefully it'll be all ok, but we're not sure what's wrong yet....

and reports on the news of flooding at home, have texted home and they had the horses in last night!

nearly a year later

and we're back in the campanile calais on the way to Trudi's....

uneventful drive down through england, through the chunnel 3 hours earlier than booked (YAY) and long drive tomorrow...

no pics yet of course, nothing to take pics of!