and finally the movies!

Part one: Le Puy en Velay to Lascabanes

Part two: Montcuq to St Jean Pied de Port

And yet more Paris

As well as doing all the usual cultural things, today we ate Berthillion ice cream, Laduree macarons and watched the world go by from the cafe opposite St Surplice's ( the church featured in the Da Vinci code) and children sailing boats in the lake at the Jardins du Luxemburg. Beate is now on her way back to Germany..
very sad
We worked out that we have now been together in 7 countries..I wonder where we will meet !next time?

More Paris

Beate is the perfect tour guide for Paris..she had so many good ideas ..and we didn't queue once.

Paris

Lovely day..up early and simply walked until I had had enough..visted Notre Dame and walked along the Seine...didn't bother with anything that involved queuing. Eventually caught Metro back to hostel then headed off to the Gare de L'est to meet the train of my German friend Beate who I met on my first camino 10 years ago. We haven't seen each other for seven years but it doesn't feel like it. We walked up to Sacre Cour and then found some pizza for dinner..with lots of catching up.

And now in Paris

All train connections went smoothly..even the Metro.I am armed with maps and ready to start exploring tomorrow!

and I have finished

At St Jean Pied de Port now.. very odd feeling as everyone else that I have been walking with for the last weeks is going on tomorrow to climb over the Pyranees while I do battle with French trains again and then try to meet my German friend from my first camino; Beate in Paris. I am staying at L'Esprit du Chemin which so far I am very impressed by... full of all kind of thoughtful touches... even a peppermint on my pillow and some shelter for my clothes in the shower! I am tired and sore and generally happy to not be walking tomorrow.. people tell me that your body settles down after a couple of months of walking but I am not sure if I will ever find this out..It has been a wonderful experience but I am ready to come home.

At Gaineko Etxea

Diary week. 5 July 4
Had tried unsuccessfully to make a booking at Arroue but should have done it before the weekend. I did the maths and decided to carry on to Arroue despite the fact it was a smallish gite and quite a few people I talked to already had reservations or were planning on stopping there. I walked for a short while with young Pierre-Benoit who told me he never makes bookings on the theory that no one would want him to have no where to sleep..apparently this has worked for him so far..he is a young engineering student who is carrying his violin as he plans to carry on to Ireland and play in pubs. He looked a bit like Ton with his long legs and curly blonde hair. Then I walked with Swiss Marco who was also reservationless. We arrived to find a list on the door announcing that there were 3 beds "disponsible" and that some one would be around at 5.30 or so to collect the money. We were a little worried that the last 3 beds might be assigned to some one else over the phone but as I couldn't get any phone reception and Marco's phone card didn't seem to work in the phone box, we have simply added our names to the list and moved in.
Later...that seemed to work..they seem to have cupboards and a fridge full of food for pelerins to buy and it is also possible to order baguettes and pain au chocolate to be delivered fresh in the early morning.

Tuesday 5 July. Arroue to Ostabat..a funny days walking as it was very hard to tell from MMDD just how far it was as there were so many variants and the don't mark distances on the variantes. What I thought would be about 25 k seemed much less..not a bad thing as the last hour or so was pretty hot. We are now well into Basque country..every placename has a Basque variant..usually full of Xs. It has also gotten hillier over the last day or so. 
I was told a few days ago that there might be difficulties with bookings in Ostabat as several trails all merged here but that doesn't seem to be the case..in fact Regula and I are so far alone in a 9 bed dortoir.

Navarrenx

Diary week 5 1 July
Last night's municipal gite at AA was not very inspiring ..like a motel packed full of beds that you could hardly squeeze between...but they sagged in just the right places and temperatures had cooled down so I had another good sleep. Wifi only worked if you were close to the reception so I spent much of the evening perched on the stairs catching up with emails. After feeling part of a small group for the last week or so it felt strange to see so many new people...and not French either. For the first time I heard Spanish ...and there seem to be a lot of Swiss people on the Chemin now.

This morning my blisters were healed enough to wear my boots again and after several short 20 k days my muscles are a lot better too. Another nice easy day with lots of cornfields and tiny villages..all very tidy and prosperous looking. As I arrived at a church this morning where lots of pelerins had stoppef for a rest someone said in French .."good..the whole family has arrived now!". Sadly arrived to late to hear Regula who likes to sing in empty churches..they have wonderful accoustics.
sometimes she even sings in English ..but nothing I recognize.  Arrived at the Gite municipal in Pomps about 1.30...a converted sports hall. I am in a room that has been converted from a changing room.  Off it is a shower room..nozzles sprouting from the wall and water puddles on the floor along with 2 beds.  No one wanted to sleep there! As we gathered in the kitchen I  met Craig from Texas who Margaret had told me to watch out for. Long talks that afternoon, dinner outside. Slept badly as no curtain so room was too light and there were sounds of water pipes everytime someone used the loos next door.

Saturday 2 July Pomps to Maslaq. Left early before breakfast and stopped 2 hours later at a marche along the way to buy cherries and pain au chocolate. Can now see the Pyranees towering off in the distance.Craig caught up with me along the way and we walked a couple more hours to Maslancq before stopping at a picnic table for an early lunch then he headed off for another's couple of hours to Souvlade and I stopped at gite. As I always do I checked the bed for the black marks that tbe bedbug pamphlets describe as being bug droppings. There were so many that I assumed that they couldn't be. I had a shower,  did some washing and had a rest before discovering my first bedbug. I squashed it between my fingers and found blood ..don't know whether it was mine or the previous occupent's. After finding another couple I dragged the mattress and my bedding outside into the sun and then visited the epicerie to see of they sold "quelquefois pour les punaise de lit" but they didn't so I tried to ring the woman in charge but didn't get much joy there either so rang and made a booking at Souvelade, 8 kilometers away.I decided that I wouldn't be able to sleep, imagining them crawling over me through the night.  I left just before 6 in the evening and had a very quick walk, arrived about 7.40ish.The sun was still very hot and I needed myi umbrella. Lovely walk through the woods beside a river. Souvelade felt cleaner and gave me my own room with views of the abbey.

Sunday 3 July. Souvelade to Navarrenx.Left with Craig and chatted all the way..only 14 k because of my previous nights walk, and didn't get lost once. Had to wait until 12 for bar to give admittance to municipal gite but it looks ok.

at Navarranx

Cant find wifi so am on french keyboard.. last few days have been lovely apart from a close encounter with a bed bug that lead to me walking an additional 8 k last night to escape.. no bites thqt I know of so far

Photos

One month on the road

Diary week 4 Sunday 26 June. Lamothe to Manciet. At. Lamothe I had a whole dormitory to myself and it looks as though I will again here at Manciet. I left a little later than I really should have this morning but was enjoying taking full advantage of having free wifi for more than a few minutes and reading NZ newspapers on my phone. For the first time I had delicious bircher muesli for breakfast along with wholemeal bread. Much of the walking this morning was _along shady country lanes..just as well as the heat was oppressive by the time I arrived in Manciet. I passed through Euze at about 10 and found a super spar supermarket open where I was able to find some band aids for my blisters and a pain au chocolate ..will have to go cold turkey on those when I get home...so yummy! Just outside the Euze cathedral there was an outdoor market settting up.I bought some apricots and cherries: life is easier since I stopped trying to calculate everything in NZ prices. I walked today in sports sandals (now held _together with string ) and socks to protect me from the sun and give my new blisters time to recover. I got to Manciet about 1.30 and am having a very quiet and cool afternoon indoors reading.Of all the equipment that I brought along my Android phone...bought very cheaply only weeks before I left has been the winner. It came with a free kindle App and I was able to download many free classics to it. I am currently reading Wilkie Collin's "The _Woman in White"...a bit _melodramatic but lots of fun..just the thing for a long hot afternoon in a tiny village with nothing else to do in the fierce heat. I was also able to download Alison Raju's guidebook as an ebook very cheaply and have been very grateful to have it sometimes when the track is not well marked. I use the note App to keep my diary and cut and paste it into the blogger App when I find wifi. The camera is only 3 pixels but it does sometimes (when the wifi is srong enough) allow me to post photos. I downloaded a sound recording App and have been trying to record some of tge birdsong and other sounds of the chemin. The news and weather App quickly downloads a week of weather forecasts using the GPS function to work out where I am when I have wifi and is then available for offline reading.It also downloads NZ news headlines for offline viewing. Initially I wondered what the point of the Email App was as it seemed more user friendly to simply go directly to my email using the web browser but have found it very useful as it also allows offline viewing off email. Internet hasn't been as easy to find in France ad ot was in Spain 7 years ago..and when you do find it you then have to do battle with French keyboards..very offputting. Wifi (pronounced weefee here ) is getting easier to find and pops up in unexpected places. I have rarely had Wifi for more than very short periods but it has been great being able to read newspapers from home and blogs.Language has been a bigger barrier than in Spain..I can now get by during the day but am lacking conversationally in the evenings..if only I had taken the time to study "le rugby". The Android certainly fills a gap then..and of course I also use it as a phone..it would be very difficult to rely on public phones to book accomodation and phone home. Now if I could just get past the next level of Angry Birds...

I am staying at the gite Chez Matthieu beside the church but wouldn't recommend it unless you can find nothing better. Lots of uncomfortable folding beds jammed into small rooms with thin translucent walls, no cooking fascilities and only one bathroom...would be appalling if it was full. There were 5 of us at dinner and conversation centred around "le chaleur" the heat and how we should all leave at. 6 in the morning to avoid the worst. Just checked Miam miam and tomorrow's gite doesn't open till 3..will have to hope for a shady tree somewhere close.

Monday 27 June. Manciet to
Maison Labarbe.
Another shortish 19 k day because of predicted 37C. Left Manciet at about 6.15 am and arrived at Nogaru 2 hours later. Had a pain au chocolate sitting in front of the church and then headed off again forgetting my stick and had to go back for it after a few hundred metres or so. Walked for another hour and s half or so before heat really began to set in for the day.Pack heavier than usual because of need to carry extra water. Found a shady corner of a corn field and set up camp until about 2.30. Shade kept shifting and I had to keep avoiding the stinging nettles. Read one of the Anne of Green Gables books on my phone. Miscalculated a little and found I still had several kilometers to go in the heat. Hot tar and gravel embed themselves onto the soles of my sandals.Sweat dripping onto my eyes ...thank goodness for my umbrella although it could do to be a bit bigger and more opaque. The combined layers of sweat and dust from the very dry tracks make me feel like well fried Wienish schnitzel.  Arrived to find noone here and note on door wishing me a good installation.One good thing about the heat is that even in the early evening my washing dries in only an hour or so. Am the only person staying in gite so ate my four course dinner in solitary splendour ...salad , roast duck and haricot beans, cheese, icecream trumpet. Then popped and drained blisters ....should have done, ir the other day really. Hot sleepless night ...tried opening the window but it is hotter outside than in. Temps expected to drop to 29C on Tues.

Tuesday 28 Juin : Maison Labarbe to Aire sur L'Ardour. As I was alone in the gite I wad able to leave by 6.30. Walked through corn fields dodging the irrigation sprinklers. Only saw 4 other walkers today...one a Basque man with such a thick accent it would have been hard to understand him if there hadn't been lots of hand action describing the heat of the last few days. Not too bad today..grey and threatening rain but never really.I should be able to see the Pyranees by now but perhaps it is juzt too overcast. Arrived at Andre and Odile's gite only minutes before it opened and was wecomed with a cold drink and chocolate! Had stopped at a giant Carrefours supermarket on my way in. Andre and Odile are lovely..he has treated my worst blister..he is of the mercurochrome and cotten threaded through the blister school so will be interesting to see how it goes... a bit gory but my wee band aids were certainly not working. They have also rung ahead for me to Miramont Sensacq as I kept getting an answer phone and wasn't sure what to do. In the meantime Regula and Marie Helene and Vanessa (swiss) have arrived..nice to see a familiar face or two.

Wednesday 29 June Aire sur L'Ardour to Miramont Sendacq. A long hot sleepless night, much of it spent listening to audio book on my phone. Left early without breakfast and soon met up with Fleming from Denmark who speaks excellent English ...had my first real conversation in a week or so. We were walking through corn fields and were joined by 3 others.Somewhere along the way we all must have bern too busy talking as we missed a turning. We suddenly realised it had been some time since we saw a marker.I would probably have turned back at that point but the consensus was to go on so we did until we eventually found s little village where we asked an old lady. We just had to backtrack a little and then keep straight along the road for an hour or so.Arrived at Miramont about 1.30ish..very nice welcoming people showed us around and will cook us a meal tonight for a donation. Lots of familiar faces here. Was able to grab a bottom bunk, a power outlet for my phone, a shower and an afternoon sleep..life is good!
Later had very good shared meal cooked by hosts for donation. We sat around outside and Adrian played the Pan pipes and there was some half hearted singing of the Pelerin song Ultreia. The night was a bit cooler and I managed to get some sleep for first time in several days.

Thursday 30 June. Miramont Sensacq to Arzacq Arraziguet.Today I have been walling for a month and only have one week left. We all left about 7.30 and had relatively short 16 k walk but a few ups and downs. More corn and sunflower fields and sheep and cows. Arrived at A just a few minutes after office closed for morning so did a quick trip to boulangerie and fruit and vege shop then back for lunch.Am hoping that wifi id available as promised by MMDD.

Dinner

Graham keeps asking what the food is like so while there are only 3 of us for dinner and I have wifi I thought I would take some photos . Tonight isn't totally typical as our host is a large jolly german man who looks a bit like santa claus. It was delicious though!

Saturday 25 June at Lamothe

The first weeks walking were a bit of a shock..so many people walking..but mostly just short distances. I had to carefully book ahead ever night especially for the 2 holiday weekends and a few times had to walk further than I hoped because the gites I wanted were all "complet". Now things are very different. As I had been told, the number of walkers dropped away quite _dramatically after Conques and there are always spare beds.I still book ahead though as often the gite managers don't turn up until late..8 pm last night and especially in some of the municipal gites the names of the people in each room are posted on the door and sometimes a "complet" sign put out anyway even though there are still lots of spare beds.With fewer people walking there is a higher chance that I will have already met some of the people I am about to share with.Last night at Condom we had a particularly lovely bunch of pelerins and we made a combined shared dinner.It was lots of fun..one of the Swiss girls was celebrating as she had just passed the 2000k mark..only another 1000 to go from here to Santiago.

Today I decided to do a big 27 k day. Just about everyone else was planning a short 18 k day to Montreal as the temperature was predicted to br 31. However as I checked the weather forecast on my tiny phone in the bar, I could see it it was predicted to get even hotter ..37C for the next 2 days so thought I would save 2 short days for that.
It wasn't too bad..I left Condom early but of managed to put in a few extra ks getting lost trying to leave, and managed to get to Montreal via vinyards and fields of sunflowers and wheat by 12ish meaning I was able to buy some food before everything closed for the weekend (which lasts until Monday afternoon in most villages here).The afternoon wasn't too bad as quite a bit of the track followed an old railway track and was shaded. I remembered Margaret's "doucement, doucement" advice and had lots of short stops. I carried an umbrella which really helped with the heat but is seen as a bit eccentric here...I have had cars stop to ask me if it is raining...and as well had soaked a neck cooler. I arrived at Lamothe at about 3.30 ..apparently because of the heat almost no one else is walking so there is only one other couple staying.
Sadly have discovered 2 blisters and a heat rash..my first after amost 4 weeks of walking ..
bummer!..but at least will only walk 18k to Manciet tomorrow so may be able to wear sports sandals.

A few photos

From my phone over the last few days.

Condom

Finally..bars that really do have wifi!

Diary week 4 23 June

Castet Arrouy to Marsolan. Nice gentle walk to Lectoure where I was able to leave my pack at the tourist office and do a quick explore. Lovely dark cavernous cathedral with stained glass ..although have seen so many they are beginning to merge. Found the sports bar and got a few minutes free wifi..just enough to cut and paste diary into blogger and check email then on to Marsolan.Cool day although much hotter expected over weekend. Walking through fields of wheat and sunflowers with lots of tiny ripe Mirrabelle plums.  Met Brazilian man who has been walking from Poland, sleeping out in a tent the whole way.
Good dinner outside at Marsolan and am beginning to understand some of the after dinner conversation..always easier to understand Swiss Regula when she speaks french rather than the french themselves ..I suppose she speaks slower eith fewer colloquialisms. Regula, Marie Helene and I in a room with a French man Daniel.

Friday. 24 June. Left early straight after breakfast and as usual was slowly passed by everyone.I used to blame my short legs but many of these women are shorter than me so that can't be it. One man tried to talk about "le rugby" ..but as always got little response ftom me..I was not well prepared for this walk! I skipped the detour to Le Romieux so had very short walk tofay and arrived in Condom by 12.30. It was supposed to be 31 C. but felt less. Gite (Gite le Champ d'Etoiles)is lovely..tiny balcony off the dortoir..blue and white panelled rooms and large garden for washing. Could do with an English speaker..it has been several days now although Regula speaks a little.

Lectoure

Sitting at a cafe in Lectoure.Marie Helene who slept in the bed next to me last night is showing us her bed bug bites.

Week 4 Thurs

Diary week 4
Tuesday 21 June.Was seated with the German speakers ay dinner last night snd was relieved to find I could still understand most of the conversation ..I have been trying hard not to speak German while I tried to get s hold on French.
Can't believe I have been here for 3 weeks already. I didn't have the best of nights last night as it was hot with lots of traffic noise. I should have turned on the fan but didn't want to wake the others so woke up looking like Ena Sharples. It was another very hot day but the route was along a beautiful shady canal towpath for most of the way before we crossed over both the river and canal and headed steeply up to Auvillar. Along the way one of my leki poles broke so I put it in the next poubelle I saw.a bit sad but it has had a good 10 years use and for my last flatter weeks I am probably better off with only one, leaving me one hand for my umbrella or camera. Spent the last few days walking towards a plume of smoke ..can now see it is a nuclear power station.  Fantastic gite..the best municipal one I have seen.Town has well preserved circular market place in the centre and a clock tower. Very hot evening but our lovely dorm room has french doors out to balcony with views of surrounding countryside..am hoping for cool breezes tonight...but luckily am sharing with Rigula(sp,?) who has walked all the way from Switzerland and Marie Helene and in a mixture of french, german and english we have all agreed that we prefer the doors open and the air to circulate.

Wednesday 21 June. Now well over half way and 430 k. I am into the Gers district where they have created many footpaths for walkers often with a row of trees planted alongside as they are on the meseta. Many of the trees are fruit trees and today I passed trees full of unripe figs, apples, pears, quinces and plums as well as lots of blackberries ...it would be delicious to walk in autumn. There were also trees full of tiny ripe red and yellow plums that I picked along the way. Probably a good addition to my diet. Somehow managed to be either too early or two late to do any shopping along the way so am eating stale bread and chocolate sandwiches again. Passed 3 châteaus in various states of disrepair. Staying at the Gite Municipal..seems OK..French lady wants to tell me about a NZ singer called Graham Allbright..even hums a few bars of his music but I have to disapoint her.

Moissac

Long hot day 32C into Moissac. Loved the abbey.. staying at the lovely Gite Ultreia.. dinner outside under the trees. Poor little dog ate a lizard and had an epileptic fit.. had to be rushed to vet in middle of dinner. Tomorrow predicted to be even hotter.. O la la!

Sunday 19 June

Diary week 3 b
Day.    Sunday19 Juin After a relaxing morning I was delivered back to Montcuq about 12ish.There was a market covering several streets selling lots of produce and knick knacks and clothes etc..loved the woven market baskets and wished I could have bought some but settled for some cherries instead. After 2 lazy days and the market, the heat and beautiful scenery.. I am walking through sunflower fields and vineyards bordered by poppies and roses and overlooked by medieval perched villages,I was probably drifting along at a much slower rate than usual and was a bit shocked when a man out for a walk told me that it was still 2 hours to Lauzerte. Luckily he walked along with me for about 45 minutes and I picked up my pace as we talked.Hard to believe ..snd probably more a tribute to his patience than my French skills but we had wide ranging discussions covering everything from NZs principal exports to the issues of Miximatosis (sp?). Time passed very quickly and I am now installed at Le Figuier in Lauzerte..seems very nice and even has wifi!

a brief interlude

Back to the chemin again today after two days off. Two days of wonderful food, Egyptian cotton sheets, roman remains and  interesting conversations with two extraordinary women.

Waiting at Montcuq

 The  Cahors youth hostel is an old convent and it is also used by homeless _young people.That evening one of them was leaving so we were invited to have champaign with them.Day 17: June 16 Thursday. Found my way out of Cahor across the amazing turreted bridge and up the steep walkway to the Croix Magnon..a giant iron cross.Soon the rain set in and the paths turned to thick mud. Leaving Le Rozier pelerins started to turn back and consult maps eventually there were about a dozen dripping people standing around in the rain looking puzzled. Still no idea why as at that stage the track seemed reasonably well marked. Saw Michael later and he had had the same experience ..wonder what they knew that we didn't.  At some point I realised that I had taken a wrong turning and was on the road rather than the St Jacques..but Ki had told me a few days earlier that I should never turn back so I kept grimly on after checking map to make sure it really did go to Lasabanes. During a rain shower a car stopped to offer me a ride which I didn't take but was very glad when he confirmed that Lascabanes really was La bas (over there). Eventually reached it at about 3 to find Jung written on the white board beside one of the rooms..hopef it was me! Michael was also waiting nervously as despite reserving his name wasn't on the list. No one in charge turned up until about 6 but he was ok as there was one spare place. No cell phone reception

Week 3

Diary week 3
Day 15. Tuesday June 14 Limogne en Quercy to Poudaly. It was at the two week mar@k on both my Caminos that I got my first blisters so am trying to be very attentive to my feet for a few days. So far they have been remarkably trouble free. My big toenails were a bit bruised on the first few days with so much monter / descendre but packing them with hikers wool helped
.one still looks a little mottled but is pain free. I didn't have the 10 days of throbbing that I had last time...no idea why..perhaps the cooler weather ..or the anti inflammatories I took for my muscle problems for the first 3 days instead of waiting to see if there was pain. The muscle knots that I had in NZ while training faded after a week or so too, although I had some impressive bruises where I had tried to massage them away. Stayed at Poudally a gem of a Gite...cool drinks in garden..free internet snd even Wifi..nice dorm and best shower yet..very nice people and so nice to get email etc.

Day 16. June 15. Poudally to Cahors. Very hot walk over hills covered in wild lavender and mint. Glad of umbrella in 27 C heat. Arrived in Cahors and stopped at Pilgrim booth manned by nice ladies who gave me a cold drink and a biscuit and booked tomorrow nights gite then gave me a map showing me how to find the youth hostel for tonight.Booking in I met Michael from Chch..amazing as I have met so few English speakers let alone people from NZ. Spent a warm afternoon exploring old Cahors..
Beautifl town with lovely cathedral..Full of historic buildings. Have just had dinner and done my best to mislead Michael on how to get out of Cahors tomorrow but I think we have it sussed now. No idea where tonight's wifi is coming from..am just grateful for it!

A few photos

This is a bit of a lucky dip as the photos are so tiny and slow to load on my phone that I can hardly see them..I think that they are of Conques.

Finally some wifi

Please excuse the spelling and typing below...all done one fingered on my phone without spellcheck. Will do some corrections and add details and photos when I get back. I am at Poudally.. a lovely gite in the middle of the country that surprisingly has wifi.. have drunk lots of hot chocolates at bars that have advertised Wifi and turned out not to have it so this unadvertised was a very pleasant surprise. The weather is getting warmer now but still not too hot for walking. Lots of beautiful shady green lanes with mossy stone walls, amazing butterflies and wild flowers. Sometimes wonder if I am dreaming but  I think my backpack would be lighter if that was the case!

Week 2

Diary week 2
Day 8 : 7 June Now at Espalion at Halte st Jacque. Another beautiful day..my first without rain, still lots of up and down..mossy stone walls and today wild cherries and tiny wild strawberries .At one point saw a young deer leap across the road in front of me and vanish into the woods. St Come d'Olt was lovely (0ne of the plus beaux villages de France. Amazing twisted church tower. Am now booked 2 days ahead for the first time and have long 27 k day tomorrow. Still having problems with my toenails..have made my big toes tiny caps of hikers wool and keep swapping from boots to sandals throughout the day. At the tourist office noticed that someone had written in the book that there are bedbugs here..hope not, it seems clean enough. It is on 4 levels with a narrow twisted staircase climbing steeply. Just looked out the window and noticed it is now pouring with rain! Good dinner st restaurant Jaja across the road.

Day 9: 8 June. Espalion to Golinhac. T oday felt like the steepest ups and downs.Am beginning to get to know a few people but language is a much bigger barrier than it was in Spain as the French seem more reserved, at least until you get to know them better. Bernard is a larger than life man who is very kind and solicitous of everyone.He is always where he is needed..except for tonight. He is sharing a small 2 bunk room with 3 women ..and I have already heard him snoring before dinner. I have my earplugs ready for a long night.
I am feeling very proud of myself tonight.  One of the hardest things I have to do here is to phone ahead to book accommodation in French. Tonight I made 5 phone calls to book until Sunday night as it is another holiday weekend coming and I was warned that I should get in early. Luckily only one refusal and everyone seemed to understand me. I am about a day ahead of my timetable and find that I can now walk about 25 k reasonably comfortably. If I carried on at this rate I would finish too early but am still a little worried that the weather may be too hot to walk long distances later. I am staying at the gite at the camping ground.


Day 10: June 9 Golinac to Conques. Strangely it wasn't Bernard who snored last night but his friend Christiane, a tiny little French woman. For the first time I had problems finding my way out of Golinac..the signage was confusing. Luckily after retracing my steps I found someone else who was also having difficulty and we asked a local. This was pretty unusual as the signage is generally excellent. What I really like is that they have usually put crosses on the routes that you shouldn't take as well as the red and white stripes on the correct route. Fairly easy days walking today with perfect walking weather..not too hot or cold. Stopped at Spar shop along the way to buy fruit and saw the biggest dog I have ever seen..like a medium sized bear. It was quite a day for animals as I also saw cages of rabbits by the side of the road, donkeys, geese and here in Conques, two men leading dogs carrying tiny packs and scallop shells. Conques is a fascinating medieval town that looks as though it hsd come straight out of Grimms fairy tales..all twisted turrets and overlapping grey tiles and overhanging buildings.Like a little goblin city. It is also a tourist centre and it feels odd to hear people speaking English again. The Abbey is fantastic ..I am sharing a room with a French couple at the top of an uneven twisted stone staircase. Looking forward to dinner...I think I might be running a little short on protein, although there is always plenty of french bread and camembert (yes I know...poor me!)
Later..sat next to Ki at dinner..a Chinese Canadian man...so nice to speak english and not have to labour over every word. Not sure if my French is actually improving or if I am just more boldly speaking bad french but I seem to be able to make myself understood usually..even on the phone. Ki told me that last year on the camino his french brother in law got over 200 bed bug bites while Ki who plastered himself with tiger balm only got a few. Bed bugs are being taken very seriously now...in many places our back packs are sprayed and often they are not allowed into rooms.
After dinner I went to Vespers in the cathedral and was asked (as the only native English speaker in about 100 people I think) to read a short blessing in English (it was also read in French and German) which I did, sensitvely refraining from using the opportunity to make a statement about the Rainbow Warrior.

Day 11 June 10: Conques to Livinac.  A long cool day with occasional drizzle and low clouds. Very steep muddy climb out of Conques..funny texts from Sheryl arrived at just the right time as I needed a lift. Decasseville a horrible jarring sprawling city after so many beautiful little villages. Somehow got lost and ended up walking through heavy traffic into Livinhac after asking an old lady the way. Swallows flying low across the fields which Johan says means rain..it was raining so perhaps he was right!
Arrived at Gite to find it listed as complet and my name not on list on wall and it didn't open until 5.30. Rang woman who said if I waited she would open another room up. Carol (who also has a son living in Oz) and I  are sharing a large room with lots of empty beds. I visited epicerie next door for can of cassoulet and a potato: to micowave for dinner. Johan and Bernard and another had to go on to next village 8 k away.

Day 12 June 11. Livinhac to Fijeac. Good walking weather and not too many hills today.
  The houses are changing and now look a little more Spanish with beams poking out through the walls and red half round tiled roofs instead of the round grey overlapping. Some nice little picnic areas along the way.  Saw a green snake on the way in. Bernard said that only the red ones are dangerous. Arrived in Figeac and headed for the centre to find the office de tourisme.They gave me a map and showed me where to find Chez Celia Gite. It is in the old part of town..all high half timbered buildings and very cute. A wonderful shower (no longer attached to the wall but they rarely are) and real sheets and towels for 15 euro. Tiny little garden with washing lines and tables and chairs.  The dormitory has 5 single and 1 double bed in a large sunny room with a beamed ceiling and tiled floor.Popped down to the Casino supermarket down the road to buy some food for tonight and the next few days.. a frozen chicken curry tonight..seems wrong in France but it
wasn't too bad. Ki is here too in one of the upstairs rooms. Met Ghislaine, a French Canadian..also 'tout seule'.

Day 13: June 12. Figeac to Grealou. Left early with Ghislaine as soon as the boulangerie opened at 7. She was so interesting..since retiring at 60 she has pretty much just wandered the world. She has not recovered from foot surgery and has to have her pack sent on each day.Were so busy talking that we missed several turns and probably walked quite a few extra ks. First hot day but lots of leafy green lanes and gorgeous blue butterflies just the same shade as some of the house shutters.  Little round stone shelters for shepherds. Entering Grealou there were cars and people everywhere for a giant Brocante sale..almost a kilometer of road was roaped off. I had hoped to go back and have a better look but it took me sn hour or so to find my gite with help from a bus load of Belgians. It was completely unmarked and in the end I only found it by looking over the hedge and asking someone..and it turned out to be there luckily. I have sore feet today ..probably because I carried so much food as it was a Sunday followed by a holiday Whit Monday and I was worried I might not find much. Probably just as well that I did but have had too many  microwave single serve meals..need to try and find some real food ...you wouldn't think it would be so hard in France. Just me and an elderly couple in the gite so spent the evening reading kindle books on my phone..it has been great for that.

Day 14:  June 13 Grealou to Limogne en Quercy
Left early st 6.30 am, as was planning long 28 k day. A wee bit of drizzle but mostly fine. A bit low on food so ate yesterday's stale bread and chocolate for breakfast and lunch supplemented by the inevitable cereal bars.Just before noon caught up with Ki and walked with him to Limogne.Talking with him..he told me ancient chinese stories about butterflies and fishes... passed the time and was there before I knew it. The gite municipal is a big ramshackle building but seems clean enough although no special precautions for brd bugs..a bit of a worry. Found the room that Ghislaine had booked for us labelled and made myself comfortable. No hot water in the showers so filled a basin from the kitchen for a wash. Headed down the road into town where the shops were all closed because it was Whit Monday holiday but there was another Brocante sale ..lots of little stalls just starting to pack up. Had sardines and noodles for dinner. Have now done 300k and am feeling good..a bit tired and could do with a proper meal. My sports sandals are falling to pieces and I have mended them with some string from a drawstring bag...hope they last as I like to walk the last 7 k or so each day in them.

Week 1

Day 1 31 May. Le Puy en Velay to
Montbonnet.Got up at 6 am, having not had much sleep anyway and started to pack. Jan had left a note under my door telling me to tap on her door in the morning. I did and she came down to breakfast in the big dining room downstairs.After a quik breakfast of the usual bread butter and jam with hot chocolate and some yohurt I had bought the day before,  I headed off to the pilgrim mass in the catedral almost next door.  We had also been the previous day when the Bishop had been present. He had spoken english and chatted with every one but this seeme more formal although there was a plump nun dressed in grey who translated a few things. Again I was the only NZer but later heard that there had been 2 on the previous Sunday. There were also 2 aussies but days later have still not really caught up with them. Rained pretty continuously but mostly lightly all day
Had hoped to take a photo at the same place ad the one f Margaret s that inspired me but rain prevented it. Arrived at Montbonnet 2 hours too early and had to find some shelter under and overhanging shed
Very cold

Day 2 June 1 Montbonnet to Sauges. Very long day but hadn,t been able to get a closer booking because of Ascension day weekend walkers. Also lots of retired people walking the first stretch es from le puy.Steep climbs in and out of Monistrl especially.  Mareike a german girl had been worried about doing the steep bitd without a stick as it was so wet and slippery so I lent her one of mine. When I finally arrived m fingers were so cold and stiff I had to ask someone to undo my hood. My boots held up well until the last couple of hours but were just too lowcut to keep the water out in the end. Les Margarides is enormous but a bit soulless.like a giant youth hostel.I kept gettong lost.  Nice german boy at dinner asked if
we spoke dutch in nz. Some heating in room but turned off overnight so boots and socks still wet the next morning.

Day 3. June 2. Sauges to Le Falzet. Very short 10 k walk as hadn't been able to find further. Still cold but not so wet. Le Falzet very cute little gite.lovely people. Spent afternoon lying around...surprised how tired I was. In evening we were offered a tour of the fromagerie downstairs.
Gwen who had worked in Dublin offered to translate for me. The cheesemaker told us how she had been a city girl until she fell in love with the farmer. People said that she would only last 3 months on the country but she is now passionate about cheese. Because of quotas they were penalised for producing too much milk so she began to make cheese for the family.  Later after some training and spending 80,000 euro to meet eec regulations she now produces commercially and sells by mail order.
At this point I began to feel unwell (I always have stomach problems about my
4th or 5th day in a new country..it wasnt your cooking Tom!) so sat down for a minute and was just working out how to say that when I fainted.I came to a few minutes later to find that they had laid me down and raised my legsand were just about to feed me sugar cubes. Later we had a wonderful dinner followed by cheese and tiny pots of home made yogurt ..all delicious but sadly I couldn't eat very much.

Day 4: 3 June Le Falzet to St Alban
St Alban gite was on top of a hotel..a tiny room filled with a dozen or so bunks and a tiny kitchen and shower.It even had a partly covered balcony where I could have dried some clothes if I had been organized enough. Felt a bit like the seven dwarves home...just me and 6 french men but after 4 days on the road I certainly didn't feel like Snow White. Dinner was downstairs in a old fashioned dining room filled with dark panneling and artificial flowers. They were very kind to me and made a real effort to include me in the conversation even to the point of talking about rugby but soon found that I spoke even less rugby than I did french! They roared with laughter when I showed them my tiny page of French phrases. Very yummy fresh croissant for breakfast and back on the road again.

Day 5 June 4
St Albin to Lasbros
Weather much improved...only a few showers
Heard a cuckoo in the woods. Lots of beautiful wild flowers along the way.One toe a bit sore so have put hikers wool around it.Saw almost no women today..the road seems a lot quieter with just half a dozen or so men.Arrived at Lasbros About 2.30 or so and spent a quiet afternoon enjoying the bathrom in the gite and reading.
Nice young couple also eating supermarket food told me their can of pate was "for the cat".

Day 6 June 5: Lasbros to Nasbinal..left in rain without breakfast but after a couple of hours it cleared up. Climbed up to a high plateau strewn with massive boulders. Kept stopping to take photos of beautiful wild flowers but couldn't catch the tiny multi coloured butterflys. Passed very few people..where is everyone?
Lots of Taranaki gates to kep the stock in.At one point realised that they were bulls but they seemed pretty docile. For the first time hadn't booked ahead as office fe tourisme said that holiday weekend would be over and it wouldn't be such a problem.Arrived in Nasbinals about 1.30 and stopped at first gite where I met Paddy from Ireland but it didn't open for another 2 hours, same with next gite.Then found a third gite.the very large Nada and had picnic on their lawn until they opened.Am sharing 6 bed dorm with 2 young french girls.  One helpd me to find and ring tomorrow,s gite where apparently I must ring when I get to St Chely and be picked up. Difficult to find nice meals for 1 person at supermarche..am eating lots of bread, cheese and yoghurt along with cereal bars.

Day 7 June 6: Nasbinals to StChely. Very little rain today..just as well as foot rot is setting in. Lots of up and down has been very hard on my toenails and am looking forward to getting out of my boots. Another beautiful day's walk across the Aubrac plateau and steeply down to St Chely. Last night at gite a relief profile on the wall showed Nasbinals as being at the highest point on the Chemin but today there was more climbing. Lots of walking through fields with horned cows and a few bulls. Am sitting at bar beside the Maire because they advertised wifi. Gave me a verylong password on the back of an envelope but it didn't work. Have tried ringing woman I m booked to stay with tonight but we could't understand eavh other so will wait for the tourist officeto open and see if the can help in a hour or so. A few hours later am installed at gite with several others. Have done some washing and am waiting to microwave another supermarket delight. We are supposed to be only 3 k from town but it certainly feels further. Lots of flies everywhere ..have to keep all the windows closed. I have a room with a double bed to myself.
Later.. have just been talking to a young dutch couple in the kitchen. He has been walking from Holland (from a special place about 8 k from his house that has some relaionship to the camino. and she has just joined him to walk a week. I told him that I knew some people who had walked from Holland. He looked at his wife and said  "the Meyers" . he told me that he had seen their names in a book and that although he didn't know them they knew of them and knew an old woman from the same family (Greet?) who still lived in the same area..another "its a small world" moment. They still buy their milk and cheese from the "reformed shop" (organic?)  of the same family
He had also been caught out by the holiday weekend snd had to walk 46 k in one day...wow.  Inspird by that I went and booked tomorrow at Espalion..only about 20 k away!

8 June Espalion

Espalion and then heading for Golinac.  It was a long 27km day with lots of hills.   Wifi is an urban legend here - lots of promise but little delivered.  I am improving my French and the scenery is beautiful.


10 June
I am at the medieval abbey in Conquez.  It is amazing.  I feel like I have stepped back in time.  Everything is going quite well but it rains quite a lot.  On my way to Livinhaut tonight.

12 June   I (Graham) rang and talked to Kay just now.  'It is beautiful day today - the first sunny one we have had.'  She was talking to a companion (unknown) and missed a turning but they are back on track as of 9pm (NZ).  She also missed a couple of my phone calls - must have been a great conversation!

(These entries are typed in by Graham from texts and phone calls received.  A comment she made was that there were not a lot of people doing the walk.  But she is enjoying it and she does value any contact.   As for me - I am well but missing her a lot. G)

Now in Saint-Alban sur Limagnole

I started out on Tuesday so am now into my fourth day with feet and muscles holding up well. I went to the 7 am pilgrim mass at Le Puy and left directly from there...down the steps and out through the little town. Jan came with me to the outskirts of town, where the St Jacques Chemin signs started. The red poppies along the way reminded me of another Jack who spent time in France and Belgium. The rain started pretty much as we left the cathedral and the day continued cool, overcast and rainy. Because of the weather it was difficult to stop along the way so I arrived at my first reserved Gite in Montbonnet 2 hours before it was due to open and had to spend time waiting outside and walking around in the rain. Jean Michel who runs the gite was a very colourful character who told me he would explain everything doucement doucement... which seemed to mean loudly and slowly and I did lots of nodding and smiling. A Gerrman girl and I managed to piece togther what he was saying.. it appeared to be a lecture on the life cycle of the bed bug and instructions to not tqke anything beyond a change of clothes into the bedrooms. Last night. when there was someone who was able to translate, a french woman who had been there told me he had been drunk and was offering to get into bed with me.. I probably just smiled and nodded! I said that I assumed he was just a typical frenchman... no she said.. that is a typical frenchman, pointing at her quiet little husband!

 The next morning I left and did a very long day over the hills (very steep) to Saugue which looked a lovely little place but I was so cold and sodden by the time I got there I simply went to bed and shook for an hour. The next morning my boots were still wet but I headed off to  Falzet where I stayed in the loveliest little gite with fantastic food and a tour of the fromagerie downstairs where they make all their own cheeses. interent about to run out now.. congtats on Jorjas birth.. where is baby no3

Saugues

Greetings.  This is the nearest and dearest passing on news.  A text from Kay to say she is at Sauges.  We were expecting her to be walking in a heatwave (30 deg plus) and she designed a special umbrella attachment to protect her from the heat of the midday sun.  (Thanks David S for your technological contribution.)   Currently she says its anything but hot - bad weather it seems - cold ( the beginning of June !!).  Not sure if the said umbrella is much use because I think she said it is windy as well.  Very crowded too because there are Ascension Day celebrations.  However, she is well and happy to be there (most of the time).  We both miss each other heaps.

I can assure you I am keeping well but it is strange to be alone in the house and at the beach last weekend.  The place is reasonably tidy and the dishwasher is humming away as I type.  I haven't felt the need to resort to Take Away anything (apart from the hamburger I had on the motorway south at McDonalds after I dropped my beloved at the airport).   A few food items we wouldn't normally have (like ice cream) but the meals have been reasonably healthy.
Cheers  Graham

Mysteries

I am having problems sleeping but still have a few hours before. I set out on my first leg so will have a last go with the free wifi to document a few things that puzzle me:
*toilets..here in the Seminaire they are all set at waist height..my feet dangle in the air
*french women..so thin but you wouldn't believe how much cheese they can eat after dinner
*why is it that so often the only thing that people know about NZ is something I don't know?..conversation at dinner last night with lots of miming about rugby balls..all about Tony Marsh..I had to later check Wikipedia to find out who he was
*Push button showers...how could I have forgotten how awful they are?

And even more low pixel photos

But don't worry..I suspect that this is probably the last wifi for somee time so will probably revert back to other camera and wait for internet access.
In the relative cool of the early evening I have just been to climb St Michel d'Aiguilhe, a stone chapel built on top of a volcanic plug or "puy". It was a good workout. for my calf muscles climbing. up...like the catedral it is built over the stone remains of an earlier pre christian church , possibly roman..noone knows.
Thank you everyone for your texts.Please congratulate Abdi for me!

More photos

Apologies for the quality of these...taken. from and posted with my new android phone using the free wifi at the Grande Seminaire. I have spent the afternoon getting happily lost in le puy, watching the lacemakers at work and exploring the catedral
. The weather is hot but bearable.

Pilgrim mass @ catedral

Got up early this morning to go to the pilgrim mass this morning at 7. About 150 people, mostly french, but one other english speaker, an american called  Jane. Neither of us was starting out today so we followed the others out of the catedral and for a few hundred metres and then came back for s leisurely breakfast.

Grande Seminaire St Georges, Le Puy en Velay

A long day of trains and stations but I am finally here. Luckily someone always turned up whenever I needed help and managed to understand me. The Grande Seminaire is amazing..very big, dark and gothic feeling..I had to use a torch to find my room and it is still light outside. Very surprised to find wifi and a power point for recharging.I am very tired and hoping for a good nights sleep..didn't get much last night.

Not the Eiffel tower

View from my hotel window

Paris

Arrived safely at paris but very tired..off to hotel to sleep

Hong Kong airport

I had a 12 hour flight here...sleeping pills are my new friend...and I love airline meals..embarrassing. but true..I just like lolling around while people bring me trays of food at regular intervals. Hong kong is cool and misty (smoggy?) in the early morning and I am lying stretched out across several seats using the free wifi on my tiny phone keyboard. The airport is huge but does't seem crowded. Will have to look for some food soon, before my next 12 hour flight to Frankfurt

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go!

I leave tomorrow evening and will take about 36 hours to get to Paris, and then the next day take the train down to le Puy en Velay... a bit daunting but I am relieved that the volcanic ash issues seem to be resolving.. and that the French heat wave also seems to be cooling off a bit.  I am not expecting to find as much internet as I did in Spain so will probably settle for texting G so he can update this blog with very short posts. If I find wifi, I have a new phone that might allow me to post directly, but again, I don't expect that will happen often. All going well, I should start walking about Tuesday.

Learning French

I have been very inspired by Anna Marie's account of a Korean woman who made it all the way from Le Puy en Velay with only a few words of French. I did spend 5 years at school learning French, but that was a very long time ago and I learnt it more as a written than a spoken language. On my previous caminos I learnt both Spanish and German in university classes in my lunch hour but found that it took a few weeks for me to begin to be able to understand the languages and that I was never able to speak the languages with any real level of fluency. This time I haven't had time for classes but was able to load up an old iPod of Anna's  with 80 free podcasts from Coffee Break French  (lots of fun..French with a Scottish accent, I can now buy haggis in French!!)  and Daily French podcasts and listen as I walk. I have also managed to find some online games to help me learn numbers.  Watch this space to see if I manage to retain and use anything I have learnt!

Boots , boots, boots

Foot wear is so important on the Camino. It  has been one of the  most controversial topics at our St James' day celebrations with holy wars threatening to break out between those who put their faith in Good Strong Tramping Boots and those who prefer to walk with lighter sports shoes. I have seen people successfully  walk with all kinds. I  walked with Tricia who wore sandals, creaming her feet carefully every day. I have also read of people who walked barefoot 

I have worn out a pair of Garmont boots on each of my caminos but have been very lucky, apart from a lost toenail and a few blisters at about the halfway point. I would not be keen to wear sports shoes in mud but I suspect that I could probably have got away with them in my two Autumn caminos. For this Camino I have bought  some Keen Targhees. Like my other boots they were on sale. Sock theories also vary and I like 3 pairs of socks, the first being short sports socks with the tiny loops on the sole, the second are thin Cool Max and outer socks being more traditional tramping socks like Smart wool socks. This of course means that my tramping boots are a bigger size than I would normally wear, but it means that when my feet swell in the heat and with the constant walking, I have plenty of room and can always take a layer off, although I have never done this.

Yesterday we climbed Mount Te Aroha. It was a bit of a shock.. I had hoped that I was fitter than I proved to be.. I think I was passed by about 20 people and am very tired and sore today, despite a  good soak in the Te Aroha hot springs afterwards.While I have done quite a bit of walking, Hamilton is a bit short of hills. I think I see some more climbs in my future before I leave.  At least my shoes held up well and I had no blisters!

3 months to go!

I now have just under 3 months to go. My sore muscles are a thing of the past.. my Doctor thinks probably a trapped piriformis nerve rather than muscles, a kind of sciatica. Only a few days after doing the recommended stretches and massage the pain was 90% gone. This morning (after a busy day yesterday at Relay for Life) I walked for 4 hours with 12 kilos.. I started out with 8 but couldn't resist buying a pumpkin and a few other things along the way. This afternoon I am a little tired and sore but generally feeling pretty good.More good news:  I have now lost enough weight that I can just fit into my old camino pants.. a few more pounds and I will be able to breathe as well!

Training : what not to do

For my first camino, I spent about 9 months slowly building up my fitness. I discovered the miraculous power of iron tablets, regularly taken and  for the first time in my adult life I was able to exercise as much as I wanted without getting sick.  Before I left for the camino I managed to lose almost 10 kilos with regular gym trips and lots of walking and I lost another 5 kilos on the camino itself.  Although my first days  on the camino were a bit painful and tiring, and I lost a toenail and later developed a very small blister at the 2 week mark, I had a very easy camino really with very few problems and I was glad of my preparations.

This time, 10 years later and fatter, my comparatively last minute decision to walk this year has left me a much shorter time  to get camino fit.  I immediately threw myself into walking, stretching and lifting weights.  After almost 3 months of this daily   I now have a painful ankle and hip and a cold that I can't seem to shift...all the classic signs of overtraining. I did a bit of Googling and have just made and drunk the most revolting beetroot smoothie (the kitchen looks as though I have been dismembering bodies.. but apparently beetroot is the latest superfood and helps your body to recover from training) and last night I even ate 3 cloves of raw garlic.. I have no idea if these things help in any way but  I haven't had a better idea!

.

Packs

Packs are amazingly complicated. They come in different volumes and materials, to fit different sexes and back lengths. They have many varied features. Luckily 10 years ago as I prepared for my first camino I didn't know any of this. I simply took a pack that we already had in the cupboard, that had come free with a tent that we had bought from Kmart. Despite that it worked beautifully. It fit everything I needed, was comfortable and reasonably light, and easy to open and close. I wondered if it would be strong enough to last for a 800 k walk but it was. In fact it lasted well and I used it again in 2003 for another camino. In 2005 my daughter Anna walked her first camino with it and in 2008 her second. Between times I patched and reinforced it. Now it is old and a bit tired but still going strong and Anna still uses it weekly to walk home from the vegetable market.  Which left me in a bit of a quandary. Over the holidays I visited outdoor shops in Hamilton, Whangarei and Tauranga but nothing really appealed. Packs that should have worked liked the Osprey Exos just didn't seem to fit me.. even the sales person said he didn't know why.. but it just didn't look right. I was intrigued by the new Aarn packs with their balancing front pockets, but at $NZ450 it was a bit hard to justify.

And then a stroke of luck. Although my pack was well over 10 years old and I had unsuccessfully checked the previous 3 months of Trademe (NZ's version of Ebay)  I had  saved a search. A few weeks ago someone advertised its duplicate.. just a bit newer looking and still brightly coloured.  Last week I won the small bidding war for it and today it arrived in the mail. It has a frayed strap and is missing a buckle so there will be a bit of mending, but I am so thankful to have it. I will also sew on the Camino and NZ patches and add some black mesh so I can safety pin my damp socks to dry as I walk. So far I have been going on practice walks with G's old pack. Tonight I was able to load up the new one and it felt so good!

Back from holiday

We have had a wonderful summer holiday. The weather has been been the hottest that anyone can remember for the time of year and we were lucky to have both our children home for Christmas.  We spent a few days in the north of the North island, exploring, with my extended family, parents and brothers, aunts  and cousins, the area where my mothers ancestors had first arrived in NZ and lived. While up there we had a great day trip out to the marine reserve at the Poor Knights islands to do some snorkeling. After Christmas we spent some time with G's family at the beach in the Bay of Plenty, again with almost perfect weather and lots of barbeques and swimming. For me there were lots of walks along the beach and up the Bowentown hill and a trip over the hills to Homunga Bay with my daughter. It was a bit of a shock to go back to work again but I have now been back for a week and the last child was deposited at the airport last night. Time to start planning again !