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Monday 11th May Hey lots going on this week! Well we aren’t very busy and things are coming together all round the two campsites. We had a wander round La Sirene (the sister campsite to this one across the road) the other afternoon – we visited the Canvas Couriers who are living in the ‘Gravel Pit’, it’s not really a gravel pit, but their live area is right at the back of the campsite and they are in old mobiles and in a gravelled area. We went over to find the place that hires out bikes and does downhill routes for the customers, it was shut till 1500hrs so after a cup of coffee with the Canvas reps, we toddled back to our side and then cycled back over at 3. We got leaflets and stuff, so more for info for our customers in our reception. And we found the Archery place too, so we had a go, it’s all free. I managed to hit the target and even got one in the bull! We are lucky to be able to use all the facilities of the La Sirene, but our pool is heated!! And theirs isn’t, so we get a lot of their customers over here. I went into Argeles on Saturday on ‘Le Petit Train’ and had a wander round the market which is held there every week, it was nothing to write home about, a lot of fruit and veg. and the usual ‘cheap clothes stalls’ but they aren’t so cheap. Charles stayed behind and minded the shop. I walked back via the beach and my feet were aching by the time I got back at 3.30, I must have walked a good 5 miles! The ‘train’ runs on the road and is free till the end of May and again in September, so we are taking advantage of the fact. But we have our bikes and it is just as easy to get around on those. We have booked on the excursion to Barcelona, it goes on Thursday, we have no arrivals or departures on that day, so we are having the day off, lets hope the weather if fine for us. The swifts in the toilet block are building nests, it’s incredible how quickly they appear! One day its just a few smudges of mud and straw on the walls and the next day it’s occupied! Mind you I will be glad when they have vacated the toilet block! It’s a bit disconcerting sitting on the loo with these birds perching on the dividing wall of the cubicles and then flying around. Another first today, at nine am, I went to keep fit – it’s a step/aerobic class, taken by a super fit, svelte French madam by the name of Cecile – wow she put us through it! And this afternoon, we went for a diving lesson in the pool at La Sirene, Charles has done it before, so he just needs a couple of refresher lessons. But me, I am a complete beginner, mind you it is something I have always wanted to try, I quite enjoy swimming, and have used a mask and snorkel in the past. I honestly thought I would never have the opportunity to have a go, but I did. It was great, I really enjoyed it, even though it was only in the pool, there I was with all the gear on and swimming underwater – albeit in 1.8m of water! But I did ok, cleared my mask underwater and equalised the pressure in my ears, all no problem. So now I get the opportunity to go in the sea at some point before the middle of June when the instructors get too busy. And again it’s free to us couriers. So that’s it for now, I am sure I will ache tomorrow – I exercised muscles this morning that have not had any stretching for years!!
8th June 2009 Did I tell you about our satellite system? Well I bought a suitcase system off EBay back in February; it was only £40 and came with a small plastic dish, cables, bracket and a satellite box. We added to it by buying more cable, a sat finder and connections from Maplins in Lincoln back in March. We had tried it out while we were at the NEC for the Caravan Show back at the end of February and got it to work without too much trouble, but the cable was too short and finding the correct position to face the dish was a bit hit and miss, we just pointed it in the same direction as all the others. We set it up here without much trouble and got loads of programmes but not many you would wish to watch for the summer, BBC news and CNN, loads of shopping channels and ‘god’ channels, True Movies wasn’t too bad, but it got a bit monotonous after a couple of weeks. So we have managed to borrow a larger dish and hey presto we now have everything except channel five, which is pity ‘cause I do like CSI and NCIS! The Swifts are sitting on their nests now and the noise in the toilet/shower block is incredible, with them all bickering at one another, there are at least 6 nests and they are all occupied and more being built! It seems we had Nightingales in the trees next to the van, I always thought Nightingales were supposed to be nice to listen too, but they don’t half make a racket at midnight! They don’t keep me awake, but they do disturb Charles. But they have gone now! So peaceful nights again. We went on an excursion to Barcelona , it was good to get off site, but on our way to wait for the coach we called into our campsite Reception and there was a ‘rush’ booking via the daily fax from head office for customers coming in that day, so a bit of dashing around and getting paperwork together we were ok as the accommodation was ready anyway, it just needed a quick going over with a duster and we were on our way. We didn’t get much free time in Barcelona, and the weather was a bit iffy, but the rain stayed off long enough for us to have lunch outside. We wandered up Las Ramblas and visited the undercover market which sold any type of fresh food you would ever want to buy. On the way back from Barcelona we drove through a grand-daddy of a storm, it was like driving under the sea!! The roads were flooded, but they are used to it here and the storm drains soon carried it all away. We had another free excursion the week after Barcelona – we went to Andorra, what a fantastic drive, and wonderful views through lovely countryside – we bought some duty free goods too, I treated myself to a Nikon D40 with 2 lenses, well I haven’t had a new camera for at least 2 years. The bookings are coming in fast now and we are nearly full from the 26th of June through to the middle of July, we only get bookings in 3 weeks in advance, and as of today we only have one empty mobile on the 27th June and that’s in a horrible pitch, but someone has to have it! But we will get complaints from anyone we put in there – c’est la vie! The weather is settling down too, more sun than clouds and not so much rain, but when it does, it comes down in buckets!! I was marooned in a mobile the other day whilst cleaning, no waterproof! So I just stayed put and did a bit of extra scrubbing, and the rain was splashing 2 foot high! off the ground. When the sun is out it is HOT, not much fun cleaning the outside furniture when the temperature is in the 30s!! I can’t sit out in it when it is so hot, but just going about and cleaning in the mobiles is ok, I open all the windows and put the fans on and it’s ok. Now that it’s June there are more things going on – on both sites, we have got aquarobics here on Hippocampe most mornings at 9am, I have been and it’s good fun. The internet has been down for a week or so, but all being well it is up and running now. I tend to go over to get a connection early in the morning, between 7am and 8am, as there are not many people around at that time, so I don’t have to hurry and worry about other people waiting. It’s Charles’s birthday on the 9th June, so we are having a bbq and have invited some people – mostly other couriers – round for drinks later. I have booked us a table at the restaurant across the road, for Thursday, it’s the premier of the Lion King, and we will have a grandstand view from the restaurant terrace – that’s my present to him, a meal and a show!!! So what else is there to tell you? On midnight of the 23rd June, they light a bonfire on the top of Mount Canigou and the following day they take the flame down to all the Catalan towns and villages and there is a celebration with bonfires and fireworks, and it gets a bit lively so I am told!! And the Tour de France comes through Argeles too, don’t know what date yet, but I will be there to watch them wizz past. Well that’s all for now folks, a bientôt
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