Tuesday, October 1, 2013

When we last updated the mercury was starting to rise as summer began in earnest. Today is the 1st October and, the first day where there has been a noticable chill in the air. Autumn is just around the corner.

Our summer has been full on. An equal measure of work and play. Family health issues had us really concerned back at the start of summer but, thankfully, things are on a more even keel, at least for now.

A good part of July was spent in one of our favourite towns in France, Vence. We are lucky to have a regular client living there so we get to explore and enjoy the delights of this wonderful part of France. It was steamy hot in July but the atmosphere was lovely. We didn't do as many walks as we did earlier in the year, mainly because of the heat but we did spend time in the garden improving our French! We also discovered a vegetarian, organic Rose wine which was the perfect accompaniment to, well, most things really!



We've travelled a lot. Mostly in the UK this year, pet and house sitting but also a fab few days in our camper. We are loving our camper!

Our first overnight  in our VW camper was back in Blighty at a lovely little riverside site near Hamble. We were en route to a client and decided to take the camper so that we could camp out the night before the assignment began. It was so much fun! It helped that the weather was good and we found a super pub where the fish and chips was delicious! We drank a couple of real ales and slept like babies!









In early September we had a few days free so we took full advantage and headed to the New Forest with our camper. We spent a couple of days in the New Forest and then travelled along the south coast to Eastbourne and on to Hastings and Battle. We walked, had a BBQ, made picnic lunches, lazed in the sunshine and read - it was superb! Early morning visitors included New Forest ponies and a herd of deer!

We have discovered Brit Stops, www.britstops.com where you can camp for free at local pubs, vineyards, farms etc etc. There is often locally produced goods you can purchase if you like but there is no obligation. Similarly, you can get a meal/drinks in the pubs but again, only if you want. We thought we would try them out and opted to have a free night every other night - it was a huge success. The places we chose were perfect for our needs. All were in peaceful, beautiful locations and the hosts were charming and friendly. We will certainly be using them again in the future.

At the end of our trip we started a new assignment in Kent where, amongst other pets we were looking after 5 pigs! Berkshire pigs to be exact. Beautiful beasts and a first for us.

And so up to the present and only last week we celebrated our 30th Anniversary. We spent some time in Regents Park strolling through the gardens and had a super lunch at Tibits (www.tibits.co.uk) a vegetarian gem of a restaurant just off Regent Street in London. Here's to the next 30!




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