What will summer bring

General Discussion
1

Let us leave the rich and famous to drift off to warm parts and heal their wounds
What is in store for us surfs,
I long for a couple of days at Villa de Cattery in Guethray near St Jean de Luz listening to the dramatic waves and eating simple fine food,
It would be great to have paying guests this summer and to see France and UK in a
better relationship

2

We have been busy with guests for the last 6 weeks
 and are pretty fully booked for summer already. So no great change for us there.

And have a week booked for us in April in a gĂźte a couple of hours away - just to change the scenery.

But going to a restaurant would be good!

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We have very simple tastes and have been spending any days with decent weather exploring the coastline of our departement. However, the ones thing that would make the biggest difference to us is the opening of restaurants. Walking along a nearly empty beach (they usually are up here!) is great but having moules frites and a glass of local cider first makes all the difference :smiley:

Given our budget, feeling ok to wander off wherever we felt like, with our tent, and stopping off in littles towns at the local campsite would be perfect!

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4

On fine days at this time of year I love seeing the vineyards and woods on either side of my road to work as they wake up, the sun rises behind me on the way now and that is even more beautiful.

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5

We’ve been doing the same thing - no beaches though! Instead, large scale map, small roads, river valleys, wild causse landscape, small deserted villages, interesting nooks and crannies. We always take a picnic and, surprisingly, we usually find an available picnic table, just for us! Even if it’s beside a road it’s OK. Any drivers going past usually wave and beep or wish us ‘bon appetit’.

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That’s one of the things that’s so wonderful about France in our experience so far - there are always seats and picnic tables all over the place, usually anywhere there is a view or a quiet spot. We’re in Manche so there’s a lot of coast to explore! When/if we manage to go farther afield we are always inland, especially if it’s the holiday season :smiley:

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7

Night markets and open restaurants hopefully.

8

I am a bit concerned that there is an idea of having an app on a smartphone to show that you have been vaccinated before you are allowed into restaurants.
We have quite deliberately not gone into the smartphone world and hope that this is not the only way of proving you have had your vaccination.
We have a paper showing that we have been vaccinated.

9

I can’t imagine that a piece of paper wouldn’t work! France is built on them :rofl:

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10

Just another thought up there with restaurants, which must be near the top of anyone’s list, is toilets! Obviously with restaurants also come toilets but I’ve noticed while out and about that most of the public toilets around here are closed - presumably a hygiene thing because of covid.
For the “ladies”, I have one of these people’s products


http://www.whizproducts.co.uk/

(Apologies for lowering the tone - I’ll remove the reference if requested :smiley: )

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I was brought up on bushes
 but agree. Although SuperU toilets still open here.

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The good thing about the appliances is that they can be used under clothes once you are used to them and hence are great for a number of disabled people. Still, I’m deviating from the main thread - sorry :blush:

13

Maybe summer will bring festival and the like where a need for these things will be more widespread
not really a deviation at all.

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14

My sister had a SheWee which is the same sort of thing to go to festivals and she said it was fabulous!

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15

That’s exactly it @toryroo . SheWee were the first and then this other one arrived which is supposed to be better because its less rigid (silicon I think). I think they are excellent but they do need practice first :smiley:
(I was going to say something about travelling off-piste but then thought the joke was a bit naff then changed my mind again
 :smiley: )

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Just had a look on-line and there seems to be a similar product available on amazon.fr but a slightly different shape. Looks like it’s German made and silicon and not a bad price

https://www.amazon.fr/Unigear-Portable-Réutilisables-Sécurisée-Randonnée/dp/B07QTGN86N/ref=dp_prsubs_1?pd_rd_i=B07JZB6ZSK&psc=1

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That’s just taking the piss that is :yum::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::grin:

18

I’ve organised our tour of the midi-PyrĂ©nĂ©es - Lot/Aveyron, AriĂ©ge and Gers.
Will it happen this year - who knows. Will the French be as hospitable as they would without the events of the last year? I hope so - more ticks in the move to France boxes.
Anyway everything is cancellable f.o.c or moveable.

19

More renovation work, I will be tackling a new roof on the stables and one of the outhouses, then starting a loft conversion on the cottage once I get the plans finished.
New veg plot is almost finished so plenty work in there, we will have to make a trip back to the UK unfortunately and I forgot new decking will be going down.

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I foresee a trip to the US so that I can go to Walmart for a Covid vaccination.