It couldn’t have gone more smoothly!

We did really well until we got to tesco at burseldon! As we went around the roundabout the oil light flashed on! Then there was a moment of realisation that I was going on holiday without the person who thinks about checking things like the oil before we leave! Oops…. It quickly went off again but I checked the levels when we arrived and there wasn’t very much in there. Our first stop had to be for oil once we get to France! So I have learned that we need to use 20w-50 oil as its hot or 15w-40 if not! What the heck does that mean?!!

The next slight drama was getting on the ferry! After getting stopped and searched by customs ( I think they just wanted to have a good nose at freckles insides!) we moved around to the holding area in a line of lovely campers…. After making up coffee and enjoying the views we went to start freckle to go on, I turn the key…… Nothing. I thought, be calm, check everything’s off and try again….Nothing. I wait a minute, being calm and try again,nothing. Then the man in the orange coat starts really waving at me! I can hear stews voice in my head saying just move kit on one click on the starter motor and it’ll be fine. If I’m honest at this point I did start to panic just a teeny bit…. Caroline hops out, the other sympathisers (also campervanners) offer to help. We start moving along and I try the ignition and voila of freckle goes! Proving that I should never doubt my husband!

We made it off the ferry fine and the Aussie got a stamp in her passport…. Then we needed to go to a supermarket. The planed stop was aborted due to a low height barrier at the entrance to the car park, quickly we regrouped and headed for an alternative. We made essential purchases of cheese, wine, bread and orangina then the pressing purchase of oil. Stew told me to buy good oil, I have no idea what constitutes that so I just bought the most expensive! I managed to fill p the oil, check the level then get a face full as I set the bottle down. Stinking of motor oil I pressed on, negotiated my first solo French filling station visit and then relied heavily on Alexander the sat nav to get us to Granville. I’ve got to be honest…. I forgot the map showing the whole of France (stew if you are reading this could you add that to your list of things to bring, I think it’s in the playroom!) so I knew the rough direction but had absolutely no idea of how to get here. Te sat nav took us a very beautiful and scenic route, but I’m less an convinced it was the quickest. There was one particular moment when the cry of I’m going to be sick mummy emanated from the rear and an urgent pull over was required. On narrow country road my only option was to block a farmers driveway, and stalled the van, resolving the vomit situation, another moment of van not starting was expertly negotiated by rolling the van back a few inches and trying again. The rest of the journey passed without any excitement until we saw the sea.

I was apprehensive staying somewhere new on the first night, but the location suited us and when we got here it was a real wow. About a 5 minute walk to e beach, once we had set up our base camp we decided to go for a quick paddle. The quick paddle rapidly turned into a full on swim, with Fraser ending up fully clothed in the warm sea before stripping naked to chase his sister around the bay. The day trippers and fishermen were all returning with their catches of shell fish and fish and landing their boats on the beach. We resolved to find some fresh seafood for a bbq tomorrow night and an after dinner beach trip and ice cream is on the cards if the over tired and excited children have a good sleep.

I’m absolutely exhausted, and ready for a good sleep tonight once the children finally settle, but I just have a feeling that this is the start of a really great summer….