Firstly I need to remark on my dramatic recovery.  It would seem that I’ve found the antidote to malaria and it is a nightnurse tablet and a good sleep!  On reflection maybe it was just a cold but I did feel really unwell, I even turned down wine!  Im much better today and feeling ready to take on the world again!

The day started with a short cycle to Amalie Plage where there is a small bakers selling THE MOST amazing pastries and bread.  We got a selection…. Stew had “been meaning to try” bordeaux cakes, which are basically little apple cakes covered in a caramel coating.  The phrase when used by Stew usually applies to crisps, and so I thought he deserved a treat!  We had our heathy pastries, bread and chocolate spread (have I mentioned that I have always said I hate chocolate spread… this is in fact a lie and I have deprived myself of it for the last 23 years… its lovely! who knew?!).  I made some rolls for lunch and we set off on our bikes. 

We are staying in the municipal site at Amalie Plage, about 2.5 miles from the centre Soulac, but like everywhere around here the cycle paths are amazing and so it was a nice ride into the town.  We had a look in all the shops, had a look at the church and then stopped for a coffee.  We headed back to the beach and had our picnic whilst Stew fixed a puncture on my bike!

The Children played on the sand but the sea was too rough for swimming and the lifeguards weren’t letting anyone in.  We headed back along the cycle paths to Amalie and headed to the beach.  Swimming was very much the order of the day here and we spent a happy few hours playing in the sea, playing bat and ball and collecting pretty stones and snake tusks (fraser found them… they just looked like sticks to me!)

Back at the campsite we had a bbq, and the children played with some french children, and I had a gin and tonic… in the background we could hear the waves on the beach and the sun was shining…. perfect.

After dinner the children did the washing up! (thats not even made up!) and then Fraser and Stewart headed to the beach with a fishing rod, whilst Penny and I redid our nails and soaked our feet! (and I had another gin!).  The boys returned minus the fish, with Stew having sneaked out a cold beer and fraser stripped off naked for a splash in the sea as the attraction of playing in the waves was too much!  A quick shower and they settled down for bed…. with Penny sleeping in the tent for the first time.