Puy de dome, Bourboule, Mauriac, Figeac, Cahors, Bastide d'Armignac, Blahblahblah

La Lauze

 So the No Funs decided to hoik me up a mountain.  They drove me back the way we came on a road which made the brakes smell.  They did buy me cake though.  It was a lava biscuit and was very very tasty.  We parked at the bottom of the volcano and it is was bright and sunny and prepared for our accent the next morning.

Big hill

 And the next morning it rained.  The clouds were so bad we couldn't even see our noses.  But they hoiked me up there anyway.

Puy de dome in the rain.

 Everyone told us not to bother but we had to go anyway.

I hated it

There was one other person up there and he took this picture.  Volcanoes pff I say.  Mama tried to make them sound exciting and drew pictures of them spouting fire and molten lava and coloured them in with crayons but pff I say.  Volcanoes pff.

We passed through a few spa towns on route and mama was desperate for a thermal spa but they were all a bit snotty about camper vans.  Shame as France has been so accommodating with its aires.  Mont dore was particularly difficult.  Mama's French suddenly became fluent and noisy as she got fed up of people complaining about us stopping in a car park to buy some bread. 
Anyway we soon got to gorgeous Mauriac and found a tiny aire in a wood next to a lake where the sun came out and the people started to smile at me.  Do you know I have spent several weeks saying 'Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour' and people ignoring me!!!

Bonjour Mauriac

 We had a lovely time by the lake.  Lots of mushrooms and berries and walnuts andbig fish jumping and fat men jogging.

Le Lac.

 We got up early in the morning when there was a big mist everywhere like smoke on  the water........  I told Mama that the grass was full of glimpses.  She said it was called dew.  Mama and daddy said they were going for a jog around the lake and I asked if I could come.  They said yes if I could keep up.  I said I would go on my bicycle then.  We set off I decided I didn't want to cycle but I preferred to run so Daddy buried my bike under a bush.

Glimpses

 I worried all the time we were out jogging but Mama said it would be OK.  We got back in time to see a lorry about to drive off.  Daddy ran up and before he could say anything, the driver produced my bicycle from his cab.  I gave them a big Merci for looking after it for me.

Figeac ma belle

 When we arrived in Figeac, all clouds lifted and everyone looked pleased to see us.  I got a few Bonjour Bonjours and Mama started skipping.

Here too hot for hats

 I wished we had stayed longer in Figeac but unfortunately they were digging up the centre and it was difficult to park.

Cahors

Cahors was amazing.  Most of France had been closed when we were driving through and that was because everyone was in Cahors. 
My most favourite place was Bastide d'Armagnac.  Tiny and beautiful and not quite so closed.  We went for a bike ride and came back after 10 minutes because the hills were too big.

Bon apetit

 Instead we had a fabulous lunch of foie gras and armagnac.  I loved it.  There seemed to be so much going on for a population of  692.  There was a harpsichord and a cello playing in the church, an opera in the evening and an art exhibition.

I liked the guy with a big chin

 It looked like something out of a film.  Mama thought about buying a house here.

Quick run

 Until she started being buzzed by the local NQR (not quite right) on a motorbike.........

Big Cheese. Saint Nectaire

Dolmen

 So we are finally here in the Massive Central.  And very nice it is too.  Cold but nice.  Lots of trees and things.  Blackberries and wild raspberries and Mama made us a stew with sorrel for dinner.  We found an old house on a hill which daddy said was a dolmen from 5000BC.  Mama said show me that vine leaf stuffed with rice. 

Another church

 There was a big church on top of a hill which I said I didn't want to go into if I had to be quiet.  Mama said she would leave me outside then so I went in and practised whispering in a loud voice.

Same church.  Another picture

There are lots of trails through the woods and we have seen a dead skink and a dead snake and a live woodpecker and this morning a blue tit was in the van eating the crumbs from the floor. Mama said to invite him more often.  Also, a bird fell from the sky and lay on his back kicking his legs up in the air.  Mama went to pick it up and held it until it died in her hands.  I was very sad.  It had a small mark and blood on the back of its head.  We buried it and then all the way home I pretended to be a little dying bird until Mama got annoyed.
We also saw a hummingbird moth.

Hummingbird Moth

 It had a ginormous tongue.

Monkeying around

We also found this tree climbing palaver in the middle of a wood so we played for several hours on that.

The town

We are on a great campsite Camping Le Viginet but it closes next week so we are going off to explore some mountains.  In the rain.

On the road again Year Two

Just as I settle into life with Nanny and start to say Hi instead of Hola, the No Funs hoik me off again to foreign parts.  Except they are not so foreign this time around.  And I love Nona.  I love her very much and am so happy to be in her.
They take me to Wimeraux because they say they came here before they had me.  I asked if I was dead then and they said maybe.  Anyway, Wimeraux had the biggest beach I have ever seen and when the tide went out it left loads of rock pools full of fish and crabs and squidgey sand and snails and wriggles.

Wait for me

I took my clothes off and went paddling even though it was quite chilly.  I found lots of mussels which we broke open and Mama promised to take me to a restaurant to eat some.

Looking for my muscles

Only when I got to the restaurant, I was so tired from all the fishing that I fell asleep on Mama's knee.  But that didn't stop them.  She put a napkin on my head and ate the lot.

Pulling mussels from a shell

The next day we went for a great big bike ride and then a great big walk.  Mama packed a picnic and it rained.  I climbed a mountain of sand and we saw seals playing in the bay.  In the rain.

Bloody big mole hill

Then we went off to Rouen to see the cathedral and go to the Art Museum there. Daddy found an amazing place to park up on the Rive Gauche overlooking the river and we could just walk into town.

Me and a lady

I liked the art gallery.  Mama took lots of pictures and daddy said I couldn't touch.  Mama said I could touch the sculptures if no one saw me.

Resting a Monet on my head

Something black and white that Mama liked

And then on to Chartres and another cathedral which looked like the last one but with amazing blue windows.

Blue windows

Daddy found another place to park overlooking the river but during the night it started to rain really heavily so Mama made me get up in the middle of the night to go and check the river in case we were washed away.

Finally something I wanted to do

And then on to Fishy which Mama said was called Vichy. We parked by the river there too.  We woke up to a fabulous morning with swings and slides and fishes jumping and kingfishers flitting.  Mama said she loved Vichy for the art deco architecture and the shabby chic whatever that is.  daddy said he couldn't help but think about the war.  We took our water bottles to the most beautiful building in an overgrown park and filled them with sparkling mineral water.

L'Allier

 

 

 

Sources les Celestes

Water water everywhere

Helping Daddy with his water

The water was delicious.  Warm and salty and fizzy and made me burp.  I drank so much that I weeed all the way back to the camper van.