Captain’s Blog Supplemental

Captain’s Blog Supplemental – Tour Date 20 09.8

Sue’s been doing a sterling job of keeping you all informed and entertained with her blog of our travels, but at this point I thought I’d give you an idea of our general day-to-day routine. Obviously it’s not etched in stone, but we seem to follow a daily pattern which goes something like this:

I normally wake up first, sometime between eight and eight-thirty. Sometimes it can stretch to nine-thirty, but who’s counting? The first job is to put the kettle on for a cup of tea, and while I’m waiting for it to boil I put on a pair of shorts or my dressing gown and go to the toilet block.
By the time I get back to the caravan (sorry, Freda) the kettle’s boiled and I make two cups of tea. I place the cups on the table that separates our beds and while sipping my tea, I wonder what the coming day will bring. As it relies totally on what Sue has planned, this train of thought lasts about thirty seconds and I start to get bored. I prod her and tell her that her tea’s poured. This doesn’t go down too well, but it has the desired effect inasmuch as she wakes up and I’ve got someone to talk to. Alternatively I might turn the radio on, which has the same effect. In Spain I could usually rely on two or three stations that play a high percentage of British and American music. When we were in Marbella I was spoilt, as not only were there three English-speaking stations, but I could pick up the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) from Gibraltar. In France they’re much more parochial and I usually don’t bother, as rock music with French lyrics sounds a bit like a cat with laryngitis slowly being strangled! Another option is to listen to BBC Radio on the laptop, but this depends on whether the campsite has a decent internet speed and wi-fi range. In Spain it was pretty good, but France is abysmal and I’m convinced their campsites have unilaterally decided not to recognise the fact we’re in the 21st century when it comes to the internet. But after saying that, I’ve been told by a few Brits that most English campsites haven’t emerged from the middle ages yet, so maybe I shouldn’t complain too hard.

So, in short, just lately Sue’s been getting a lot of prodding in the morning.

We then drink our tea and discuss what we’ll be doing during the day. This involves Sue telling me and me agreeing. Like, am I bovvered? It saves me from making any decisions and I can just go with the flow, which is the way I like it. We then have breakfast, which can be Crunchy Nut Cornflakes (I love them, but they’re not always easy to find in European supermarkets) the continental (ham and cheese baguettes) or the full English of bacon, sausage, eggs and tomatoes (grilled on the BBQ) with orange juice, marmalade on toast - and coffee. It all depends on how much time we’ve got and/or what’s in the fridge. All this eating takes place outside of course, under the shade of a tree or trees, as the sun is invariably shining and the temperature is in the mid-seventies to eighties by now. It’s a hard life on the road, but someone’s got to live it!

Breakfast over; it’s time for the morning ablutions. This can be tricky on Spanish campsites, as the women have a propensity for congregating outside the toilet and shower blocks – invariably the men’s – where they shout at each other in an approximation of conversation. I therefore find myself, clothed only in my dressing gown, having to run a gauntlet of bawling women. I’m never sure whether to feel aggrieved or relieved that they take absolutely no notice of me whatsoever. In France this doesn’t happen, because the shower and toilet blocks are mixed. The natural English reserve can be sorely tested under these circumstances, but I’ve got used to it now and try to ignore the ladies that pass behind me as I stand at a urinal doing what comes naturally.

So, morning ablutions over, we then go off for the day’s sight-seeing. Of course, we occasionally have a “rest day” involving lying around reading, sunbathing, writing up the latest blog, or house keeping. The house keeping can vary from hoovering out Freda, cleaning the car, doing the washing and ironing, general maintenance and other stuff like that. I wish I had a euro for every Brit (usually a northerner) who comes up to me while I’m covered in sweat through doing chores and asking, “'Ot enough for you is it?” Bless ‘em!

As the end of the day approaches we start to think about the evening meal, and I have to say that Sue has produced some wonderful meals on Freda’s primitive propane gas stove as well as the barbeque. These have included everything from Bolognese sauces to full duck or chicken roasts. Occasionally I’ll take over on the barbeque and do a sausage, beef burger or pork chop grill (or all three) while Sue knocks up a salad to go with it. With a gin and tonic beforehand and a bottle of wine during and afterwards, life doesn’t get much harder but, as I said earlier, someone’s got to live it!. Meal over, it’s off to the ablutions block to do the washing up. (God, I miss the dishwasher!)

We then laze about reading or occasionally watch a DVD on the laptop. The DVD issue can be a slight source of contention, because Sue brought her romantic comedies (Notting Hill, Woman In Red, Shakespeare In Love – that kind of thing, while I brought my shoot ‘em up and burn ‘em thrillers with Arnie Swartzenegger, Jason Statham, etc. However, we’re pretty democratic about it and I’m prepared to get in touch with my feminine side if Sue can get in touch with her male side. But I have to say it was a strain on our relationship when I had to sit through six episodes of the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice serial over two consecutive nights. But that’s what you do for someone you love!

A few people have asked me if there’s anything about Sue that irritates me, as she used her blog at the start of our trip to list a few about me. Well, what can I say? No, let me re-phrase that. What can I say that I can get away with...?

...Ten minutes have gone by and I’m still stumped. Let’s face it. She’s perfect!

“And so to bed!” as they say. The end of another brilliant day! There have been a lot of them lately. Three and a half month’s worth actually.

Who knows, we might do it again next year.