France

I know that I have been AWOL again which is because I had to travel over to France for the funeral of my stepfather John.  As he and my mum both lived in France this meant hurried booking of flights, getting time off work and linking in with other family members in the UK who were also travelling over for the funeral.

We spent some time helping my mum clear things away and sort through some of his belongings. We also spent some of our time in France resting a little as the emotional energy is draining. We had a couple of hours walking her dog, Misca on the beach as he had been cooped up in the house for some time while my mum cared for John. Misca loved running on the beach and stretching his little legs. He dug holes in the sand and rolled in the holes he had made making his fur all sandy and smelling of seawater.

We dropped off relatives at Rennes airport and stopped at Fougeres on our way back. We parked near the castle and I was astounded to find that the car parking and public toilets were free to use. You would just not get this in the UK with our councils afer every penny they can get

Fougeres is so pretty with lopsided houses, little bistros and chic shops. We stopped for lunch at a lovely bistro called The Ramparts and had a set two course meal with a half bottle of house wine. The bill was less than €40 even with a 10% tip for 3 of us (me, my mum & David). We were able to sit outside in the gardens because it was warm but sadly overcast with no sunshine.

There is a walk signposted around the town so we walked from the bottom of the town where the castle is and up to the main town to window shop. We walked back down through the municipal gardens and around the back of the castle. I was suprised to see goats grazing next to the moat and just below the castle ramparts.

It was lovely to get some fresh air, stretch our legs and walk the dog before going back to clearing out the house again.