Bright morning. Serviced Mary*Lou and left site at 11:05. Heading towards Angouleme we are in the centre of Cognac country and vines grow everywhere across the rolling hills from fields as far as the eye can see right down to small areas the size of a sports pitch. In St Genis d'hierac a small vineyard is right next to a similar size graveyard. We guess it enriches the soil and it's dry-white for everyone! We Entered the Dordogne at 13:15 and almost immed...

Last night's heavy showers have given way to a bright sunny morning. The cicadas and toads have been joined by a nearby cuckoo who thinks it's a thousand o'clock. Croissant and Pain au chocolat with real coffee for Breakfast. Ali says goodbye to our host and buys a small jar of Rose Jam as a courtesy, as is the way when staying on a France Passion. We set off at 10:30 heading for our next stop at St Jean D'Angely near Cognac. As we head south the landscape c...

Very rainy and windy last night. We are woken by horses nudging against the van and cuckoos calling. We are ready to leave as the horses are being readied for their day at work. We cross the huge bridge at St Nazaire which corkscrews up ahead, giving us great views of a navy ship under construction below us before decending to the start of the Marais marshlands. We find an aire in Pinochet to empty waste and loo but the 'Flot Bleu'machine won't accept our car...

Overcast morning. We refill the fresh water tank and Jean-Michel goes to disconnect the hose. Ali warns about standing clear of the blowback but Annick doesn't translate quickly enough and Jean-Michel gets soaked. We say our goodbyes and set off at 11:05 Roads quieter than expected [as it's a holiday weekend] but busy near Vannes. We detour into Port-Louis and stop by the harbour under the ramparts of the fort for lunch which is from 'le sac de chien' or dog...

The wind and rain last night has eased by the time we finish breakfast. At 10:45 we leave in Annick's car to go to the hotel de ville [town hall] in Guilers where Ali's godson, Elijah, is to be baptised. Outside we meet family members, many of whom we know. Handshakes and kisses all round before going into the chamber where we are greeted by a lady wearing a tricolour sash who will officiate. The ceremony includes a reading, in French, by Ali to say what it m...