A nice weekend
The International Home Group on Saturday evening was graced with the presence of the Reverend Graham Heaps and Mrs Heaps, from Dewsbury in Yorkshire. It was good to have them here. Because it was cold and wet we cooked barbecue style food indoors and ate indoors and we were just too many to fit round the table - some came later, just for the study.
In the morning at Cenon we sure missed our students - almost all were at a weekend retreat somewhere in the Landes. Our numbers were boosted by the presence of Jenna's mother and sister from Kansas. Lunch at the Griffins ensued, with us taking a funny route home overtaking and being overtaken by Vincent, Jenna and all in their nippy little silver Clio. Jenna's mum yelled "You wanna join us for pizza". We wanned to but we were already heading somewhere for lunch so we took a raincheck.
Then began the fun with the traffic. Liz and her boys were going home by tram and bus, Ben, Graham and Sue Heaps and Hannah were in their car on the rocade, we were careering through the middle of town going by a previously unexplored route and guessing where to turn and when.
Ben got stuck in traffic. Liz discovered there were no buses. We got to the Griffinhaus first. Well I scuttled off to fetch Liz and boys while Ben applied himself to lunch.
At 3pm I left to hurtle Blaye-wards for the 4pm service and hit a road block. A cycle race. Aha ! How to get to Blaye... Well I took random roads, guessing my way and ended up just a little further along than the road block and just drove on, pulling over when the assorted pelotons came along. It was quite nice to watch them whizzing by and the route went right in front of the church, so we chatted with the spectators and with one competitor afterwards. The service seemed to go OK and afterwards we talked about the busy next few weeks.
The real fun for me came on the way home. Bouchons, said the motorway as I approached the Pont d'Aquitaine, so I went down the other side of the rocade to pass the Cenon church, go through the town centre and cross the Pont de Pierre. However just after Cenon the traffic ground to a halt and ambulances started to bully their way through the queued-up cars. I took a crafty short-cut when I could so I didn't see the accident that was causing all the holdup but I eventually got to the Griffinhaus at about 9pm and everyone had tea !
In the morning at Cenon we sure missed our students - almost all were at a weekend retreat somewhere in the Landes. Our numbers were boosted by the presence of Jenna's mother and sister from Kansas. Lunch at the Griffins ensued, with us taking a funny route home overtaking and being overtaken by Vincent, Jenna and all in their nippy little silver Clio. Jenna's mum yelled "You wanna join us for pizza". We wanned to but we were already heading somewhere for lunch so we took a raincheck.
Then began the fun with the traffic. Liz and her boys were going home by tram and bus, Ben, Graham and Sue Heaps and Hannah were in their car on the rocade, we were careering through the middle of town going by a previously unexplored route and guessing where to turn and when.
Ben got stuck in traffic. Liz discovered there were no buses. We got to the Griffinhaus first. Well I scuttled off to fetch Liz and boys while Ben applied himself to lunch.
At 3pm I left to hurtle Blaye-wards for the 4pm service and hit a road block. A cycle race. Aha ! How to get to Blaye... Well I took random roads, guessing my way and ended up just a little further along than the road block and just drove on, pulling over when the assorted pelotons came along. It was quite nice to watch them whizzing by and the route went right in front of the church, so we chatted with the spectators and with one competitor afterwards. The service seemed to go OK and afterwards we talked about the busy next few weeks.
The real fun for me came on the way home. Bouchons, said the motorway as I approached the Pont d'Aquitaine, so I went down the other side of the rocade to pass the Cenon church, go through the town centre and cross the Pont de Pierre. However just after Cenon the traffic ground to a halt and ambulances started to bully their way through the queued-up cars. I took a crafty short-cut when I could so I didn't see the accident that was causing all the holdup but I eventually got to the Griffinhaus at about 9pm and everyone had tea !
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