Rain + Ricard

Hello everyone,

This message comes from France, Val de Reuil infact which is a little South of Rouen. Our progress is not so fast but it's as fast as we can. My only concern is the weather as winter has finally caught up with us. We had no rain and really warm weather in all of England but as soon as we hit France the rain came down and it's sometimes really cold and windy. Not a great combination but we're managing! We're currently camping in Pont de l'Arche not far from here and taking a day's 'rest', in order to do some shopping and make contact with all of our friends and family back home. We're camping on the banks of the Seine and because of the heavy rain last night Dorothée woke up in the middle of the night worried about falling in the river in the tent. There was no chance of this happening but l understand that something like that had nearly happened to her parents a long time ago.

Since l last wrote we returned from Brussels to London by train closely followed by a return journey to Reading where we stayed with Sue, a good friend who returned with us to London to see some more friends, it's very complicated, but it was great to catch up with Camilla, Graham and his better half, Nat. We stayed with Graham in Woolwich, east London before taking the boat up the Thames into central London to take the bus back to Oxford. By that time l was severely bored of being social and was very keen to get back on the road. It was quite evident in my mood and actions. We did however spend a day walking around Oxford taking pictures, drinking real ale and looking at some of the University which is pretty impressive especially Magdalen.

And so it was towards Reading where we again stayed with Sue, drank fine wine and enjoyed decent conversation with her and her boyfriend, Rowan. At this point realised one thermarest made by MEC, this is a camping matress was self-deflating. Not a good thing and this is now what seems an all too often occurence with today's lack of quality and care when constructing goods. MADE IN CHINA comes to mind. This is now poor Oceanne's bed. We then continued southwards via Alton and Liss where we camped wild and onto Haywards Heath where we again camped wild passing by Midhurst and Billingshurst. We then carried on to my Auntie's in Ashburnham where we recieved a really warm welcome and spent a very comfortable two nights before departing to Newaven where we took the ferry to France. On leaving Ashburnham we went to see the opening meet of the hunting season. Hunting is definetly not dead and buried and Océanne could see all the dogs and sit on my cousin Matthew's horse and l could see all my cousins and Auntie and Uncle before one last goodbye. I will just add now that Dorothée and l are very touched by the welcome we recieve at not just my Auntie's but also for example in Brussels where we have been welcomed by both our families, drank huge amounts of alcohol, well l did anyway, and shared special moments such as the time drinking white wine in the streets of Brussels with these really good anchovies at this small fish market shop run by a Catalan guy.

When we arrived in Newhaven there were forcasts of storms centered exactly on Newhaven and exactly at our hour of departure which was 8 a.m the next morning. I wasn't holding out much luck that the boat would go but we would still have to get up at 5.30 to check if it was going or not. It was going to be my 30th birthday as well! We tried to go to bed early in this hotel/pub type of place but there was a halloween party and worse than that was this character setting off really pathetic but very loud fireworks from his back garden. I have to say actually that nothing dramatic happened. The boat did go although we weren't allowed on deck apart from before getting out into the Channel, the boat did not capsize, it was actually pretty stable. Infact the worse thing was and it was actually a right pain was that l discovered my front tire had a flat on trying to leave the boat in Dieppe and it was tipping it down. Great b-day this was! After fixing flat, another imbedded thorn, Dorothée had one the day before where we nearly missed the hunting save for a very quick tube change, we set off in the rain to find a place to stay. All cheap places were full in the centre of town so after eating in a kebab place we went off up this mega hill in very very heavy rain and eventually found a cheap place called Formule 1, a chain which we had used a year ago. The best moment of the day was probably the magnum white chocalate ice cream that Dorothée offered me for dessert in this bizarre restaurant we went to that seemed like it was something out of a child's movie in the vein of Willy Wonka. There was even a candle for me that had been offered by Dorothée's scout friends. Thank-you Eve, Delph, Anab, Vero, Isabelle and Anne-Marie. Thank-you everyone else for all the birthday messages on facebook and e-mail.

A couple of days later we are now here after riding yesterday in really miserable weather. The night after Dieppe we stayed on the land of Myrtil and his wife who we, well l drank Pastis with and who after we had already put our tent up and had supper, offered us a caravan which we duly slept in. It was really heavy rain again so it was very easy to say yes. Putting the tent down in the pouring rain in the morning was not much fun though! It's a long story but this man lived in a cabin which was quite like a house, built weird bikes, for example a tandem that you didn't sit one behind the other but one on top of the other, yes it's true and whose brother shocked the life out of me in the morning by shooting pigeons very near the caravan that they would eat later. I don't think he got any that morning though. We all had breakfast together before leaving in the morning under yet more very very heavy rain.

I apologise for the people l did not have time to see in England for example firemen John and Richie, and Matt, Iain and David in London. However while we are still close you are very welcome to come out to France. The general plan is to head south to Toulouse via Chartres, Orléans, Bourges and Clermont Ferrand. Please feel free to give me an e-mail if you wish to come over and bike with us or just simply visit. You are very welcome.

Ok, this place is now closing, Much love and till the next time, Rupert.....

P.S. Four flats and 1017 km's.