Sanary-sur-Mer

The sun sets on Sanary sur Mer

Two days on the road between Exeter and Sanary-sur-Mer included an overnight stop at Chaumont sur Tharonne, a few miles south of Orleans.
The ferry crossing between Newhaven and Dieppe, tried for the first time, was four hours long and gave a chance of quiet respite from the steering wheel.
Newhaven was found to be a freight port not quite as well sign posted or cleanly swept as our usual Plymouth departure point. Cheap and cheerful it was, but with few other plus points.

Thierry and Rene' - our hosts at Tharonne  were charming, welcoming and spoke good English. The ground floor suite spacious, all beautifully clean and well furnished. Three King Charles Spaniels stood guard at the tea table.  The little village a delightful place where the rural sports include (wild) boar hunting. 

LePetitClos-Chaumont-sur-Tharonne

First light on the village green.

Starting early on the road soon after breakfast we headed south once more on the A71 but  my failure to listen to Helen and ample speed limit warnings led to an abrupt halt by a pair of flashing blue motorcycle lights, a 96 Euro on the spot fine administered with cool precision.  Helen was rightly vindicated and openly amused by the whole procedure and enjoyed the remaining few hours in relaxed fashion as I reflected on my misdemeanour.

We reached Sanary sur Mer as the light was fading and bedded down in our chalet. but the excitement was not over. An hour or so into a deserved rest and internet browsing the ill fitted slats on my bed suddenly collapsed and dumped my derrière onto the floor.  More chuckles from Helen, a sip of cold tea and some sweet dreams to follow. 

Sunday in Sanaray dawns dull but by at noon the sun warmed the harbour-front.

Harbour (double take).

The fish market

Fresh caught

Sunday trading

Fresh fruit and veg.

December 20 and like summer

Very tempting

Showers begin to clear

Nativity scene

Église Saint Nazaire

The street scene is buzzing with a Happy Christmas atmosphere.  

The glittering night scene of Sanary sur Mer harbour

In sight of the the Italian ice cream vendor offering Liquorice and Lemon Ice

 

BW3W - Balance Bike with lowered suspension

Just completed in time for Christmas is this balance bike for Leon (aged 8 months). A little advanced for a crawler not yet up and running but my enthusiasm rushed ahead unexpectedly.
A Google search revealed a bewildering array of wooden bicycles and tricycles, but settling on this one design was made because it easily modifies from three to two wheels and will hopefully stay useful for longer.

Free running skate board bearings inset to bamboo hubs.

Off-cut pieces of wood chosen for straightness of grain and seasoned quality was sourced at Beach Brothers in Exeter, A strip of garden cane for the axle rods and a length of larger bamboo for the wheel hubs and spokes, Re-cycled wet suite material form the tyres and the Ash handlebars chosen for their crooked angle are cut from the hedge. The wooden tyres are of straight grained oak sawn into 1/16th inch strips, steam bent before gluing into a circular former. Final shaping with the spokeshave removes all sharp edges.
Wheel bearings were found in the skate board shop. 

Failed wheels

Bamboo spokes are approx 5 mm dia.

My steam box (heated by a MSR camping stove) cooks the oak, pliable after just ten minutes. Neoprene gloves enable me to handle while bending the steaming hot wood slivers from the box. This is allowed to cool and dry for 24 hours before gluing up. Three tyres failed the quality test and the final three are far from perfect but would support the weight of an adult. Bamboo spokes may sound a weak choice but testing revealed that a 5mm sharpened spoke may be driven through a plank of white deal wood. A total of forty eight of them were whittled down from the split bamboo with a very sharp 1 inch chisel and a razor plane. The bamboo hubs have a shallow groove cut around the outside close to each end and are wrapped tightly with a ring of whipping twine to prevent splitting. Also to ensure the bearings stayed put.
After this introduction to construction of a wooden conveyance I am tempting myself with the thought of a full size wooden bike,  but on reflection the shed stored classic Claud Butler could not be bettered.

Three and a half years later the bike is still in one piece but required several adjustments to the saddle position. Much abuse from two toddlers has failed to break any part of it. (30thAug.2019) Update.

Front Forks

Some adjustments required for Leon's first scoot include:  Lowered suspension, Widened track  swept handlebars and two coats of varnish.

The well man Clinic

The all clear result of my annual blood test is quite a relief .
So many friends and one or two relatives have not been so fortunate in recent months.
My GP offered the usual flue jab and a memory test for Alzheimer's - both declined by me.
My medication for an eye condition and for thinning the blood - both have slight but liveable side effects.
I lost my brother two years ago to eventual side effects from a medication prescribed many years previously, and I cannot ignore the implications. If it ain't broke don't fix it - is the sentiment I apply to myself as well as to the M4W Morgan, which sits cocooned in the garage.
Three of our local GPs have been laid low recently to diseases of one sort or another - none fatal - but still not a happy thought.
My sister in law recommended a good book to me the day before yesterday and try as I might I could not remember the title later that same day. I did remember the author's name though, which happens to be similar to the name of an ancestor (named Forster),  so do I have hope?  My son reassures me that the memory is selective and mine is no different, lots of superfluous information becomes lost in the filtering of disinteresting fuzzy trivia, even though I try to remember as much as I may.
So I excused myself at the Doctors surgery and tell him I am only concerned to keep my wheels on the road;  I can follow the G.P.S. and reach a far destination, stay happy and at peace with the world. He is just as likely as me to get lost I tell myself. And the book title recommended to me: "Where Angels fear to tread".

Grandson Leon has all his wheels

Free a Conman for Christmas

Jeremy Corbyn asks for a conman to be freed over Christmas.
One of three that chose to defraud elderly victims of £600,000.

Corbyn encourages thieves to go forth and rob. 

The final straw that convinces me this "leader" is an idiot,

Lost his marbles,
Lost the plot,
Away with the fairies,
A brick short of a load
A few feathers short of a whole duck
As useful as tits on a bull
He’s got a leak in his think-tank
His cheese has slipped off his cracker

An egg short of a chicken

A pillock
A bloody liability

A plonker
Off his rocker

Con men  -   Corbyn wants one let out for Christmas !

Telegraph report today