October 2010
Monthly Archive
Monthly Archive
Changing countries means getting used to the forecast again… The golden rule here is that the weather is generally better than they forecast, which is nice. Still, they were predicting very strong winds and a lot of cloud development inland. So far the technical stuff has worked well (setting up the new ISP, etc.), until today, when the printer went into a major sulk and my connection is flaky on the top floor. Geoff worked at sorting it all out this morning, but by the 11.30am forecast update, it was clear that we should really go out and make the most of the day. It’s going to pour tomorrow.
Making the most out of the day meant going as far east as possible, which is where the beach is. The sea was going to be choppy and I was unsure about how far the cloud would come in, so we settled for cycling around the bay of Roses. I took my blades, but was glad I had given myself the choice… at times I would have been stationary.
We rode to one end of the bay and watched the kite surfers while having our picnic and then cycled to the other end (the marina) and had a read and a snooze in the sun. I bitterly regretted not bringing shorts – it was 28C and the cloud never did come in, so it was boiling in the sun. Nice relaxed day. Just what the doctor ordered.
Geoff 02 Oct 2010 | : Trying, but failing, to fly
Geoff writes: hot, sunny – and windy. We spent the morning cleaning and unpacking, setting up our new (and cheaper) ISP, and at lunchtime rushed out to go flying, without really looking at the forecast. On reaching Olot, we realised that the mountains close by had the duvet effect – the clouds rolling over the tops – which is guaranteed to mean it’s too windy. So we gave up, and came back home to continue the cleaning and unpacking. Not the most exciting first day in Spain…..
Geoff 02 Oct 2010 | : Flying, France
Geoff writes: incredibly, waking up after a painful night sleeping in the front seats of the car, it seemed like it just possibly might be flyable at Millau. We had about 150 miles still to go, so set off after a quick coffee in the motorway services. Of course, it wasn’t that straightforward, and we did drive through some fairly thick fog, but shortly before Millau, it cleared. So, for once, no wind, no rain.
We went to the landing field hoping to get a ride up, but by early afternoon we decided to drive up, and top land if possible (a tricky slope landing) or fly in turn. The sky was not epic, but it seemed like it might be ok, and occasionally there were birds thermalling. Once on top, there were a couple of other people there, and we played musical sites – being undecided which side to launch from. Soon, more people turned up, including some commercial tandems. People started launching, and, mostly, going down, or just getting one brief thermal, then going down. I waited a long time, not really wanting just a top to bottom, and finally launched – and had a top to bottom.
Judith had decided not to fly, thinking the day was over. I didn’t think it was, and after she came to get me, we drove back up again (it’s only a 15 minute drive). I launched again almost immediately, and this time it was good – not great heights, the most I got was about 760′ ATO, but far better than it had been before. It got scratchy sometimes, which did get a bit disconcerting, since the usual rules of the air do not apply in France – but still ridge soarable. I flew for an hour or so, and then chose to land – so, far from the day being over, it was pretty good. Stunning views, beautiful site.
The forecast at Millau for the next few days was poor, so we set off for Spain.
Now we are in Spain, the live site/comp info (the Twitter feed) will be switched off until we get back to the UK in April.
Judith 02 Oct 2010 | : Boring stuff
We always like the weather to be rubbish when we leave Britain, just because it confirms our decision on the timing to leave the UK. Unfortunately, we had to drive to Dover under the perfect XC sky. I kept my eyes firmly on the road…
The boat trip was uneventful as usual, getting round Paris was a pain as always and we slept in a motorway service station in the front seats of the van as ever. I did get a cramped six hours, interrupted every hour or so by the need to shift position, either because a limb had gone to sleep, my head had lolled forward or I was drooling – still, for an insomniac, that’s a lot of sleep! In the morning we went into the service station for coffee and croissants and as I went to brush my teeth in the ladies, I was confronted by a man pointing a rather large gun at me. I must have been really groggy because rather than being particularly concerned, I walked back out to check the sign on the door to confirm that I hadn’t accidentally wandered into the gents. Luckily, he was army, rather than a psychopath, so I just got on with brushing my teeth. The gents were being cleaned…
Judith 02 Oct 2010 | : Boring stuff
We finally managed to get everything packed and I set about the task of getting all the boxes, gliders, bits and pieces in the van, while Geoff was busy with meetings. I always like the challenge of packing efficiently and we’re always hopeful that one day we’ll either have so little stuff, or pack so efficiently, that there will be enough room for one of us to sleep in the back. I was nearly there, but not quite. Last on were the bikes, for which we had bought a fancy new rack. Only problem was, our number plate isn’t centrally located, so the bikes had to go to the side and protruded too much. We shuffled the rack back into the middle, only to find that the lights were obscured. We took the wheels off, but then the number plate still wasn’t visible. In the end, we went for the most practical solution… repack the van, put the bikes inside, leave the new rack in the UK and sleep in the front seats as usual!
Hours later than expected we finally hit the road, driving down to our first stop in the Cotswolds to say good-bye to Geoff’s family.
And Wayne has taken the plunge, and is now living in our house over the winter.