Before we left Lancing we put Mika on a public weighbridge, just to see where we were; not that we want to give her a complex :).  We were fairly well within the Gross weight limit, but were very surprised to see us being close to the rear axle limit.   Some redistribution of kit is required, though we’re going to look into uprating what the rear axles can take (change of tires and suspension) without altering the overall gross weight.  Some food for thought over the next couple of weeks or so…

With an fairly early boat from Portsmouth at 08:15, we didn’t want to be late, but with the very rigid rules of the camp site the gates weren’t opened until 7am.  This turned out not to be a problem as the traffic was OK.

As you may  or may not know we currently have a car and motorhome as we’ll be based at Gail’s parents place in France for 6 months, see the links below to get an idea:-

http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/articles/bagnoles-de-l-orne-391-2.html

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/FR9761.htm

Keith drove the motorhome and Gail the car on this leg of the journey, though Keith was joined by “Ted” in the cab.  For those of you that don’t know, Ted was given to Gail when she was 12 before her and her family travelled around the America’s in a motorhome.  This time Ted wanted to check out what Europe has to offer…

Unsurprisingly the motorhome was pulled over for an inspection on the UK side before boarding the boat.  It was a fairly routine check, though with a Teddy bear sitting in the passenger seat it could easily have gone another way.

A steady journey of about 2 hours saw us arrive in a drizzly Bagnoles de L’Orne.  The house is as lovely as we remembered it, though getting the motorhome onto the driveway was a bit of a tight squeeze.

Although we’ll be based here for 6 months we’ll be travelling for a few weeks here and there in France when the house is rented out and for part of the time when Gail’s parents come over to give them a bit of space in their own home 🙂

The blog might be on the quiet side over the next couple of months, whilst we study French, do a bit of decorating and play tennis.  Keith’s school teachers won’t believe that he is keenish to learn another language; maybe it’ll be a case of Jack of all trades but master of none… 🙂

We had a slight concern when Keith’s phone  didn’t roam and Gail’s received a text indicating that our calls etc would be charged.  However, a quick call to EE confirmed that this was just a standard message.  We’ll see check online and see when the first bill comes through; making and receiving calls in most of Europe should be included in our package…