He said no stops today on the way to Tours…

And he didn’t. Stage 12

 

It was wet and not warm as we started. Getting up was hard as that 4 Poster huge bed was really comfortable. The Cyclist stayed there a bit longer while I got the tea and his first breakfast of Muesli and banana. Second breakfast was the one included in the room ( Anyone would think he is a Took from The Lord of the Rings. He was always asking about second breakfast). As normal I let him have the croissant and pain au chocolat that Madame had put for us, as his tooth is playing up again.

We saw the yellow arrows of the TDF people as we set off from the start point at 8.45am so they can’t be too far in front. They were a lot nearer the start point and can set off wen hey like as all the cyclists have to do is get in their bike and go. My Cyclist can’t do that as he has to help me cart he bags to the car and get all things ready for our day. He sorts his bike and I get his emergency snacks out and get his water bottles sorted out ready for the off. I haven’t mentioned it this time but i am still washing his kit every night, rubbing his legs and sorting out all his meals.
It was country roads today but there are loads of lorries and they aren’t hanging about. Yesterday on the news 2 cyclists killed by a lorry in the UK. So this morning The Cyclist said watch out for the lorries they are hammering down this road. I think it’s more like he should watch for the lorries. They shake the car when they pass and as I pootle along the roads at 40mph you would think I am going backwards as they flash their lights, drive right up close then overtake when they can. I watch them pull up to the Cyclist. They get right up close to him too. Really close. Then again they overtake when they can. That isn’t so bad as they have to pull away around him as they are not going at speed. It’s when they are tanking t and fly past him. That’s when you can see wavering in the drag from the lorry.
All along the roads the workers are out tidying up and making it all look like new. They are spraying the white lines over with new paint. As I get out to take photos it smells like Pear Drops from the paint spray on the roads as they are all cleaned up for the cameras.
While looking for a Buffalo Grill I found a couple of restaurants that made me smile and I don’t think I’d like to eat at as the names were: Le Coq Hardi and Crapat.
There are poppies out all in the hedgerows and in the cornfields. some in the corn some along the edges. It is really pretty. They must be a month behind Italy as we saw the poppies there too as you will remember. Then they were lining the vines. One thing I have noticed this year is that there are rosé bushes growing at the ends of rows of vines. Anyone know why they do that? Does it attract the aphids away?
One time I stopped to take a photo i did the usual pull up on the grass verge opened the door and got out. only this time I dropped. Straight into a ditch. Into the stingers and god knows what else. It would have made you laugh just like when someone trips or falls off a chair. I yellped and got out quickly remembering the snakes in Italy. To look at it no one would know as the level of the grasses were cut all the same. Hey ho watch out for that another time.
On the way into Tours I missed a whopping great Chateau. As we were only a few Km from the end I could not afford to stop and lose The Cyclist. Also all along the road there were caves built into the rock face. hundreds of them. Most seemed to be used as stores but all had some form of door on the front. I have never seen anything like it. I presume people lived years ago and now used as wine stores though most can’t have been used for years.
There was no lavender in to be seen in Provence last year or this and so far this year no sunflower fields either so far. I hope we see some.
There was a McDonalds where we finished and the Cyclist sent me in to get him some food immediately. He hates McDonalds but this was just in the right place at the right time as he only had one sandwich all day as he wanted to get there quickly. Our hotel was in the centre of the city and was one of those old big French town houses converted to a hotel. There was an old couple running it but I would say that Madame ruled the roost. We were in the attic room and had to lug the bags up three flights of narrow wooden curling stairs. The room was nice though.
I had managed to speak to Angel-One on face time and they sent me some more photos of the Bambino. I have put key favourites up here. The Internet is very poor so please check again as I have lots of photos I will add later.
Soundbites:
People hold on – coldcut
Payphone – Marron5
Personal Thunder – Will Young
I love Paris – Rosemary Clooney
Picking up the Pieces – Mike Ward
The promise you made – Cock Robin.
Rasputin – Boney M ( from the ‘Kitchen Disco’ compilation put together for me for last years Tour by The Boss. It is getting a well deserved airing on all this years tours too. Thanks Boss 🙂 )

11 Responses

  1. I did try to put together a french cycling compilation for this years tour, but all i cd come up with was “les bicyclettes de belsize” by engelbert humperdinck, unless u count singing along to “the pushbike song” in a french accent, which is great fun, but liable to get u funny looks if indulged in in a public place.

  2. I ont have the Thin Lizzy track, but here is a challenge…… We re up for Spain next. Apart from the 70s viva Espnga, what else? There is one Steve winwood and one Matt Monroe but oherwise? Didn’t Freddie.Mercury do one thing for the Bar leona Olymics?

  3. Interesting. The room is pitch black and we’re at the bottom of mont ventoux and flies are Attracted to the light og my ipad screen, so the more I post, the more flies I’m squishing on my screen and the wall. Lovely!,

  4. Spanish songs, eh. U may live to regret that! Start with una paloma blanca, then anything by baccara, blue spanish eyes, and if u have not descended into madness by then, u are a better man than me. In 1992 i stayed on a week long course in sunderland. The hotel had its barcelona olympics tape on continuous play all the time: every thirty minutes freddie and montserrat caballé would rev themselves up again and a musical dash thru spain would recommence. The pain of it all!

  5. Ah. Lord of the Rings – that is an epic marathon too!

    Your snippet about the grass verge reminded me of Vicar of Dibley when Geraldine is splashing in puddles with the tall bloke!! Anyway “keep off the grass!”

    Haven’t got any French themed songs in mind but there is a haunting one possibly for Spain, in Spanish – Llorando by Rebekah del Rio. You’ll recognise it when you hear it!!

  6. Ah. Lord of the Rings – that is an epic marathon too!

    Your snippet about the grass verge reminded me of Vicar of Dibley when Geraldine is splashing in puddles with the tall bloke!! Anyway “keep off the grass!”

    Haven’t got any French themed songs in mind but there is a haunting one possibly for Spain, in Spanish – Llorando by Rebekah del Rio. You’ll recognise it when you hear it!!

  7. Its all coming back to me! Los del rios, “il maccarena.” you will remember it now, however hard u try, it will be lurking in the back of yr mind, ready to surprise u, in the middle of an ims board, for example. In fact, dave and nick bear an uncanny resemblance to……..

  8. Mmmm. I remember the machete a dance too. I wondered if there were others that looked more like those two guys. Mr Hall definitely.
    And zb odd, I also remember Whigfield and her dance too.