After the busy few days and late nights we slept in a bit. Warm bright morning as we set off to Beauvais to get diesel and LPG. All commented on radio how good to be back in France with its gorgeous rolling countryside.

We drove alongside the River Aisne to Jaulzy and stopped for lunch in a passion we had visited last October.

Our journey continued towards Reims where we stopped on the remains of the old racing circuit. Again somewhere we'd been last year, but new to N+G.

We entered Champagne, skirted around Reims city and arrived at Champagne Blondel, another of our passions from last year, just before 17:00 Last October the vines were finished and turning brown, but now they are all small with bright green fresh leaves.

At 18:00 we went for tasting. M. Blondel remembered us and we had a good laugh learning that Reims is prounounced 'RRRummm', like an engine starting. We returned quite merrily to the vans for supper. Grete made a quails egg starter and Ali cooked the fish pie we brought from home.

All washed down with a bottle of champagne fresh from M. Blondel's stock.