It's a windy, rainy start to the moning but by 11:00 it has eased enough for us to set out on our walk down to the canal. Once we get on the towpath, out of the wind, it's not too cold at all. Unfortunately the gales have almost stripped many of the leaves from the trees but the thick layers of them covering the path and floating on the canal still make a colourful scene. Nick W scoots back and forth on the motorbike and when we meet at the edge of Meilhan he ...

There is a soft sunrise this morning, lighting up the trees across the valley. We need LPG today so look up where it's available en route before setting off towards Meilhan sur Garonne. The roads away from St Meard-de-Gurcon take us through some beautiful valleys and over hills of vineyards where the vines have all put on their autumn cloaks. We've seen vineyards bare in winter, lush green in spring and laden with fruit in summer, but never seen row upon row g...

No one is in much hurry to move this morning. It is cold and there is a thick mist but the sun is trying to break through. Around 11:00 Nick + Grete take the motorbike and we set off for a walk into Meilhane sur Garonne, repeating the route we did last July. Gone are all the sunflowers and wheat we saw then and all the fields look shabby in their winter weeds, and summer smells have been replaced with wood-smoke from farmhouse fires. When we reach the can...

The fields are blanketed in mist when we wake but soon the sun comes up and the temperature rises steadily to 15 deg. We unpack the stockings Nick and Grete gave us last night, lovely little gifts like fig jam, truffle paste, trivia card game and traditional apple and tangerine. We have salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast then start preparing our dinner. Cooking in both vans turns out a full Christmas dinner of turkey crown with stuffing and pigs-in-...

There is a lovely sunrise but when we leave the rain has started. We stop in Ruffec for a quick shop and some fuel the head down the dual carriageway towards Bordaux. Showers give way to sunshine and by the time we stop for lunch it is 14 deg and very sunny. As a bonus the aire we stop in has a service point so we slop out before continuing south. An accident causes some queueing around Bordeaux and we have another short delay when we take the wrong exit. ...