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Spring 2009 Brittany

Sat 2009-05-02 {20109}

(|) Up at 02h30 and away at 03h15. To tunnel at 05h15 (+1) and on train 0.5h earlier than booked at 06h20. Nibble and drink in the terminal. Recognised the reg plate and just 2 buttons to check in, one to confirm it's us and one to select earlier train at no extra charge. \phi to tunnel, \theta next, then \phi, \theta again to owner, then \phi to mill. Got to the owner (antique shop in St Congard) too early at ~15h (+2) so asked satnav to find us a supermarket and it found one 15km away at Questembert. Stocked up, then back to the owners (M et Mme Bougo) at 16h40. Followed her to the cottage and all done and settled in before 18h. Mill is at N47.78985 W2.15340. Tolls mostly on CC, 7.10E, 6E90, 1E, 3E20, 5E for bridge. Filled up twice and just over half left on arrival, ~540mi total inc the playing at the end and going to the supermarket. Elect meter read, we get 100kWh free, then pay 0.15E/kWh out of the 150E cash deposit. Or can burn wood. 24E paid for linen. Dull and foggy to start in France, then just dull. A little sunshine and 18degC at destination. Ate in with some beer. It's overlooked a bit more than I'd hoped, but lots of opportunities for nudity and took some late sunshine this eve. A lot colder inside the mill than outside, electric convectors eat power and do little. Mill wheel is cut off, just a stub behind glass inside, does not turn and mill stream paddle is closed. Noise of water running down the weir stream. Very pretty. Long drive with locked gate, big garden tho' adjacent to road with thin hedge. Lots of entries in the visitors' book complaining of lack of comfortable chairs or sofas. Mill is very close to my guess from Google maps. Dartford crossing was free <6h (usu 1L50).

Sun 2009-05-03 {20110}

(|) The mill is on the river Rahun. Went for a naked walk around the grounds ~6h then back to bed until ~10h. Got up slowly, then a walk locally before lunch. Meter start 4487. 18h today 4502. Lunch outside (warmer than inside) then in car to la Gacilly, which looked seedier than last time with many of the craft shops empty, then Malestroit and Montertelot. The last still pretty and with many locals out for a Sunday afternoon walk. Intermittent sunshine by afternoon and warm when it wasn't windy. Some sun on the grass between the main channel and mill race before dinner. The river flows N to S and divides 3 ways around the mill. A small bypass stream from an overflow weir on the left does down the side of the mill and may feed the pond in the adjacent property before branching back to join the main river below the mill, making the mill building into an island. The second branch goes under the mill wheel on the other side of the mill. The main river goes to the right under the access road in a loop around the most organised part of the garden and over two weirs before rejoining the wheel run and bypass, going over another weir, passing under the road bridge and going off towards la Gacilly. The long wooded area which is the most shielded from the road (tho' not the neighbouring field) is to the N of the mill between the river and the overflow channel. Really quite pleasant lying naked among the trees with only the sound of water running over the weirs, but really only just, or not quite, warm enough even in full sun.

Mon 2009-05-04 {20111}

(|) Sunny from the start. Explored the garden in the sun, tho' need sandals as the ground is cold on the feet. Had breakfast naked outside and had a go at scrubbing the left rear window of the Focus with a plastic scouring pad which improved it a lot (deposit from being below the boiler flue). Then dressed and to la Gacilly, where we at last found at least 1 of the 3 supermarkets, the Casino, and bought a few more supplies. Also a shoulder bag big enough to carry all the stuff I want to carry and not be embarrassingly big as is the one I brought. Then to Josselin. Had a look round, only one boat moored that we could see, and that on the jetty not the port where we moored. Lunch in the Hotel de France. Went on to the Insectarium at Lizio, but it was closed with a notice on the door. On to Malestroit and a walk in the sun on the towpath. Here and at Josselin saw no boat moving, at Malestroit just the same boat as yesterday moored on the jetty. Then back to the mill and the sun's still shining. I'd just had another go at the Focus's window, driven it naked into the car port and got indoors when the phone rang; M Bougo is at the gate wanting to work on the garden. He was waving round the gate. If he saw me he said nothing. Then he was hanging around for ages, so I gave up and sunbathed right down the other end by the overflow weir, with shorts at hand. Later I'm lying on the stone support for the wheel bearing, still in hot sun, and later still back by the river. Have to keep moving to stay in the sun because of all the trees. Apart from the touristy ones, all shops closed today, many open Tue..Sat only. P800 says memory corrupt and won't start up. Meter before heating on 4521. Petrol from Renault garage in la Gacilly.

Tue 2009-05-05 {20112}

(|) Started cool and cloudy so decided not to head for the coast, but by lunchtime warm and sunny. To canal for a walk on the deserted part S of la Gacilly where there's a several km section of canal W of the junction with the Aff. Joined at D138 bridge and walked W to the flood lock. Then lunch in a pizzeria in la Gacilly; busy place and huge pizzas. Aft to St Martin, park by bridge, see a boat with people on, but not moving. Walk up to the lock (Guélin) and beyond, saw a black and yellow salamander on the towpath. Then back to the mill. Sunbathed in back garden, by the wheel and on the spit, as the sun went round. Opened the sluice a bit and made the wheel go round 1 rev. Took the boat out and rowed it 50m upstream, the limit of the property where navigation limited by fallen trees, and drifted back down again. Took some more pix, inc with the orange wrap skirt. Mostly naked outside for 3 hours, in perfect peace. Meter before heating 4534.

Wed 2009-05-06 {20113}

(|) Elect 4549. To the official naturist Plage de Kerminihy near Erdeven (N47.63382 W3.20020). Day started clear but clouding over, nevertheless it was cloudless all day at the beach and later back at the mill. On the beach at ~10h, a few others around, me the only one nude in the cool wind. Later covered up for a bit before digging a hollow in the sand and sunbathing in some slight shelter. Lunch back to Erdeven for a galette and sweet crepe, then to beach again. More there by now and several nude sunbathers, but no-one walking along unclad; most of us made just one quick trip to see how cold the sea really was. A very undeveloped sandy beach with no facilities other than a good car park. Quite coarse sand and tiring to walk on. \theta stripped off too after lunch. Came away quite pink. Resting in the garden later, mostly clothed to avoid adding to the UV dose.

Thu 2009-05-07 {20114}

(|) Dull start. Elec 4567. Supermarket. To the Bramféré zoo near le Guerno. Few adults, hordes of school parties. Saw display of tamed birds inc pelicans. Various monkeys, wallabies, giraffes, zebras. No big cats, elephants or other big African stuff. Well laid out with a simple route, lots of water and open space. Lunch at a simple sandwich bar on the way round (the second time). Some sunshine by then. Back to mill, only a little sun by then tho' not cold. Later to Vietnamese restaurant in la Gacilly, which was good. Continuous sunshine then, oh well, in time to dazzle me driving home. Kate sending test match updates. Eng appeared to do badly, but got 377. Then WI 152 all out and following on at 39-2 by close on day 2. Spent some time throwing things into the river and observing the flow. The pool below the weir circulates and only water from the outside flows out to the river. There's a point on the bank opposite the weir where the flow divides with a stationary bit. One lot of leaves went round 4 times before I got fed up watching it. Petrol from supermarket auto with card, confusing as it gave spoken instructions in French.

Fri 2009-05-08 {20115}

(|) A public holiday. To a bridge over the Vilaine at Fouy where there was a parking place and a game of boules in progress by a tented bar. Took some time to find this as no junctions around here had signs, so had to map-read from the 1:125000 map. Several boats moving on this bit, unlike the canal. Walk both ways from the bridge in intermittent sunshine and a cool breeze. Then to Redon where we saw lots of closed shops, the lock we came thro' before and the now back in use lock from the basin up to the canal. Had lunch at the other creperie opposite the lock (\theta says the same creperie), which was very busy and clearly the place to eat. Then back to la Gacilly where the sun shone enough to make it 7 sunbathing days in a row. Call to ans mach from Jackie to say Nell back in hosp from Tue, tho' message left yest. Cleaning and packing. Petrol at the Casino supermarket, shop closed but fuel on cards 24/24. Odo 28556mi at start of return journey; trip at 920.9. Elect 4580 (7 short of our 100 free so with tonight we'll go just a little over). Eng won by 10w.

Sat 2009-05-09 {20116}

(!) Much colder this morn, esp as up at 06h30 (+2). One last naked walk on the wooded path and drove the car out onto the front. Packed up and waiting when Mme Bougo arr at 8h. We were 9 over the allowed 100kWh which she let us off, giving us back the 150E without looking upstairs. Got lost a couple of times before the N24, by ignoring the GPS, but then an uneventful run back getting to the tunnel at about 14h40 and getting the 15h20 (had booked the 16h50). Home by 17h30 (+1) about 10h15 elapsed. Trip odo ended at 1418mi (started at ~2mi) and odo went 27637 to 29053. Return started at 28556 so 497mi. Roughly 800km each way and 640mi while there. 2300km journey without a hint of a traffic jam or even a slight hold-up.

2009-10-05..2009-10-05

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