Return to Blighty

Up early and away by 9.15am. Wave our final goodbyes to Granny. We make it over the Pont Aquitaine and decide to chance the RN 10 up as far as Poitiers. It costs nothing to take an N road, so that's £20 saved, and just as fast according to the satnav. Once we're on the A10 and passing Futuroscope, yet another furious storm erupts sending rain and lightning down on us until we're practically though Tours. This time we have a cunning plan to avoid Paris and take the autoroute up through Le Mans to Rouen, then up the coast road to Calais and the ferry back. Only blot with this route is Rouen. No motorway to traverse the city yet, although I think they're working on it. Otherwise, I think I'd take this route every time from now on.

The ferry was a little late leaving because of earlier unspecified trouble, but otherwise was a lovely smooth sailing. I pictured Emma peering out of the window at France as it gradually grew smaller.

With the two big boys remaining at home, I had left the Yellow Pages in a prominent position, in case they needed a French Polisher or a picture re-framing at the last minute, but all seemed to have passed without incident and the house was more or less as we left it when we returned. If anything, it may have been just slightly tidier!