Light at the end of a hideous day

A horrible day of sickness, boats and tiredness today, but at least we didn't experience any rain!

Way back in January we booked our ferry to France via Guernsey leaving at 9am from Weymouth, Dorset. The port was about 15 minutes from where we were staying. However a few days ago my husband received an email to say that the 9am ferry had now been cancelled and we had been placed on the 4am ferry. Yes 0400! Not happy, but nothing that we could do. Then we discovered that they no longer run ferries from Weymouth and that we had to leave from Poole which is an hour away. We made some phone calls and although 'they' were very nice and 'they' were shocked that we hadn't been informed in February of the change, there was nothing that they could do. So we set off at 2am (as you have to be there an hour before departure), lifting the kids out of their beds trying to keep them asleep for as long as possible (which wasn't long).

Everything went to plan but as we boarded the boat and had a little explore, alarm bells started to ring as their were sick bags everywhere and loads of signs asking you not to be sick in the toilets. Sure enough a vomit fest entailed - first my husband, then my daughter, then my son and then finally me. It was pure hell and the longest three hours of my life. I tried to focus on the horizon but the boat was moving like a roller coaster and the horizon kept going out of view as we veered up and down over the waves. The kids amazed me as they just got on with it always managing to be sick in the bags, well nearly always. At one point myself and the kids were sharing a sick bag. It was special. I'm not sure anyone escaped from the vomit fest on the boat as people were staggering backwards and forwards depositing sick bags in the bins and collecting new ones.

Never ever again. Oh, except we were only in Guernsey and had to get another boat to St Malo, France. Brilliant. We arrived in Guernsey at 7am and had six hours to kill before our next torture. We drove to a lovely little spot overlooking a beach and all fell asleep and then had a walk and play on the beach.

Our next crossing wasn't half as bad and we found our little Gîte in Normandy relatively easily. We were pleasantly surprised with the Gîte as it really was very charming and traditional but very comfortable. The above blip shows a little of the interior.