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An amazing photograph.   The coach appears to be floating.  What was I doing?   

The photo is of the line up of cars and trucks waiting on the road, in readiness to be let through a few at a time, into the port of Calais.   Not sure why, could have been the high number of vehicles, as a result of yesterdays problem with the channel tunnel, or it could have been the thorough checking of all trucks entering the port. 

 There would have been about 80 or more 'refugees' standing in groups on the side of the road, waiting for an opportunity to board a truck.   And one did, in the truck in front of the truck on the right.   His friends helped him open the back of the truck, and in he went, and then his friends closed the door.   Someone must have told the driver of the truck, from Romania, and he got out, looked at the truck, and shrugged his shoulders.   We have noticed that the problem of people, mostly men, waiting in Calais to get into Great Britain has become worse, with ever tightening security and an every increasing number of people camping out.  Desperate people.  And what is the European Union doing about it, I wonder?   

But back to our trip from Amboise.   The pain au raisin this morning was a little too sweet for an early morning breakfast, so perhaps we were better off with our stale wholemeal baguette.  We set forth at 8 a.m. on the A28 motorway towards Le Mans, and then turned off just before the city, and travelled along a minor road.   It took ages to get through Le Mans, but we had a good look at the race track, which we drove on.  Very exciting.   Once we stayed in a camping ground, not far from the track, and could hear the sound of the race all night.   Of course we did not understand about the 24 hour race then.   The camping ground was full of bikies.   We also stopped for coffee in Le Mans and bought a lovely fresh baguette for lunch, and a loaf of bread to take home.

We continued driving on the minor road for the rest of the morning, very pleasant, except for the high number of trucks on the road, until we came to the free motorway south of Rouen.   We did not know this of course, but there are obviously major works being carried out on the motorways around Rouen, so were directed into Rouen centre.   All badly signed of course.  But luckily we had some idea of direction, and had driven in Rouen previously, also in the rain.   Yes it was raining, just in Rouen too.   We eventually came out onto the motorway north, and without any further problems, drove to Calais.

And now we are home.    The first task was to rescue some of the apricots, and stew them, to be used with our cereal in the mornings.   Sadly no jam.   Of course I had bought ripe apricots, forgetting that they would have to sit in the car for three days.   It did not do them any good at all, and except for the ones we ate, most of them ended up in the bin.   Oh well, the thought was there.