Dave & Katie

Although I flew home in April to see my mum and also met up with our two sons, Julie has not seen either of the boys since November last year.  As we've mentioned a few times already in previous blogs we've really enjoyed (and still are enjoying) the travelling but we're both getting quite homesick and missing family and friends.

So you can imagine the excitement we felt when we knew that Dave and his girlfriend Katie were coming to see us.  Unfortunately the site we had booked for July and the first two weeks of August was probably the least attractive for them to stay at.  It was a very quiet, adults only site in the middle of nowhere.  It was the only site we had pre-booked before we left the UK last summer as we wanted somewhere a bit out of the way for the main French season.  But fortunately, about 20 minutes walk away from our site, was a family campsite which mainly catered for mobile homes but also had some camping pitches.  Unlike our site it also had a bar, pool, snack bar etc. so we booked them in there for all but their first and last nights which they spent in a pop-up tent in our awning.

They had an early morning Eurotunnel crossing and drove all the way down to us in one go, just stopping for refreshment breaks.  They arrived early evening looking absolutely shattered.  It was great to see them and we had plenty of food and drink ready for them as we spent the evening catching up.  We were all surprised at the completely over the top welcome they got from Benji who is not usually the most demonstrative of dogs, but it was lovely to see and has made us feel quite excited about his reaction to getting back home.

Because we'd been in the area for over four weeks before their arrival, we had a whole host of recommended activities that they could do if they wished.  In the end, with only six days to spend with us they chose a mixture of chilling out, eating out, eating in and canoeing, with just a little sightseeing thrown in too!

We were usually so busy chatting that we didn't take many photographs but here are some from two of the activities during their visit.

Canoeing on the Dordogne, (which Julie and I managed far more successfully this time round, but Benji still wasn't impressed!)

On their final evening with us we went into Montignac to experience their Marché Nocturne which Julie and I had been to on a previous occassion, (the guinguette). The tables and benches were laid out in the centre surrounded on all sides by stalls selling a wide range of local produce.  We decided to take it in turns to buy a plate of food then share it between us.  During the course of the evening we managed to sample grilled duck breast, Creole-style sausages, Foie Gras, freshly-baked bread, a cepe omellette, coq au vin, hot cabécou cheese, crêpes and a variety of local wines and beers.  The entertainment was provided by a lady singer who belted out some French favourites.  All in all a great experience and a great way to spend their last evening with us.  (That's Katie on the left and Dave on the right, nearest the camera)