We returned to the vets yesterday and she is happier with Pickles, we all are although we recognise that his future is still uncertain. He does seem to be responding well to the insulin injections and looks more like his old self. He just potters around having about 3 small walks a day, inbetween he eats, drinks goes to the toilet and watches all of the other guests go about there business. So in most respects he's just like all of the other campers on the site who are a little 'elderly'.
The temperatures and the weather are good, yesterday was clear blue skies and temps around 24c today is much the same. The pool looks a little more tempting so when all of the Spanish go home tomorrow we might think of a dip. The bike buggy we use for Pickles is a 'god send' and with its adaptations allows us to take him on nice walks.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Friday, 29 March 2013
29th March 2013
Although I can't say he's 'out of the woods yet', Pickles does seem a bit brighter. On leaving the vets yesterday we took him to the bar overlooking the beach. He seemed to be responding to other dogs passing by and showed more of an interest in his surroundings. On return to camp he continued to be a bit wobbly but that must still be the valium. He was crying for food and was a little restless early evening but after dropping a load of loose poo he settled down for the night and had a good sleep. Much better than i'm getting. You can go through life and make numerous difficult decisions, who to marry? A mortgage? How many kids and when? But all of these are easy in comparison to the one you have to make about your dog...when should we let him go? At the moment we've decided to give him a fighting chance, if he stabilises over the next 7-10 days and if his quality of life allows him to get about and enjoy the company of others then maybe we'll continue. However another crisis in the next few days may mean the best option would be to end this great life he's had. His urine tests have been slightly raised but he didn't even know it when I gave him his first injection this morning.
It was good to get an independent view from our neighbour, a dutchman with a 13 year old arthritic alsation who also noted Pickles improvement and greater attentiveness. All of the site staff have been helpful and supportive, with Domingo the camp director regularly asking us if we are ok.
Apart from that, the weather has been fine and the site is filling up for the easter holiday.
It was good to get an independent view from our neighbour, a dutchman with a 13 year old arthritic alsation who also noted Pickles improvement and greater attentiveness. All of the site staff have been helpful and supportive, with Domingo the camp director regularly asking us if we are ok.
Apart from that, the weather has been fine and the site is filling up for the easter holiday.
A bad first night at Ribamar
After 4 nights at Peniscola we arrived at Ribamar and set up camp last night. Pickles has been becoming more and more lethargic, drinking lots and weeing a lot as well. I thought he might be showing signs of diabetes so we went straight into Alcossebre and booked him into the vets for today. On returning to camp we cooked our tea and then sat down to eat it when Pickles went into a convulsion / seizure. We ran to reception and asked if there was someone who could take us to the vets immediately, one of the reception staff took us in her car. The vets examined him and decided he had to stay in. As you can imagine we were upset and panicking. The vet was preparing us for the worst as his Cushings and Hypothyroidism, age and mobility probs weren't going to help. We left the vets and our driver tried to reassure us and made sure we returned to the camp.No sleep, lots of tears and thinking....euthanasia or what. When we went back today at 10am they were happier about him, he'd had another seizure during the night but they gave him insulin. His blood sugar level was 680 when it should be about 70 - 160. they also gave him valium. They have now got the insulin levels to an acceptable level.He was a bit wobbly and they kept him in until 1:30 in the afternoon when we reassessed him. They thought we should return home but now agree that if we stay here in Alcossebre we might be able to stabilise the diabetes and carry on with the trip. we have a regime of daily insulin injections and 3 times a day urinalysis (I have to follow him around tryng to get samples off him. Just keeping our fingers crossed but at least my general nurse training is coming back to me and hopefully helping
24th - 26th March Camping Eden Peniscola
24th – 26th 4 nights at Peniscola.
Camping Eden was virtually full, its occupation was roughly, 70% German, 15% Dutch with the rest being mainly Spanish or Swedish. We were the only English on the site. Most ‘residents’ were here for the winter. There was an almost unintended exclusivity about it, with language being the main barrier to any English who would even consider wintering here. The Germans were friendly but tended to socialize together in groups it would be difficult but not impossible to join in their fun if you couldn’t speak their language. This didn’t stop Pickles, who on one of his more energetic ventures wandered onto the next pitch and just stood with a group of chatting Germans, he must have been stood there for about 10 minutes, like the exiled bullied kid in most schools he just stood and looked, hoping to be invited into the party until one sympathetic lady acknowledged him and then they all spotted him and then pointed to the van and all burst out laughing. As a reward for his entertainment value they each gave him a friendly pat whilst continuing to look with laughter at the side of our van. It took me a full day to realize it but they had merely been making comparisons between him and his alter ego photograph in the side window.
The weather generally during these few days was good, a mixture of blue sunny skies and cloud. It was shorts weather and we spent most of the time cycling or walking along the sea front. The old town situated on a promontory was its main attraction, its castle walls looked down in disgust at the long promenade of bars, hotels and restaurants that extended all the way to Benicarlo, the next town. But for the typical tourist this promenade served its purpose offering good walks and a huge choice of eating and drinking places each offering menu’s of the day at competing prices. The beach and the sea were clean and well cared for. There was a good choice of campsites and camperstops and for the more adventurous wild campers there were one or two options available most notably at the port or behind the football stadium. The latter being the quieter option. On our last night here we took advantage of the one off voucher for a meal at the camps excellent restaurant. We were given a 4 course meal with a free bottle of Rioja for the value price of 9 euros each. 24th – 26th 4 nights at Peniscola.
Camping Eden was virtually full, its occupation was roughly, 70% German, 15% Dutch with the rest being mainly Spanish or Swedish. We were the only English on the site. Most ‘residents’ were here for the winter. There was an almost unintended exclusivity about it, with language being the main barrier to any English who would even consider wintering here. The Germans were friendly but tended to socialize together in groups it would be difficult but not impossible to join in their fun if you couldn’t speak their language. This didn’t stop Pickles, who on one of his more energetic ventures wandered onto the next pitch and just stood with a group of chatting Germans, he must have been stood there for about 10 minutes, like the exiled bullied kid in most schools he just stood and looked, hoping to be invited into the party until one sympathetic lady acknowledged him and then they all spotted him and then pointed to the van and all burst out laughing. As a reward for his entertainment value they each gave him a friendly pat whilst continuing to look with laughter at the side of our van. It took me a full day to realize it but they had merely been making comparisons between him and his alter ego photograph in the side window.
The weather generally during these few days was good, a mixture of blue sunny skies and cloud. It was shorts weather and we spent most of the time cycling or walking along the sea front. The old town situated on a promontory was its main attraction, its castle walls looked down in disgust at the long promenade of bars, hotels and restaurants that extended all the way to Benicarlo, the next town. But for the typical tourist this promenade served its purpose offering good walks and a huge choice of eating and drinking places each offering menu’s of the day at competing prices. The beach and the sea were clean and well cared for. There was a good choice of campsites and camperstops and for the more adventurous wild campers there were one or two options available most notably at the port or behind the football stadium. The latter being the quieter option.
We were looking forward to a return to one of our favourite sites, camping Ribamar at Alcossebre.
Camping Eden was virtually full, its occupation was roughly, 70% German, 15% Dutch with the rest being mainly Spanish or Swedish. We were the only English on the site. Most ‘residents’ were here for the winter. There was an almost unintended exclusivity about it, with language being the main barrier to any English who would even consider wintering here. The Germans were friendly but tended to socialize together in groups it would be difficult but not impossible to join in their fun if you couldn’t speak their language. This didn’t stop Pickles, who on one of his more energetic ventures wandered onto the next pitch and just stood with a group of chatting Germans, he must have been stood there for about 10 minutes, like the exiled bullied kid in most schools he just stood and looked, hoping to be invited into the party until one sympathetic lady acknowledged him and then they all spotted him and then pointed to the van and all burst out laughing. As a reward for his entertainment value they each gave him a friendly pat whilst continuing to look with laughter at the side of our van. It took me a full day to realize it but they had merely been making comparisons between him and his alter ego photograph in the side window.
The weather generally during these few days was good, a mixture of blue sunny skies and cloud. It was shorts weather and we spent most of the time cycling or walking along the sea front. The old town situated on a promontory was its main attraction, its castle walls looked down in disgust at the long promenade of bars, hotels and restaurants that extended all the way to Benicarlo, the next town. But for the typical tourist this promenade served its purpose offering good walks and a huge choice of eating and drinking places each offering menu’s of the day at competing prices. The beach and the sea were clean and well cared for. There was a good choice of campsites and camperstops and for the more adventurous wild campers there were one or two options available most notably at the port or behind the football stadium. The latter being the quieter option. On our last night here we took advantage of the one off voucher for a meal at the camps excellent restaurant. We were given a 4 course meal with a free bottle of Rioja for the value price of 9 euros each. 24th – 26th 4 nights at Peniscola.
Camping Eden was virtually full, its occupation was roughly, 70% German, 15% Dutch with the rest being mainly Spanish or Swedish. We were the only English on the site. Most ‘residents’ were here for the winter. There was an almost unintended exclusivity about it, with language being the main barrier to any English who would even consider wintering here. The Germans were friendly but tended to socialize together in groups it would be difficult but not impossible to join in their fun if you couldn’t speak their language. This didn’t stop Pickles, who on one of his more energetic ventures wandered onto the next pitch and just stood with a group of chatting Germans, he must have been stood there for about 10 minutes, like the exiled bullied kid in most schools he just stood and looked, hoping to be invited into the party until one sympathetic lady acknowledged him and then they all spotted him and then pointed to the van and all burst out laughing. As a reward for his entertainment value they each gave him a friendly pat whilst continuing to look with laughter at the side of our van. It took me a full day to realize it but they had merely been making comparisons between him and his alter ego photograph in the side window.
The weather generally during these few days was good, a mixture of blue sunny skies and cloud. It was shorts weather and we spent most of the time cycling or walking along the sea front. The old town situated on a promontory was its main attraction, its castle walls looked down in disgust at the long promenade of bars, hotels and restaurants that extended all the way to Benicarlo, the next town. But for the typical tourist this promenade served its purpose offering good walks and a huge choice of eating and drinking places each offering menu’s of the day at competing prices. The beach and the sea were clean and well cared for. There was a good choice of campsites and camperstops and for the more adventurous wild campers there were one or two options available most notably at the port or behind the football stadium. The latter being the quieter option.
We were looking forward to a return to one of our favourite sites, camping Ribamar at Alcossebre.
23rd March 2013
It was 222 miles to Peniscola so we decided to aim for this town in one go therefore avoiding any potential encounters with the infamous ‘bandits’ of Barcelona. We fixed a picture of a Rottweiler to the side window of the van and headed off along the motorway assured that any motorway bandits would not chance it with our four legged 2 dimensional ‘beast’.
Pickles seemed more relaxed now that his responsibilities as chief guardian had been passed on to such an unwelcoming ‘brute’, even if it was only a photograph.
We arrived at Camping Eden at around 2:30 it was an uneventful journey and I took some credit in my idea of the Rottweiler photo, it seemed to have worked!
Pickles seemed more relaxed now that his responsibilities as chief guardian had been passed on to such an unwelcoming ‘brute’, even if it was only a photograph.
We arrived at Camping Eden at around 2:30 it was an uneventful journey and I took some credit in my idea of the Rottweiler photo, it seemed to have worked!
22nd March 2013 Heading for Spain
22nd
Another chilly night but as we left the aire around 8 o clock we could see the temperature gauge rising to an acceptable 12c. There were two supermarkets just outside Uzerche heading back to the motorway so we topped up and decided that we could probably make Spain that day.
As we skirted The Mediteranean heading for the Spanish border the temperature gauge was still stuck on 12c but as we hit the frontier and as we started to descend into Spain the sun came out quite strongly and the gauge rose until we finally arrived at Camping Aquarius at Saint Pere Pescador where we were now basking in 21c and heading for a stroll on the beach with the sun slowly descending. We liked Aquarius, it was a site we’d looked at many times when the kids were little, the only reason why we never stayed on it was the absence of a swimming pool. The facilities are excellent but its location right on the beach is probably its main attraction especially for the many windsurfers who stay here.
Another chilly night but as we left the aire around 8 o clock we could see the temperature gauge rising to an acceptable 12c. There were two supermarkets just outside Uzerche heading back to the motorway so we topped up and decided that we could probably make Spain that day.
As we skirted The Mediteranean heading for the Spanish border the temperature gauge was still stuck on 12c but as we hit the frontier and as we started to descend into Spain the sun came out quite strongly and the gauge rose until we finally arrived at Camping Aquarius at Saint Pere Pescador where we were now basking in 21c and heading for a stroll on the beach with the sun slowly descending. We liked Aquarius, it was a site we’d looked at many times when the kids were little, the only reason why we never stayed on it was the absence of a swimming pool. The facilities are excellent but its location right on the beach is probably its main attraction especially for the many windsurfers who stay here.
21st March 2013 Uzerche
21st Uzerche
We arrived at Uzerche around 3pm it was sunny and warmer than England. We could see why this was a highly rated aire but unfortunately it seems to be a popular car park for the many day trippers. There is no questioning its location perched overlooking the river and the medieval town with its proud church adorning the clifftop. Again more negative remarks the free electric points were problematic as we couldn’t hook up to them even with the continental adaptor, the water points were also turned off with the only tap available being the one in the toilet
We took a walk around the lovely old town looking for some way of adding to the local economy but most places seemed shut. However a pizza van arrived on the aire so we decided to take the easy option for our evening meal.
sink.
We arrived at Uzerche around 3pm it was sunny and warmer than England. We could see why this was a highly rated aire but unfortunately it seems to be a popular car park for the many day trippers. There is no questioning its location perched overlooking the river and the medieval town with its proud church adorning the clifftop. Again more negative remarks the free electric points were problematic as we couldn’t hook up to them even with the continental adaptor, the water points were also turned off with the only tap available being the one in the toilet
We took a walk around the lovely old town looking for some way of adding to the local economy but most places seemed shut. However a pizza van arrived on the aire so we decided to take the easy option for our evening meal.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Thursday 21st March
We woke early after a good night spent in a lovely warm motorhome. The electric connection meant that we could easily leave the heating on all night without depleting our gas reserves. Even when we stepped outside we could feel that the temperature had now risen to a more acceptable 11c, better than the 2c of Dover and Calais. This aire clearly has lots of positives...really quiet throughout the night and morning with great views of the river. But it was time to move on to our next aire, which hopefully will be at Uzerche. Website not allowing me to post pics but will correct this in good time.
Wednesday 20th March 2013
It was a very cold night and unfortunately we'd left the heating off. So we left early for the ferry and embarked at 10:15 leaving a murky cold England behind. Ninety minutes later we arrived in a murky cold France. Filling up at the nearby Carefour fuel station we pushed south hoping for warmer weather. As we sped along the motorway of Northern France we took note of the snow drifts piled high on the hard shoulder the leftovers of last weeks snow storm. Eventually at around 7:30 we arrived at La Chapelle Saint Mesmin and found the well sign posted aire on the banks of the Loire. A very good aire that for 5 euros provides electricity and free wi fi. It would seem that this is an old campsite. The old toilet/ sanitary facilities are now boarded up but we were impressed with the easy access...just insert your credit card and follow the instructions in English. Good sized pitches (no hardstanding) and approximately 20 electric points.
Tuesday 19th March 2013
Just as we were about to head off we received a call from the Caravan Club to say that we were now on a later boat tomorrow. This would result in our arrival in Calais at about 1pm. Getting to our first Aire just outside Orleans quite late in the day. Anyway we set off taking the more scenic M40 route, arriving at The Tickle Trout just outside Ashford around 6pm. This is a pub that allows motorhomes to stop overnight for free. The car park is flat and well positioned overlooking a river and a medieval bridge, a tap for water is available. We parked up and before heading for the pub made sure the Bushmills whiskey was locked away...an early start tomorrow. We enjoyed a nice meal and a couple of enjoyable beers, it was extremely cold and the fire hadn't been lit so we downed our last pint and headed for the warmth of the motorhome...the Bushmills mysteriously sat proud on the table!
Monday, 18 March 2013
Boat booked for Wednesday 20th March 2013
Although we had originally planned to tour France, Spain and Portugal in the autumn of 2012 we had to suspend this trip due to a house transaction that we were going through. We did manage to make a number of short trips most notably to the northern lakes (Caldbeck), Chesterfield and the Peak District and shortly before xmas we visited the Cotswolds and Wiltshire although this trip was cut short due to the floods. However we did return to the cotswolds in February where we visited quite a few of the main tourist attractions. Here are some photographs that record a couple of these trips.
Here we have a shot of the small 5 van site just outside Caldbeck, a lovely traditional village with a great pub. The site was a pleasant suprise situated on the edge of the village. It had a toilet, a shower with 16 amp electric hook up. An excellent walking area.
Here we have a shot of the small 5 van site just outside Caldbeck, a lovely traditional village with a great pub. The site was a pleasant suprise situated on the edge of the village. It had a toilet, a shower with 16 amp electric hook up. An excellent walking area.
The Caravan Club site at Moreton in Marsh, conveniently located for the town. Our first visit here was cut short when we encountered flooding in the town. Even the Caravan site pitches were badly hit. However we returned here in February 2013 and although it was bitter cold we were able to walk ever day for 3 - 6 hours.
Above Bourton on The Water probably our favourite village in the Cotswolds.
...and so to the future. We have booked our boat (Dover - Calais) for this wednesday and hope to travel through France and arrive in Spain just before Easter. We'll just take it from there and hopefully at some point we'll move over to Portugal. So expect to see some entries to the blog in the next few weeks / months.
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