Published at 19:31, Thursday, 27 August 2009

I WRITE this while sitting at a typical outside cafe in a quiet street in a French town, awaiting a cafe liegeois.

We’re here at last after a long journey; so glad we didn’t drive to Greece now!

England gave us queues from the moment we hit the motorway from Manchester: 30mph on average. Six hours to travel 93 miles.

Apart from yours truly making a monumental mistake with the departure port, which luckily Brittany Ferries helped us sort, and being monumentally tired (the kids were excellent), we’ve got a lovely place here deep in the French countryside with the English owners having what looks like an enviable life.

We’ve only been here hours, but already we have got into the French spirit. We have shopped in the boulangerie, eaten galettes outside in the beautiful city of Dinan, bought wine, and sat in the hot sun; yes, sun!

We’ve driven without error on the right side of the road and swished the annoying flies away.

Schoolboy French is serving us okay so far. The kids are in the pool, the sun is beating down, the complimentary Breton cider is cooling and we have some French delicacies for lunch.

I do hope it’s not raining back home.

Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk