Check !
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“Passport, tickets, money ” is our mantra when we have packed our bags, paid the bills, sorted what needs to be sorted urgently, key’s in hand closing the door and the holiday starts. The logic being that as long as you have your passport, tickets and money anything else you have forgotten can be sorted. Forgot to pack your toothbrush, don’t worry about it you can buy one, didn’t pack enough socks don’t worry you can wash them, forgot to bring a notebook – that’s an excuse to buy a new one. Most things can be resolved; lack of money, a ticket and passport and we wouldn’t get very far.
Although if we are travelling in the car the mantra should include driving license and if heading to France needs to include a Hi-Vi, a red triangle and now an alcohol testing kit. But that makes the mantra rather clumsy and long doesn’t it?
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This is my way of saying a bientot mes amis. A last minute decision sees the promenade morphing into a travelogue….again….. A wee winter holiday in France, minus the breaks this time.
I’m planning on a lot of skiing – to make up for my lack of it last year, but I’m sure there will be walks too, evenings in cooking and reading, snoozing and generally being in full on holiday mode.
Gardening in January is tough work – the ground is literally saturated, as I walk on the grass paths at the allotment the ground is squelching underneath my feet, the dampness rising above my boots and up my trousers. To dig leeks, I have to lay a plank of wood on the soil and stand on that. It’s too wet to do much at all, yes I know I haven’t started pruning/cutting back the hedge that runs along the fence let alone any number of other jobs, but you know what they will be done when they are done. No sooner and no later.
Returning early February means that it’s seed sowing time, so we can dust off the green-fingers and get busy again!
Today’s photos were taken on a walk, a wintery walk in November along the Seven Sisters, part of the newest National Park – The South Downs. It’s a favourite walk along the chalk cliffs huffing and puffing our way up them, gently tripping down, on a bright-blue-sky day lingering over the views and then turning inland along the Cuckmere River/Estuary, standing to pause and admire the geographical phenomenon of Oxbow Lakes, then crossing into woodland to find peace and calm away from coastal breezes, kicking up the fallen leaves, walking through tiny Sussex villages nestled in sheltered valleys, clambering over styles to finish back near the coast.
A circular walk.
Time is spent enjoying the views, finding a bench to sit and sup the tea brought in a flask, maybe there will be some fruit or a snack, or even a packet of wine gums. Walking gives us a real kick, an opportunity to get out and about, move around, breathe in the fresh sea air, empty our heads, look around us and take in those big vistas, ponder on the imponderables and more. Walking is akin to meditation to me, it quientens my mind, revives me physically and then if we’ve remembered to bring a camera and use it, there are some photos to remind us of how beautiful it is.
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Passport, ticket, money
Check !
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Have a great time skiing! (Wish we had some snow!)
Thank you Cathy, hope you get some snow soon…
Enjoy! Beautiful Captures:) Mr. Craves cannot understand my organizing when it comes to traveling, but rarely is a thing or detail overlooked. Happy Tuesday!
Have a great time
Have a wonderful time, Claire! xx
Ooh – it is skiing! Your post reminded me of a French & Saunders sketch where they are dressed as young girls and packing for a hol (totally overloaded with suitcases, rucksacks, bags etc) and decide to leave behind the thigh high pvc boots as the patent leather stilettos and leather trousers can double up instead – hilarious!
Just love French and Saunders, I was thinking of their ballet sketch the other day, you know the one with “good toes, naughty toes” 🙂
Oh yes, and the one with “Barcey Dussell”! Hope the trip is going/went well
Oh yes, and the one with “Barcey Dussell”. Hope the trip is going/went well!
Oh I do hope you have a wonderful time! I think there is no doubt that this will be wonderful. It sounds like you are remembering all the essentials, and anything that isn’t can be left behind for time on the slopes or cozying up to a fire with a book. I will try to keep my envy to a minimum! 🙂 oxo
I’m with you when it comes to travel. In fact, leaving things behind is a good excuse for buying new. Have a great time.
Bon voyage! And bring home some sun, please. 🙂
Enjoy! Sounds like a great vacation!
Bonne Voyage!
I always obsess about the tickets and passport. Even though I know I have them! So I’m curious, why an alcohol test kit for France?
It’s a new law, coming into force in March that means that every driver / car needs one. So when the police stop and do random tests you use your own kit…… strange but true!
Really? What happens if you don’t know about this law and you didn’t pack one? Sounds like they are trying to save money.
Sounds like such a fun holiday! Have a great time and safe travels to you, Claire.
Have a fab holiday! I think it is frustrating not being able to garden at the moment – in my case because it is dark when I get home in the evening.
First when I started to read … I thought I have been walking here … and passing here for a couple of years, when working in Newhaven. This can’t be France???You got me there .. there can’t be 2 places like “7 Sisters” – then I got .. to it. Stunning photos, can’t remember I seen the cliffs the bright white … have you given them a little help.
Stunning photos .. and that swan, very delicate photo. Thanks for bring me back to Sussex.
No photography help – just me and my camera. I don’t really bothe rplaying with images for the blog – I like to see what I see and then what the camera sees. As you know it’s a wonderful walk !
Good thinking … I’m very reluctant too. Some photos are looking so un-natural in colors … and so overworked in details. Sometimes I use sharpness … if the photo is a bit blurry.
Claire,
Have a wonderful holiday! Thanks for the beautiful photos. Don’t know whether I’m most envious of your holiday or mentioning that you can start seeding in Feb!
Mixed emotions for me too !!
Have a wonderful time, Claire, I do hope you have some time to post of your adventures abroad. Eat, drink and be merry.
Have a great holiday! Looking forward to seeing you back here in February, all refreshed and ready to get gardening!
Have a brilliant time my friend!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The South Downs is a beautiful park and your photos are incredible. Thanks for taking us along.
Have a wonderful holiday, Claire. Buon Viaggio!
Grazie John !!
Have a wonderful holiday, Claire! Your attitude is fabulous and you’re right, of course…what needs doing will get done in good time. Seven Sisters was the name of a little shop I had here on Beaver Island…earth friendly products for kitchen, garden and bath. I knew there was a constellation, but didn’t know there was another place with that name!
Were there 7 sisters who owned or ran the shop Cindy??
Seven sisters in my family, but only my sister Sheila and I had the shop and I mainly ran it. We’d do displays centered around old photos from our family and had all of our first grade pictures on display.
Have a beautiful holiday Claire. Good idea to take a little break from your garden – It’ll be clamouring for your attention soon enough! We have the Twelve Apostles – the name isn’t quite as poetic as the Seven Sisters though! Lovely photos. Bonne vacances!
The twelve apostles sound fab to me, are there any photos on your blog?
No, but I’ll rectify that one day! They’re actually pretty beautiful.
Bon voyage!
Merci!
Beautiful photos. Have a lovely vacation!
Thank you Tessa, hope you have a super day!
Not that we don’t want you to have a relaxing break and forget about everything mundane at home, but, if possible – do take us along to just a few of the places 🙂 !
🙂 I’ll try my best!
For a blast of last years adventure I have added a photo page on the blog – its a bit long at the moment still need to edit it down
Have such a great time on your trip. I am full of envy that you can just get into a car and be in France in such a short time…by plane even more quickly. But I shall live vicariously through your postings during your trip or when you get back. Happy Trails to you.
Thank you Teresa, I realise how lucky we are to live here, with so many wonderful places literally on our doorstep!
Love that area – I’ve mentioned enjoying visiting my former mother-in-law in the near vicinity. I’d like to go back and maybe skip the family part 🙂
Great you can hop in the car and go. Our favorite place was La Belle Plagne.
Safe and fun travels Claire…. wt
Haha minus the family:) I know I’m biased but I do think its a beautiful place.
I don’t know the place you mentioned, off to check Google maps !
Doh I know it as la plagne…
Your on it. It’s the little area just up the mountain a bit. We found a small 1 BR basic but lovely ski-in ski- out place with an indoor hot pool. Totally spoiled us. Here our closest ski area has to be driven too. No lodging on site. We haven’t skied in years and don’t know if we’ll make it to the Alps again. But it was sure a lovely experience for a couple years. Have loads of fun!!
Have fun! (somehow we think you will…)
Hehehehe…..
aaahh, i knew it was coming soon! have a wonderful time, enjoy la belle france, and no breaks, right? check!
Check!!!
I knew we’d be going sometime in January just hadn’t planned on it being so soon 🙂
Passport, ticket, money – AWESOME! Have a fantastic break and enjoy the skiing – I would love to try that one day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thanks Mandy, I learnt late in life, its a joy to be in the mountains!
Seeing those cliffs in person is on my Bucket List 😉
Have a great trip!
Excellent, we can make a plan to walk them together, now that would be fun!
How’s your back, improving I hope.
Not 100%, but worlds better, thanks. The ground is still icy in spots, so I’m being cautious…
One of these days, I’ll take you up on the offer to walk! 🙂
If th eground is icy have you tried using crampons, I used them all last winte when my shoulder was bust, gave me much more stability and confidence to walk around a monster snow-ice town!
I’ll remember, and will take you up on it!!!
I’ve got some, but the snow and ice is patchy now. Have you ever gotten mud on your spikes? Makes it really hard to keep walking…
I’m also a chicken – there were 2 days last week when I couldn’t bend down to put my shoes on, and I don’t want to go back there!
No I don’t think I’ve ever had the mud thing…
I know what it’s like not to be able to bend down and put your shoes on (bloody miserable!), I remember one particularly bad spate where I gave up wearing socks and knickers as it was too much effort. Think I’ll stop there on the descriptive stuff !!!
No need to expound – I think I know exactly where that goes 😉
Hope you have a great day Marie, I better get on with stuff here, we haevn’t even got the bags and boxes out to pack, and we leave at 5 in the morning…..!!!!
Have a safe trip Claire. I agree with your mantra. with those three items anything else is managable
Hi Claire. As all have said before me. Have a wonderful holiday!!
It sounds like the perfect time…leave the grey mist and damp. Enjoy your trip…how can it be anything but great and be safe.
Your photos are so beautiful. I really enjoy looking at these. And like you, walking is a very important part of my day… a source of calm, and inspiration. Of course, it’s a lifetime job, pondering on the imponderables… but it’s best to do that while enjoying an exquisite surrounding. Wishing you a very beautiful vacation.
The cliffs are stunning. Have a grand time!
Thank you immensely for providing the links to the state park…I read about the chalk grasslands with great interest!
Have a wonderful time in France. 🙂
Have a great time! Hopefully by now there has been at least one vin chaud consumed:-)
Fantastic photos of the cliffs. For some reason they are conjuring up images of the Dad’s Army platoon standing on similar cliffs listening for Germans digging their way into England. Yes I know…..but you know how strangely my brain works 🙂
Fantastic mantra!
Oh Claire, have a delicious holiday! Looking forward to enjoying your adventure with you through your photos!
I love the sound of this walk. I’ll tuck it away for future reference. I take it there are tall white chalk cliffs like this in many locations around England?
Lovely photos–have a great holiday! I am looking forward to my vicarious French food and scenery again! Do you drive there?
What beautiful photos ! Will be excited to see more when you get home. Hope you’re having SUCH a lovely holiday Claire! I’m quite happy to know you’re out of your soggy gardens and where you are instead! May the time away be sweet!
Have a lovely time Claire. I’m quite jealous of the long holidays you’re able to take.
It’s a juggle Tammy – I know in Europe we generally have longer holidays than in N America, then there is the self-employed status which means when there is no work, and just enough pennies in the bank, we try to escape. Hope the winter is being kind to you
Absolutely stunning colours: check!
Great shots!
Bon voyage 🙂
I’m sure there will be some great France pics. Enjoy your trip!
I’m utterly jealous, Claire!! Of this walk alone, never mind a trip to Paris! You lucky, lucky girl!! I can’t wait to see where you go and your photos will be just a true joy to see!! Have a safe and wonderful journey!! xo