Bonsoir!

Buonanotte! Buenas noches! Gute Nacht! Or as us northern folk plainly put it, night! Just a select few of the various pleasantries we regularly exchange before our heads hit the pillow, a series of reassuring goodbyes until the dawn sleepily reunites us with its lazy golden rays. Tonight in a small countryside gîte somewhere deep in the Pas-De-Calais, bonsoir is the whispered farewell, for a small Lancastrian family is on the road and in the mood for adventure.

Since my previous employment was abruptly brought to an end last September we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some fantastic trips both at home and abroad, with winter in Granada and spring in the Lakes providing us with some very special memories. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that our intrepid little daughter Luna is well on her way to emulating messrs Polo and De Gama in the travelling stakes, with exotic destinations in Spain, Italy and France already adorning the pages of her passport.

Now at times, the last six months have felt like a bit of whirlwind and we’ve often wondered whether this rollercoaster approach is one that is suitable for a baby of such tender age, but Luna seems to be thriving, with the ever changing sights, sounds and smells the perfect tonic for her inquisitive nature. It’s happen as well, as just today we embarked upon our latest and potentially greatest odyssey to date.

Our journey down through England’s industrial heartlands served as a nasty reminder of just how rotten things have got for Lancashire County Cricket Club, with those dour brown road signs that advertised the various delights of our recent conquerors Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Northants seemingly in place to rub salt into the deepest of open wounds. Thankfully that was my only gripe in what proved to be a stress free and safely negotiated journey.

A short ride on that mind boggling feat of engineering ‘Le Shuttle’, more commonly known as ‘The Channel Tunnel’, saw us arrive on the continent well before nightfall and sleepily make our way towards our first nights accommodation. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, we took a late night stroll in the garden, where we introduced Luna to a large pen of hungry chickens and watched the sun melt into a distant copse of trees. The perfect end to our first day in France.

Sunset in the Pas-De-Calais