Take a hat

Pecking Order Stephenie gave us a birdie feeder. We put it on the balcony but there was an initial reluctance to use it. But now, all inhibitions have disappeared and it's like a scene from 'The Birds'. Like most restaurants around here we have had to introduce a ruhetag (rest day). This is one of the local bands entertaining the locals and tourists.  Quite a jolly event with the usual steady flow of beer. Only 11am so before the 'beering hour' for us. Wouldn't like to give the impression that everyone wears traditional costume but this guy looks like he belongs around here. We went on a walk with our neighbours downstairs which included lunch at the Annen Cafe. When we returned the party was still going on, only the band had changed. Summer in Bad Hofgastein

We tried our luck on the Tennis Courts in Bad Hofgastein. There's a nice club here with several clay courts. It was a bit of a strained experience as there was an Austrian Club Championship match on the adjacent court. Bit of a worry with my errant balls likely to disrupt their crucial encounter. There was a match announcer on a Tannoy . 'vill the english on Court One please control their balls'. Not really, they were pretty friendly. One particular challenge is to how to brush the court after use. There is a set route to drag the tool (a 1 metre square  net) over to get rid of our footmarks. Start at the net and drag it around in a spiral to a point in the middle of the court, according to TW. Bit tricky for me. With a small crowd watching it was an uncomfortable experience. The court cost just under 10 Euros for an hour. At least we have been invited back.

Gastein - riverside ride Waterfall in Bad Gastein Gastein Ladies The Gastein Valley is ideal for a leisurely bike ride, especially on a lovely warm sunny day. We took Mr T upstream in the morning towards Bad Gastein. We passed the Gasteiner bathing lake where tourists and locals were enjoying the sun and on past the golf course and Ladies Tennis competition. The Gastein Ladies takes place here every year. Players ranked just outside the top 30 compete on clay. As we approached Bad Gastein the river cascades down the mountain so we left the bikes walked up the path, past the rushing water, to the town centre. A massive area in the town centre has been bought up for re-development and it looks a little bit sad at the moment. Previously grand building are left empty. There are still plenty of nice hotels, bars and posh shops still operating though. We found a nice shady spot for a cold beer. Back home for lunch and then a cycle North, down the valley on acycle path, to the village

High Summer in Gastein Prossau - a favourite bike ride away With temperatures in the 30's and the bathing lake sitting at around 27 degrees it is well and truly high summer in Gastein. We need plenty of liquid refreshment and early starts. Storm clouds tend to gather late in the day, but hey, who cares. Mr T is visiting us at the moment so we need to keep busy. We opted to head high to find cool breezes and stunning views.  Top of the cable car A 4 hour walk from the top of the Schlossalm cable car took us down to the village via the the Brandner Hochalm. The Hochalm is where they take the animals in summer for a bit of R &R. The cows munch contentedly in the alpine pastures as the occasional walker passes by. The pastures are papered in flowers at this time of year so the cows must find it a welcome change of diet from their winter fare of straw for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serving our Almdudlers was a pretty girl from near Vienna. On a months working ho

Coastal caper - Zennor to St. Ives A much favoured walk is along the coastal path from Zennor to St Ives. TBIL had a spare room in a Lodge they hired at the Tregenna in St Ives so we jumped in the car. This day started with a swim in the pool at the hotel then breakfast followed by a game of tennis. We then caught the bus to Zennor. Then the hard bit, the up and down walk on the coastal path. TW gave me a gadget for my birthday that enables me to track the route and download it to a computer. I can then impose the route onto Google Earth and she can check where I've been which is a bit of a worry. There were no pubs on this route so I was pretty safe. See the seals! Didn't see any seals this time unfortunately but it was a lovely walk with stunning views of the coastline. Not busy, even in high summer. The blooming heather You can take a boat from the harbour and go see the seals, not my cup of tea! They manage the coastline here.  We met a guy who's job

Someone is happy. After 3 weeks of self catering we stopped overnight on the way home and just had to go for a meal out in Alencon. L'Escargot Dore. Set meal for 23 Euros.

Tour de Pines There is a massive pine forest to the west of Bordeaux.. Originally it was a mosquito infested swamp but back in history some enlightened soul had it drained and planted with pine trees. And just so I could go cycling in the shade on forestry roads and cycle paths. Warm air, the smell of pines, plenty of beaches to stop at, it just can’t be beaten. Across to Arcachon Andernos - across the bay from Arcachon. Nice restaurants in Andernos les Bains. Chez Elliette for seafood at the Oyster Port, bit out of budget this year. L'Entre pots in Avenue Pasteur is great for a set lunch. Very French and inexpensive. On the beach   The seaside - miles of empty beaches, off-season anyway!     Take a Hat and water! Looking North for 160km Sunset over the Atlantic

Now, being creatures of habit we just had to move south down the Atlantic Coast to the Pine Trees and long deserted beaches of Aquitane. 3 weeks in a self-catering wood cabin beckoned. Actually it was a semi-detached cabin. Our neighbours, from North Germany had the bulk of the property. We were the poor relations next door living in one room with a sink whereas they had three rooms and a full kitchen with a Dishwasher. They threw us the occasional sausage so we did OK. Their terrace always looked terribly tidy and pristine. They even brought a table decoration for their patio. Ours, on the other hand, was a scene of disarray with beach umbrellas, kites, bikes, sea shells, tennis rackets and a few empties. Apart from that we believe we were decent neighbours although, because we had no oven, we took an electric wok and used it on the terrace. Happily the smoke really wasn’t too bad and the fish was fresh and only just cremated. Fortunately they were fit enough to gather their gear

Well, the World Cup started with a whimper over here. A poor performance against Uruguay left our French neighbours a little glum. Watching Le Foot Things did not look up after a French player strike after a particular striker questioned the parentage of the French coach. So our plans to follow the World Cup in France at various jolly venues were dashed. England deserved their early exit but being thrashed by Germany when watching in a cafe with 90% German supporters was a bit tough to swallow even after a few Kronenbergs. Players that would happily walk into any Fantasy League team were pretty hopeless. Rooney, Torres, Lampard etc. Only some Spanish and German players and Premier League failures like Forlan, The Prince and Dos Santos seem to come away with any credit. Anyway, we dodged the rain showers in South Brittany for a week and had a great time on the bikes and walking the superb beaches. This is a lovely part of France and well worth a stop. Carnac is Karnag in the loc