Just so you know...

If you click on any of the photo's in a blog, it will open up a nice gallery which shows the photos in full glory! Cool huh!?

St Malo, Brittany - September 2011 Long Weekend

In celebration of handing in my notice at my permanent job (the first one I'd had in 15 years - refer to previous blog!) I booked myself a long weekend in St Malo. In 2006 I did a contract for IBM which involved the transfer of a French division from France back to the UK. I was sent to France, Orleans in the Loire Valley to be exact twice, for 2 week stints. I completely fell in love with France and vowed I would find my way back and explore it. 
When I was about 10, my mum had booked a camping holiday in Pornic, south Brittany, and I vaguely remembered even back then that St Malo had looked beautiful. So having made the decision to go, I booked my return ticket, from Thursday 1st Sept 2011 to Monday 5th Sept. Booked it, packed it, fucked off as it were.
The ferry set sail promptly at 20:00 from Portsmouth Channel Ferry Port, and after dropping off my backpack at the luggage store, made my way through the decks to locate my reclining chair... didn't like the position of it, so picked another :-)   I left my day pack on it to display to all concerned that this was now my seat and went off to find the restaurant and bought a large raspberry flan and half bottle of wine.

The last thing I remember about the boat ride out was getting comfy (pff!) in my recliner, plugging into my ipod and watching Gladiator. I say "watching" very loosely as I actually didn't see or hear anything after the opening few scenes.  I woke up at 6.30am the following morning to rays of beautiful sunshine beaming through the windows, jumped up from my recliner and promptly collapsed back into it with dead legs!

On arrival in St Malo I was first off the ferry having collected my backpack as soon as the baggage store had opened and off I bounded through passport control, greeting one and all to an excited and well meaning "Bonjour"! The ancient (OK they were ancient before the Germans bombed them and then they were rebuilt) walls of the ancient (same story) town were immediately visible in the glorious morning sun and so I went out of the port and hung a left and walked through the big wooden gates. 

I was so excited I could pee! No really, I was desperate. Armed with pre-printed maps of the inner roads of the walled town I set off in search of Le Nautilus, my home to be for the next few days. See their website here: Le Nautilus Hotel Website 

OK, I did get lost a couple of times but eventually located the hotel with the use of the Google Maps App on my phone. I knew check-in wasn't until 2 but I had rehearsed how to say "please can I pee and get changed, leave my bags here and come back at 2?" in perfect French, but on my entrance the gent behind the counter greeted me to a cheery "Good Morning madam, good trip?" So I said my line but in English to which he told me my room was ready and I could go straight up. Tres bien, n'est pas!? I was on the 5th floor in the attic room. It was a lovely little room with a double bed, tv, en-suite shower room, and a sky light, complete with seagull, or "mouette" who I called Dave and fed every day. The hotel is owned by two guys (I don't know I didn't ask, before you ask). The rooms were immaculate, the decor was of a marine/Finding Nemo theme and I loved it. It was 50 Euros a night for my room and I think it was worth every penny.

Dave, the mouette, waiting to be fed out of my sky-light one evening.

I basically spent the following days wondering around the beautiful old streets taking photos, sitting on the gorgeous sandy beach (which isn't visible until the tide goes out so don't be put off if you arrive and can't see any sand!), eating crepes and Moules (every day and on one day for lunch and dinner!!), and drinking expensive wine, chatting to total strangers and generally relaxing and being part of life's rich tapestry.

One day I did head out of town for a walk along the GR 34 trail from St Malo to Dinard. Flipping heck it was hot. The route follows the coast all the way and you follow little signs:

I wish I had know that at the start of my walk as I did go astray a few times. 

It took my about 3 hours in total but I was stopping to take photos and gasp for air along the way so in cooler months it could be done more quickly. There is an interesting dam before the Dinard section of the walk, where the sea turns into the river, and boats and yachts going either way must go through a lock.

The best part is that once you get to Dinard you can catch a little ferry for a few Euro's that gets you back to St Malo in 10 minutes! Fantastic! If you fancy doing the walk - the route is here: GR 34 Walking Trail Route

So, here are a few more photos of my trip. 

So that was St Malo! Hope you liked it. I did.

Come back soon for my write up on my trip to Sweden, 2 weeks after this St Malo trip :-)

Very excited!

Back in September I was working on my first Permanent job in 15 years. It was scary stuff, and to be frank, the most bored I have been in 15 years. I handed in my notice with no plan other than to find a job that didn't involve sitting behind a desk watching my life pass by. I finished, much to many people's shock since we are in a recession and thousands would give their right arm for a secure job, on 7th September after spending a long weekend in St Malo (photos to follow in another blog entry coming soon!!) and then took myself off to Sweden to visit friends (again, a blog entry will follow at some point!). During these breaks I went online and firstly, registered with all the usual agencies, and secondly went to websites that offered seasonal jobs and filled in a select number of application forms.
One of these belonged to Canvas Holidays for which I applied to be one of their reps at a campsite anywhere in France (I just have a thing for France that I need to fulfill - I think it comes from spending so long in Asia I now want to see hills and valleys and drink good wine instead of palm trees and beaches and no/shit wine). The day after, I was telephoned by a member of Canvas Holiday's staff asking if I was available for interview in December! Yes! Of course I was!
On 8th December I attended an interview at the offices of Wyndham Worldwide (who also own Ramada Hotels among a plethora of others). The interview was informal but structured and lasted about 40 minutes. I felt it went well, but then I always feel interviews go well.
The upshot of all this babble is that I have been offered a job - hurrah! I start on 22 March 2012 as part of the Montage team going around putting tents up before heading off to my campsite, which I am told is, provisionally (and subject to change) at Sequoia Parc near Royan (below Brittany) where I shall be looking after 12 mobile homes!
I'm so happy!
No, I shan't be financially rich, but I get accommodation a bit of a salary, and, more importantly for me, I wont be sat behind a desk all day in some dingy office block. Rather, I shall be cleaning, running around, chatting with holidaymakers, exploring the area on days off and living every day. I know it won't all be roses and there will be off days. Bring it on! I can't WAIT!

Southsea!

Wow - it's been sooooo long since I did a blog. My 2012 resolution is to try and blog at least once a month! There must be interesting things in my life for me to blog about!

Yesterday was Monday 2nd January 2012. The sun was shining and Southsea, where I am currently (but not permanently) residing came to life. After a New Years Day spent in bed, not with a hangover, but with no voice and a chest infection, I was eager to get some fresh air into my blood and so, camera in hand, I set off, wrapped up warmly, to play with the film grain and pin-hole settings on my Panasonic Lumix FZ38 to get some "different" shots of Southsea. 

Here's what I got.

Canoe Lake, Southsea. A ballet of birds.

The inspiration for Chanel perhaps? I think not.

Less is more

Well, it caught my eye!

Anti-vandal paint ?

A novel use of the multi-purpose carabina

I liked the shadows

Good practice with depth of field, shadows & highlights.

Ahh, that's nice

I liked the reflections in the lamp shades

Reminded me of Coronation Street :-)

Just liked the different patterns and textures

Much needed coffee break at The Belle Isle on Osborne Road.

The old entertainments board at The Town House

Local antiques shop on Albert Road with this fab eyecatching van

So much for my eyes to see here. Each quarter could be its own photo

Just loved all the different shapes and lines at the antique shop "Parmiters" on Albert Road

A shot looking up Albert Road for The Kings Theatre corner

Again, some great photos to be made from the display outside "Parmiters" in Albert Road

Well his writer is from this town!

So many silhouette opportunities. I think this one illustrates how windy it was.

So there you have it, for now. Lots more photo's taken and to come but just wanted to kick start my blog for 2012. Going to try and get the mobile app so I can blog on the run...

See you soon!