Today has been a roller coaster ride of misery and elation culminating in an empty feeling of depression that I need to snap out of for the sake of the children. Firstly it took me an age to find out exactly what was wrong with my car and whether it could be fixed by midday on Saturday. Things got bad around 2ish when the girl at reception informed me that the Garage had not yet had a look at my car, and were not sure that they would have time, as luck would have it tomorrow is a Bank holiday in France….Hooray!!

I received a call at about four to be told that the garage had identified the problem everyone else without a mechanical qualification had assumed it was (Shock Absorber) and the part had been ordered and joy oh joy the car would in fact be ready on Saturday AM and we would get home safely. My luck had changed and I felt a spring in my step again, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to come home, but the weather had turned depressingly Autumnal (I hate Autumn) and I was mentally prepared to go home and begin to tidy up my personal bits and bobs, and Harry in particular was beginning to miss his Mum, and I suspect the feeling was mutual. All had ended well despite needing to do a certain amount of shock absorbing of my own at the price of 550 euros. Even my Indian friend at HSBC had acted completely out character and released herself from her hereditary bureaucratic shackles to take my credit card off stop.

At 5pm the representative informed me that she had heard from the garage and had good and bad news. The good news was that the guy at the garage thought he could mend my car on Saturday; the bad news was now he couldn’t as the part would not arrive until Monday. So in fact there was not any good news, it was a bit like being told that the good news was you didn’t have a chest infection, but the bad news was that you had terminal asbestosis. This was a hefty proverbial kick in the bollocks, further complicated by the fact that the park homes were fully booked up, and because of the bank holiday, the only Hotel available for Saturday and Sunday night in Biarritz was the Radisson competitively priced at a paltry 700 euros. I could well be a grand down before long, without taking in to account extra spending money, though at least it is hard to use up much diesel without a car.

Then out of the darkness came a lady from a company called La Vacance La Soliel or something like that. She had overheard my predicament in reception and had remembered some Dutch people were leaving early from their holiday and there would be a tent available until Monday. I wanted to kiss her, but she was about 65 so I gave her a rather weak hug instead. She did not even want any money, she just wanted me to make love to her for a minimum of three hours each night with the lights on………joke, joke…..sorry.

So that’s it, we are as I speak, sorted out, and though not a perfect scenario, we are at least on the right track, though lets not count our chickens yet. I will probably get a call in the morning saying that the Dutch people in an act of extreme selfishness had knocked over a candle in the night and burnt themselves, and worse still the tent, to a cinder! Either that or Mercedes will announce a recall of all shock absorbers with immediate effect leaving us here until Christmas 2010 when it may have least stopped raining!

What will tomorrow bring……………………a picture of me sunbathing with a cool beer, surrounded by a bevvie of French totty I don’t doubt! Think positive Bob, think positive………………………… (No pics today too depressing!!!).