What is this obsession with holiday?

Thanks, I'll check.. You'd hope they could have done all the roadworks during lockdown when the roads were empty!

I think there are long term roadworks on the M5 on the approach to Taunton and also some near Exeter. I don't think they will be able to lift the one's near Taunton if they are still ongoing, as it is for central barrier replacement over a stretch of more than five miles last time I was down there.

Ellianne

Thanks, I'll check.. You'd hope they could have done all the roadworks during lockdown when the roads were empty!

They've had to work within the new rules, of course.

Callistemon

trisher

Maybe you aren't consuming enough wine when listening Ellianne Mind I have found that what I thought was wonderful after a few glasses turned out to be completely c**p!

It's also a mistake to buy a case of 12 bottles of chateau bottled wine which seemed delicious when camping in the grounds of the chateau, quaffing it on on a balmy evening, only to find it is utter c**when you get it home.

Ditto with clothes bought in a market abroad looked quirky and fun....return home to find they are just kind of tatty!
Could the same principle be applied to a man one met abroad.....?

Lucca, you joke! That could be a whole new thread!

Lucca like the wine, lovely on a romantic starlight evening in France, but in the light of a drizzly British day, perhaps not so entrancing.

Although always remembered fondly with a smile.
It's the accent.

I don't want to go abroad at the moment and would not consider it, but I am very happy to be just starting to allow myself to look forward a bit to our planned break in the UK at the end of July. We booked it in February and for a long time during lockdown assumed it wouldn't happen. Now I think it will and it will just be nice to be in a different place enjoying nice scenery,

Reporting in .....

M25 good at 5am
M3 fine
A303 busy round Stonehenge (What's new?)
Exeter eta 9 am
Lots of roof boxes, canoes, bikes all strapped to cars = mainly families.

Friends of ours are off to Cornwall today, booked cottage before the lockdown, trouble is so are 90,000 others Hopefully they will have had an early start to the wild west as Ellianne above.

Enjoy your holidays all those who are going away today, just a bit jealous

Reporting In
M5, M4, M48 and M49 junctions to the North of Bristol already very slow and coming to a standstill at times.

The peak is expected between 10:30 am this morning and 3pm this afternoon and all that traffic has to come passed us in North Somerset on the M5.

I think we will be totally isolated in our town, as when the M5 Becomes stationery they all take to the local roads, never fails.??

I think they should divert far more of them down onto the A303 that would solve our problem. ??

We decided to take a diversion once through Bristol when the M5 was chock-a-block.
Big mistake. I stopped at traffic lights as they were on red and the car behind went into the back of ours, luckily didn't shunt us into the car in front.

the wild west yes, it is a bit wild today! And drizzling this side of the Channel.

Now I'm thinking about markets and colourful clothes and sitting with a glass of wine as the sun goes down.....OMG I'm turning into Shirley Valentine!
I keep telling myself that abroad wouldn't be the same just now anyway.

Is Shirley Valentine on TV soon (tonight?)

Just to tease us all.

Reporting In.
Just returned from a reconnoitre. Drove across M5 bridge and all three lanes on the M5 southbound through North Somerset are running smooth but somewhat slowly, but that was about an hour and a half ago.

Then went for a walk along our town seafront where we were surprised to see that two of the largest pubs along there had signs outside to say they will not be opening until Monday.

However, the pier is open with restrictions on how many people are allowed on at any time. The tea room at the far end is not open but fishing from the pier is being allowed.

Many of the other restaurants, cafes, and other pubs are open or their lights are on in readiness for lunchtime opening it would seem.

Came back passed the large Walton Park Hotel which for the first time in four months had is doors open and lights on. We had wondered if that Hotel would survive as they have a large number of weddings held up there with the backdrop being that of the Bristol Channel.

That said, it was a real morale lifter to see for the first time in four months our seafront come back to life. A great deal of the car parking along there is still blocked off though. We did wonder if the M5 does come to a standstiil later in the day what it is going to be like along there, because that is where they all head for if they have to come off the motorway. ?

Grandad ... "I think they should divert far more of them down onto the A303 that would solve our problem." No thanks, the 303 is busy enough already as it is, but such a prettier drive.

Confession time, I fell in love with a French man on holiday, got as far as getting engaged, ordering the dress etc. My mum disapproved saying, "marrying a foreigner never works", (she was Welsh and married an Englishman!), so I gave up on the idea and came home.
To be honest, coming from London, I had visions of turning into a Madame Bovary in the French countryside after a while anyway!

Don't think so Calliestemon but they will keep showing that B* Bettany Hughes swanning around the Greek islands doing the Greek myths or something. Then there's Montalbano which I think is some sort of revenge of the Gods because Sicily and Sardinia were two of the places I wanted to visit in Italy.

Ellianne

Grandad ... "I think they should divert far more of them down onto the A303 that would solve our problem." No thanks, the 303 is busy enough already as it is, but such a prettier drive.

Confession time, I fell in love with a French man on holiday, got as far as getting engaged, ordering the dress etc. My mum disapproved saying, "marrying a foreigner never works", (she was Welsh and married an Englishman!), so I gave up on the idea and came home.
To be honest, coming from London, I had visions of turning into a Madame Bovary in the French countryside after a while anyway!

I fell in love in the Canaries and went on to marry him. At the ripe old age of 19! Madness. Nobody thought we'd last but we did for a while

We had a beautiful daughter and stayed married for 9 years but he had to go

He may well have been the most gorgeous human being I'd ever seen he was also terribly possessive and it all got a but much

Did you bring him to the UK to live oopsy or did you live abroad?

trisher

Don't think so Calliestemon but they will keep showing that B* Bettany Hughes swanning around the Greek islands doing the Greek myths or something. Then there's Montalbano which I think is some sort of revenge of the Gods because Sicily and Sardinia were two of the places I wanted to visit in Italy.

Oh yes.
But she was caught in a huge storm last night.

I want to go back to Crete.

Ps Odysseus was real!

Ellianne

Did you bring him to the UK to live oopsy or did you live abroad?

We lived over there for about 6 years. Marvellous life! Came back here when our daughter was 4. We bought a house and both had jobs but it never really worked out.

He was so possessive and a tad unstable!

Fun while it lasted though!

Callistemon Missed last night's one. I loved Crete.

I haven't had time to have a proper read but I daresay I will agree with most of you. We have never done package holidays or a day trip to NY kind of thing; Doesn't appeal.

We have family all over the place and nowadays we look forward to seeing them either there or here.

I have a FB friend who actually said today she wishes she was on a plane right now. Nooo!

This year is different though we hope to go to a seaside Landmark place later in the year. S/C and isolated with no wifi or TV. Sea, seals and if we bring it with us, good wine and food. www.landmarktrust.org.uk/

We are older now and have done enough travelling to satisfy ourselves. We had to cancel a train trip to France.

We host young people from around the world so we don't need to leave the house to taste authentic Hungarian, French, Chinese or Spanish cooking. We are missing them but hope to host again sometime soon..
www.helpx.net/index.asp

We should have gone to Wales today, to the Gower peninsular. I have had to content myself with watching a programme about Pembrokeshire on TV. At least we did not have to come to a decision, as Wales is not open yet. I am glad we did not have to decide whether to go or not, as I reckon we would have had to stay at home as DH is shielding.
Even if he wasn’t, I don’t think I would want to go away yet. Eating out or just having a coffee in a nice cafe is all part of the holiday and we would not feel safe just yet. Will we ever?

My daughter has taken her children to Norfolk, just for one night In their chalet, but they were there by 9 am this morning and spent the day on a deserted beach!