(Brighter in the afternoon at Veulette sur Mer)

The rain went away yesterday afternoon and the sun came out but when we woke up this morning we were freezing (not actually freezing…) it was 7 degrees outside. Time to rethink northern France. So we’re on our way south. We’ve never been down the eastern side of France so we thought we’d give that a go and head in the general direction of Nancy.

(Old church in Cléres)

We didn’t get very far, about an hour of travel and we are in the pretty little town of Cléres. You never know what you’re going to get when you pick an aire and today is a big surprise. It’s about an hour’s drive from Veulettes sur Mer. As it’s on the outskirts we didn’t see the town before we parked but I went for a walk while Denis went to work and it’s gorgeous. Another vibrant town with lots of little shops, a small supermarket, an old church, a train station and even a zoo! I’ll have a look at that tomorrow. There’s a stream running the length of the main street (not on the street…) and each little footbridge is covered in foliage and flowers.

(Conkers were falling off the tree in the churchyard)

The aire itself is free and you buy tokens (called jetons in France) for water and electricity at the little supermarket. We don’t need either at the moment because we loaded water on route yesterday and the solar panels are topping up in the sun as I write providing us with enough power for the day. I didn’t realise I would be so excited about the solar energy but I am constantly checking how much electricity we are making. I have discovered that the sun doesn’t have to be shining directly on the panels to make solar power, light makes power. Also, we have a battery (called a leisure battery) to store the power generated because the solar panels generate the power but they don’t save it and if you don’t use in that moment it’s gone! It’s a bit like time really… maybe we need a Time battery?

(The old covered market in Cléres)

So, a Time Battery would store up all the minutes in the day when we’re not using them the way we want to. Like when we’re having anxious thoughts or we’re complaining or we’re making a mountain out of a molehill or we’re irritated by someone or we’re in a mood. The Time Battery would automatically power up and grab all the wasted minutes for when we remember how we really want to spend time. For those who mostly used time the way they wanted to, enjoying nature, smiling at children, being wonderful (!) they could get a little pocket Time Battery. But there would also be a roll-along-suitcase sized Time Battery…

…for the rest of us and our anxious thoughts. Mairead.