Billy no mates!

Wed 30th August 2023. Southwick.

It’s a bit weird travelling on my own. I have motorhomed on my own before and I have cycled on my own before but today this feels strange. Probably because I haven’t got Janice. I waved goodbye to Janice and drove down the street with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement because I am starting on an adventure into France but trepidation to feel a little alone in a world where people of my age are always in couples. It gives you an insight into the lives of single people and how lonely they could be. Ou, that’s rather a deep and dark thought! I will move on….I have no intention to get glum about being alone. I must be missing Janice already but look on the bright side I can get in some beer practice before the Rugby World Cup starts.

The journey went well. A couple of stops at service areas and then as I approached Portsmouth for the ferry I headed to the village of Southwick for my overnight stop before getting tomorrows early ferry to Caen.

Janice and I have stopped here before. It is about 20 minutes from the ferry but away from Portsmouth. It has some historical interest too. I parked in the Golden Lion car park as they welcome motorhomes. The pub has a historical context in that it hosted Churchill, Eisenhower and Montgomery as they finalised the planning of the D Day landings of the Second World War.

I had a meal in the fridge already prepared but I was lured in by the lovely food smells from the pub kitchen for my evening meal. It’s part of the deal really….they let me park the van overnight and I eat a meal at the pub. Seems fair to me!

I had a brief chat with some Austrian motorhomers who were returning homeward but otherwise I had a strange feeling….eating alone. It didn’t stop me enjoying the food or the beer.

I had a little walk and found yet another pub….The Red Lion. It would be rude not to try the beer there too!

I had a go at playing darts for the first time for about 20 years. It reminded me about how easy it was to hit the 1 and 5 on either side of the 20 but how rarely I could actually hit the 20 itself.

I returned to the van and signed up for a Fantasy Rugby World Cup competition on the internet….it’s the only ‘fantasy’ I will be signing up to on this trip! I pick a team of players that are involved in the tournament but I have to vary the nations I pick from and each player has a numerical rating and I am only allowed to pick up to a certain total figure that the organisers decide upon. To succeed in the Fantasy Rugby competition my players get points if they actually get picked to play, then more points if the score try’s, kick goals or make the most tackles.

Anyway, I have probably had enough ‘sleep medicine’ for tonight as I am up at 6am to get to the ferry. See you ‘en France’.