Friday, January 15

The bowls we had left out in the night had only collected a few drops of water that wouldn’t even be enough to wet a flannel.

In desperation, we decided to travel 17 kilometres to the nearby village of Chamboret where there was a France Passion site which, according to the book had water. It’s so diffciult at this time of year because there can’t be many passing motorhomers in the smaller places. We found the address in Chamboret but there was nobody home and the grassed area at the side of the house looked more suitable for use in the drier weather.

The France Passion book costs £20 and gives motorhomers access to vineyards and other businesses throughout France where it is possible to stay the night. There is no charge to stay but the travellers are expected to buy some produce. The trouble is the book doesn’t have many details. It doesn’t even have full address printed so it’s all a bit hit and miss. If there was a phone number you could at least call to check if they were in.

We pulled over in the town square to buy a baguette and two pain au chocolate when I noticed the toilets. Before I knew it Steve had rigged up one of his famous attachments and we were filling up the tank. We did check it out with an offical-looking man pushing a wheelbarrow. He didn’t say much but a lady suddenly appeared and gave us her full consent. I think she was just off to buy a baguette as well.

When we’ve got a full tank I’ve started doing a water dance. It’s a kind of a tribal chant we learned at junior school. Miss Nelly Lewis used to come in and teach us traditional dancing. I remember her telling us that one of them was a water dance but you don’t take much notice at that age. It just comes from nowhere and it feels so right.

We spent the afternoon among the ruins of the village of Oradour. It’s always hard to believe that there’s such evil in the world. Leaving the village just as it was is the best tribute to those who lost their lives because seeing it there, even so many years later, is very different to reading about it in a history book. It seemed like such a vibrant village with many shops and cafes.