Sleeping for England

Although it was a late night and we managed to stay awake until 11pm, sleep is evasive. Wide awake from 2am, I spend the rest of the night listening to the Incredible Sleeping Man while feeling increasingly frustrated that I can't sleep but he can (sleep thief?). What's he doing... sleeping for England?! Ross gets up feeling quite refreshed while I try desperately to get a couple hours sleep. Not to be.

Our hosts have places they need to be, so after breakfast we are left with the key and the freedom to go out if we please. Ross decides to check the oil in the hire car and so starts the Europcar saga. The dipstick only registers a minuscule amount of oil and of course the 'Customer Service' number is anything but. After trying several numbers, keying through nonsensical directory options and finally speaking to a human, Ross is advised not to drive the car and that the AA will come and inspect the vehicle. It was probably just as well that we had no plans (and just as bloody well we didn't discover this the hard way having broken down on a motorway somewhere in North Wales)... It makes for a very quiet morning as it takes a while for the AA man to arrive, inspect the car, determine that not only is oil nonexistent but also fluid in the radiator and windscreen washer reservoir. Then it takes more time for the AA man to get the necessary supplies and return to fix the problem...

Afternoon comes and we are too tired to go anywhere so when Russell and Hilary return we sit in their lovely garden. Warm sunshine and beautiful flowers, what a nice way to while away the hours.

A sunny afternoon in the garden

It is our last evening with our delightful hosts so we enjoy a meal at a local Italian restaurant and return to our comfortable room... hopefully for a better night's sleep. Not that it really matters to Ross, he's out like a light *sigh*