Spring cleaning while waiting for the post!

We have spent the last few days in a place called Fanjeaux, just outside
Carcassone. Chris adopted the local cat and it has been very pampered with
scraps of pate and peppered salami, and I named it Crazy Pumpkin as it kept
trying to get into the van! We have had a lovely few walks in the
surrounding countryside which still looks really autumnal, the vines have
gone a really gorgeous red colour and the tree lined avenues a wonderful
orange.

This was a random stop partly to kill some time while we waited for a
campsite guide for spain and portugal to arrive poste restante in
Carcasonne. I was VERY dubious if we'd ever see it but today was proved
wrong when on presenting my passport at the post office I was handed a
parcel. Brilliant!

We have taken the opportunity to do a few bits on the van the last few days
aswel. Chris cleaned the outside, including the solar panel which involved
standing on the bed and wriggling up through the roof light with a a mop
much to the amusement of all around us (Picture). I have been busy cutting
up a couple of the sun blinds to turn them into thermal blinds for the back
windows and the picnic rug into a thermal curtain for the main cab door. We
have only had a few cold days so far and by the looks of the weather
forecasts it looks pretty good in Spain but its best to be prepared! I
guess they will come in handy on our way back to the UK in January at the
very least.

Its quite strange but we are now at the point of our trip where we are
starting to count the weeks left and feel like we have to make the most of
them! Consequently some very careful guidebook reading has been going on
and tonight a detailed look at the maps is required, mainly to check
altitudes of the places we want to see so we can keep out of the snow line.

Anyway time to go explore carcasonne. More soon .........