Orkney at last ...

Friday dawned dry and bright, our trip through Perthshire and the North was uneventful, and the roads dry and clear, although the hills were pristine white as we headed into the highlands.  Our crossing across the Pentland Firth was pretty good considering the time of year.

Relieved to be back ...

The River Tay near Pitlochry

A cock pheasant struts down by the waterside - we saw many of them on the trip north

The snowy north

Approaching the Pass of Drumochter

The Hamnavoe comes into Stromness harbour the morning after our return

We make our way home ...

High winds gave us a rocky night on the high seas, and we docked an hour late in Hull.  Apart from chit-chat - "where have you been?" and "you been away long?" from the UK Border Force people as they checked over the car, there were no specific questions about coronavirus.

Beautiful day to start with, followed soon by rain and poor driving conditions as we had had in the north of France. 

Another "phew!" as we progress north ...

Luxembourg and Zeebrugge

Poor weather has dogged our travels in France - rain and lorries and poor visibility made the driving pretty trying.  However, once in Luxembourg we found Pietro and Marijke in fine form, and we had plenty laughs between long serious discussions re viruses etc ...

This morning, we drove through Luxemburg and Belgium to Zeebrugge, where we boarded the Pride of York, to discover that P&O are not allowing coronavirus to phase them - it has been mentioned neither by them nor the immigration control at the port.  Perhaps things will be different in Hull?  We'll see.

On Thursday, omitting our arranged visits to family and friends on the way, we travel north to Pitlochry for the night. Then on Friday onwards to Scrabster, the Hamnavoe and Stromness where, despite coming from an unaffected area of Italy, and being symptom-free, we intend to self-isolate for some time.  Strange days indeed ...

Saying farewell to Marijke and Pietro

The ghost cars of Zeebrugge - or an installation by Christo?

Toul

Today, we travelled uneventfully to Toul, near Nancy in northern France.  We indulged ourselves with one motorway stop for coffee, but our attempts to maintain a distance of one metre between ourselves and other customers were unavailing!  I doubt close queuing is an ingrained habit ...

Leaving the Mont Blanc area, threatening skies produced some spectacular, but thankfully brief, hail, sleet and rain showers through the day

Good weather welcomed us to Toul.  The 13th cent. cathedral is a "classic example of late Gothic architecture in the flamboyant style" according to the guides ...

... whereas our hotel, with its delightful facade, is of a later date. 

Made it to France ...

It was a bit of a shock this morning, our day of departure,  to hear of the "lockdown " of much of northern Italy.  We had no idea what this meant for our trip.  We decided to try our luck on the autostradas.  In the event, we saw nothing out of the ordinary, eg no police, and proceeded on or way, arriving in France, in glorious sunshine, via the Mont Blanc tunnel at around half past four.

We were heartened by the constant pings on the phone of messages of concern and support from friends in Italy and UK ...

Morning view of the duomo and the Apuan Alps, on a fine day to be leaving Barga

The "real" Alps - Mont Blanc from the balcony of our hotel - on a fine evening to conclude our first leg ...

Last trip ... Collodi

To avoid frittering away a whole week in cleaning, packing, preparing, we decided to spend the day at Collodi, where there is a fine walk along a well paved mule track among the olive groves.

Collodi is famous for its eponymous author Carlo Collodi, the author of Pinocchio, whose mother came from here, and who was raised here by his grandparents in the late 19th century ...

Morning on the 4th

At a parting of the ways on the Via delle Fiabe (Path of the Fairytales)

One type of anemone ....

.... and another

A beautiful early bee-orchid

Spectacular bank of yellow daisies (species unknown)

A beekeeper working with his hives in full sting-proof gear

Ta-ta! - A giant Pinocchio waves us goodbye from the valley below ...

Trip to Careggine

Friday was a beautiful day, so we headed across the valley tothe little Village of Careggine for a picnic lunch.

We wandered trough the chestnut woods, past fields of crocuses through the village, eventually reaching the town's new refurbished viewpoint - with a very odd perspective!

Looking west, the massive block of the two Panas - Pania Secca on the right and Pania della Croce on the left

Beside a shed in Italy ...

The crocuses were the best we've ever seen ...

... and htere were even a few butterflies about - here a Red Admiral

The ancient church and campanile in Carregine

From the viewpoint, looking west along Lago di Vagli tho the Apuan Alps and the sea beyond

Has Bill been eating some of Alice's mushroom??