Devall Travels

Looking at the email folder I keep on Yahoo reminded me that I had two jobs to do on the pre-trip list.  Firstly, travel insurance. The BUPA policy from last year seems to not be available this year. I emailed them and they couldn't (be bothered?) to send an idea of this year's premium so I told them to not automatically renew. I have found alternative cover for a lower premium through the Motorcycle Action Group -  http://www.magtravelinsurance.com The annual policy for both Claire and me is about half what we paid last year for the same amount of cover. With the US I hope $10m is enough for hospital bills.. 😜 Almost forgot. The other thing to do was to fill in the online air passenger transport register for us both.

The Canadian Memorial has swung back into place and we have received an email from Canada for the group to book online for the 4pm commemoration at Beaumont-Hamel. I quickly booked Claire and I on the website immediately after broadcasting by email to the rest of those not lucky enough to get a Thiepval place. So it looks as though we are going to have a good time over there.

Each year for our wedding anniversary we have been going away for the weekend or a week even. Sometimes to Spain to the timeshare and sometimes across the Channel to France. With Reggie in tow last year we had him inoculated against "la rage" or rabies as we call it in English, and he got his passport. We went across to France and Belgium and visited some family war graves on their centenary. This year we looked at holiday rentals (gites) in France and also in England. It's become apparent that France has more to offer and at more pocket friendly rental cost than at home! So I started looking seriously at cottages and mobile homes. Gradually moving northwards to remove the need for overnight hotels where Reggie is less happy. Finally settling on the north of France. Another consideration is that under the terms of the pet passport Reggie has to be wormed between 120 and 24 hours before he arrives back at the port to return to England. So before booking an...

This week had another email from Finnair to change the flight times. It's the third since Christmas. Firstly the outward flight was put back five minutes. Then a week later the inward flight was put back ten minutes. The latest is that the inward has changed again and is now five minutes earlier. So after all that we have settled on both flights now five minutes later than originally planned. At least it's not as bad as Air Canada changing a flight by 9 hours later!!

I had an email today from the Somme Association, the organisation that is organizing the commemoration at the Ulster Tower, to say that our last minute application had been successful. We had sent our details inc passport numbers to them and they have sent a new form to us to ask pretty much the same information, plus a signature. I have sent a copy to all those going and we have until March 16th to get them back, signed. Some links! http://www.greatwar.co.uk/somme/memorial-36-division-ulster-tower.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Tower http://www.visit-somme.com/somme_tourisme/decouvrez/les_sites_de_la_grande_guerre/tour_d_ulster http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/thiepval/ulster-tower.php

I sent a group request to the organisers of the Newfoundland commemoration at Beaumont- Hamel  as a backup to the ballot entries at Thiepval back in December.  Once we knew that only two of us were successful for that ballot, I asked the remaining members of the group to send a group email to the Newfoundland organisers as well. As we hadn’t heard back, and we had covered our bases with a group booking to the Ulster Tower event, I dropped an email to Paulette in Canada. She replied last evening, office hours over there, and said that they were finalising details with the French for park and rides and security on the day.  I went straight back to ask whether we had been successful and she said that everyone had been accepted on the list….   At the moment I have no idea if that’s just my entries or all the entries we sent in!  Wait and see I guess.

Ici la route pour “Shuttle Un”.