White horses and bad backs

So, our second trip to Normandy this year started with its usual diversion via a pub… but this time, it was as part of a Mission. Unfortunately, in June, Eain & Muir Findlay weren’t able to join us in Normandy as Eain had badly hurt his back, but for that visit, he’d had a photograph printed onto canvass of one of Muir’s wartime colleagues – John Louden – who had been killed on the slopes of Hill 226 in the Scots Guards’ first battle in Normandy. Muir had helped bury him.

As Eain had been unable to visit Normandy, he’d asked if we would present the photograph to the museum at St Martin des Besaces.

So, we had agreed to meet Eain near where he worked to collect the picture and, taking advantage of the local geography & geology, arrived early enough to visit White Horse Hill before descending to the pub of the same name where beer was drunk & paintings exchanged.

Having taken leave of Eain, we set off for France, via the Chunnel as usual and, again things didn’t quite go according to plan as our initial stop-off point was a little further than planned; though I blamed the French for forcing us to put the clocks forward an hour!

Normal service is resumed

Anyway, “normal service” was resumed as we arrived at our overnight stay in Abbeville with a meal & beer at the Comptoir du Malt – one of the increasing number of brew-pubs establishing themselves in France.