What a lot we have achieved in the past few days. Gone from Antwerp to Warsaw via Berlin.
Made the most of the opportunity and spent some time visiting the city. Considering my age and roots I found it an emotional experience looking at the remains of THE Wall and the information stands about World War II and its aftermarth and the rise and fall of Communisum as it affected the city.
Despite its history there is plenty to be admired about the city.
Now I am in Warsaw. This too is an emotional experience but of a different kind. The next few days will be interesting.

The dogs are happy with this campsite near Antwerp in Belgium..
 It has everything they need, walks by the canal, walks in woods and opportunities to swim. Sometimes their eagerness for a dip clouds their judgement. 
On the way back from the supermarket in Sint Job in't Goor they eavesdropped on my conversation with my daughter about swimming. A casual OK remark resulted in them racing off to the waters edge and launching themselves into the canal. Unfortunately at a point where there was no where for them to climb out.
Nearby there was an empty concrete mooring station. Here I could get right up to the canal edge.  The dogs however had nothing to dig their claws into to aid their scramble out.  I managed to grab Amber's collar and lift her head out of the water. The look on her face clearly showed her unease at not being able to use her front paws as balast. Anyway with her pulling herself up despite the lack of grip and me grabbing her shoulders and pulling I managed to haul her out. Ruby on the other hand being older was not so flexible and did not even want to attempt climing out. She kept swimming about and was intent on swimming down stream. Helen managed to grab her collar to prevent her swimming away. Together we lifted her up sufficiently to allow her to get some purchase and eventually hauled her out I truly do not know how we manged to get them out.
By this time I was thoroughly soaked. Fortunately both dogs were safely out and the hot sun soon dried my clothes.

Well I finally did it, got the van ready for our trip to Poland.
An email from Rita has prompted me to change our route.
Also thinking about our first day's travel to Dover and the ferry to France I thought it best to stop off at a campsite for a couple of days to "regroup" so to speak and slip into the "motorhome meandering" mode.
Here we are at a campsite in Antwerp Belgium. The weather is gorgeous (but I hear that the weather has improved in good old Blighty). After an early night, I got up early took the dogs for a lovely long walk beside the canal and into some woods. On our way back got lost in a housing estate. I have to say that generally the houses were of a superior type. Many of them were of the "Grand Design" type.
I intended to spend the day working on my website but have only managed to plan the route to Warsaw and look for campsites in Berlin. Time has just sped by. Now the dogs want to stretch their legs again.

Not long now before we set off for Poland. Our trip to Kakow in April and meeting with Rita was certainly unexpected. It was a great help as it gave me a focus for my forthocming trip. The problem was obtaining the information.
There is not a great deal of information about camping in Poland. What there is is contradictory. I do not know quite what to expect. How the dogs will be received is another unknown. In addition to all this I am having probems finding information about my father's family. The reason for this is chiefly my lack of memory. Those people who might have some information are proving difficult to contact.
All in all a journey into the unknown.
I just hope that the weather will not be too bad. I will have problems coping with wet weather like we have had here over the past weeks. The trip might be a lot shorter than intended.

If you are a duck the past few weeks have been the best ever. Unfortunately I don't take ducks away in my motorhome but dogs. 
They are quite happy to go out when it is wet.
However taking them out in the rain is a mission. It takes a considerable time to dress appropriately, putting on waterproof leggings and a good raincoat. On my return space is needed to hang up the wet garments to allow them to drip and the dogs need a rub down. This is a messy operation as not only do they move about but during the process they shake several times spraying droplets of dirty water.
No matter how much they are rubbed down they still emit an unpleasant smell. In a small enclosed space such as the interior of the motorhome this is to be avoided if possible.
With only the odd clear day it has seemed pointless trying to squeeze in short trips.  As a result I have not been away since the last spell of fine weather just before the Jubilee.