Back in the UK

My fears about the veterinary check at Calais completely misplaced. Thanks to the wonders of licence plate recognition Sophie's travel documents were on the screen and we were through the process,  chip read and paperwork completed in 90 seconds . Sophie was unaware that anything was happening.Not a para-military border veterinarian in sight just a cheerful young Frenchman guarding the frontier with his equally cheerful mate..

Same with the Eurotunnel. Time from leaving the veterinary centre to driving onto the train 12 minutes exactly.The UK passport officer said ' It says here you're travelling with a dog. What type is it ?'  At this very moment Sophie gives vent to her displeasure which enables me to answer ' It's a noisy type". We are waved through with a chuckle. Sophie slept through the boarding and the 20 minute journey under the channel. We were at the very front of the upper deck which sways rather  more than the lower deck. Again, despite the heat and the pressure in the tunnel our shaggy companion, journeyed on completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Our first night in the UK at a hotel near Ashford. The same hotel we stayed in when we left the UK with Wilf and Digby eighteen years ago. A natural in and out balance to life. In the interim it  has changed hands and has now become a spa hotel. The guests all wear white bathrobes which hints at a zest for health.They also all seem to be carrying a glass of champagne in one hand which hints that health may not be the sole motivation for them being there.  The hotel charges high prices but exhibits what might most politely be described as a 'cheerful' atmosphere. Sophie is allowed to join us at an outside table on the terrace for dinner Tempura prawns and fish and chips  tell us we have arrived in the land where everything is battered and fried. Even though it"s August and extremely hot by British standards all the radiators in the room are turned up to maximum  and pumping out hot air. A maintenance engineer is called to switch them off. Sophie is given a ginger snap biscuit by a guest. After that life can never be the same again. The chapter of her life with croissants has closed. A new one featuring ginger snap biscuits lies ahead.

We leave at five in the morning to get underway before the dreaded Dartford Crossing becomes jammed. Sophie is calmly enjoying the journey. She dines en famille every evening, gets given treats and is quietly experiencing a lifetimes worth of adventures in just five days. Braised and roasted shoulder of lamb has now been joined by ginger snaps in her panoply of ultimate delights.