Sickness strikes! An intestinal bug has affected several of the campers in Corsica. The Mommy has been hard hit but luckily the boys are ok. A few of the other children in the group are not so lucky. They think it is some bad water or Corsican tap water that the people are not used to. Hopefully the bug and the string of cooler weather will pass quickly. The so called Mistral has forced the campers to wear light fleece sweaters at night and has tossed the sea to make it murky and cold. What's more, the group of a dozen or so loud Italian children are a little daunting to our boys which means they’re not playing nicely and being somewhat difficult. It’s only Day 2 so I’m hoping all of this has to do with getting used to the new situation. I’m sure they’ll recover from the tummy aches just as the weather turns warm again so they’re bound to have a wonderful time. The boys also just need a little time getting used to speaking and hearing Italian again and they’ll be good as Corsican gold.

"It's so hot here!" was the latest report from the troop this morning as they were getting ready to mobilize today for the trip from Ajaccio to Sartene. Temperatures have been in the mid 30s and very dry. So dry that 3 major fire outbreaks between Ajaccio and Sartene have threatend road closures and the boys have seen a steady stream of Canadair water bombers overhead. 4000 hectares of brush and forest have been consumed and it is believed that 2 of the fires were started by arsonists. The boys find all of it quite exciting.

The gang have arrived in Corsica and are super excited about their new campground - if you can call it that. European camping is nothing like camping in the forests of Canada. These are more like resorts with the only difference being that your room is a tent. They have full modern facilities and The Mommy says the pools (yes, there is more than one) are just as good or better than other pools she has been to at fancy resorts. They were especially lucky to get one of the biggest camp sites with lots of shade and a picnic table. Perfect for them since they eat lots of picnics trying to follow their special diet. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping Frunty. He has had a bad reaction for the past 10 days and usually wakes up frantic in the middle of the night. Today they are all a extra tired because the overnight ferry boat was so modern, fun and exciting that no one got to sleep until late.

I heard from the troupe that they have left the campground in Aix and moved to a nice hotel in Toulon for a few days. They plan on getting a break from camp life before taking the ferry to Corsica for more camping. They spent the day on the beach and say it’s just beautiful. It seems like the good weather has come back after that spell of cool winds that forced them to wear sweaters in the mornings and evenings.

As for me, I went to Paris to meet up with my sister & company. We had a great time and dinner was at a quaint little bistro with "specialities from the territories". K especially liked the escargot and we enjoyed a refreshing red wine that was served quite cool.

Breaking News Flash!!

Frunty has lost a tooth. The broken, crooked, bashed in front right tooth has finally fallen out after weeks of wiggling. Frunty sucked the tooth free and made way for the new tooth that is already making it's way out.

Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse tout en rond

The family was waiting for a bus to go to the next town, Avignon to see the infamous bridge and have a nice outing under clear blue skies and hot sun. The camping is going well and Frunty really likes sleeping in his own tent. Maybe it's good because he gets a break from Pit. Frunty couldn't resist telling me this morning that his brother threw his Lego on the ground in the restaurant. The Mommy is having fun keeping those two in line. She's having a harder time finding corn crackers as their bread alternative. What would you expect - they're in the land of the French baguette. Well they are certainly not starving and maybe they'll find new yummy things in Avignon.

The campsite now has 3 tents! Shells has arrived with her tent and Frunty has his own abode. It took several people to figure out how to set it up but some Italians figured it out and tonight he'll be on his own so he's very excited. I don't know how he'll fall sleep! Apparently, they're off to a camp store to buy a headlamp for him so he can read before getting some shut-eye. The weather has really heated up and so I heard of grand exploits in the pool. The Mommy is glad to have Shells to help look after the boys and everyone is happy to have each other for fun in Provence. Tomorrow they'll walk around Aix-en-Provence and maybe make a plan for more day trips.