That well-known dictator, the Emperor Adrian, has been in the wars recently; not picking a fight with a neighbouring state or invading some little known island this time; in fact the only person to be injured is himself, with a nasty burn on his leg from the exhaust of his trials bike and a back injury that needed an operation. To add injury to insult, the Empress Julie had booked a holiday the day after said operation, leaving a very concerned Emperor Adrian in the doubtful care of his friend Lord Roberts of Elgin, here for his annual two month holiday (it’s alright for plumbers!)

The great dictator is making the most of his incapacity, chaining Lord Roberts to the kitchen sink for hours at a time then banishing him to the grange to install a new washing machine and heave huge boards of chipboard up the rickety staircase on his own, which he must then put down to create a decent floor over the very uneven old one.

But Lord Roberts did manage to negotiate a day off for good behaviour on Thursday and as Ade can’t ride his motorbike at the moment, he invited me to go for a ride on his big, shiny, (technical terminology) new motorbike.

We were soon swooping through the narrow,  twisty roads as I clung on for dear life whenever John accelerated. We soon arrived in Navarenx, where we stopped for lunch by the side of the beautiful river, then coffee in Sauveterre. On the way back, the road down from Salies de Bearn twists and turns for miles; motorbiking at its best!

But on our return to Ade’s I was reprimanded; the bloke who refers to me, scathingly, as the paparazzi wanted to see the photos of the trip. Sadly, I’d forgotten to take my camera; so no pics of this ride, but I promise to take some if I get another chance. Perhaps if there were enough comments on facebook or the blog, it might improve my chances??!!

In the meantime, here are some links to see the places we visited (I hope they work; I’ve had to work this out on my own!)

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=py6LO72QLjK-tM&tbnid=GRKLXcXTVZIDDM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffr.structurae.de%2Fstructures%2Fdata%2Findex.cfm%3Fid%3Ds0016902&ei=BfgiUqH7KsKq0QXajID4Dw&psig=AFQjCNF9iH8P2HdOAznUGYVfQoKMoEITkA&ust=1378109829739387

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=v6XA11dEGRYwIM&tbnid=4BtyLTP_ShDq2M:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.all-free-photos.com%2Fshow%2Fshowphoto.php%3Fidph%3DPI14014%26lang%3Den&ei=ZPciUurKPIf80QX_9IG4BQ&psig=AFQjCNGORRAIS3Psb0Z6x0BOU-iPPhkKNw&ust=1378109669052748

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Jf0hp9wILS70fM&tbnid=NTe2b3LntZRFKM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salies-de-bearn.fr%2Ffr-vivre_ou_sejourner_a_salies_de_bearn.html&ei=qPciUvD5BLCX0QWFnYHADg&psig=AFQjCNG_SZuiRHJGHYjJ_MQkMD_RKfJesQ&ust=1378109736130593