The rally proper started with a reception at Patrick’s house, which used to be a farm.  This was as well, with around thirty thirsty Singers arriving for coffee.  

From there we drove down the coast road for a view of Mont St Michel, but all we could see was a grey outline in the mist.  

After lunch we visited a small museum depicting life in the Mont St Michel bay, including an exhibition of salt making, and the 11th century Cistercian ‘Abbey de la Lucerne’ at Avranches.   The abbey was sold off as ‘property of the nation’ during the French Revolution, and turned into a mill in the 19th century. The ruins have been partially restored.

A coach took us to the Saturday evening dinner, where we were entertained by Patrick’s daughter in law playing her piano-accordion.  Chris Hayward did a magnificent job translating the speeches from French to English and vice-versa, and Gifford presented Patrick with a load of SOC Regalia, which went down very well.

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