Our first night at the campsite was lovely, we actually managed to get the kids to sleep early enough that we could sit out with a couple of beers and watch the last episode of the boys, we limit all our tech and screen use on holiday so this is the first thing we've watched since arriving.

We all had a very chilled morning, the kids playing and Al and I catching up on some reading. Once the pool opened I managed to get a 1km swim done since with this extreme heat it's the only exercise I can manage.

Before heading towards Toulouse we had another supermarket stop and I got to practise my French in the pharmacy after we ran out of piriton as we're all being bitten by bugs but poor Robert is really struggling.

The heat really is unbearable and the thought of cooking in the moho and making it even hotter is a no go so it's a cold picnic for tea along with some new crafts we got from the shops for the kids.

They just can't sleep in this heat and I can't blame them since I'm struggling too so we decide to go for a walk to the park and stay there until there's no light left.

The moho just doesn't stay cool and I can't sleep next to Al who seems to be radiating even more heat so I go and make a bed on the floor. Of course it's not very comfy and I have a terrible sleep. Around 6am Liliya has squeezed into a corner so I decide to share the bed with her for a couple more hours.

Today I've booked us into Halle de la Machines. Even the short walk to the bus stop is painfully slow and although we're indoors for most of the event there's no air conditioning.

This place is an old hanger where the company keep machines that aren't currently travelling the world as part of shows. The most impressive piece is the minatour and I've booked us a ride for a very unique form of transport. It's of course a very slow ride but great fun which we all really enjoy (added many cool videos on my Facebook page).

Inside the hangar you can walk around and see the machines but then they have various demonstrations too. Robert got to try the music maker and the slingshot.

There was a fantastic band with several machines each making different sounds. We all got to be in the crowd fighting against the huge fans (very much welcomed in the heat). There was a machine that delivered Nutella bread but the one that earned Al a huge cheer was a strength test where you had to push an iron along a rail and the more force you gave the higher it went and set off the fire canons.

Everyone, including the kids, that had a go set off the fire but a few people who got it slightly higher got a double set of flames. Al was clearly made for this and very nearly reached the top, the lady running that machine asked Al to have another go and again he almost hit the jackpot. She invited him a third time and wham the iron hit the top and flames came from the top along with the side ones and he was awarded a huge round of applause. No one else even came close out of the 40 or so people we saw attempt it.

Even the toilets had an interesting way to prevent permanent graffiti by adding chalk boards and supplying chalks!

We found a shaded spot to eat our lunch then enjoyed a ride on the carousel. We've had 2 run ins so far with the French not sharing the English values of queuing and despite Robert being at the front to get on the ride he wanted some girls tried to push him out of the way. Good dad Al was having none of it though and he got to go on the flying fish. Liliya chose a weird little bug which seemed a strange choice compared to some of the bigger creatures that flew or had more moving parts but she loved it.

It was time to move on and I'd love to have a mooch around the city centre but it's 39c and we just can't hack it. Even waiting for the bus and having to walk half a mile to the next museum didn't sound appealing so we booked an uber instead so we could be dropped straight off.

In les Jardin du Plantes I had read they had both a science museum and a natural history museum. The kids decided to go for the science museum since we all thought it would have plenty for them to interact with. It was €23 for all of us, thankfully Liliya was free. The first exhibit, which we assumed was the one that changes every few months, was all about the evolution of AI. It was a fairly small room with a few things to interact with but most of them weren't really appropriate for kids at our age and for me was like the courses I'm made to take at work! One exhibit was just listening to different people talk about their jobs and how much of it could be replaced by AI. The only real fun bit the kids liked was when they drew a cat and then AI tried to draw a realistic version. Not to worry we thought we'll have more fun in the permanent exhibits. We left the room and straight away we're in the gift shop and foyer. I went to the desk to ask how we got to the other rooms to be told that was it! I exclaimed in my best French how utterly terrible that was! I'll be angry for days, 15 minutes at best we were there for and it was utter rubbish. The only upside was we didn't need to walk far to get to the natural history museum. Not wanting to get caught out again (another €23 and what's worse is here they advertise a joint ticket for both which works out cheaper that wasn't advertised in the so called science museum) I made sure to ask what was inside and how long it would take before handing over our money. We got to go to the botanical garden outside and the museum inside. The garden was pretty terrible, maybe everything was just too hot so we rushed around as quick as we could.

The museum itself was brilliant though, so much for the kids to interact with and we were there a couple of hours. They loved the different rocks, learning about volcanoes and earthquakes. Seeing all the skeletons, stuffed animals, shells and more. It also helped that it was air conditioned.

Afterwards I promised I would let the kids have 10 mins in the park even though it was crazy hot still at 6pm. They cooled off slightly with ice lollies and before we told them it was time to go they had had enough themselves.

Once again the idea of cooking in the van was unbearable so we walked towards the centre to find something to eat. We never did find the centre and the restaurant street we walked down was very run down, we decided to play it safe and go with what we know. We walked into a domino's but that was hotter inside than outside. Finally we found a pizza hut that had air con so settled for that.

After food we had a short walk to find the river then opted for the 15 min uber ride back versus 2 buses and walking taking over 45 minutes.

Tonight we're stopping in the middle of nowhere onwards to Bordeaux. Al found an app that shows fields you can stay in for free. It's pitch black by the time we arrive and apparently you are supposed to find a lock box with a code and scan it. We really could be in some sort of horror movie so I make Al take the only weapon we have, a wrench, in case it's all a trap. After 5 mins he returns in one piece but couldn't find said box.

Along the drive there were some great flashes of lightening. We were hoping for a downpour of rain to help cool things down but it never arrived. The next two days were supposed to be exploring Bordeaux but we may need to rethink things depending on this heat wave.