Blakies Barge Adventures

A FINAL FAREWELL TO 2011

2012-01-15T18:04:00.030+01:00

A FINAL FAREWELL TO 2011

20 December 2011 to 31st December 2011

It is now officially winter in the northern hemisphere and it has sure cooled down but nothing in comparison to last year. Most days it is still short sleeve shirts in the boat and over jackets when out and about. Last year we had snow flurries by now and cold temps as you can believe.

We haven’t lit the log burner yet. The diesel heating has been sufficient so we are lucky for sure. The ground is nice and dry so no gumboots or Wellingtons as the Poms call them are needed. With the shortest day only a few weeks away we are feeling lucky so far and have fingers crossed that we don’t get walloped like they have in northern Europe and Scotland etc.

While the weather has been really kind our family has not fared as well with the passing of my sister-in-law and 30 days later, my last surviving brother so that means that since coming to take on this adventure in 2008 I have lost a brother-in-law, a sister, a sister-in-law and a brother plus a number of mates from Surf Lifesaving days etc. When we consider that it was due to my illness that we decided to make this adventure happen before it was too late, we have had a great time and are hanging on so well. If I had known how long I was going to live, I would have taken better care of myself when I was younger. I think it is due really to the care and love I receive from Rhonda that has been a major factor so as you can imagine I am truly grateful. She is really my rock as the saying goes.

After staying on the Canal Lateral a la Garonne down here in the south west plus a side trip up the Baiise river for all this season since slipping the boat in Toulouse for a bottom clean and paint etc, we have fallen in love with the territory but it was with a good feeling when we pottered back into Moissac last week for out winter mooring. As usual Iain and Kaz, the Capitaneries of the port had our berth ready and waiting so within half an hour we were settled back into the lifestyle we had been so used to when last in port. It was great to be greeted by a number of our old mates from last season and to meet up with some new folk as well.

As we had left the car back down in Valence d’Agen so Rhonda could ride back on the boat with our pals, Gill and Alan who had cycled down the tow path for 2 hours to meet up with us before we loaded their bikes on the deck and we all came back together which was a real bonus. The next day Herman drove his motor home back to Valence d’Agen with Rhonda so she could collect the car and bring it “home” too. Such is the spirit of co-operation so often found among the boating fraternity. There is a very true saying that whatever goes around comes around meaning that “do a good turn for somebody, and it will be returned with interest”.

Since coming back we have rejoined the Friday night pub get-together which is short but fun and a chance to chat and get up-to-date with the scandal of which there is always plenty.

On the first Monday night of each month an entrepreneurial English man and wife tow there caravan into the port and cook up great Fish n Chips. English cod and home made chips. Gee they are good so we got our servings and brought them back to the boat and really wallowed in this delightful meal which is not one the French do at all. Roll on Monday next month.

With Christmas nigh upon us, the shops have picked up in trade but it is not as commercialised as it is in the UK, Australia or New Zealand. The open markets are busy but mainly due to the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls selling their wares. We will be having a fairly quiet Christmas Day this year but are preparing to take off for our drive to Spain for 3 weeks as from the 8th January 2012 so this will be exciting for us.

Ok, today is Christmas Day and as mentioned above we have had a quiet but lovely day as the weather has been beautiful and sunny with no wind and the clear blue skies have allowed so many people to get out and about. Walkers were seen all day looking at the boats etc. An early morning call from our old mates Grahame and Michelle Smith from Sydney set the tone of the day so after a good old chat the eating began with a larger than normal breakfast and so went the day.

The past few weeks have been a mixture of real autumnal conditions with steady rain almost every day much to the relief of the farmers etc following the worst drought in memory. With little to do apart from Christmas shopping, I have had the car tuned and the oil and filters changed etc and a couple of new tyres fitted ready for our forthcoming trip to Spain in January.

Last Thursday night being the shortest day of the year here in the northern hemisphere we had many of the live-aboard boats lit up with Christmas lights and some owners went to great lengths to make their boats look wonderful. We joined in hooking several strings of lights to our rigging so we looked bright and colourful but when the judging came to being carried out by the local Mayor we were found to be wanting so no prize was given to us. Oh well maybe next year. We did enjoy tucking in to the hot mulled wine and Christmas tarts afterwards and again as it was a lovely night we were all able to stand around enjoying each others company for a few hours.

This year we seem to have received even more Christmas cards and greetings than ever so it is really nice to have that contact with so many people. With lots of folks taking the easier way of sending email electronic cards one has to be amazed at the creativeness of both the designers of the cards and the senders. Thanks to all those who sent us such messages, and or posted real cards, we sure appreciated them.

Boxing Day dawned with a grey sky and minus 2 degrees so as predicted real winter must be almost upon us. Getting a welcome phone call from our friends Daphne and Claude in New Zealand was great so we were able to catch up on the local chat and gossip. While we are chilly, they of course are expecting wonderful warm summer weather so good luck to all.

As we are now anxious to get away to Spain for our holiday break, it is hard to keep focus on getting the boat set up to be safe and sound while we are away but due to the local Capitanerie folk keeping a watch out plus our nearest moored neighbours all should be fine.

As New Years Eve approaches we are looking forward to a final “knees up” for 2011 with all the live aboard boaters who are wintering over so a good night should be had by all. We trust that the New Years news is so much better for each and every one of you. Best wishes for 2012. Take care and look after each other.

Best regards,
Ken, Rhonda and of course Harry

WE DID IT

2011-11-18T10:53:00.042+01:00

23 October 2011

Well the saying “4 more years” is well and truly over, with the win of the Rugby World Cup by the famous All Blacks this morning in Auckland over France. We watched every game we could over the past 10 weeks of the tournament with our fingers crossed that we would make the final and despite me predicting at the start of the competition that the final would be between the All Blacks and les Blues, I did not imagine that the French were good enough to get there in the end but that’s sport for you. With our hearts in our mouths we sat and watched this game and it was not until the final whistle that we breathed and shouted our delight to the world.

Our French friends and associates sure won’t be feeling that way, but I have to say that New Zealand played the best rugby of the tournament and it would have been a tragedy for them to miss out. After a year of coal mine disasters, massive earthquakes and oil spills from a stricken ship onto some of the most beautiful beaches, the country will feel a whole lot more up-lifted by this great win.

We have been at Boé for a few weeks so far as we love it here on the outskirts of Agen (the prune capital of the world) and it is here we will stay for another few weeks before heading off to Moissac for our winter berth. From our little port here we have been able to drive to see new towns and countryside and enjoy the tail end of this magnificent autumn.

Being so centrally located we have had visits from folk from Buzet, Moissac and other locales but it has been the locals who have been so friendly. With the canal path lying right alongside “Somewhere” we get waves and smiles galore from passers by and the odd few who speak some English calling out as we have been flying the All Blacks and Kiwi flags since arriving here and added the French Tricolour when it became clear that they would be our finalist opponents.

The banter has been great and even today we had a lovely young couple with their children sitting outside on the grass and realised that they were talking English and it turned out that they are Kiwis from Glenfield, a suburb back in Auckland but now they live here so the partner can play rugby for Agen. For 6 years he has been playing here and they too love this area. They hope and plan to go back to Queenstown after next season to start their own business all being well. Andrew who originates from the UK and where he played for Bath before taking up a contract in New Zealand with Thames Valley, then North Harbour where he met Laani (his partner) who it turns out is Slade McFarland’s sister, a name synonymous with North Harbour and New Zealand rugby. Andrew received a contract from Agen which meant shifting his family of daughter and two small sons to this region of France so he could play in the BIG league. One has to admire so much, folk who will get off their bums and take chances and opportunities to advance their careers no matter what or where it takes them. The other evening they invited us to go to their home to enjoy a great roast meal of New Zealand lamb with all the trimmings. Wonderful meal and wonderful company and we look forward to seeing Andrew playing later this season.
Rhonda's Comments: Sunset at Boe

With the weather still holding in a mild warm pattern we have taken the opportunity to travel about this area and yesterday we drove to the Lot river to Port Lalande. It is here that another couple of our boating mates, Alan and Nicki off “Finca” who are a bit stuck at present due to the lack of water in the river preventing boats making the “crossing” a short area where it is necessary to engage a tug guide to ensure you can clear the rocks etc before one can move on to some 50 kms of beautiful gentle flowing clear water and where it’s possible to visit towns and villages along the way. It is reported to be one of France’s best loved waterways but is limited to seasonal water levels so one has to give care to planning such a trip in this area.

Rhonda's Comments: What a happy looking foursome - Nicki, Ken, Me and Alan

We went with Nicki and Alan to a restaurant perched high up on a high knoll village which gave magnificent views over the marvellous rolling country which spreads out below. Just stunning in every respect so we have decided to change our plans for next season and make every effort to get “Somewhere” onto the Lot for the cruising period so fingers crossed.

Over the past few days we have had a deluge of rain which has lifted the rivers by about 1.5 meters so “Finca” and others are still on the Lot due now to the water level being too high and too swift so as the saying goes “it never rains but it pours”. The canals do not alter very much at all so that is one of the good things that people enjoy as it makes boating easy really.

Rhonda's Comments: Another fabulous restaurant we found - Chateau Allot just near Boe.

We had been hoping to get to Spain for Christmas but missed out on the really discounted apartments available at that time but Rhonda got cracking again on the internet and found a great deal. A 2 bedroom self service penthouse apartment normally listed for €840 for one week but they were having a promotional sale of €126 per week so booked this very quickly and so we will be in Marbella from 14th January for 2 weeks. It is located just off the beach and not far from other wonderful places such as Gibraltar, Seville, Granada and Ronda, so hopefully this will give us a good winter break. Harry is welcome. (Well why wouldn’t he be Ha ha).

This beach side area became famous in the 70’s etc due to lack of any extradition agreements between Spain and most of the rest of the world so criminals and tax evaders made it their hideaway. Apparently the goings on during this period and over the next 15 or so years was unbelievable as money flowed like water. Australians will well remember that Christopher Skace, the developer and wild investor who owned the Mirage/Sheraton group of absolute luxury hotels throughout Australia and in Hawaii went broke owing hundreds of millions to creditors plus the tax man and did a bolt for Spain to escape the horde of creditors etc. There he held out for many years living in absolute luxury before the Australian government forced Spain to stop this ludicrous situation and he was brought back to Australia to face the music.

Rhonda's Comments: This the hotel boat "Saint Louis" which passes us many times. We met Barbara and Alisdair, the owners last year and it was good to catch up with them again.

Having been told by our new friends Andrew and Laani about a neat restaurant in a little village some 35 mins drive out from Boé, we decided to take a drive out there last Saturday and found the township of Roquecor perched high up on a rock bluff as part of this small but steep mountain set right in the middle of a large plain. We had been told that the Café du Centre Restaurant was run by an Australian lady and her French husband and that they had built up quite a reputation as being a popular watering hole for English speaking folks from miles around and that they also served great fish’n chips but only on a Friday.

We walked through the town looking at the old 13th century walls and so on before heading for lunch where we met Michelle and Jean-Marc, the hosts. After much chat about where we were from etc and how we had found them (their son used to play rugby with Andrew) and where and how did they get together in Australia etc. We had a fine meal and it seemed as though the only people in the bar were English and after chatting to a couple of them we were asked if we knew a David and Rosey who also had a barge on the canal but were renovating a house for themselves in the village and it eventuated that they were old acquaintances we had spent time with in Moissac the previous year. So off we went to find David and Rosey who were just taking a break from the huge task they have undertaken refurbishing this old farm type cottage. It was good to catch up on what they had been doing and to see them looking so well. The work they have undertaken has sure trimmed David down and given Rosy a look of satisfaction and achievement with what they have done. Well done is all we can say.

This week has been celebrated as “Poppy Week” or “Remembrance Week” in the UK and France to acknowledge the armed forces personnel who died in the “Great War” 1914-1918 and all wars since up to and including Afghanistan where so many of our lads have given their lives. This all culminates with “Remembrance Sunday” services when the nation stops for two minutes silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.

This year the recorded attendees have grown again and in particular by the young people who seem so much more interested in this part of history than we did as kids. The pomp and ceremony attached to this day is filmed mainly in London but is very moving to watch on our TVs and while us Kiwis and Aussies have our own “Anzac Day” 25th April to acknowledge in particular the ill fated landing of Australian and New Zealand troops in Gallipoli which forged the two armies together forever as they fought the Turks on the cliffs after being ordered by Winston Churchill (then chief of Admiralty) to ‘go ahead’ despite it being clear to all who were there that this was doomed to failure before it began. Despite the slaughter, so much gallantry was exhibited by the Anzac troops that this event has been acknowledged every year since.

Rhonda's Comments: This is our view from the stern looking down the canal in Boe.

Life goes on and every one of us must be grateful for all we have been allowed to take as our own while respecting others who may not have the strength to do the same. With autumn coming to a close it will soon be time to leave Boe for another season and head off to Moissac for our winter hibernation. To all our readers we wish you all the very best regardless of wherever you are or what season you are experiencing.

Kindest regards,

Ken, Rhonda and Harry

CANAL CRUISING IN AUTUMN

2011-10-07T14:52:00.036+02:00

With the first signs that autumn may be coming with shorter days and longer nights, it was time to turn “Somewhere” around and begin the journey back towards our winter mooring home of Moissac. We have lots of time though as the canals do not close until the end of October so once we had left behind our mates at Meilhan we wandered up the Canal de Garonne which has been one of our favourite cruising areas with great views across the countryside and lots of small villages, some with neat mooring spots to be able to rest up in.

As we have reported in earlier blogs, we seem to be going slower and slower which really makes the travel even more enjoyable. With Rhonda driving the car from lock to lock to take the ropes as we are working ‘up-hill’ now while Harry and I take the boat from mooring spot to mooring spot. After a couple of canal bank stopovers, we made it to Le Mas d’Agenais again and settled in as it really is a neat place to stay. We caught up with some old acquaintances who had also been staying there for a few days and then had a visit from Alex and Louise off “Riccall” delivering a whole range of purchases they had made for us while on their visit to England so a great night of tales and laughter followed.

Rhonda's Comments: Harry's little friend wants to come out to play.

The next day we drove to the town/city of Tonneins where we did our supermarket shopping and followed up with the so called computer expert who had fiddled around with our unit when we were heading down the canal some several weeks ago and had charged us €90 to achieve nothing. The computer just would not nor could not link to Google hence the reason why the previous blog was sent out in Word only, so we apologise to those readers who could not download it at the time. After a couple of hours of fiddling around he advised Rhonda that the computer was “kaput” and as it was lunchtime rushed her out of the shop so he could get to his “munchies”. Apart from the sky being blue so was the air due to the explosion of expletives coming from a very frustrated lady, so it was a very quiet driver who bought her back to the boat.

We learnt the next day that there was another computer expert living in our village and he was reported to be able to speak English so Rhonda headed off to find him, however, he could not speak English but his wife could manage a few words so between her and Rhonda using the translator on his computer they spent 4 hours working through all his suggestions to come up with a big Zero at a cost of another €55, so the air was even more blue upon her return to the boat. Even Harry stayed at a respectable distance.

If it wasn’t for the interruptions of having the World Rugby Cup games being shown on TV and which the New Zealand All Blacks played reasonably well in their opening round, I hate to think where the computer may have ended up. Well at 3.00am the next morning I was awakened to hear Rhonda mucking about on the computer clearing this and adjusting that and eventually at around 9.00am, BINGO, she yelled to say that she thought she had fixed the problem and hoped it would all work ok. What a legend she is as it all works just fine, in fact better, simpler and faster than it has for about 6 months so after spending time and money on so called experts, it just took care and thinking to get to the bottom of the problem and then to correct it all.
I am so glad I taught her correctly, Yeah right!!!!!!!!!!!!.

While at Meilhan we decided to collect any reasonable sized branches which had fallen from the trees alongside the canal as we went along and there were plenty of them so we loaded them onboard for firewood ready for winter. As I had bought a small chainsaw which was “On Special” last winter I pulled this out of the bowels of the boat, started it up and within a few hours had a full bow locker of nice mini logs so that is a start anyhow. I have also been doing a bit of touch up painting and odd jobs around the boat so she is looking good for any visitors or prospective buyers who have advised they will call to view later this month.

The weather has been wonderful really with the odd cool day and a few evenings of heavy showers and thunderstorms but in general it has been 30 degree plus days and nice nights for sleeping with only a small fan going. Harry just loves it here in Le Mas as we call it, as while there is a nicely mowed park and pond right by the boat he looks so forward to Rhonda taking him for his morning walk up to the bluff which has a big park and looks down over the canal and Garonne River. He just loves this spot and goes quite crazy tearing around watering all the trees etc. He sure has a good life I believe.

Likes and dislikes about France.

Dislike. The fact that I can’t speak French and am too lazy to get on top of the problem.

Like. The way the French will generally tolerate our efforts at using some French and if it is accompanied with a smile, they too will make an effort to speak English.

Dislike. The queues at every La Poste (Post Office) in the land. It appears as though these public service houses have no business systems at all.

Like. The very friendliness of the French people and their willingness to help out if they can.

Dislike. The huge beauracracy which surrounds every business transaction.

Like. The way in which the road systems have been changed from using traffic lights on every corner to round-abouts.

Dislike. The number of round-abouts set up even on very minor country roads.

Like. The layback manner of the general populace when attending public gatherings. No shoving, pushing or jostling for position. Patience is a virtue.

Dislike. The French love of fishing and hunting. They will hook, shoot or trap anything which is regarded as game as being sport. The largest selling French sports magazine is “The Chasse.”

Like. The way French folk greet each other with a handshake or a kiss on each cheek. This is carried out even by children.

Dislike. The way French shop keepers, staff and general business staff will almost run over you at lunchtime when they are vacating buildings and driving to homes or going to restaurants when they close down for up to 2.5 hours.
Most babies are conceived during this period it is reported.

Like. Generally, children are not permitted to run loose in restaurants or to handle food at smorgasbords etc. No yelling or screaming seems to be tolerated.

We never stop learning ….I hope.

Rhonda's Comments: The kids come down to the quai in Villeton for "fishing lessons" - just love it.

Rhonda's Comments: Watching the All Blacks win against Argentina

With the RWC being well televised we have enjoyed watching the All Blacks progress through the first rounds and in particular beating our nemesis France so now wait for the Quarter finals to see how well The AB’s can handle the pressure.

Rhonda's Comments: The owners of restaurant in Villeton - they were so friendly.

During our stay at Villeton we have met with many folk who call by for a chat or enquire about our boat or ask, about the rugby etc. Yesterday a man called by to advise that he had travelled to New Zealand as a Les Blues (French Team) player in 1987 and still had great memories of his tour where he and his team mates were treated so well apparently by the New Zealanders wherever they went. We are so proud of the general great comments most visitors to New Zealand make about the hospitality extended to them while there. Sadly we read so much about negative events which tend to sour ones feelings about the state of behaviour of some of the locals who can spoil many great memories and it is typical anywhere around the world today.

Rhonda's Comments: Gill and Allan came to visit us in Villeton to wish Ken a happy birthday - it was great to see them.

While we have been at Villeton we have continued to experience fabulous weather and while it is autumn the temps are still around the high 20s with clear blue skies and no wind other than light breezes. It is now the main harvesting time so the combine harvesters and tractors seem to be working 24/7 cutting the huge fields of corn which are as high as an elephant’s eye and other crops so a really different landscape is appearing as the height of the crops is lowered and the soil reappears. Apples and Kiwi fruit are in abundance and the grapes are now ready for picking for this vintage of fine wines.

Rhonda' Comments: What a great day, good food and great friends.

On 30th September it was my 70th birthday (I am amazed that I have got this far) so Rhonda organised for about 10 of our nearby boating mates to join us at a neat little canal side restaurant about 1 km from here (so we walked there but got a ride back!!) to celebrate the big day. It was a beautiful day having a long lunch at the Bistrot-Restaurant on the canal at St Christophe. They came from Buzet and The Lot regions so under umbrellas set at tables out on the quayside we wined and dined and enjoyed each others company. Jude, Alan, Niki, Sandra, Terry, Louise and Alex all made this day so very special. Despite being told “No gifts” they obviously thought I might need topping up, so some great bottles of local products were passed on to me. All in all it was a great day and one which I will long remember for sure.

Rhonda's Comments: Ken even had his own stripper. Louise and her sexy legs.

To all the folk who have emailed birthday wishes and to those who have mailed cards a really BIG Thank You.

Cheers
Ken, Rhonda and Harry

Locks: 597
Kms Travelled: 2825

"HOT, HOT, HOT"

2011-09-12T12:26:00.035+02:00

With the heat getting almost unbearable in our little bolt hole of Meilhan-sur-Garonne, the temps on the outside of the boat were reading 52 degrees, 45 in the wheelhouse and 38 in the main saloon and as we had almost worn out the local pool (piscine), we decided it was time to take a break and head to the west coast (Atlantic Ocean) as we had promised ourselves we would do one day.

The same day as we left by car, our new found boating buddies Heather and Geoff on “Lilly Polly” whom we had shared some lovely times with sharing a cool drink etc headed off to Le Mas D’Agenais ready for their winter over before they returned to England. Geoff kept us fully amused with his tales of managing one of the UK rugby league teams on some of its overseas travels including Australia and New Zealand a few years ago accompanied by his good wife Heather. They have travelled the world many times so are full of information and interesting tales on their adventures.

We had decided to drive direct to La Rochelle which held warm memories of an overnight visit many years ago when I was lucky enough to stay there when working with Zodiac. It is world renowned for its sea food and history and is just a delightful, if busy sea port and tourist resort based right on the coast of the Bay of Biscay which is known as the roughest stretch of water in the world fuelled by the worst that the Atlantic Ocean can throw into it but it was as calm as a millpond while we were there and the only rush was the way the tourists moved along the walkways etc. With restaurants galore and tourist trips available on buses, ferries, small boats, trains and walking trails the sights are just great to witness.

This was the last position to be freed from the German strangle hold in France at the end of WW2 and the local people suffered badly at the hands of the Nazi leaders who murdered anybody whom appeared to be a member of the local resistance movement. It was also the site where Hitler decided to have some huge U Boat pens built to protect his Atlantic marauders who sunk so much allied shipping heading to the Med or across the Atlantic. These pens have to be seen to be appreciated as the roofs were over 30 feet thick of reinforced concrete so allied bombs could not pierce them so they remain today as a leftover sight that takes the breath away. After the war it was decided not to blow them up as despite these pens being built approx 5 kms from the city, it was determined that it would require so much explosive material to collapse them that the city would be ruined as well so they still stand today and have been used to make films like Raiders of The Lost Ark inside. It is an amazing sight to see as even as the port has been commercialised for shipping etc these pens still dominate a lot of the skyline of the nearby area etc.

With restaurants announcing that they offer great sea food meals it is hard to stay away from them as they are not cheap but once seated and eating the food is delicious. The ancient three towers which guard the old port were built in 12thC and are real tourist attractions. They look over the internal part of the port which is where overseas yachts come to check in on arrival so flags of many nations can be seen.

Access to these spots and to the many small islands which are nearby can be a simple “hop on” the “Yelo” ferries which are amazing in themselves. They are electric hydraulic driven so no pollution, no noise, no wake and are designed to “catch in” to special dockside fittings to make embarking etc very quick and efficient. They seem to offer a continuous service for at least 15 hours a day so are treated like tramcars by the locals and tourists alike.

Rhonda's Comments: "Ah, that feels better." (Harry)

We visited the Maritime museum but it was quite disappointing as it consisted mainly of 3 small ships moored alongside so we changed tack and went to the Aquarium which is reported to be the largest in Europe but the queues were huge so we bypassed this and went instead to the model museum which was fascinating with it’s multiple displays of cars, buses, motorcycles, planes and trains with many of the exhibits running and amazing us as well. From there we visited a similar museum of animation where every thing from dancing clowns to a reconstructed street of Monmatre in Paris.

Rhonda's Comments: Ok, I can hear you all say "spot the dummy".

I have to say that with the weather being so nice it would be a place we could easily spend a long holiday at as a couple of days barely allowed us to scratch the surface for all the great features to see. Sadly we moved south from there to Rochefort which was a memory calling spot as the main Zodiac factory was established there for many years until technology meant a new factory was built in Toulouse. Having only seen this town as a part of a work scene and not being very impressed with it proved correct when viewing it from a tourist point of view. We spent only a few hours there before heading through towns on a huge tidal estuary established and related to where mussels and oysters are grown in their millions. The fishermen have over the centuries dug wide ditches in the sea marshes so the tide can flow in and out and they grow the young crusteacitons to harvest size and it is amazing to see the various methods and ways they get these creatures up and on to the restaurant tables of Europe. In addition to part of this near tidal coast area which is protected from waves, is used to make saltwater ponds and to allow the ponds to evaporate and dry the salt ready for grading, purifying and packing for the tables and food processing plants of Europe.

Rhonda's Comments: Oh dear, which one did I leave my towel in?

Royan which is on the seaside seems to be purely a tourist resort and for those who have visited the Gold Coast in Australia and marvelled at the number of apartments built there, for about 5 kms along this beautiful French beach front, it is solid apartment blocks only about 5 stories high however, but at the road level every spare inch seems to have been taken up with restaurants. No sign of mini markets or general stores, just restaurants. We couldn’t believe there could be so many and they all seemed to be well patronised for the lunch 2 hours and from 7.30 pm each evening. The beach is lovely, reminded us of Orewa, up on Auckland’s North Shore so vendors of shade tents, lazy chairs, beachmats, etc do very well indeed. When the sea front runs out of apartment blocks one can view some truly magnificent homes which reflect the wealth of the area in the past and present times. We enjoyed a swim in the ocean, devoid of any surf conditions however, but beautiful and refreshing for sure.

During the late evening we experienced a very large thunder storm which sent Harry into a s*** and a shiver for a few hours but thanks to Rhonda’s snoring he quietened down and we slept through until it was breakfast time. Again it is an area which well deserves the label of The Holiday Beach and we hope to be able to go back one day to spend more time there.

The final stopover for us was the great city of Bordeaux. To see this well rated city which is really an inland port situated up the mighty Garonne River and which has a huge marine history about which I couldn’t hope to cover here for you. The city was listed for many years as France’s second largest city before being overtaken by Lyon. The style, the architecture and the fact that it straddles the great river reminds one of how similar it is to Paris. With almost new mooring facilities in place which have water and electricity on site plus very good access ways to the main plaza this site right in the middle of the city which makes tying up here very pleasant I would think for any visiting yachties who make the trip up river off the Atlantic ocean or travel down the Garonne from where we left “Somewhere” and it is all free for 36 hours.

We also learned that most of the horror stories we had heard about of coming down the Garonne from the canal system and locks was well exaggerated and in fact we could easily have bought “Somewhere” down as you are directed by the marine authorities when to leave the last lock and this is as the tide is just starting to run out so an easy 4 hours ride with the river and tide takes you right into central Bordeaux. The reverse applies when you wish to return up stream to rejoin the canal system.

The shopping as one would expect in a big French city is amazing and so varied. All the name shops are well designed and display a huge range of products but the prices are as high as Paris too so in our case it was, look but don’t buy. One thing we did find was an Irish pub which was televising the All Blacks –v- Wallabies rugby test match so off we went to get a table for the midday kick off. Surrounded by Aussies and the odd Kiwi supporter we had to endure the deserved drubbing the team got but the “fish-n-chips’ were great as was the beer so life can’t be all negative. Harry enjoyed the attention but then as we were leaving my smart ass mate, Grahame Smith rang from Sydney just to rub salt into the wound about the result. Oh well maybe our day will come in the World Rugby Cup in a few weeks. Fingers and legs crossed.

A final note about Bordeaux is the wonderful people moving system they have in place ranging from silent buses and cars to almost silent trams offering great regular services throughout the city plus seemingly endless bicycle lanes giving easy access to all areas. Cyclists in Europe don’t realise I am sure as to how well provided that are for great cycle ways and walking tracks. I think at times, more money and attention is given to these pathways than is given to the roads. Perhaps this is the answer to overcrowded road systems. I know these things can only be built according to the population numbers but when they are in place they sure make a city seem so much more user friendly. Talking about friendly, we have to point out that while we acknowledge these areas we have visited this past week have all been centres of tourism we have noticed that almost every person involved in the service industry from bus drivers to shop assistants to restaurant and bar staff all speak pretty good English and what a difference it makes. I know we should speak French while in France but here it is so easy to find out where or what and people expect to speak English to you.
It would be remiss of me not to mention that the name Bordeaux is known world-wide as a huge wine making area but it is not until one drives through this territory that a very realisation becomes clear as to the hugeness of this area and productivity comes a little clearer. We thought we had seen lots of vineyards as we had travelled through France offering every type of wine from to Champagne to Moselle but all of that shrinks in comparison to what the Bordeaux territory has to offer with its millions of grape vines growing on almost every spare block of land. From Champagne copies (Cremant) to Cognac to Almanac to great whites and reds this land is surely the greatest volume producer in Europe and is a joy to visit.
Rhonda's Comments: Home Sweet Home

While we were a bit saddened to leave the west coast and head back to Meilhan-sur-Garonne, the travel only took us a couple of hours and we were soon reunited with our beautiful floating home “Somewhere” and found all to be fine so joined the other boaters for a cool beer in the sunset of yet another fabulous adventure.

Rhonda’s Comments:-
I went shopping for a birthday present to send home to New Zealand. Friday afternoon – I went up to shops at 15.00 (3.00pm) to find that the Tabac does not open until 16.00 (4.00pm) so think that’s ok I will go and do some business at the La Poste and Credit Agricole (the Bank). La Poste is open but so busy the line is out the door so decide to go over the road to the Bank to find it closed Friday afternoons. I then go back to La Poste to check whether it will be open tomorrow being Saturday and it is so busy I reconsidered and changed my idea to making my shopping trip the next morning being a Saturday.
Saturday Morning – it is 10.00 am and I went to the Tabac and bought a lovely little present to post to New Zealand. I then proceeded to the bank to withdraw some money from our Visa Account and also to bank some money into our French account. When I withdrew the money from the “hole in the wall” it only gives me €50 notes. I wanted to bank €40.00 into our French Account so went to the counter to ask for change for my €50 note to be told “No, you have to go to the Tabac”!!!! – what the heck is going on I ask? I am in a bank aren’t I, and they wouldn’t give me change? So I decided to bank the €50 note after all. I was then asked for my passport so that they could have a copy to be enclosed with the deposit (lucky enough I had this asked of me before so I had taken copies – feeling quite smug) I handed this document to him, then he asks for a “RIB” ( proof that I have a French bank account). I asked him which one, Adam’s (I don’t have one of these) – my patience has worn thin by now and he said I couldn’t bank it into my account until I have a copy of your “RIB”. I have the cheque book, all the other deposits I have made into this account so I suggested, quite nicely of course, “what do you want, my first born?” – he took the deposit at last.
I then went over to La Poste and think this is ok, for a change there were no lines waiting outside but low and behold, there is a notice on the door “Fermature Exceptionnelle – no electricity”. I’m sorry Claude you might get your Birthday Present by your next birthday if you are lucky.
There must be a moral to this story somewhere but at the moment I can’t seem to think of one.

I am glad it was Rhonda who experienced this sort of mad officialdom rather than me for a change. I have to say that this type of thing is not uncommon but it is the French way.
A few other French oddities we hope will tickle your fancy are as follows:-

Anyone thinking of retiring to the Pyrenees/Atlantique region may well think on about choosing the town of Sarpourenx where in 2008, the mayor of the village in answer to a problem being that there was no room left at the local cemetery, passed an ordinance that it would be illegal to die within the parish and threatened “severe punishment” for any offenders. The mind boggles for sure.

Despite France being much smaller than its neighbours and so many other countries, it is the world’s most popular tourist destination attracting more visitors than the USA and China. 79 million visitors in 2010 sure makes interesting numbers. Just a pity so many French businesses fail to learn how to look after the tourists and miss out on so many opportunities to make money.
Did you know it is illegal in France to name your pig, Napoleon? I can’t see any resemblance really.

The Eiffel Tower was to be built for Barcelona for the 1888 Universal Exposition in Barcelona and not for France.

The croissant is not French at all. It was originally from Austria and it was not until 1839 that an Austrian Artillery Officer bought the idea to France and the rest is history as the saying goes.

Finally, Bastille Day has nothing to do with the storming of the Bastille which is what we have all been brought up to accept as the true history. This day actually celebrates the Fete de la Federation, a feast that took place in Paris one year after the storming of the Bastille.

We never stop learning ….I hope.
Cheers
Ken, Rhonda and Harry

Kms so far: 2773
Locks so far: 587

GREAT VISITORS - WONDERFUL TIMES

2011-07-10T12:28:00.026+02:00

June 2011 Blog

Following our car visits to so many towns and villages to show our guests Daphne and Claude from New Zealand, some real French country-side, it was a nice change to get back onto the boat at Moissac to catch up with many of our ‘old’ boating pals. Some were leaving for their own cruising season so it was good to catch up with them before they left.

We shopped, of course and set off for our own cruise on 2nd June down the canal towards Bordeaux but with plans to branch away onto the Baise River and/or The Lot River depending on water conditions and levels. Due to the almost drought conditions experienced in this part of the world over the past few months there were warnings that depths were insufficient to allow passage to some areas, however, within a day or two of leaving Moissac we experienced a lot of heavy rain which raised the levels so it was all go for boaters to get to these restricted areas.

We pottered along the canal, over-nighting at Malause, Valence-d’Agen and a couple of nights at one of our favourite stop-over points of Boe (poor dock facilities but a great park for walking and for Harry) which is just on the outskirts of Agen and allows easy access by car to the city. We eventually moved on to Agen where the port is only about ½ k from the city so easy walking was the go for folk wishing to see the city lights, cathedral and churches, etc.

At this time we caught up to the new owners of “Amarok”, Charlie and Marcia who had been shadowing us along from Moissac plus we met up with Tony and Elaine off “Dreamflower” whom we had met up with in Toulouse last year so a good chat was held. Sadly time restricted us doing more but it is always good to catch up with others from the “long village”.

From Agen we moved on to Serignac-sur-Garonne where again we met up with about 6 other cruising families whom we knew or did meet there that night. Thanks to Charlie and Marcia’s organising, we all ended up on the bank pathway with the grills, hot plates and even electric fry pans making up the most magnificent evening pot luck dinner complete with dancing (well by some anyhow) and a recital from a French lady who could sing a heck of a lot better than any of us. With lots of applause from picnicking French families near by but on the other side of the canal our ladies decided to put on a show of rock ‘n roll, led particularly by Pam from “Modestine”. Her husband Brent showed suitable restraint by applauding politely from his chair so nobody lost face etc.

A great night was had by all and the odd “overhang” was reported the following morning by the honest people and just tolerated by the ones who didn’t want to admit to their overindulgence but we all felt sympathy for those affected. Yeah right.

So Claude and a couple of others suffered in silence for a few hours as we moved along the canal to Buzet where we found again that berthing was only available by being tied up to previously berthed craft such was the volume of traffic. As it is the turn off point where one has to divert to the Lot or Baise, it is a very popular stopover. As Rhonda had driven the car to there, she obtained our berth position along-side “Hilda May” which had also been in Toulouse dry dock while we were there in April. The owners were away in the UK again so with them already being tied up to a barge against the bank we were the 3rd boat out and while it was ok, it was not ideal so we only stayed 2 nights.

By the time we got “Somewhere” tied up alongside “Hilda May” Rhonda was in full voice telling us about the “INFLUX” of snakes. Fearing that there could be thousands infesting the banks etc we learned that in fact three had been seen swimming across the canal and according to Terry who knows it all, were referred to as being green grass snakes and supposedly harmless but I am not so sure. If they are grass snakes why do they swim so much…….

We also found again that the people who run the restaurant on the quay really need to go to a hospitality school to learn to smile and to make clients feel welcome and to learn how to provide a service. The food was fine but the stress of having a busy restaurant was obviously not their thing, so they should give it away and let somebody who values customers take over. This sadly was not the first time we have experienced tardy service from them as we had refused to stay there last year due to the abruptness experienced when our guests tried to book in for evening meals.

Never mind, we caught up with Terry, Sandra and Alice off “Felix” who had been exploring this end of the canals for a few weeks and were one of the boats who had experienced lack of water under their keel and had run aground a couple of times but in typical Terry and Sandra fashion they just shrugged and smiled and went on with life. We shared a few drinks up on deck with them while Terry tuned and played a bit on my guitar so shook the cobwebs off it anyhow. With the evening spent reminiscing about old pop groups, artists and in particular, guitarists a great chat and laugh was enjoyed by all.

The next day we set off with Rhonda again driving the car while Daphne and Claude acted as forward hands and we headed towards Vianne a village and mooring situation where power and water are offered free of charge on the Baise. As you come off the Canal de Garonne one needs to drop down two locks onto the Baise and make a very tight right-hand turn. We headed up stream in water very yellow/brown due to the recent rains it was almost off-putting but as there was plenty of volume and water flow it was nice boating and we arrived at Vianne about 1.30 pm to be advised by the self appointed spokesman for the port Jeff off “Matilda Blue” that we should only stay for 3 days or we could be ordered off by the local Mairie, however, we took 20 Euros up to the Mairie’s office and said we wished to stay for 5 days as it was very pleasant indeed and an ideal spot to await changeover of our guests.

The night before Daphne and Claude’s departure we had our farewell dinner up in the square at a beautiful restaurant, Les Marrioners. Food and service was as good as we have experienced anywhere in France with a wonderful variety of food to whet anybody’s appetite.

The following morning we drove Daphne and Claude to Agen for their return home to New Zealand by catching a train from Agen to Bordeaux and then flying on to London.

Next day was ”cleaning up” day and painting again of the sundeck to ensure it was well coated before we put up the sun shields etc as the temperatures are now climbing so shade is of paramount importance. In the evening we drove to Buzet to join in the “Fish ‘n Chip” Evening and Quiz Night again at the restaurant. The stress was not showing on the faces of the owners of the restaurant this time as it was not full and only one dish to prepare. We joined Alex and Louise off “Riccall” who had come in the day before and Bob and Bobbie off “La Chouette” and Terry and Sandra off “Felix”. Terry prepared the questions and guess what we came second. What a fun night.

After a couple of days break following Daphne and Claude’s departure we had Derek and Valerie also from New Zealand come to stay with us for a week so it was all go again and we really enjoyed showing them some of our wonderful way of life and country.

We had a call from Millen and Lyn who we met back in Moissac with Eric and Polly, the old owners of "Amarok". Millen and Lyn would be travelling through our area in their motorhome and so we met up with them for a wonderful couple of hours and few drinks up in the square. It was wonderful to see them again.

Rhonda's Comment: Only on board for one night and already Ken gave Derek the mop!!!!

We cruised the boat up to the old world city of Nerac through the Baise River past Lavardac and through what seemed to be ever decreasing width locks. Derek enjoyed the role of forward hand and did well mastering ropes in true nautical fashion.

The old city is so picturesque and interesting with lots of it dating back to the 13th century.
From within the city one can catch a local train touristique service to Mezin some 1.5 hours ride away. Quaint and old with some of the rolling stock originally being in service from the early 1800’s the open cab type carriages allows a view of the surrounding country and some of the old castles, maisons and chalets along the way. It was also an area where cork was originally grown and harvested for the wine industry along with maize and wheat milling as the climate is very dry with lots of the area being of a sand based soil.

The town of Mezin does not appear to offer much to see or visit so the return trip was made after a 15 minute stopover, unfortunately we were forced to listen to a very verbal Frenchman giving endless commentary on the country etc and while Rhonda and I sat clenching our teeth we were surprised how well Val and Derek seemed to be taking it until we got back to Nerac to see them pull paper napkin plugs from their ears.

Our trip back down the Baise to Vianne was without incident apart from the scraping through some of the overgrown trees etc, and the experience of fitting into the narrower than usual locks. With only approx 75mm to 100mm of clearance on each side of the craft it was a case of slow and careful.

With the departure of Val and Derek who had a great time while with us and were great company too, we drove them back to Agen railway station and then it was a case of back to the boat, and to settle down to the quiet life again until the next group of friends arrive in July.

Suddenly we got a call from Gene and Liz who own and run Te Whau Lodge on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf (a superb first class accommodation and dining lodge) telling us that they were in Nerac and would like to call by to see us which they did and we had a lovely lunch and chat throughout the afternoon before they motored off again to finish their French stay in Nerac.

With a quiet period promised it was time to do some regular maintenance like generator oil and filter changes followed by the same for the engine. As usual nothing mechanical comes easy to me, however, after sploshing diesel and oil all around my engine room the task got finished and the generator and engine started up to test. Guess what????? It all worked ok, now isn’t that a surprise.

During the week we had Alan and Gill call in to see us and deliver their "care parcel" from UK and our mail from Moissac. Terry and Sandra ("Felix") were still here in Villeton so we decided we would put a barbeque on and have one of those fantastic long lunches. This is why we are here in France - great times, great people and wonderful memories being created - just love it.

It will soon be time to move off from our favourite little port of Villeton on our way to get to the closest moorings we can before we have to give away to the power of the river and leave “Somewhere” while we drive the car to Bordeaux to explore this new territory and that is when we will issue our next blog.

Hope you enjoy this issue and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

All the very best, kindest regards
Rhonda Ken and Harry

Number of Locks in Total: 570
Kilometres travelled in Total: 2690

LAND LUBBERS

2011-06-08T12:29:00.040+02:00

Hello to all the lucky northern hemisphere readers who are enjoying this most beautiful spring weather and warm temperatures and to those from the south, well don’t complain, you did have one of the best and longest summers ever, so now you are paying the bill so to speak.

We arrived back in Moissac after out dry dock trip to Toulouse and were welcomed back like old friends from home. We had asked for a booking down on the Tarn River which entails dropping down two locks from the canal and this was granted so it was exciting to be “down on the Tarn” joining "Riccall" and "Amarok", so we readily settled into the social scene there and then caught up with “old” friends from the canal and around town and even from our sister port of Castelsarrasin so the time has just flown.

We had been advised that my motor scooter had been found by some kids but it had been unfortunately dumped in the river with lots of damage so we loaded its carcase into the boot of the old Citroen and took it to the local motor bike shop only to be told that it was "kaput" as it had apparently been running when dumped so had hydrauliced and the engine was seized etc. So much for the motor scooter but some pleasing news awaited us that another boater was interested in the Citroen as his car had given up the ghost so after explaining the problems we had had and getting another Control Technique which required us to get a few little jobs done, we struck a deal so all parties are happy.

Rhonda's Comments: Celebrations with Alex and Louise "Riccall" and Eric and Polly "Amarok" - E & P sold their boat.

We have also had news that another boater has a 50 cc motor scooter of Chinese build for sale at a fair price so we will probably settle for this when he brings it back from the UK for us to look at. It has only done 75 miles and as it can't be registered in the UK and only in France, he is anxious to quit it as he has also bought a bigger bike for his own use.

Rhonda's Comment: Gill and Alan asked us over to their house for 6's.

Rhonda's Comments: We had a magnificent day out on the Tarn with Gill, Alan, Tom and Eric. The weather couldn't have been better.

After a week back in Moissac catching up on all those little jobs, including social activities and gorging on the most beautiful cherries from this area, we drove up to Toulouse to collect Daphne and Claude from New Zealand who have visited us each year and have come again for about a month. After a couple of days of looking around the local region and letting them catch up on themselves after a 30 hour flight etc, we drove to Sarlat some 2.5 hours north of Moissac where Rhonda had negotiated the renting of a house for a week at very good rates. It was a delightful house with sleeping for 8 people and offerred every facility one can imagine including an in-ground swimming pool, bbq with lots of outdoor furniture etc just 400 meters from the town centre.

The drive down to here was very picturesque with some of the best orchards (now is cherry season) of all varieties I have ever seen. Eat your heart out Hawkes Bay. If the land wasn’t covered in fruit trees it was cropped in wheat, oats, rye and so on. Talk about the food basket of France, well here it is. After leaving the rolling country, the land steepens as one enters the escarpments at the edges of the plains to find rich forests with towns dotted along the ridges and cliffs or below on the river banks so the scenery is amazing.

This town of Sarlat is rated as the second most popular tourist spot in the whole of France and I don’t wonder why. Built originally in the 13th century it offers a mixture of old and new with all sorts of tourist attractions, restaurants, shops of all types. For those people who have visited Carcassonne and enjoyed it you will be blown away with Sarlat. It is head and shoulders above Carcassonne as a tourist spot for sure with so many great attractions within a 20 km drive from here.

Rhonda's Comment: Note the price of the truffles - 250E per kg and this was the cheap lot!!

The first day we travelled to Domme which is a town built on top of a mount which gave natural protection from the marauding hordes who swept through this part of the country in the name of religion over the centuries and is still maintained in a lot of its original state affording a magnificent vista over the plains below. Goodness knows how attacking troops could ever climb the mount let alone launch any sort of attack. In the town one can ride a tractor train around the ramparts and view the scenery in comfort and marvel at the construction including the slits in the stonework which are only big enough for archers to fire their arrows at any approaching soldiers etc. From such holdings boiling fat or tallow could be poured on those poor devils below. From there we drove down to the river of La Dordogne which flows through the town of La Roque Gageac which is built on and into the cliffs. It is amazing to see homes and businesses tucked onto the sides of the cliffs with many old structures actually being cut into the rock for protection from weather and attack. On the river 4 ancient galleon style scows offer trips up and down the La Dordogne but as we were travelling by car we gave this a miss but did see some wonderful sights along the way.

As we drove on Beynac which offered little in comparison from what we had seen we turned around and came back to Sarlat for a swim in the beautiful pool which is a part of the property we have rented as a base and then Rhonda and I did a BBQ which turned out well so fully fed we then were able to watch the video Valkyrie about the attempt to assassinate Hitler. Unfortunately Tom Cruise wasn’t up to his usual standard of just eliminating all enemies before him and paid for his treason with his life. Well so the story goes anyhow.

As the next day was forecast as being a little cooler we set off to the world famous gardens of Manoir d'Eyrignac. This garden is set in many acres of rolling farm country and has been developed by the same family for many years and offers amazing sights of Topiary. With 150,000 box trees having been shaped over the years, the views of the various gardens and lawns are truly breathtaking and we hope that the photos contained herein give some idea of the magnificence of this property. With 800,000 visitors each year one gets some idea of how popular it is despite it being 20 odd kilometres away from Sarlat and is out in the true country with only B class roads to take one there. Dogs are allowed to wander through as long as they are on a leash so Harry gave of his best to assist in dampening down the very dry conditions that are playing havoc in this part of France at present. Again as the heat of the day took over we were glad to get back to our rental house for a swim and a nap and to talk about the most amazing gardens we had ever seen.

Rhonda's Comment: At afternoon tea time, the choice was amazing but I think we covered it all in the "taste test".

With Wednesday on us it was decided that before the heat got too much we would wander down into the old centre of Sarlat to witness close up the old architecture and shops and tourist spots.
The one which stands out above all others in my mind is the Manoir De Gisson which is privately owned and operated right in the centre of the town and has, and is continuingly being lovingly restored as a museum with a difference. Not only can you get close and personal with the exhibits you can handle them and sit in chairs and lounges which are hundreds of years old. Even old books and diaries are ready for close inspection and can be handled but the rooms housing the instruments of torture have to be seen to begin to imagine how cruel man can be to his fellow beings. I thought I had seen the worst of this sort of thing in the Tower of London but they were beginners compared to some of this stuff. They called it justice but who dealt it out must have been heartless in every sense of the word. Once outside one takes a big breath and says thanks that we are no longer faced with such barbarity or are we? The temperatures are climbing into the 30's now so walking is one thing which one wishes to avoid past noon so the pool has been a welcome refuge from this summer weather.

With so much to see in this area, Rhonda has had to plan each days outings to hopefully take in the best sights and attractions so the next day we set off early in the day to travel to Gouffre De Padirac where underground is the BIG word for this area. A fissure or crack in the earths crust running for 19 kms allows access to parts of it by descending on 3 lifts some 103 meters below the surface. Down at the bottom one is loaded into tin punts holding 15 persons each and floated along through these enormous grottos into groves as high as 90 meters which have to be seen to be appreciated. As it dates back to prehistoric times one can look at remains of mankind and animals plus all their fighting, cooking and survival tools. Thank goodness we did this at this time of the year as we counted around 30 of these punts ready for the madding hordes which will come pouring through in July and August. Truly a must see attraction in every respect. We left feeling fully thankful for the opportunity. A quiet drive via which also appealed as a great sight to see and to visit got us home in time for a nap and then a quiet evening meal in the centre of this beautiful old city.
As Thursday dawned a little sulky looking we decided to drive to Les Jardins Suspendus de Marqueyssac. This is also a family garden commenced in 1989 turning the chateau which as usual is mounted on top of a small mountain peak overlooking the valley and river and turning the grounds into a world class topiary garden. Photos are included in our blog. Splendid and breathtaking are some of the adjectives one could use to describe these grounds. Peacocks strut about freely giving off their call for all to hear and for the aged and infirm a small bus like a large golf cart travels along a central path of approx 1800 meters while walkways are found along each side hidden within the gardens. Offering great views over the landscape below many hours could be spent in this garden alone.

Rhonda's Comment: Daphne and Claude prepare another afternoon tea stop.

The easy drive back to base also allowed us to marvel at the great countryside, farming and cropping areas which are so prevalent. With orchards of hundreds of walnut trees in addition to grapes, cherries, and apricots etc, the crops of maize and corn are everywhere and in between any fallow paddocks are growing hay for cutting and bailing for winter stock feed.

Friday was set down for a visit to Europe’s biggest fresh water aquarium which while only being relatively new is certainly so well set up. With over 30 pools containing 3.000.000.000 litres of water and 6,000 fish all set in realistic copies of their natural environment, viewing is easy and informative. From carp to catfish to sturgeons to trout to terrapins and turtles plus many other types the display tanks and rooms seem to go on forever then when you think you have seen it all you can enter the Iguana park where the largest array of Iguanas and lizards I have ever seen are available to view in their glass display cabinets followed by several settings of reptiles such as snakes from around the world including two huge Anacondas which made my blood run cold. A wonderful day out for any family and with beautiful river bank settings nearby for picnics or "pique niques" as the French write it, life seems to be pretty idyllic really.

Sadly this was our last day in Sarlat so we then set off and travelled towards a place which had long been in my "must see" categories and that is the Millau Viaduc which is the highest bridge in the world with its highest pylon reaching 343 meters above the valley. Even its length of 2640 meters is remarkable and it is only when one watches the on-site videos of the construction can one fully appreciate what a wonderful structure this is. When you consider that its complete construction over this huge valley took only 3 years to the day and offers to the French motorist the most cost effective way to drive from the Mediterranean to Paris, it is truly a magnificent feat. We can only hope that the photos we took give you a sense of the enormity, beauty and effectiveness of this amazing structure and we can assure you that a trip to see it first hand will invoke the gasps we gave on seeing it . We even went back in the evening and again the following morning when we crossed over it so as to take in as much of the views as possible.

It was a drive of some 4 hours back to Moissac which we completed with a couple of stop overs, one being at Roquefort where the world famous sheep’s milk cheese is produced. We took in the guided tour but sadly as it was only given in French we took early leave and our cheese and travelled back "home" arriving in time to unpack, relax and to relish all the wonderful places we had visited. Truly a most amazing adventure and one which we will surely remember for many years to come.

HOORAY, THE NEW SEASON STARTS

2011-05-04T15:05:00.040+02:00

As the season turned from the odd winter chill towards spring and all the fruit trees came into blossom along with the daffodils, crocuses and early wisterias, more folk seemed to be out and about smiling as the sun warmed the bodies so we made plans to head off from Moissac. After finishing staining the wheelhouse and cleaning up as spring demands, we were set to go but as you know the best made plans of mice and men can easily get waylaid which is what happens.

The saga re motor vehicles continued with the fellow who had paid 50% deposit of the purchase price for the car turned up on settlement day asking for his deposit back stating that a mate of his had offered him a vehicle free of charge. This of course mean't that we had to re-advertise the car as soon as the paper would accept the advert for reissue but valuable time was lost.

We then had three separate groups of locals who appeared to be of North African descent all who tried to bargain down the price and eventually a deal was agreed with the terms stated by the agreed purchaser “I will go and get the money and be back straight away”. Well, we are still waiting and similar events have happened twice more. Why people have to tell lies I don’t know but that is the way it has gone so we are still the owners of two cars.

Rhonda's Comment: "Oh Dad, I have my bag ready and no motor scooter."

I can’t say plus a motor scooter as the last night in Moissac a group of 4 lads walking past the boat at 3.40 am just picked the bike up and walked off with it and despite the CTV capturing the images, the lack of clarity prevented the police from identifying them. The fact that we had a security combo lock cable through the back wheel and the steering lock activated and it was covered and strapped down they knew how to affect a clean getaway. Oh well we better tell the insurance company which was in Cambrai where we bought the scooter two years ago. At the time we could not find anyone who spoke English and it was so difficult finding any company who would even consider giving us insurance due to the fact we were “newbies” but eventually thought between us we had it all worked out. When we tried to claim they advised that we had struck off the theft cover and only had third party cover…Bugger.
Rhonda's Comment: This is the spot where the motor scooter should have been!!!!

Never mind the weather continued to improve and we had to get to Toulouse for our booked appointment with the dry dock so we set off feeling a bit sad after spending 6 months at Moissac and leaving new and old friends and acquaintances behind.

With much waving and kisses being thrown, away we went up hill as they say when you are going into locks which are empty due to the flow and riding up on the fill until you can drive out at the top. This means, as no eclusiers are available to take a rope for you, Rhonda had to be dropped off somewhere prior to the facing lock and walk onto the lock to press the "ok" button up on the side then as I drove “Somewhere” in, I would throw her a bow rope which was generally a couple of meters or so above the boat and which she would fasten over the bollard. This would secure us until the lock was filled and we could drive out. With the distances between locks the first being as little as 500 metres apart she decided to walk from lock to lock which was great for me but she sure slept well that night. I have to say that Harry is of no use whatsoever and just accepts all that is going on.

We stayed in Castelsarrasin for two nights enjoying the renowned Thursday street market and a quiet spell. With the need to push on we cruised for about 3 hours and then stayed overnight at a very pretty mooring at St-Porquier. The next day we headed on up the canal and as we entered into the port of Montech which was looking full, we were fortunate enough to be waved into a berthing position by Clive and Diane "Havink" whom we had met some weeks earlier at a function at Moissac and he directed us to berth alongside another barge whose owners were living back in London so we were able to access water and power and as the weather was exceptional we stayed for 5 nights.

Rhonda's Comment: Clive and Di have their boat for sale - a lovely Dutch Steel Cruiser.

This town is a very nice place with local shops and bars and we enjoyed spending time with Clive and Di and on our 3rd day there Clive came along with another old mate of ours from S.J.L. Terry and wife Sandra off "Felix" who had just come into port as they were heading to the south west area for the season and had fitted into a small finger berth alongside Clive. We enjoyed an evening up on our sundeck having a few cool drinks and telling each other stories, some true, some not so true depending on the time of the evening, but it was a really nice get together.

Rhonda's Comment: First Drinks on Board for the Season.

Sadly during our stay we had a call from my niece Kaye in New Zealand advising that my beloved sister Thelma’s health has almost completely failed and she was not expected to be with us for many more days. I am so glad that we took time before leaving New Zealand at the start of our adventure to travel to visit her and her husband Mel to celebrate the many great times we had enjoyed so much and to say “good bye” and repeated this with my brother Russ and his wife Margaret. Since leaving New Zealand we have lost my brother-in-law, Mel and my sister-in-law has developed severe dementia and is confined to a rest home. I only mention these somewhat morbid facts to again highlight the need to say, fill your lives with whatever you have dreamed of doing as time is not forever and we can be so quickly robbed of such dreams and opportunities.

After another day we headed off to catch up on some of the lost time so we pushed on from Montech and managed a 7 hour day which is most unusual for us but mooring spots are infrequent on this leg of the journey. At one point when we thought we would just pull into the bank and tie up for the rest of the day, we found that the depth was insufficient and in fact we sucked up a heap of mud causing lack of water flow. The engine heat alarms went off so it was a very slow hour or so until I was able to flush enough mud from the system and to allow us to move on to a suitable tie up point which on this occasion we chose to tie to one of the landing platforms below a lock. As it was late on a Saturday afternoon we were sure that canal traffic had finished for the day which was true so a quiet night was spent. These landing platforms are built alongside the canals as points where one can get off to walk up to the lock to operate the system and this is what Rhonda would do, however, they aren’t always available so in such circumstances it means that I have to slide the boat alongside the bank to let her off and as Rhonda’s athletic prowess is somewhat limited we need to be almost stopped and as close as possible to allow her to allow her to get off, hence the grounding and gut full of mud. Why there aren’t platforms at every lock I do not understand.

Harry enjoyed his new surroundings and walks along the canal path after being stuck on the boat for so long and as Sunday dawned and all was quiet we decided to stay here for the day and to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix which is a new love of Rhonda’s.

A new day dawned and with only 15kms showing on the canal chart we decided we would go right through to Toulouse which turned out to be easier said than done due to two locks giving problems and delaying us plus again getting overheating problems. Some of the locks leading into the city of Toulouse are quite difficult in that they are very tight as they are built on severe turns and can also be very slow fillers so a complete cycle of one lock can take almost 30 minutes. We slid into the port of Toulouse to find it fully occupied so took the chance and tied up to the wall opposite which is alongside a busy road.

Thank goodness for double glazing as it sure minimised the feared noise level and after a short rest spell we wandered over to the nearby Irish Pub where they offer good old styled English food and have a huge array of rugby jerseys and country flags adorning the walls including Jona Lomus 1995 World Rugby Cup famous Guernsey. With the staff all speaking English and the menu printed in both French and English we were able to pick a delicious meal which was not too expensive and was such a change from the usual French formulae fare. We noticed that they offered an All Day Full English Breakfast menu for the weekends which may be of appeal at some time but typically French, when we asked what time they opened for breakfast, we were told 12.noon to 3.00pm. One has to smile for sure.

Rhonda's Comment: The water goes down.

Had a great nights sleep and up in time to get the boat to the gates and bridge leading in off the canal to the VNF yard by 8.30am. We were there on time but the VNF were late so we had to drift about until they duly arrived to shift the bridge etc which cuts right through the tow/ cycle and walk path so people going to work were delayed while we slid through the very narrow entrance. Once inside we were directed to tie up to the quay only to be told once we had done this to untie and to make the right hand turn into the flooded dry dock pen. This managed, we were tied into position and the pump out took place. It took an hour to drain the water and it was fascinating to see the bottom of “Somewhere” for the first time.

Rhonda's Comment: The wretched green plastic bag.

Despite the green slime and fresh water mussels which had grown on the hull we were surprised how well the state and general condition was. The contractor said that due to the lack of any damage and such little wear that the anodes would not even have to be replaced so this speaks well of the Victron Isolating System preventing the uptake of wild electrolysis etc. Then I noticed a woven belt rope wound very tightly around the prop shaft and even worse found a small but almost perfectly fitting plastic bag jammed into the fresh water intake reducing the potential volume by at least 3/4 so this may well have been the reason why our water temp has been rising particularly when mud was added to the equation. Fingers crossed. The contractor started to water blast the hull almost immediately and worked diligently through to 4.30 pm so we then sat on the rest rails drying in the sun. Sadly when I looked into the bow thruster I noticed it had only two blades so guess this is a job for experts over the next few days.

Sadly at around 2.00pm, the news arrived that my sister in New Zealand had passed away and while we are really saddened by the news as reported earlier, it was not unexpected and can only add that at last she is now at peace. Her children and grandchildren can now grieve and support each other as only a death seems to bring us to do.

Day two and the work progressed quickly as the hull had dried quickly in the nice spring sun so sanding of the odd area where we had scraped heavily was carried out and so began the under sealing ready for the blacking to be sprayed on. Two coats later "Somewhere" looked great so we decided to have the green panels re-done as they had got a few scrapes over the years so this area was sanded, primed, masked up and the green paint was sprayed on and she sure looks like new again. Serge, the contractor is a great tradesman who deserves all the great references we had received about him prior to getting the work done. He is a master at his trade and sure knows the marine industry so well.

As Saturday was a day to get off the boat, Rhonda and I and Harry travelled into the city centre by bus to see the sights so to speak. As I have reported in the past when we stayed here in the port, the city is known for its pink colour due to the bricks which are used so much in its general construction. Sunday was time to get the boat cleaned up ready for the dry dock to be filled with water, however, as we still awaited the arrival of the bow thruster propeller replacement propeller so fingers crossed it will be here Monday. Monday arrived and of course no propeller had arrived but as it was “on the VNF schedule,” we had to go out of the dry dock but could rest up in the pond area just outside of the doors. This despite no-one was coming in and the big barge sharing the drydock with us was having extra steel plates welded to her hull so they had to stop work, clear out all their tools and equipment so the water could be let in to let us out and they had to wait while it was drained again. Half a day lost, all for nothing but it was “on the schedule.” Crazy to say the least.

We sat outside in the pond awaiting the arrival of the bow thruster prop. Fortunately I was able to use the time to start repainting the wooden sun deck so after sanding, priming and undercoating we started this awful job but it should look great when finished. Rhonda spent her time doing a full spring clean inside which was much needed due in part to the amounts of dust which plagued the area. On Tuesday and with no sign of the bow thruster propeller Serge rang Vetus in Holland only to be told that the money transfer he had made to them in full payment including "Rush Courier" had not cleared the bank so the prop would not be sent until that had happened. Amazing as I could have paid for it on my credit card as no transfer bank transactions seem to be activated in real time like we are used to in New Zealand so it is a case of sit and wait.

Later in the day we received a call from Kaz and Iain at Moissac to say a young fellow had turned up there with my motor scooter but sadly it had been damaged quite badly and had been thrown into the river so who knows what the real damage is or whether it can be repaired. They had stripped off the front cowl to hot wire it and removed the rear mudguard which carried the number plate and tail lights etc but they had not noticed the little “I love New Zealand” sticker I had put under the seat so it was easy to get confirmed identification. Apparently the Gendarmes called down to the marina to view it and now want to interview me when I return. Goodness only knows why. They sure couldn’t find it themselves. Oh well another adventure awaits our return to Moissac next week all being well.

We were to have friends from New Zealand arrive to spend some time with us on the boat but Jenny phoned today to say they were stuck in Switzerland as no rail seats are available until after Easter weekend so they won’t now get here until Tuesday at least. This might be a blessing as I will push on with the painting and we will effect the cleaning which is so necessary after a term in dry dock with all the grinding, welding and spraying going on every day. While the weather has been fine, each day of late has been quite windy so this has held the temperatures down and it has been strong enough to stir up dust from this unsealed work area so everything is coated inside and out.

Well the exit day arrived at last and with Serge fitting the new bow thruster propeller and all seeming to be fine including getting the Sum Log working for the first time ever as our mate Alex off “Riccall” had crawled under the boat while it was in dry dock and found that the little impeller had never been able to turn so with deft hands, he trimmed some of the plastic so it can freely turn so we were delighted to see it keeping a reading of our speed. He is a clever little fellow is that Alex. At 3.00pm as per the VNF schedule we were allowed out of the pound onto the main canal so pottered off through Toulouse which was in a quiet mood after unexpectantly being well beaten in the semi final of the Heineken Cup, Europe Rugby championship by Leinster so they now have to sit by and watch the finals from the stand or on TV.

With Jenny and her cousin Des still floundering about the south of France trying to catch us up we headed to Grisolles a small town right on the rail and said we would meet them there around 1.00pm and this was confirmed by them on text. We stood on the platform and watched several trains rip by then one stopped but no sign of our guests so after an exchange of texts we learned that they had got on a non-stop train from Toulouse to Agen, missing Grisolles and going on even past Moissac so Rhonda, Harry and I retired in amazement to the local truck lunch stop and had a wonderful meal of Canard with salad and Frites of course plus a carafe of Rose to wash it down. Well if you are a duck meal lover you could not have got a better meal as it was delightful and the steaks of duck were cooked to perfection. With full bellies we waddled back to “Somewhere” for an afternoons rest which was great and to await the planned re arrival time of 8.40 pm for our guests after they had returned to Toulouse and restarted their journey on a train which did stop at Grisolles. What a laugh to say the least.

Rhonda's Comments: Jenny. All smiles - what should have been a 30min trip turned out to be a 6 hour trip!!!!

Now I do have to tell you that Rhonda was awake at 6.00am to watch "The Royal Wedding" can you believe that (for those who know Rhonda, they would not be at all surprised by that and in fact would have expected that she would have waited up all night for it to come on). I must admit even I enjoyed it. From Grisolles we headed to Montech only to be flagged down by Alex and Louise off “Riccall” who had cycled down from about 4 kms up the Canal Montauban. As they insisted on us having a drink to say ‘Hello’ to Jenny and Des and to toast the newly married royal couple, it was around 7.00pm before we said good night to them as they cycled with a slight wobble off into the evening sunset and we set off to the closest restaurant as Des and Jenny said they would shout us a meal. Boy what a feed we had and they had Canard for the first time with Rhonda and I had the best steak I have had in France. What a great respite I have to say so a real fun evening was had.

As we had been told by Alex and Louise what a great trip it was up to Montauban with only 9 locks to face we travelled this new to us canal and arrived at the end of the canal to find them setting up for a day of athletic prowess with multi sports etc all about to happen the next day. With Des and Jenny needing to get a train booking to Nice they walked to the station, getting lost again, while Rhonda and I gave the boat a clean. We sat up on the sundeck upon their return enjoying the views and a quiet drink or two as the vans and tents for the BIG athletics day were set up right beside our boat.

Rhonda's Comment: Passing "Riccall" - Louise, Ken loves those legs.

Unfortunately our guests had scheduled to leave us at 8.30 am the following morning so off they went and Rhonda and I spent the day watching all the activities of the locals. Like the sound volume from the PA system which steadily got turned up in volume to where it was a blur in the end, however, it was all over including the Line Dancing displays by 3.00pm so we couldn’t complain really.

Rhonda's Comments: Just loved the french line dancers, dancing to "Country Road" by John Denver. I was the only one who knew the words!!!

Today we set off amid rumours of a VNF strike to get back to Montech but found no such problems so are almost back to old home territory again and have asked if we can go out onto the River Tarn to stay in Moissac when we get back. With a planned overnight stop in Castelsarrasin flagged as we had made such good times we headed to Moissac a day earlier than planned. As we wanted to go down onto the river off the canal we had to book the lock changes with the VNF so 2.30 pm was set down for us.

It was like arriving back home and we were delighted to get through the locks and out onto the river only to find our old mates Alex and Louise with Riccall already ensconced there so gave us a hand to tie up and get secure so this really is the close of another adventure for this blog so will close off for now while and await the arrival of Daphne and Claude from Waiheke Island in Auckland so some fun times ahead are assured.

As we will have completed 3 years living on “Somewhere”, come October, exploring this great country and seeing so many wonderful sights, after much agonising I have decided to put the boat on the market for sale so we will see what the advert brings.

Meanwhile we wish you all the very best wherever you are.

Kindest regards
Ken, Rhonda and Harry

SPRING HAS SPRUNG 2011

2011-03-19T17:16:00.022+01:00

“Oh what a wonderful world” goes the ever popular song and I am sure it is so true but with the events of the past few weeks, sometimes one has some questions of what on earth is going on.
With winter slowly pulling back its cruel tentacles from the northern hemisphere at last, mother nature has still given us some lessons as though to say she is still fully in charge which has manifested itself by the terrible carnage caused by the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan overnight and the shocking earthquake and loss of life in our beloved city of Christchurch plus the battles of the people going on in Libya and other north African countries. Our news sure does not present very pleasant viewing so thank goodness we are living in a quiet and relaxed corner of the earth, at least so far, here in Moissac, south west France.

While we have had to endure the winter weather as expected. It has been so mild compared to the rest of France, Northern Europe and the UK so we are very grateful indeed. With only a couple of snowy storms to bother us we have enjoyed almost windless conditions with nice sunny days and only in the past few weeks have we had to put up with some days of overcast and rainy conditions. Not bad for this time of the year and to off set this the trees have begun to show green tips and blossoms are decking the fruit trees in pink and white which is a magic transitional time.

Rhonda's Comment: The strawberrys are in flower and the lettuce is nearly ready to pick.

With the arrival of a new grandson, Rhys Adam ("Sumo" my nickname for him) born 11 lbs to Michelle and Tom and son Hayden in Auckland on Australian Day (26th January), Rhonda made the epic journey back to New Zealand to spend time with them and friends which was great for her to be able to catch up with so many family and good friends. She was rewarded with a showering of affection from Hayden who she hadn’t seen for 2 years when she made a similar trip back to see them.

The hot weather there wasn’t the best for her but as she was invited to stay with Jock and Julie for a few days during her visit, she was able to make great use of the beautiful swimming pool they have. The kindness of people was amazing as Dave and Lois loaned her their car so she was able to get to see other folks as well as visit Michelle, Tom, Hayden and Rhys every day so a big thanks goes to those folk plus to our oldest friends Daphne and Claude who made her feel so welcome out at their home on the magic island of Waiheke which is a must for any visitors to Auckland to travel out on the ferry to see.

Rhonda's Comment: The cruise ships lined up in Auckland.

Rhonda's Comment: Evening drinks on Daphne and Claude's balcony.

As it is such a haul and due to the need to stopover in Dubai on her way home Father Christmas shouted her a 2 day stopover package there to take in the sights and marvels of this almost space age city. She thoroughly enjoyed it so much she has almost convinced me that we should go there some day for a holiday but we will see.

Rhonda's Comment: The iconic sights of Dubai - that's not me on the camel either!!!

While she was away Harry and I batched onboard and did well really with looking after ourselves along with enjoying some wonderful meals and company being invited to other folks boats during the three week break. People in the “Long Village” as we call the cruising community ensure that lame ducks like me seem to get well looked after so to all those who kindly fed and watered me, I say a big, Thank You.

Slowly as spring progresses a number of boat owners are returning from their winter nests such as homes in the UK or wherever with lots of stories of how they got through the coldest winter in history so we are so glad we weren’t there, but it is nice to catch up with them anyhow.
The odd boat has already cast off for an early start to the cruising season with the canals opening in early March once the maintenance schedule had been completed by the marine authorities V.N.F. Prior to this the canals were all but drained in many areas so work could be effected on lock gates (Ecluses) so it was fascinating to see how little water was left to allow the passage of fish plus to give us a proper view of how shallow the canals can be even when filled with water.

If you have two meters in depth you are sure lucky so one now understands why yachters who traverse from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean using the canal system rather than going out via Gibraltar and then facing the notorious Bay of Biscay conditions, stick to the middle of the canals much to others annoyance but they can’t always get off the middle without running aground. Often we used to see yachts with a sign attached to the bowsprit saying 1.8 or so on which was their way of telling you that they needed at least this much water to be able to transverse the area and sometimes they would pull up and ask if they could tie up alongside us as they couldn’t get berthed against the bank due to the need for a decent depth of water.

Rhonda's Comment: Don't leave us Iain and Kaz. As they are the Captainerie's they better come back!

We have driven to Toulouse a couple of times to visit the V.N.F. dry-dock where we have booked “Somewhere” into to have her bottom pressure washed, renew the anodes if necessary and then have the hull blackened which will be interesting for sure. We met the contractor who does the work and sure seems to know what to do so that is a comfort. We have never seen what she is like below the water line so fingers crossed we haven’t damaged her when we have run aground which has happened a couple of times. The attached photos give an idea of what this is like and as we can stay aboard while she is in there for 10 days approx we will be able to look more closely at this large city and hopefully be able to do the tour of the Airbus factory which is on the outskirts of the city.

Rhonda's Comment: This is where we will be on 12th April.

During fine winter weather I have been able to carry out minor repairs and to touch up the paintwork and will do some more while in dry-dock hopefully so “Somewhere” is all ‘flashed up’ for the arrival of our cruising visitors for this season. It is our intention to cruise this bottom end and to explore some less known areas and will take time off the boat to say travel by road to Bordeaux on the west coast and visit some other towns and cities on the Atlantic sea board.

Rhonda's Comment: This is in the grounds of the Abbey here in Moissac.

We are looking forward to having some Auckland folks onboard with us this year, Jenny and her cousin will join us in Toulouse for a few days which will set the cruising season off to a fine start. This will be followed by our old mates Daphne and Claude who have visited us each summer since we started cruising and will be with us for a couple of weeks. Also from Auckland will be Valerie and Derek so the wineries and food outlets better stand by at least.

Well as you can gauge from the lack of exciting news in this blog, the past few months have been very easy so we wait to see what the new cruising season brings. With Spring springing, waters flowing again and engines turning over ready to be set to work I will close for now wishing you all the very best and will report as soon as we have news of another step along in our great adventure.

A NEW YEAR BEGINS ON THE CANALS

2011-01-30T15:24:00.031+01:00

Christmas to 30 January 2011

Following a relaxed but really enjoyable Christmas Day which consisted of the usual cooked breakfast and exchange of gifts, we had agreed with two other couples to share Christmas Dinner duties so Celia and George from “Snow Goose” prepared an entrée of prawns and lots of nibbles and Rosy and David off “Suki” cooked a magic main course of chapon (large fowl) with all the vegetable trimmings while Rhonda and I did the desserts of mince tarts, chocolate log ice cream etc plus Celia added her special plum pudding which was entering its first birthday from storage. Everything was really delicious. This was followed by a range of delightful cheeses etc. What a great meal and as usual I have to admit we probably all ate far too much but it was so enjoyable and one we shall remember for a long time. So much better than going off to a restaurant which was what we had originally planned to do.

After a good sleep like over stuffed hibernating bears we walked with Harry along the canal to try to push back the effects of that great meal.

Well as they say, “time waits for no man” and how true this is and also how time slips by faster and faster every year so the New Years Eve get together at the port of Moissac was a focal point for about 12 couples who are staying at the marina as winter over residents and who gathered on Tom’s hotel barge “Easyvie” to celebrate this event. It was a beaut night of celebrating, eating and of course drinking plus we were entertained by folk singing along led in the main by George off “Snow Goose” and his dulcet tones were a leader for all particularly when singing My Way.

Rhonda's Comments: We had two guests of honour at the New Year's Eve Party - William and Kelly (should be Kate, I reckon).

At the magic time of midnight we were led into the Auld Lang Syne by a Scotty foursome who sounded out loud and clear so a really nice night was had by all. Most of us managed to stay erect which was an achievement on its own considering the amount of liquid refreshments consumed on this special evening. With the New Year celebrations now behind us we can look forward to the rest of this winter followed by a whole new cruising season.

Since the start of the year we have enjoyed most unseasonable weather by all accounts. No wind, little rain and only a slight snow drop on one day which was gone by early afternoon. It has been cold at times for sure but we have also enjoyed temperatures as high as 18 and lows to 5 below at night but nothing like what they have had in the north of France and of course Europe and the UK. I guess we can still get a change but we will take this milder weather any time that Mother Nature wishes to give it to us.

As we haven’t moved “Somewhere” since berthing up here in October, life has been at a much slower pace and in some ways we have been similar to the bears and have enjoyed a lot of hibernating or similar. Odd jobs get done but due to the outside cold, painting is really out of the question but I have drained the residue in the bilges using a borrowed Wet Vac which was just great, varnished a panel in the hall, valeted the engine room, cleaned and polished whatever needed doing and to be honest very little else.

We were forced into buying another car as the Citroen finally gave signs that it could self destruct at any time through all its electrical faults and transmission leaks so after getting a quote for €1300.00 to repair the main fault, we felt we should move on to another unit but wouldn’t you know it, we bought a Renault privately and it too has problems which are being attended to as I write this. Talk about being a dummy when it comes to buying second hand cars is concerned, I have to take the prize I guess but I am very angry that people are so ready to rip others off but as they say “let the buyer beware” so hope I have learned a lesson for all time now. God help the next seller that tries to sell me something as I am sure whatever it is will get the most thorough grilling and going over before I hand over any cash.

Well the car has been returned and seems to be just fine so fingers and legs crossed for the future. Since getting it back we have done some visits to other towns in the region and still rate this area as our favourite as it is so pretty and interesting with great farmlands and forests and wineries and orchards all on clean rolling country and plains.

Some photos of the areas visited are included in this blog which only just give the reader an idea of what is on offer. Even though it is the heart of winter it is still lovely. No wonder that so many English folk move to this region to retire and none I have spoken to have any regrets at all.

We have always wondered about the huge amounts of orchards which are now espaliered for mechanical picking but are also covered with white netting which we are told protects the fruit from bird strike and hail storms. There are thousands of hectares grown under cover like this. So similar to the way grape vines are being protected back in New Zealand but we sure aren’t used to it being strung out over the trees which are growing up to 5 meters so as you will see by the photos just how much of a structure is needed to support the trees and to carry the mesh. I would think you would need a big bank balance to be able to afford such protection but perhaps the French government is still dishing out subsidies like confetti.

During the cruising season we met a lovely couple, Pat and Malcolm Hipple who live in the outskirts of Moissac so we agreed to meet up when we were next in port. After them visiting us onboard in October they kindly asked us to visit them at their home. This we did and found that they had built themselves a beautiful home with delightful gardens up on the hills behind Moissac. Both of them are accomplished artists and they proudly hang some of their works. Pat uses paints and Malcolm with pencils and ink. The photo above is one of Pat's works and due to her ability she has been commissioned on serveral occasions to paint people's pets and animals. Malcolm's pen and ink works are of the highest quality and would grace any lounge wall. We live in envy of people with skills like they have.

As we were to celebrate our wedding anniversary last week, Rhonda had heard of a well rated restaurant some 30mins drive out of Moissac, so as it was a gorgeous day we set off for another cross country drive and eventually found this restaurant called Aubergue de Bardigues. It was the only commercial operation in this tiny country village and when we arrived it was empty and in fact looked deserted so fearing the worst we gingerly entered only to be really welcomed by the proprietor and his wife and chef and as they had seen us walking about outside with Harry, insisted we should bring him in too.

The restaurant was modern and tastefully decorated and as soon as we sat at our allocated table, water was brought for Harry and we were talked through the menu in very good English by the wife. We had a delightful meal with great service and no, we weren’t the only ones there as by the time we had our entrees, the restaurant had filled with folk from all over. It seated around 100 people so just as well we did book. Rhonda and I kept wondering that if a restaurant like this stuck so far out in the “wop wops” as we say in New Zealand and was so well patronised, why can’t so many others follow suit rather than sit with empty tables every day.

January has been a great month weather related and apart from a couple of rain showers, the sun has kept shining, the wind has been only a light breeze and the temps have varied from 3 below in the early morning to 20 degrees one day. This did not stop a skin of ice creeping along from the closed lock gates however, so with the lower water levels the canal took on a whole new look. This ice only lasted for a few days before melting away and everything returned to normal, however, we are advised that the full water flow will not restart until the 3rd March so just as well we are in this “pound” and port until then.

Also last week we were visited by a company with their state of the art rubbish removal boat so as there isn’t a lot to gain attention at this time of the year this event became a real attraction for the locals and the “boaties”. The rig was craned into the canal and with due attention from the local officials and mayor etc, it proceeded to sweep the canal with its special net showing how easy floating rubbish could be cleared which would be great but at a cost of €50,000.00 per craft I can’t see too many local councils or VNF’s buying one.

There are parts of the canal which have been closed off so the VNF marine authorities can do maintenance work on the banks etc leaving just a small creek in the centre to keep the fish alive and to stop the water becoming stagnant etc.

Rhonda's Comment: Hello there, Kaz, Ziggy, Irene and Iain. Out for an early morning walk down by the Tarn River.

We drove to Toulouse last week (3 days by boat and 1 hour by car) to where we will get the boat into a dry dock so that we can inspect the bottom and have her water blasted and re-blackened and anodes replaced if need be, so that will be an exciting start to our cruising season in April but as usual here in France, while we spoke to the VNF office and asked for a firm booking date, the contractor who carries out the blacking and so on has failed to give us a confirmed date despite promises to do so. With 2 follow up phone calls from us seeking that news, it is like the old army saying “Hurry up and wait” so that is what we will just have to do.

OK, there are some tiny signs of spring coming so we wait expectantly for the first bud burst but it cannot be too far away. In the meantime we say farewell for now wishing you all, kind regards and great boating for those lucky enough to be out on the great waterways of this country and we look forward to meeting up with so many of you over the next cruising season and to meeting so many more great folk as we travel along. To those who aren’t lucky enough to do as we have done, oh well good luck and enjoy the dreaming.

Talk to you soon.

Regards Ken, Rhonda and Harry

We do have a Postscript: We have become grandparents again. Rhys Adam Kelly was safely delivered by c-section on 26th January (Australia Day) weighing in at a very respectable 5.05kgs (11lbs)!!!!! Michelle, Tom and brother Hayden are all doing well.

CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS IN MOISSAC

2010-12-24T11:19:00.022+01:00

November/December 2010

Time moves on its never-ending manner and we are now surely into the cool part of the year with temperatures falling a little more each day. From mid 20's about 3 weeks ago we are now down to 10 degree days, so it is out with the winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves plus the winter sheets are on the bed and we have bought an electric blanket too, so it is not only a sign of the seasons but a sign of age increase as well.

We are, however, so grateful to be in this town to enjoy a relatively busy atmosphere due to the number of shops which are open for business and peoples activities.
While it is full-on in most of the Western world with Christmas shopping adverts filling TV screens and shop windows, here in France nothing apparently happens until the first of December which is great really in so many ways unless you are trying to buy decorations like Christmas lights. No Carol singing or street lighting yet.

Today I lit the log burner for the first time this season which is so effective in heating the boat and I have to say that the fact that I had added an extension to the chimney, the fire seemed to burn cleaner and hotter than previous so may it be the sign of a new improved system as judging by the weather forecast we will need good heating.

We were invited out for dinner the other evening to an English couples home right here in the centre of the town. Howell and Maria had bought this old, fairly dilapidated 3 storey house probably built in the 17 or 18 hundreds, some months ago and as Maria is a very skilled interior designer and Howell a great organiser, they have transformed this place into a beautiful modern home with all the creature comforts one could wish for. We were treated to a great evening of food, wine and music and lots of laughs which was so good then we wobbled off home to “Somewhere” being led by Harry (thank goodness that he knew the way).

All of this came about following our visit to the Remembrance Day service at the local cenotaph along with about 100 French people where Rhonda and I stood with our Australian and New Zealand flags paying tribute to our fallen from all wars when Maria and Howell came over to us as we seemed to be the only English speaking folk there. Afterwards we had a coffee and a chat with them and agreed to catch up, hence the dinner invite. It is wonderful how friendly people are in this part of the world.

Apparently there are a number of English folk who have either bought new or existing homes in this area or have taken on projects like Maria and Howell have done which further endorses the claim that Moissac is one of the most popular towns in France for ex pats to retire to.

Today, the 28th November, we awoke to about 50 mm of snow coating everything and it was very pretty and Christmassy if you like that sort of thing. The snow lasted most of the day and was followed the next day by real cold which confirmed the early winter which had swept the UK and other parts of Europe was certainly reaching right down to here much to my disgust and to the local’s surprise. Apparently we are told that this weather is not due until late January or early February if at all. Oh well it is something we can’t do anything about except to keep warm and enjoy.

We arranged to buy a steyr (about a cm3) of firewood at a cost of €65.00, cut into 300mm lengths, oak and poplar mixed to keep the log burner going as we are advised that it could be a long cold winter ahead. A couple of trips in the car to the woodman saw us with our firewood all bagged or stowed in the bow locker onboard. Now it is my job to split it so that it fits into our little log burner but the resultant fires are a delight on these freezing cold nights and day time temperatures. Having just said that, today the temps rose to 18 degrees as a thaw swept across us from the Mediterranean and it is supposed to stay this way for the next few days so fingers crossed.

Rhonda's Comment: This sweet little dog was seen at the markets, it was not "For Sale" but had to sit beside his owner all morning!!!!

We had our old barge mates Iris and Grahame contact us to see if they could come and stay for a few nights as they had just sold their boat and were doing the rounds of contacts made over the past few years before they return to Australia via the UK early in 2011. They have had 5 years on Manatee and have sure covered some mileage in France, Holland, Germany and Belgium. They have a wealth of knowledge on all of the related canals and towns and ports along the way so if you require advice or assistance at any time contact us and we can forward on your request to them.

While they were with us we guided them on a day out tour visiting some of the nearby towns and country sides which took us out to the well known city of Cahors which is sited on the banks of the upper Lot River which was in fairly full flush making the idea of boating upon it quite scary, hence their navigation period is fairly limited to the height of summer only. On through some fantastic rolling country side which is predominantly used to grow grapes and other fruit including Kiwi.

After visiting small towns along the Lot River Valley, we climbed to the top of the escarpment some 100 metres above to view what can only be described as breathtaking scenery of the jewel of the valley below and then to have it all capped off by finding this medieval hamlet perched on a peak and hanging off the sides of the rock face and harbouring a couple of little shops and restaurants. The “roads” through this hamlet were like mule tracks and I don’t know how the locals transverse them really as heavy snow lay in the lanes and on the roofs even at 3.00pm on a sunny day. Some photos of this magic sight, St-Cirq Lapople are included in the blog and while I do apologise for the quality of them the scenery was too beautiful to not include.

We have found since our visit that it is rated so well as an artisan resort and must be fabulous to visit in summer. The whole valley below is easily accessible and offer nice camping grounds and boating launch facilities etc for those few months when navigation is possible.

After Iris and Grahame had moved on we took another trip to Buzet our favourite wine supply town about an hours drive from Moissac to see our pals Louise and Alex who had just returned from a trip to the UK and where they had purchased good old pommie foods and even an electric blanket for us. We stayed the night on board “Riccall” with them enjoying a great evening meal and a few drinks I might add.

We also took the opportunity to call on a German couple, Herman and Ulla who are also wintering over in Buzet. Our conversations are somewhat limited due to our poor understanding of their language but they make a big effort with English so we get by and do enjoy a lot of laughs as Herman is a funny man once he lets loose and is just another one of the things which makes barging such a delight as you get to meet so many people along the way with similar interests.

Rhonda's Comment: "Somewhere" looks beautiful - please note Santa up the mast.

Well life back in Moissac has slowed down except everybody is scrambling to get their Christmas shopping completed and the street lights and decorations have all been put up and the town looks lovely. At the port around 10 of us boaters put up strings of coloured and flashing lights around and over our boats as there is an annual contest with prizes being donated by the owners and Mayor who comes to judge followed by food and mulled wine at the Capitanerie’s office etc. Well due to some corrupt voting practise, we missed out on any prize so drank their wine, ate their food and came home with our tales between our legs. There is no justice !!!!!!! Just wait until next year.

Harry had to go to the vet for his annual check-over which he just loves (yeah right) and apart from some minor ear infection he checked out fine so next he was off to the Toilettage (dog groomer) which he also just loves, however, he looks good so is nice and neat for Christmas. Now we have to put his jacket on him when it is particularly cold until his hair grows a bit but he sure moves quicker I am sure.

Well, we have mailed off all our Christmas cards and received a lovely display in return. (For those who haven’t mailed us yet, late arrivals will be accepted) Ha ha. Now all we have to do is hope that Santa knows where we are.

Rhonda's Comment: As seen at last week's market - who said legs don't look good in stockings.

French Oddities worth noting:

1/ It seems that all over the world, chips are referred to as French Fries but in France they are called Frites.

2/Fifteen or so years ago roundabouts were an oddity on
France’s roads but since then they are the traffic controller of choice. There are thousands of them and even in the smallest village of a few hundred residents you may encounter 5 or 6 roundabouts.

3/Post offices which are still government controlled are another of those ‘socialist’ institutions where there is no rush or effort to help minimise waiting queues. There may be 30 customers standing in line with only one person serving and yet they may well choose to stop everything to take a personal phone call or to chat to a person they know and will ignore everyone else.

4/ The love of paperwork or form filling also amuses us with Insurance Companies seeming to be the worst of all and despite the fact you may hold a policy through the ABC Company taken out in City Big it does not mean that the same named company in City Small will accept anything to do with your policy or even accept payment for renewal as they appear to be franchised so operate quite separately.

Well, today is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere so the longest night is soon to fall upon us, so I will away as I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to get an extra few hours sleep.

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel and a sincere best wish for 2011
Kindest regards to all

Ken, Rhonda and Harry

READY TO HIBERNATE IN MOISSAC

2010-11-13T15:22:00.031+01:00

27th October 2010 to 7th November 2010

Today the 27th October saw us arrive in Moissac at the end of our cruising season and where we will stop over for the winter in the northern hemisphere. After 195 days, 1140 kilometres travelled and 180 locks encountered we spent our last day travelling the 10 kilometres from Malause to Moissac.

We have just spent the last few days catching up with Louise and Alex off “Riccall” who we had met last year on our travels. We only had a few days with them unfortunately as they are so much fun and we find that they are wintering-over in Buzet. So we will be making trips there to see them for sure as the wine in Buzet is really lovely too!

As we had been doing for the past few weeks since turning around for the return journey, Rhonda drove the car from one lock to the next to take the ropes as I would enter on “Somewhere”. This procedure allowed us to avoid having to go back on the scooter to get the car and to have to move it on to the next stopover. Sliding the boat through the lock with someone handling the bow rope and pushing the control buttons to fill or empty the lock just made it so much easier and safer than scrambling up ladders etc.

Over the past weeks of travels I had become somewhat alarmed at the way the engine water temperature was rising above normal so with the help of our knowledgeable boater Alex off “Riccall”, we checked all the usual causes like water strainer, impeller, heat exchanger and drive belts and even back flushed the water pick up hoses using my deck wash hose which has a fairly strong water flow, all without finding a real problem. As I was leaving the last lock of this journey I was doubly concerned that despite running up the revs the boat seemed to be dragging and not gaining speed almost as though the boat was rubbing against the lock wall and the more I pushed the revs the more the water temp rose making “Somewhere” look like a steam train, so after about 250 meters I stopped the boat and in desperation put it in reverse and gave it full revs and almost immediately could feel a dramatic effect in its pick up speed so when returned to forward all was showing as clear, the temp returned to normal and away we went in a very relieved manner I can assure you.

Thinking it must have been a sheet of plastic or similar which had been blocking the intake flow so fingers crossed from now on, however, I have since been told that it is not unusual down here in these narrower canals and when the leaf drop is happening that some of this leaf litter carpet can block the prop housing and slow the boat and cause temperature increase. You have to see the leaf content in the canals to believe just how much volume there is and as there are virtually only deciduous trees growing anywhere near the canals and every tree strips itself of every leaf, one can get some idea of what it is like. I mention this just in case any other boaters who are reading this, experience similar problems.

With the last lock transversed and being able to get under way, Rhonda was able to go on a couple of kilometres ahead to Moissac ready to guide me in to our berth which is abreast on the quay with easy access to power and water and pump out if required plus the fuel dispenser is only 20meters away. With the whole surrounding area being nicely sealed it will be great for when winter arrives, however, today the weather is just as perfect as it could be so do hope we get to enjoy more of it.

We are surrounded with about 40 or so boats all like us who are either living aboard during winter or who are or have left their boats here for the winter period while they return to their homes located as far away as the UK, South Africa, Holland, Germany, Canada, USA, Australia or even New Zealand. Apparently it is unlikely to ice over, however, there was a touch of frost first thing this morning ahead of the delightful sunshine etc.

The couple, Iain and Kaz who are the Capitaneries for the port are lovely helpful people who have built an enviable reputation and are really valued by the tenants of the marina and who join in with social activities and who seem to know wherever and whatever information is required. As a couple they have spent many years looking after a fleet of hire boats before taking over the marina. Their knowledge is most valuable and as they are of English descent they help us Anglos a lot.

The town of Moissac is just big enough to be interesting and with all sorts of shops ranging from fashion to art to hardware and boasts 3 large hotels and offers all the main service providers for phones, insurance, car servicing, plumbing and so on plus it has two theatres and a 6 movie house complex. With its own well rated hospital and medical centres I think we will be well served and we are assured the town does not go dead like St Jean-de-Losne in the winter nor do shops or restaurants or markets shut down so the signs are good and it is so easy to get straight out onto the very best type of motorways so travel to other parts of France and to Spain etc is easy.

Moissac is built along the banks of the Tarn River which has offshoots to the canal where the port is built so always there is a slow flow of water which helps move the pollution down stream to the where the canal joins the Garonne River which flows down to the Atlantic coast. This area is famous for its history of being linked to the Christian King and the Benedictine monastery of which there are still columns standing as a part of the Abbey Church which has been fully restored and is quite magnificent.

The area is very popular with trampers, walkers and strollers due to its great mix of easy rolling country through the orchards, vineyard and many waterways and on into the town itself which is also interesting to view. Campers are well served with lovely grounds and facilities right on the river side. Famous for the Chasselas grape (purported to be the sweetest grape in the world and to which we would not argue against) and it has its own AOC. ( Appellation ).

As we are so close to Toulouse, 65kms, Agen 45 kms and numerous other towns it is easy to make visits to enable a change of environ simple and interesting. As you can read from my comments we are looking forward to the next few months of being Moissacians.

After settling in we discovered amongst our mail that it was that time of the year where we needed to go to the Netherlands to have my superannuation papers signed and stamped. We looked at ways to travel ranging from flying to going by rail but there seems to be no discount fares unless you go via UK which we didn’t want to do so decided to take old Betsy (our car) and drive up. It is a heck of a long way (1100 kms) but provided you go via the main motorways and pay the road tolls which apply only in France it is pretty smooth driving so we set off on a Sunday morning which was great as the heavy trucks are supposed to stay off these roads on this day so we drove as far as just north of Paris and stayed in the first of the Premium Classe motels which are found along the motorways and towns and are pretty basic but clean and reasonably comfortable and offer a continental type breakfast and also allow Harry to stay in the room all for around €54.00 per night which is quite good value.

The next day, we continued on towards Breda which is just over the border in Holland, however, it seemed as though all the trucks who had rested the day before had decided to get out on the roads early and we joined a traffic jam of trucks of at least 30 kms in length. It was just amazing to inch along for an hour or more beside a solid wall of trucks from almost every corner of Europe. I know we have commented in the past about the volumes of heavy traffic criss-crossing this continent but on this day we were stunned by the sight of it all.

Eventually we got clear and made the balance of the trip to Breda without incident and stayed overnight nearby in another Premium Classe motel. We couldn’t help but notice how much colder it was in the north so heaters were on high, coats were worn with scarves and so on. Next morning off we went to get my papers stamped. In the office at 8.35am out at 8.37am.

We drove back to Paris and as Rhonda has always wanted to visit the Palace of Versailles we decided to stay overnight and do the tourist thing next morning. It was bitterly cold I have to add but we got there early in the morning just ahead of the tour coaches and bulk of tourists so got parked really close to the entrance to this amazing structure. Constructed originally for Louis XIV, this palace and gardens form one of the most famous world heritage monuments and stands out as the most complex achievement of French history of the 17th century.

The building and its grounds were continued to be developed and upgraded for almost 500 years by sons and grandsons (using some 30,000 workers and soldiers) who have added their own touches to the palace so a visit is just a mind boggler plus you can go on to visit the further two smaller apartment blocks of Trianon and Marie-Antoinette.

A walk through the palace reveals huge displays of paintings, sculptures and design works collected over the centuries and I am sure real art critics could spend days browsing and learning about these French masters.

The size and layout of the whole complex is mind boggling and without wanting to bore our readers here are some facts which illustrate the above points. There are 700 rooms, 2153 windows, 352 chimneys, 67 staircases, 11 hectares of roof, 800 hectares of garden and so on and so on. All I can add is to say if you are in Paris, do not miss this marvel and allow at least a full day to see it and go in the spring or summer to see the fantastic gardens at their best.

Well once we left there we headed for home and as usual I wasn’t listening to Rhonda’s instruction on directions to follow so all of a sudden she barked at me that I had missed a vital turn and Tom Tom was not impressed either so without checking on my surroundings too much I did a highly illegal U turn on a several lane avenue and headed back the way we wanted to go. After Rhonda regained her speech voice she said “did you not see where you did that turn” - it was right outside one of the main Prefectures of the Gendarmes, however, my good luck charm must have been working as nobody followed or tooted.

As it was bitterly cold and while we had thought of staying overnight it was surprisingly quiet on the motorways so we made the effort and drove direct to Moissac arriving by 6.00pm which was great going. Well done Betsy.

One of the remarkable sights we witnessed going and coming particularly in rural France was the autumnal colours which were quite vivid. With thousands of hectares alongside the motorways the sight of the red, gold, brown, purple and green deciduous trees is something to behold and even the media have reported that due to the late and long summer this year the colours are so much more pronounced than usual so we were lucky to see so much of it. We couldn’t believe it when we got out of the car at Moissac as the temperature here was 16 degrees so after the chill of the north we felt great to be back. I am sure it will get a lot colder soon but we will make the most of the milder conditions while we can.

In preparation for winter I have got the fireplace set up, added an additional piece to the chimney to hopefully stop sap leaking over our cabin top again. Ran the oil burner for a test run and checked the radiators so am happy that all seems good for the cold season.

The trees look more like scarecrows as they are losing more and more leaves which are like carpets floating down the canal to the Tarn River to make the long journey out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Rhonda has just told me that we have had 2400 people so far read our blogs from the four corners of the world so we are delighted that we can offer some insight to this wonderful world of canal boating here in France. Thanks for the many comments and we hope we can continue to keep the blogs interesting so keep your comments coming in and again, take care and good luck.

Love Rhonda, Ken and Harry.

PS. I was delighted to read that the Blue Flag BI Monthly Journal for Barge owners and users had seen fit to publish my letter article on Plastic Pollution of our waterways and oceans. It is only with the spread of such news that more and more boaters can do their bit to get that plastic out of the water and to bin-it. Thanks.

Harry's Comment: Hooray, another park and this one is really good.

IT'S RAINING LEAVES

2010-10-15T16:24:00.022+02:00

1st October to 13th October, 2010

Well as I said at the close of our last blog, we would be heading back along the canals now as our north west adventure had been completed after dropping Lois and Dave off at the Marmande bus station and watching them disappear. We then headed back to the boat and prepared her for the beginning of our return trip with Rhonda taking the car to the next lock while Harry and I drove “Somewhere” single handed.

We did well for a first try as it was perfect conditions and we tied up at a nice little village with good facilities to stay for the night at least. With the next day being Rhonda’s birthday, we headed off to Casteljaloux to find a Chinese restaurant which she had spotted when last in the town. It was a buffet type more like those we were used to in New Zealand and for €11.00 each which included a starter, main and dessert plus a free carafe of Rose wine each, we sure tucked in to the great array of delightful food which was hot and tasty. It was easily the best Chinese food we have had since leaving New Zealand so I have to admit to having two goes at the mains plus the dessert and I think Rhonda did the same. I know it may not mean much to our readers but as we do love good Chinese food this was a treat to us as previous restaurants have only offered mediocre food at quite expensive prices.

While in Casteljaloux we toured about and found that the town is famous for its geothermal baths which are situated inside a large hotel complex which we went into to view. It was quite a place to see and obviously is regarded as a top tourist stay as it was well supported by the senior folk from all around and judging by the size of the carpark which is about the same size as that at the AC Baths in Taupo. Unfortunately we had not taken our togs so could only look on with envy. The hotel is luxurious too and offers almost every sort of health treatment related to hot pools and massage that one could imagine. The staff were all dressed in very chic uniforms and quietly moved about the premises. It makes our hospital staff seem a bunch of elephants in comparison and I say this from experience as on a number of occasions when staff seem to have little or no consideration for the patients need for peace and quiet. Sorry I got a bit side tracked there.

While also on the subject of getting side tracked I failed to mention in our last blog that when we pulled into one little port while having Lois and Dave on board we learned that there was an orchard of plums just nearby that was really neglected so they took some plastic bags and brought back about 15 kilos of beautiful plums (Prunes) which Rhonda stewed up, made jam and preserved while we demolished the rest in their raw state. There was no mention of constipation for the week. It is terrible to see the waste but I guess this was one orchard which the grower was able to let go and claim his subsidy from the government anyhow.

We have also been able to buy tomatoes very cheaply so relish has been made which will keep us going for the winter we hope. We did miss out on the millions of blackberries which grow along the canal sides but as the weather had been so dry the fruit never really grew in size so we kept passing it by saying that surely it would grow soon but in the end we missed out. Pity as last year’s crop was so juicy and plentiful we had jams etc for the whole winter.

Now back to reality, we had a weeks stopover at Le Mas d’Agenais which is just a hamlet really but the marina is beautiful to stay at so I was able to spend the week pottering around doing some touch up jobs which needed to be done and while there we met some really nice folk who were passing through including Doug and Daphne who mentioned that they had met some really nice kiwis a couple of years ago and when they (Doug and Daphne) went to New Zealand this couple, Bob and Cheryl, loaned them their beach house in North Auckland and really made them so welcome. They turned out to be folk from Auckland who we knew from meeting with them several times including when they had left their barge just along from ours in Saint Jean de Losne and were really a fun couple to be with during their stopover. It is a small world as they say.

Today we moved to Villeton which is only about 8 kms from Le Mas and is also a nice spot where we had stayed on the way down. Again Rhonda drove the car and I the boat which is working out fine at present and saves us going back on the scooter to collect the car. As it is easy to drive our car to some of the sights we wanted to catch up on, we will stay here for a day or two at least.

Today being the 30th of September (my birthday) and reaching the great age of 69 (I can hear all the cries of “I can’t believe he is that age”) but that is ok as some people are lucky to retain their youthful good looks. Yeah right!
As a birthday present Rhonda had booked me into the Thermal centre at Casteljaloux for a swim in their luxurious heated pool complex followed by a massage which was just wonderful and the answer for my jammy shoulder. Of course there was a trap as in return I had to take her back to the Chinese restaurant which we found last week for lunch. Oh well we all have to make sacrifices.

Rhonda reminded me that I had failed to tell you about us getting our credit card details stolen by a hotel restaurant when we were in Agen last month. When Rhonda went to pay our bill, the waitress said she had to take the card out the back as the counter credit card machine was not working. Once Rhonda had signed it off we left and it was only by chance that a couple of days later when Rhonda checked our account, she noted all these debits totalling NZ$5000.00 had been deducted for purchases made from a mail order house. The ANZ credit card company back in New Zealand were marvellous in their promptness to halt the transactions which were still being activated and stopped the card and had the fraud squad contact us for any details we could give them. Within a couple of days they had credited back all the debits and issued new cards which they express couriered all the way to France for us. It just goes to show how easy it is to get ripped off, so lesson one is never let your credit card be removed from your sight and to realize how easily it is to be conned.

Well after another few days of fabulous weather with temps up to the high 20s early 30s, we awoke last night to a real sudden change of windy conditions plus rain and a temperature drop to the high teens only, so it is out with the track suit and as it is too wet to paint the boat it is time to settle down to the final day of the Ryder Cup or to switch channels to the India –v- Australian cricket test or to The Commonwealth Games from Delhi. I honestly don’t know how I ever had time to work at any stage so apart from walking with Harry I am in a fairly static status.

Unfortunately the good weather returned so my lazy days were over for now so as I needed to get a coat of black paint on the above waterline below the rub strake it was a case of keeping on keeping on and eventually got this done thanks to the long extension handle I made up allowing a reach of around 2meters to get to the bow and the stern areas. Talk about heath robinson but it worked anyhow.

While doing the painting when one allows the mind to wander as watching paint dry is not the most interesting way to spend some hours, a few points came to mind which I will share with you.

When we were berthed up in Beziers some few months ago, we started talking to a group of English fellows who were interested in “Somewhere”. One of them seemed to look somewhat familiar and as we got chatting and met up with them again on board for a cool drink he introduced himself as Peter Harrison who once he knew we were from Auckland said he had spent a lot of time there and in fact had bought a home in Browns Bay. This fellow was the head of Great Britain’s America Cup/Louis Vuton syndicate when the cup was held by New Zealand. He had spent over a year there and only sold his home a couple of years ago when funding for any further challenges dried up. We had actually met Peter at a Royal New Zealand Yacht Club luncheon during the period of Team New Zealand holding the Auld Mug.

He and 6 of his mates had hired a canal boat for a couple of weeks to give one of them a send-off to remember as a he was getting married at the end of the week. You can imagine how much hilarity was going on and when I asked him why a canal boat when as you would probably realise he owns so many yachts and launches in the UK, but he said that little else compares to the pleasure of pottering along the French canals as we have done with so little pressure, which is so true.

We have met so many folk from so many countries and because we are all doing a similar thing, almost everybody gets along with each other and is ready to share a cuppa or a glass of wine and to have a chat about their experiences which in some cases is just amazing and when you learn about some of their backgrounds it just goes to show that the spirit of adventure is not dead and only needs a spark to get it fired up and you are on your way.

The same goes for all the thousands of Camping Van people who transit this country and so many other European countries. Many of the stay-over places are alongside where we moor up so again we enjoy meeting them too and exchanging tales. On top of this we have recorded how so many cyclists use the tow paths which run alongside the canals so it is usual to have at least one or two cyclists stop by when they see our Kiwi flag to ask about New Zealand and/or about barge life.

Every country in the world seems to have cyclists making the most of the great pathways and facilities provided for bikers so you can see whole families of Mum, Dad and a few kids all cycling together and pitching tents to stopover and to getting their food sorted. It is marvellous and you can imagine what great memories the kids have in later years and at the other end of the scale like now that school holidays are over and the weather is not quite so good, is to see the retired folk who go pedalling past as they relive their earlier trips and experiences. It is not uncommon to see people in their 70s and above going by or calling in to chat. The only thing we don’t subscribe to is that many of the men must still imagine that they look good in their Lycra cycle outfits which generally they don’t, but never mind they are all having the time of their lives by the sound of it.

Another point which may be of interest, is that the millions of plane or oak trees planted at about 6 m intervals along the sides of the canals not only are valued for their shelter and cooling for boats (originally to give shelter to the men or the horses which towed the barges) which may tie up along the banks and whose roots help hold the canal banks together, but also provide a great source of firewood when it comes time to cut them down when they get Elm’s disease but the leaves which fall at this time of the year provide a valuable liner for the canals and assist in retaining the water which can be lost so easily if a bank gives away.

Now back to reality again, today which is wet again has given us the opportunity to slob out in front of the telly and to watch some of the Commonwealth Games then some of the India –v- Australia cricket test to some of the first rounds of the Heineken Cup European Rugby competition, so my eyes are quite square and early night is required so to all you readers, take care and we will bring you further news in the next few weeks.

In my last blog I expounded my thoughts on the damage being done to our planet and in particular the oceans by the huge amounts of plastic being dumped into the rivers, canals and beaches which takes almost forever to break down and in doing so kills so much fish and bird life in a very cruel way as the fish and birds see only the filmy or floating bits which they mistake for food and then cannot pass it through the body slowly bringing them to an agonising death. I was pleased to get a couple of positive responses from folk who share my concerns and take action to pick up and dispose of plastic found along the roads, drains and waterways as they do their walks etc.

Thanks guys. Maybe some more will join in this campaign. If you want to see the real size of this problem, please go into Google, search for “island of plastic”. 100 million tonnes of this stuff are floating in the Pacific Ocean so have a look and it will surely awaken the dread in you that I have over this ever increasing problem.

The other point I raised was “how do you get leaf sap and stains off your boat?” One reply from New Zealand was to use either Kerosine or Parrafin or a local boater told me to buy the cheapest bleach and mix it 60% to 30% water, mop it over all surfaces which I did as it is so cheap and it worked well. Remember to rinse it off after an hour.
Here endeth the lesson.

Kindest regards to all from Rhonda and me and of course Harry who by the way fell into the canal today trying to be smart and jump the gap from boat to shore. It is funny to watch him scramble to the bank then just wait to be rescued. He’s a funny little fellow but a great mate.

Kms this season: 1055
Locks this season: 163

COULD THIS BE THE END OF SUMMER ?????

2010-09-25T12:32:00.040+02:00

September 2010

As sad as it seems, there is a definite showing of leaf fall along the canals as the trees which have been so deprived of rain for the past 10 weeks are slowly turning their leaves brown and are falling in greater quantities each day.
While the temps have been as high as in the high 30’s to the mid 40’s for weeks, I guess this has taken its toll on the greenery and as soon as we get a cold snap there will be heavy carpets of leaves everywhere indicating summer has gone by.

Never mind, we are still sweating it out at the moment and as we have now left Moissac after a great weeks layover, we are heading further north west for a few weeks towards Bordeaux to see how far we can travel before turning back to winter over back in Moissac.

Rhonda's Comments: Hope Harry doesn't get any ideas!!!!!!

As this canal runs alongside the rivers of firstly the Tarne and then the Garonne, we are amazed at the amount of water which flows by. Even the canal has moving water at about 1 km per hour so it is a lot cleaner than the Canal du Midi. We are lucky to be able to view these accompanying waterways from many areas on our canal. Much of this flow is used by an atomic electro power plant situated nearby where we have berthed up for a couple of nights. It was here where we first came to visit Valance D’Agen and to call upon Cheryl and Bob from Auckland who were enjoying their stopover here on “Whio” back in May 2008 as a part of their canal adventures at that time. It must have been something about this area too as Bob complained about the huge amounts of leaves which needed to be cleared off the decks each morning and it is exactly what we have found too, however, as we are entering Autumn. The leaves falling contain a brown glue type substance which sticks to the boat like nothing we have come across before and after leaving it unattended for one day it has taken two days to be able to move some of it, but certainly not all. It is dreadful, and leaves a horrible brown residue on the paint and even using the most potent brew of cleaners I can mix, my efforts have only been partially successful so if you have any advice you can offer or if you have come across this problem, I would sure be grateful. According to Alan on “Nordland” who has been using these waters for many years, says it has never seemed to be this bad before. All advice will sure be welcomed.

Rhonda's Comments: These tomatoes ended up as "Relish".

We have enjoyed staying here at Valence D'Agen as it is a pretty town with very large markets on Saturdays and Tuesdays which seem to offer so much of the region’s produce ranging from meat and vegetables to all the wonderful fruits of the area. We have gorged on the sweetest nectarines, apples and apricots plus kiwi fruit I have ever eaten plus some of the home cooked breads are so tasty too. As this is right on the edge of the famous prune production areas as well, you can imagine how many plum trees are in the area. I believe every one must have clean innards as the fruit is set in so many ways from fresh to preserved to iced to any way you can imagine this fruit can be set for consumption. I have never tasted anything like it.

Talking about eating new and different foods, in the past few weeks I have also eaten gizzards, magret of canard (duck) and goats cheese all of which I found to be very nice. It just goes to prove that as usual, I like so many people, have been put off the idea of eating a number of foods due to disliking the idea of doing so rather than trying it.

We are lucky with the weather over the past few days as it has cooled a little, down to the mid 30's which is quite bearable and with the clear blue skies and light breezes that waft through Rhonda is not complaining too much but as we know winter will soon be on us and I will be complaining instead.

Yesterday I hitched a ride with Alan and Margaret on “Nordland” who we have met up with frequently over the past few weeks and who were heading back to Moissac where we had left our car. It was great to be able to sit back as a passenger and do nothing but enjoy the scenery for the 4 hour trip including a stop for a nice canal side lunch and listen to Alan giving his news and advice on the area due to his many visits to this territory and then to gather the car and come back to “Somewhere” to find Rhonda and Harry fine and relaxed too.

Rhonda's Comments: "Starry, starry night".

Today we motored up to Agen for a drive to see what the boat trip will incur and get a feel for the big city before we head off in the boat tomorrow for a two day cruise to get to there next week. The road trip only took an hour but as stated we will have to spend 2 days going by canal.
We have regularly commented on the huge number of cyclists we see on the canal paths and cycle ways every day. From fit young folk to seniors to kids riding all types of bikes from sports to tandems to lying back versions to three wheelers many towing trailers loaded with tents and camping equipment strapped down on them. Facilities are really good along the way with camping areas and ablution blocks made available for free or minimal charges. This sport is sure growing and becoming even more popular. The other day a fellow stopped with his mate and proudly showed off his Silver Fern tattoo on his bicep and told Rhonda that he had it done when he was staying in New Zealand a few years ago for a period and worked picking fruit etc. He said how much he loved the country and all of its beauty and freedom. When asked where he and his mate had come from this holiday he said that they had cycled from Berlin and were heading towards Bordeaux and then would cycle back again. What an effort but he seemed to feel it was a normal holiday activity. How do you feel????

We spent most of the next day pottering along to the mini port of Boe which is attached to the township of Bon Encontre all just some 7 kms from Agen. As we had been told this was a nice place to moor up we were disappointed to find that the jetties only suited much smaller boats than ours but we found a concrete abutment nearby which suited us to tie to and after running out 70 meters of power cable we were able to top up and run fans and ovens and so on. Water was another problem as the nearest tap was almost 100 meters away but after taking the scooter back to Valence-D’Agen to get our car again we stopped off and bought another 50meters of hose as we have often found where we could do with the extra so we returned to the boat and were able to top off the tanks and shower until our hearts delight and Rhonda did a couple of loads of washing. One may wonder why we bothered going to this extra cost etc but where we are moored is just so quiet and lovely so Harry has a new park to explore and this morning came back from his walk with another couple of dogs in tow so he has lots of fun and we have the car and the scooter parked just 15 meters away from the boat which is great and as the fee is only €2.50 per day we will stay for a few days I think.

During our stay we had a small type hotel boat come in to stay so we moved “Somewhere” along to allow them room to offload their 4 passengers and to wait for more to arrive. “Saint Louis” with owners Barbara and Alisdair originally from the west coast of Scotland where they operated accommodation type ventures before buying “Saint Louis” and setting her up as a boutique hotel boat. As Alisdair is a qualified Captain and Barbara is an excellent chef and the staff who are terrific being Kelly from New Zealand and Harry from England look after their passengers to a very high standard and a couple of New Yorkers took the time to come and to chat to us singing the highest praises of this little ship and her company. The next passenger group were Aussies and Swedes so the chat at dinner time etc must be varied and interesting. We were invited to view the boat and loved what we saw so no wonder they have little or no trouble in keeping a list of guests booking for a weeks canal travel all of the season.

Rhonda's Comments: We had a wonderful evening onboad "St Louis" with Barbara, Kelly from Auckland and Harry (not our Harry, a human Harry).

This day we also waited to collect our friends from Auckland Lois and David, who had arrived the previous evening in Agen and we drove them to the boat for a day of relaxing as they had had a very busy schedule up until then. The next day we barged for the day towards Bordeaux and stayed at a couple of towns with nice ports and shopping or tasty type restaurants and enjoyed some great food and I have to admit to eating Kangaroo for the very first time at one of them so am getting quite adventurous in my culinary tastes.

Being able to do side trips in the car gave us a real look over some outlying towns and showed Lois and Dave what a varied country this is. On Friday we decided to go out into the country to visit some other towns and sights and saw two great areas. One was the ancient city of Pujols on the Lot-et-Garonne. This city was first built in the year 1000 but inhabited since prehistoric times. The earliest recorded inhabitants were half Celtic, half Iberian but it was the Romans who made the most impact by turning this promontory into a fortified camp or beginnings of a castle. The ongoing history is just unbelievable which is worth a study of on its own. The rebuilt town is delightful to see and to visit as it is full of restaurants, antique shops and art galleries and is rated one of the prettiest towns in all of France.

We moved on from Pujols to Saint-Sylvestre-sur-Lot which was the first place we had visited back in 2008 when we were looking to buy a barge named “Affleur d’o”. We had always wanted to return to the local town called Penne-D’Agenais which again is built on top of some peaks giving stunning views over the valleys and river Lot below. To wander through the town which is fully inhabited and retains so much of its history is wonderful with its narrow streets and while I have recorded that I am churched out so did not visit the Notre Dame de Peyragude which is beautifully presented and maintained and of course dominates the town, I did view it from below and was really impressed. Rhonda, Lois and Dave were so impressed with the standard which had been retained hence it is still well attended and visited by religious pilgrims from all around the world.

The drive through the country area was most interesting as the fields are either ready to harvest in the case of corn and sunflower or the orchards are being stripped of their fruit mainly by mechanical pickers as the tees are trained to grow in the espalier style so human pickers are getting quite rare. It is fascinating to see the trees being shaken as the tractors drive along and the fruit falling onto wide canvas slides which allows the fruit to gently tumble down to conveyors that load the very large crates. I can fully realise now how so many tonnes of Prunes are processed and in one town there is even a Museum Of Prunes.

Rhonda's Comments: Crepes, but look at all that cream Dave, I'll swap you.

Today, Monday 20th September we dropped Dave and Lois to the bus station in Marmande so they could travel on to Bordeaux for a few days before returning to New Zealand. That is the end of visitors for this year as far as we know and they were just great to have onboard and we have been so lucky to have had them share so many wonderful sights and experiences with us as was the case with firstly Kerry and Liz and then Daphne and Claude. Due to these folks input, our canal travel has had a whole new dimension added to our adventures and we sure hope that they found it to be the same. We will feel a bit empty for a week or two but we do have a lot planned to do over the next few months and as long as the car keeps going properly we will see a whole lot more of this great country and meet so many more wonderful French folk and hopefully Spanish and Portuguese as well.

This, in fact, was the last day of our adventure to follow the canals westward as it appeared as though the rest of the canal was not of so much interest to us and we were advised not to take “Somewhere” out onto the Garonne for the last stretch to Bordeaux, so we will turn around now and head back towards Moissac for our winter over period. We still have a lot of side trips to do meantime, and have decided that rather than unload the scooter at ports further along the canal and then ride back to then drive the car to the port where “Somewhere” is berthed, Rhonda will drive the car while I drive the boat single handed as the canal is real easy and almost free of other craft now that summer has officially ended. This will be a bit of a challenge as I will have to turn her around in the canal and then negotiate being in line to pull the Tirettes (control cables which hang down over the canal) which set the locks emptying before one can enter and then slide the boat into the lock, run forward to get a bow rope tied and thrown off to Rhonda who will be waiting then get back to the wheelhouse and stop the boat before we crash into the gates. Figers crossed.
The weather is still amazing and apart from one nights rain followed by a drizzly day when Lois and David were aboard, the days have been delightful with cooler mornings but followed by bright sunny windless days . Great BBQ weather for sure.

Rhonda’s Comment: Ken’s Soap Box

Can I draw to your attention our concern about the huge amounts of plastic which is being dumped every day into the canals, rivers and waterways of our planet. While we used to notice some quantities of this amazing but dangerous product while in New Zealand and later in England, we have been horrified by the amounts dumped into the French waterway systems. It seems as though it is socially accepted as you will see groups of people of any age get up after consuming drinks and other foods which are packaged in plastic containers, bags etc and ignore the fact that there can be rubbish bins within a few meters of where they are and just allow the rubbish to blow around and so often into the canals and waterways where it always emigrates to our seas and onwards to one of the great floating islands of rubbish, mainly plastic, in the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans.

Just as a note of interest, we are amazed that while people allow this to happen, when you go to a McDonald’s the patrons seem to believe it is obligatory to clear all their rubbish from where they are eating and carefully deposit in the bins provided. When you consider that there is an estimated 100 million tonnes of this stuff floating around as a part of these floating plastic and rubbish built islands killing so many thousands of our fishes, bird life and even animal life in the cruellest ways possible by strangulation or starvation. Can you assist by removing any plastic around your boat to proper bins.

This is the end of the reading.

As we have ended our north westerly travel, I will close now wishing all our readers a great autumn.

Locks so far this season: 162
Kms so far this season: 1049

OUR OWN FRENCH OYDSSEY

2010-08-23T10:57:00.047+02:00

August -2010

After approximately 3 months since crossing the E’tang de Thau (inland sea) and entering the eastern end of the Canal du Midi, we have reached the famous city of Toulouse at the western end. We have travelled some 240 kilometres passed through 63 locks on this wonderful waterway which is known world wide as being the great cruiser’s holiday location with hire boats galore particularly at this time of the year plus numerous leisure craft. Along the way we have had some great experiences and some not so good as reported in earlier blogs but for sure it is a “have to visit and see” for all canal boaters.

Our arrival in Toulouse aroused all sorts of thoughts as to what we would see and be able to do so planned to stay in the port for a week which while being an expensive place to berth, was very central, secure and where of course you get to meet many other boaters with common interests.

Rhonda's Comment: Just in case we did not know which way to go!!!!
This is art!!!!!!

Being such a huge city, we used our car, our scooter, our pushbike and of course our feet to get to cover as much of the area as we could. This city is a real mixture of really old as it was substantially built in the 15th century and onwards with a mixture of Spanish as well as French architecture and new. It is often referred to as the “pink town with the green waters of the Midi”. The pink is due to a predominant use of a slight pinkish mortar and/or render plus the bricks which also carry this tinge as well so it gives the city a warm or welcoming look in so many suburbs.

As it has huge university complexes with students attending from all over the world plus a very large itinerant population so many suburbs are just row after row, street after street of high-rise apartment buildings. They seem to go on forever. Despite the number of flats and apartments with so many people living in close proximity, we all noticed how quiet the areas were and if there were small children in these buildings they were not heard. So different from any similar development back in New Zealand.

In contrast to the old sectors of the city it is also a super modern city with ultra new thinking companies offering employment to some of the best brains in the world particularly in the aeronautical arena. Companies like Airbus, EADS European space research centre, Zodiac with so many of its subsidiaries and so on attract so many outstanding companies and those wishing to have access to staff and the latest facilities are also drawn to Toulouse making this the 4th biggest city in France.

Some of the building designs are quite breathtaking with a feeling that here, architecture has reached every boundary. You can spend days looking at the myriad of old churches and cathedrals (however I have to admit to now being churched out) as well as museums of every type. Old historic famous buildings, halls and libraries are also numerous and the city is softened by using some magnificent park complexes to break down the concrete jungle effect so morning strolls or cycling, which we did every day, are a real pleasure.

At regular intervals along the streets there are ranks where you can hire bicycles for a very cheap day rate so there are thousands of cyclists using them and making the most of the dedicated bicycle lanes which seem to be everywhere. The heart of the shopping district offers every choice of every product as you can imagine and as the shoppers generally appear to be comfortably off, the stores are quite busy.

On the darker side is the high numbers of homeless or rough living folk who beg on the streets and sleep in the parks or under the bridges or anywhere where they can find a cubby hole. Under one bridge we counted around a dozen sleeping in rags, blankets or cheap sleeping bags with their possessions strewn around them. It is surprising to see how many of them have dogs as company and maybe protection and most of them appear to be skinny but are loved by their owners in their own way. Drugs, like in most cities today is a major problem but as it is rare to see any police on foot anywhere, I guess society will have to put up with the results.

We had hoped to visit the Airbus plant as they run daily visitors tours through some of the buildings but as it is the main holiday month including school holiday time it is hard to get tickets to an English speaking tour so we will have to leave that treat for another time and as we will be wintering only some 6o kms from Toulouse in Moissac it will be something to look forward to. There are really too many attractions to list in detail here but rest assured that if any of you are intending to visit the area, allow at least a week to really get the feel of it.

Rhonda's Comment: Do you like my new car? Harry loves it!!!

While in Toulouse we joined a number of other boaters on the dock from our marina and had nibbles and drinks followed by a BBQ which was just great fun and we enjoyed the company of another Kiwi couple, Jan and John, (Paprika), Jill and Peter from South Africa (Angelique), Elaine and Tony also from South Africa (Dreamboat) and Keith and Louise from England (Saltire). So when all the food was added for all to eat it was a grand feast. The sausages we threw on our little bbq weren’t as good as they could have been but that was the cook’s fault. The cook just happened to be me.

Rhonda's Comment: We found a parking spot at the Gare (Railway Station)!!!!

On 11th August we moved off along the remaining few kilometres of the Canal du Midi which runs through the north western suburbs so it is unusual to be pottering along side a motorway or similar with all the traffic tearing past and at times we were at a higher level than the traffic as the canal was really a concrete trough type structure for quite some distance. We are now encountering down hill locks which are nice to manoeuvre through as they are automatic and straight sided so we can control our own speed etc.

There is little or no traffic on the canalat this time despite it being August holiday time and we have been told that west of Castelnaudary is not frequented like it is the other way so we can look forward to a nice quiet cruise by all accounts. We changed onto the Canal Lateral a la Garonne which as the name suggests runs parallel to the Garonne River which we will get onto after Moissac.

Rhonda's Comment: How about this for a cash crop - a field of hemp.

After 5 hours of pottering along and passing through 8 locks we had enough so pulled into the bank to rest and stay overnight. The weather has been perfect as far as I am concerned with beautiful fine warm days and nights but tomorrow we are supposed to get rain so who knows. Well the promised rain turned out to be a few light showers so we set off again for the 30 km journey to Montech which offers port facilities according to the Fluvial Guide but due to Somewhere’s size we have been forced to tie up outside the town without power or water but the town looks to be interesting enough for a couple of nights stay so we will go and look at some of the listed sights and see if they match up to the promotional material we have gathered.

On the way to Montech we saw one of the biggest motor vehicle disbursement yards I have ever seen. There were thousands of cars, vans and trucks of the main brands, Peugeot, Citroen and Renault all parked out in very neat rows over several hundred acres of tarmac yard with trucks loading up with vehicles for the dealers etc. If the holding stock levels are any indication of how the motor vehicle sales are going in France then I would hazard a guess that they are struggling.

Because of the more temperate weather experienced here the region is also a great fruit growing area and we saw some huge cool stores alongside the main road and rail links and on the other side of our canal, fantastic apple, nectarine and other fruit orchards are to be seen. Picking of the nectarines is in full swing and the fruit looks beautiful and is large and very juicy. Ones mouth watered as we pottered by in “Somewhere” and while we were tempted to stop, climb a fence and do an orchard raid (something I haven’t done for so many years) we were restrained by the looks on the picker’s faces so we will have to continue buying in the markets or shops.

As the area enjoyed some good rain a few weeks ago and is slightly behind the crops further east the Sunflowers are also still standing waiting the harvest time due next month so the colour is still vibrant and a delight to look over as it seems to go on forever in some places.

Montech came into being in 1134 when the town was constructed as a completely fortified village for protection of the local community and has prospered ever since. Apart from the old churches, museum and public halls, they have built a full roofed but open sided market building in the centre of town which is very busy a couple of days each week offering a large range of local produce and clothing etc.

One of the vital attractions to see should be the special canal which contains a water slope with a 3% incline to allow commercial boats only to negotiate a 13.30 metre change in the level of the canal and to replace 5 locks which are placed fairly close together. It is 443 m in length and the water is trapped then moved by a pair of rail tractors, one on each side pushing a dam type door behind the boat or boats inside retaining enough water to keep the boat/s afloat throughout the traverse. Sounds exciting so we are looking forward to seeing it working if at all possible but as there is so little commercial traffic we may miss it being used. Typical of a French design and build which is obviously very expensive to run and to maintain.

This town is cute and fills a real rural need but while we have enjoyed our couple of days here we will move on tomorrow to Castelsarrasin which is 22 kms away so we should be able to enjoy a bigger town and all it promises before we make the last leg to Moissac.

Ok, we arrived in Castelsarrasin after a really nice cruise along the canal which was almost deserted and as I mentioned earlier, being man-made, it is set in long straights so it was an easy trip and we arrived at lunchtime to get the last open berth alongside the quay with power and water for €2.50 per day. It is crazy that the variances in charges apply so much for this site is as good as it gets and the cost is really minimal. It is a port where the Maire (Mayors Office) take pride in what they have so the park like grounds running along side the waterway with a nice road with safe parking behind. There are many art features mounted on plinths plus the bridges and walkways are filled with the most magnificent tubs of glorious coloured flowers which are watered and fed every day.

At one end of the quay lies the large peniche “Rosa” which was made famous by Rick Stein in his video programme The French Odyssey which was a major factor in making us decide to take on our current way of life. Sadly after the programme was completed “Rosa” was left in a state of sad repair for a few years before another tour operator took her and cleaned her up and now operates her again as a small hotel boat on this section of the canals.

We have met some fellow bargees again whom we first met in Toulouse and who are working their way along similar canal paths as we are. Despite them being South African, Tony and Elaine are good fun and we hope to keep in touch with them as time goes by. We have also met up with Alan Filby “Nordland” who is single handily working his lovely 8m cruiser across this territory for about the 5th time. Alan is a real boatie from away back and has travelled most of the canals in France and has been out on the Mediterranean and despite losing his wife to cancer some 12 months ago has continued to push on regardless and has now met a new lady who will soon join him as company for the travels. I only refer to him as he is to be admired as a real adventurer despite the difficulties.
We wish him and Margaret all the very best in their new venture.

Today we travelled back by train to Toulouse (40mins) to pick up the car and to drive it to Castelsarrisan so on the way stopped off at one of the major supermarket chains called Carrefour’s who you would have seen much signage of as one of the major sponsors of the Tour de France. These supermarkets are superb so we shopped till we dropped or at least the bank balance did, however, we are fully vitalled for the next week at least.

After unloading we decided to motor to Moissac which is only some 8 kms from Castelsarrasin to meet the Capitaneries who will be looking after us for the winter period. They are an English couple, Iain and Kaz who seem to be very friendly and helpful and he is also a mechanic with a strong leaning in marine electrics so this could be of real value. The port is very nice and we believe we will be very happy here over winter so today we moved “Somewhere” down from Castelsarrasin which took 3 hours as there were 7 locks to negotiate but arrived in good spirit and here we are rested and relaxed and can explore the town over the next few days before we go towards Valence d’Agen which is the prune capitol of the world. We actually called there in 2008 while looking for MV “Whio” which is a Max Carter 20m barge built in New Zealand and shipped over for a syndicate of owners and while in the area we had the opportunity to visit her and to meet some of the Kiwi owners and this visit was another reason why we chose this way of life. It was only a brief stay then so we will sure make up for that this time around as it offers a lot to see and do.

At Moissac we have the benefit of being on the canal but can go out on the beautiful Tarn River to see some alternative landscapes and scenery. It is a nice size town/city which appears to have all the amenities we require for a long stay so that will be great for sure. I am sure we will have lots of tales to tell about the city, location and area as the months go by so will close for now with best wishes to you all from the south of France.

Locks for the season: 142

Kms for the season: 947

UP THE CANAL

2010-08-01T19:31:00.036+02:00

10th July 2010 to 31st July 2010

We have had a really lazy 12 days at Castelnaudary where we have stayed longer than planned but as the daily temps have been in the high 30’s and we had a great spot with our mooring right opposite the olympic swimming pool complex, the layover has been great. I have got a number of touch-up jobs completed and we have done some side trips in the car which has been nice.

We visited Revel which is a beaut town and is famous as the Meuble centre of France. We originally thought this must refer to marble work but in fact it is the manufacture of fine furniture so not only are the shops showing great displays of finished products but the factories allow visits so one can see first hand the artisans doing their work. For the woodworker it is something which should not be missed.

While there we visited a large lake which has been built up from its original size by the building of a very large dam wall so the lake not only supplies water to the whole of the Canal du Midi but is used for general water supply to the district and is a very popular leisure centre with yachting, canoeing, and swimming all taking place and while we were there stage settings etc were being erected in readiness for the Tour de France arrival and night stopover in a couple of days. While there are lots of restaurants alongside the road, the early arrival crowds sure made for relaxed seating so parking was at a premium, however, we fluked a park so were able to sit and watch the passing parade and then to enjoy a swim in the lake which was good for Harry too as he has also been feeling the heat despite his very short hair cut.

On the way back to the boat we were able to see the Obelisk which was erected in memory and thanks to Pierre Paul Riquet who was the dreamer and then the designer/ builder of the Canal du Midi which remains the engineering miracle of the 17th century. This canal gave access from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean as an inland waterway rather than having to go via Gibraltar etc. This started in 1667 with up to 12,000 men in service and when you consider the type and difficulty in construction through these mountains you sure can appreciate what an amazing feat it was to complete this 241 km waterway. Completion of the canal allowed shipping of the regions produce including wine and other crops in bulk to ocean ports ready for despatch to all corners of the world.

The other point of interest is the huge paddocks in this area of sunflowers which grow so well. With blooms up to the size of bread and butter plates this is a picture that will stay in our memories forever. Each plant only bears one flower head so it is imperative that the body of the plant is kept undamaged until harvesting when the seed from the flower head is pressed to extract the oil content.

As we were in the area for the Tour de France to pass through we decided to stay put for another day or so to witness the passing or should I say rushing through of the Tour so in readiness for our next move we shifted the car to Le Segala which is some 10ks further on only with 8 locks and returned on the scooter to the boat. It will take us most of one day to make this part of the trip.

We enjoyed getting up to the bridge to see firstly the “Caravan” which heads the Tour and consists of sponsors floats, cars and official vehicles. Some of them sell merchandise others have give-aways which are flung at the hordes waiting along the roadside. It is amazing to see so many vehicles set up in so many configurations in advertising format. I am sure there are more vehicles than there are cyclists who come roaring along about 30mins after the “Caravans”. They go past in about a minute and a half at speeds up to 50 kms and as quick as it started it is all over. We carried up our Kiwi flag and flew it with pride for Julian Dean (the only Kiwi taking part), however, he must have passed in the blur of the mass but we did get some good comments from other visitors including some from Hawaii and from Epsom in Auckland who came along to chat. We then returned to the boat to watch coverage of the mountain climb on TV. No sign of any coverage of our area but it may be in the highlights shown later today.

We are glad to have been able to witness this event but as a result I have hung my bike on the back of the boat, folded away my Lycra (yeah right) and will settle for the car or the motor scooter.

Having had all our energy sapped by the cyclists we waited until the next day before pushing on to the north-west. We pulled into a little village called Le Segala which is just so quiet it is unbelievable. We got a berth right against the pier with free electricity and water so set up “camp” and will stay a few days. We visited the only restaurant in town and had a lovely meal and then wandered the area to see what was what, which was really nothing apart from a very large terracotta pipe works at the rear of the town. It is amazing how these towns exist but as we have said before the French seem to work to live rather than follow as we have seemed to do and that is live to work and amass wealth if at all possible.

There are hundreds of cyclists who pass through each day as the tow paths are ideal cycling and walking tracks and it is not unusual when talking to some of them to find that they have cycled for 30 to 50kms with wife and kids in tow or on small bikes. The use of a towed trailer to carry the tent and supplies is also common. The weather being warm and fine with daylight still being available up to 9.30pm helps make this past-time a favourite among Europeans who have always cycled from when they were children.
We took the opportunity to take the car and visit Port Lauragais which has been redeveloped to become a summer sports centre where families can come to, to take part in almost every imaginable sport going from yachting to archery to boules. It is amazing that when there was money available it was used for all sorts of developments which are magnificent but when you consider that the period of use is little more than 10 weeks a year.

After another couple of (lazy) days which included going to Villefranche-de-Lauragais which services a huge farming area and has a very big market place operating on a Friday and has a huge supermarket where we topped up on all of our grocery needs. Later that day we watched the last main leg of the Tour de France to Bordeaux on TV and was thrilled to see Julian Dean come second in this leg after a brutal sprint to the finish.

In the evening we noticed a hum of sound from outside and upon going out to see what was what, we witnessed many of the towns folk playing Boules all over the street. It was 9.45pm and I suppose there would have been up to a hundred men women and children playing on their own (rinks) and enjoying the late summer sunset. At the local restaurant there was a two piece band adding to the general feeling of wellbeing and companionship which is something we seem to have long ago lost in our own communities. I guess we have been fortunate to witness so many different ways of life, some of which we like, some we don’t but in simple terms the French generally adhere to a way of life we have forgotten about.

Well it became time to move on so off we headed to Gardouch for an overnight stop only to meet up with a nice German couple who we had met briefly in Castelnaudary and Le Segala. They were having a couple of problems with their boat so we took them to Negra where the roving mechanic was based so he came back and fixed the problems and while at Le Segala we had him fix our shower which was giving intermittent problems when pumping out the water and showed me how to change the fuel filters etc so another day passed but we had a very pleasant evening with Ursula and Peter so it was not at all wasted.

Today being the 28th we moved from Gardouch to Negra which took about 3 hours going on the canal and through a few locks. We have tied up right next to the Loca-boat depot and this afternoon off-loaded the scooter and went back to Le Segala to get the car which Rhonda drove back to here. It took about 30 mins tops so this gives you a comparison on travel times for the two modes of transport. It has become really hot again and by 10.00 am you need to be out of the direct sun if possible so our large umbrella comes into great use.

Well as we have come over the top of the mountain, so to speak, we are heading down through the locks which is so much easier than going up hill and we will make it to Toulouse in the next week so I will close for now so Rhonda can add some photos for you to view.
Just a couple of things which may be of interest are a couple of drinks we have found to our taste:-
Panache, which is a light shandy and is bottled in 25 cl or 33 cl cans. It is a very pleasant drink with only 1.2% alcohol so can be consumed at any time.
Another which has become a favourite for me is the Lipton Iced Tea which comes in so many light flavours (mine is Peche ( Peach) and is available in 33 cl cans. So light yet so quenching and hits the right spot for sure.

Ok, take care of each other, we think of you all the time.

Kindest regards
Rhonda Ken and Harry

Kms for season: 851
Locks for season: 107

"CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN"

2010-07-14T20:00:00.013+02:00

1st July 2010 to 9th July, 2010

We talked in our last blog about facing the heap of locks between Carcassonne and Castelnaudary, some 23 in total and all with rounded sides and lock keepers who refuse to help unlike the eclusiers up north who will pick up a thrown rope if necessary and drop it over a bollard or similar.

Day one went ok despite having to develop a new system between Rhonda and me to ensure ropes were laid out ready for throwing as she had to get off the boat at a landing stage before each lock and then act as the catcher. She then had to place the ropes around bollards so I could drive against the taut ropes to get us into position and hold firm before the eclusiers would release the huge deluges of water to fill the lock.

After spending a very pleasant evening at Bram with a boatload of Australians we set off in good spirits ready to tackle the remaining 18 locks and all went pretty well until we had to stop and wait while the eclusier at one lock took his lunch break between 12.30 and 1.30pm and as a result we were joined by a hire boat getting into the lock at the same time as us. It was ok until they decided when they got ahead of us between locks to change their mooring side from port to starboard which we had got used to and had set our ropes accordingly. Well from then on it seemed as though every thing that could go wrong went wrong in minor ways but enough to be sapping our energy as temps were in the high 40s out on the concrete aprons where Rhonda would have to stand holding and often straining on a rope so by around 2.30 pm she was quite exhausted and experienced difficulties like jammed or even dropped ropes while I seemed to get into a bit of a bump the wall mode. Thank goodness for decent fenders.

We pushed on to Castelnaudary as all we wanted to do was get to somewhere where we could get a good berth and to shower, eat and relax and catch up on our energy levels plus collect the car from where we had parked it a few days ago. We got a berth right on the quay which is great except the fees are €30.00 a night for our size boat. (They rate us as a hotel boat due to our size). This is a far cry from the €10.00 per night at Carcassonne.

On top of the hefty fee, we were awakened at around 11.00pm by the start of a nightclub’s activities down the road with the usual mindless bass sound thumping so hard the vibrations actually shook the boat. None of the moored boaties (about 30) were at all impressed and even our best efforts to lock out the sound by closing all our double glazed windows was only partially successful and then on top of that at around 1.00am we received two phone calls plus texts from Daphne and Claude our friends (who needs friends like this at this time of the morning, as the saying goes, only joking) who had just returned from staying with us to New Zealand. They must have miscalculated the time difference. Then my brother Russ, decided as he had had a nice lie in, in New Zealand and as it was a cold miserable day he would call for a chat at 1.30 am our time. As much as I love him dearly I could have placed his phone in a very difficult to find position as he said OH well I thought you would be awake at this time.

Another hour to get to sleep but then we awoke to a nice day (not so hot) found the car to be safe and sound so took a drive out into the country to see the “wine trees” (vineyards) as one of the tour guides called them when doing commentary on one of Daphne and Claude’s day trips around Carcassonne.

I know we have commented in other blogs about the size of the areas of vineyards in this country but when you consider we have been barging through France now for almost 18 months, I don’t think we have ever not been able to look out of the boat and not see vineyards for as far as the eye can see. No wonder the French are touchy about statements about wine quality from other countries. They are however pulling out lots of vines and replanting with new varieties plus a smaller type which are easy to harvest using automatic picking machines as the cost of labour is creating problems from a financial point.

The only real changes we see to the views over the vineyards are over the crops of wheat, oats, barley and rye which are now getting ready to be harvested and the golden colours look great and soon the sun flowers will be reaching maturity and opening up which will be an amazing sight for sure. Further north of course the mustard crops will be reaching harvesting state so yellow will be a dominating colour of the landscape.

During our drive, we came across one of the major camps (Western Division) of the famous French Foreign Legion. The camp size, apart from being extremely well secured, is huge and has within its grounds so many very large buildings and right in the centre is set a beautiful chateau which is one of the nicest we have seen. I guess all the cleaning and maintenance is carried out by naughty soldiers. It is not uncommon to see numbers of non smiling steely looking soldiers dressed in their smart uniform and wearing the pillbox hats around the local streets and they sure look the part and conjure up images of desert fighting in North Africa as they were so well known for in post war years.

The other thing that Castelnaudary is famous for is the Cassoulet Dish which essentially is made from very cheap meat cuts stewed slowly and has lots of beans and other vegetables added and is a staple part of the local’s diet.

We then moved “Somewhere” through the canal to above one of the bridges, we decided to stay put here in Castelnaudary along with some other boats. Despite there not being any power to hook into and water that we are able to draw from a drinking fountain into our 5 Litre containers is some 70 meters away, we are right opposite a great swimming pool complex (Piscine) where us oldies are allowed in for €1.70. With the temps now reaching the high 30’s, at least we are able to go and spend some time in the big pool, 50m x 2m deep and an inside pool 25m by 1m deep. Even with my shoulder damage, I have slowly been able to increase my swimming distance capability to where I am feeling pretty good.

Slowly I have been doing some paint touch up from my rubbing on walls etc, so the boat is starting to look pristine again. We will move on from here to face the last lot of climbing locks on our way to Toulouse in the near future as we look forward to having the Bastille Day Celebrations and the Tour de France cyclists will pass within 80mtrs of our boat so we don’t want to miss these amazing spectacles.

With the northern summer holidays about to descend upon us we will be faced with hundreds of holiday boats on the canals manned mostly by first timers so we will have to keep a close watch out and be patient… Yeah right.

Thanks to those of you who responded to our last blog with news snippets from home. It is sure good to hear from you.

Take care and be good to each other.

Kindest regards
Ken, Rhonda and Harry

Locks this season: 91
Kms this season: 820

SUMMER IS HERE ...... AT LAST

2010-07-05T17:27:00.041+02:00

7th June 2010 to 1st July 2010

With the arrival of Daphne and Claude (our friends from New Zealand) and a quiet night in Beziers, we headed off westward on the Canal du Midi and after getting through one lock and seemingly well placed to get to the stair locks (6 in a row) we found ourselves in behind 5 rentals awaiting to attack the climb. We “rested” alongside the bank awaiting our turn only to be gazumped by some commercial passenger barges which had left Beziers after us but caught up and as such are given priority over cruisers like us, so we spent 1.5 hours waiting in the heat for our turn. Not much fun I can assure you.

When our turn came we entered the first holding lock but then they added a rental boat which is light and bobbed and banged all over the place but we got sorted and began our stepping up procedure. It is an amazing sight as you look up some 21 meters from the bottom at all these gates ahead and when they open them (one at a time of course) the water flow coming over the sill looks like a waterfall of some reasonably large proportion and this of course pushes any boats back and forth within the lock so it is a case of having tight lines which need adjusting as the water level rapidly rises along with the engine in gear to help counteract the push and pull of the water rush. I think everyone finds muscles that they had forgotten existed until this set of exercises was completed.

The canal from here on meanders through some beautiful countryside with a mixture of vineyards and crops of barley, oats and wheat spread out over the vales etc. It is a very pleasant vista for sure, however, the canal really gets a lot wind so with lots of tight turns a good watch out is required as traffic coming the other way is “on you” before you may realise it is near and as so many are rental/hire boats with skippers perhaps experiencing their first ever boating experience, seeing boats diving for the safety of being close to the bank is not uncommon.

At one point it is necessary to go through a tunnel which is well lit and almost seems to be painted in lime and while it is only 150 meters long, again you have to be wary of the hire boats trying to enter the tunnel from the other end as you make your way through so there is a bit of horn blowing and then you are away again.

It is in this area where the listed “LOW” and “NARROW” bridges over the canal are situated so it is always a talking point with whomever, that the question arises, “are we able to get through without dismantling the wheelhouse”. This is quite a common action in boats like ours as the wheel house is hinged but it takes about an hour to dismantle and then reinstate again so we were delighted that when I gambled on “having a go” as I judged that we could just get through the lowest bridge in France, we did so with about 100mm to spare in height and not much more in width as the bridges are arc shaped so you need to be really square on when going through, so far all is good and I feel really proud of our achievements. The crew took a few minutes to start breathing again though I can assure you.

We stopped over in Capestang tied to the bank as there were no berths left in the town marina, however, this is a nice little town and we will call there again. Found a really quaint restaurant down one of the back streets and sat outside in the courtyard having our evening meal.

Rhonda's Comments: And Harry comes too.

Other pretty stops were had along the way in places such as Homps, Laredorte, Marseillette and Trebes which was a particularly pretty place. We just had to cross the road to the restaurant to dine as the photo shows. Ken took Harry for his walk and right in front of the boat he spotted what was in the photo below!!!! They were huge, mother and son!!!!

We again travelled through pleasant country surroundings and only faced one series of locks which turned out to be a difficult period as when we neared it a hire boat loaded with Belgium folk over took us but then slowed when they realised there was a lock ahead and the gates were closed so they swung to the bank taking up the middle of the resting dock which meant we could only get our nose onto the dock to tie to while we waited for the lock to unload its 3 boats and to allow us in.

As a rule we should have gone first being the bigger boat of the group but they proceeded to go first and this would have been alright except they blocked the entry and so almost as we were going in the eclusier waved us back. Well to stop 45 tonnes of boat plus reverse out with water pouring down around our bow is not easy and I knew there was room for us if the other boat just moved a meter or so to allow us the space. After telling the eclusier I was not happy with her performance or that of the other boat skipper and crew she then waved us in so using our superior weight we moved the other boat slightly so we could slip in to the side which was fine until we all realised that the forwardhand on the other boat had not taken the bow rope around the bollard so that boat was on the loose for a minute or two. No damage done however but as the lock finished filling the other skipper asked us to go out first as he was not confident to carry out the required manoeuvre. We did so without incident but shortly after he tooted us and overtook us and off he went on his way. God help other boaters he comes across along the way.

Well to say the next day was trying is an understatement and turned out to be the most unpleasant day we have had since taking over our barge thanks to 4 boatloads of very rude Swiss who like the Belgiums the day before wanted to push in at the lock and while we waved in one boat to total 3 in it, they wanted to get a fourth in which was impossible and then the shouting and abuse followed.

Because they were part of a family, or so they said, they told us in no uncertain terms what we should do right to the stage of swearing and abusing Rhonda who was standing on the bow. I suggested that they learn some manners and some marine courtesy so they turned on me with all sorts of threats which the eclusier (lock keeper) chose to ignore and just opened the sluices so 3 boats bounced and banged about and this carried on for 3 further locks until we had put some space between us. Very upsetting as almost everyone is usually so helpful and obliging and it is sad when this happens and spoils the standard.

The locks on this part of the Midi are difficult for us being 21m to use really, as they are oval shaped so to tie up means you are spanning the arc and the eclusiers, unlike those from further north, will not even pick up a rope thrown and put it over a bollard so it is not easy to hold in position when the water rush roars down. By the end of the day we are all tired so the arrival in Carcassonne was a welcome stop as we had space reserved for us for a week stopover. This is the city which is dominated by the immense castle which can be seen for miles and overlooks the whole city and surrounds and looks like something from a fairy story.

We took the bus up to the castle the next day as it was finer weather than we had been having for the previous few days. This is really a castle from fairy stories and it has to be visited to really appreciate its size and structure. While it was started as a fort in around 600AD it has been developed ever since by occupying and/or defending peoples over the past 2500 years. From a Gallo-Roman enclosure originally to the dominance of the area by the Cathar religion in the 12th Century to the 18th Century when the town was rebuilt again.

It was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997 so is now a very busy tourist destination as you can imagine. The town below it is referred to as the Lower City and is reasonably modern with all sorts of shopping outlets to serve the 45,000 inhabitants plus the influx particularly in summer of the tourists. The public transport is vey good ranging from some free buses to coaches running up to the castle to mini train rides which travel around the castle base and which are ideal for photography of the huge walls and turrets etc. It is a location which needs several visits to see all it has to offer as you will see from the pics it is a very large and sprawling structure.

Rhonda's Comments: Cassoulet was on the menu.

As the weather while being fine was cool, Rhonda and I took the opportunity to jump on the TGV (fast train) to Dijon (speeds of up to 225 kph). A most comfortable ride was experienced in these clean well appointed carriages with no rattle or rolling like the trains from back home in New Zealand and then we changed onto the local commuter train from Dijon to Saint Jean-de-Losne where we picked up our car from where we had left it.

After some difficulty in getting it started we got everything into place and after calling on our friends Paul and Maralyn from “Lazy Heron” who had kept an eye on it, we headed for home or back to “Somewhere” as it is our home.

We had left Daphne and Claude aboard looking after things including Harry so put an hours travel under our belt before stopping over at a motorway hotel for a feed and a sleep but were up at 6.30 am and set off again and got back to the boat at around 2.30 pm. To have travelled the 635 kms in 6 hours just gives some idea of how good the motorway/expressway roads are and while tolls do exist in France at least, the travel with less traffic and virtually no hold ups is wonderful. The traffic generally flows at around 110 kph with open areas allowing travel up to 130 kph and not a traffic cop to be seen.

Over the next few days we took side trips from Carcassonne to a number of towns in a 30 km radius to view the wine growing areas and historic towns like Montolieu (known as the Village of Books) which now owes its existence to the fact that there are at least a dozen book shops which specialise in ‘ancient’ books of every imaginable subject from poetry to war history and news papers which were printed prior to and including WW2 with some being in English. Just the ideal place to spend a winter weekend allowing long browsing etc. There is even a museum which specialises in calligraphy; we also visited a Cave pronounced “carve” by the French which means a selling place for a variety of wines.

Rhonda's Comments: Another morning tea.

Because of our close location to the city square with all its shops we were spoiled by Daphne who seemed to delight in ducking over to one of the nearby bakeries or buying McDonald’s chocolate sundaes to top us off at the close of the day. I think I have put on several kilos so until I can blame anybody else, Daphne plus her cooking will have to do.

We received an email from Kerry and Liz who had left us a couple of weeks previous to go to Barcelona, to say they were in Sete which was one of the towns we had spoken of as really needing another visit so off we went to this great town some 1.5 hours drive from here and caught up with them for lunch at a canal side restaurant.

I had commented in my earlier blog as to how fascinating this great fishing port was and despite the number and the size of the trawlers coming right up the canal to offload their catches, there was little or no smell and the water was clear.

After a delightful lunch we took Daphne and Claude up to the top of Mont Clair which offers the wonderful views over Sete and beyond over Etang de Thau, the inland sea which we had travelled through on “Somewhere” some number of weeks ago. You may recall I reported that Rhonda and I had previously attempted to get to the top of this mountain on our scooter only to run out of steam some distance from the peak so we were delighted to at last get the total vista.

We returned home by another route which ran us for some miles right along the coast of the ‘Med’ and as the weather had suddenly gone from cool temps to 30 degrees plus, the locals and tourists were out in their thousands spread for 15 kms or more along the beach. With the bright sparkling waters of the ‘Med’ meeting the lovely white or golden sand, it was sure a tempting place to visit and stopover. No wonder there are so many caravan parks set across the road from the beach with all the facilities you could think of or require.

As it was Daphne and Claude’s last day with us, we went up to the castle again but in the evening to see it lit with all the special lighting they have set up. We agreed to have dinner there which was nice but as it doesn’t get dark until well after 10 pm it was a long wait to get our pics and then head home for a good nights sleep.

With their departure at noon the next day and with Liz and Kerry arriving by train at 3.30 we rushed through and got the boat ready then picked them up and had drinks and a nice BBQ as we had found a butcher who cut these huge pork chops to the way we wanted them so apart from them being as big as their dinner plates, they were beautiful and Harry sure enjoyed the leftovers. Meat is very expensive here and can cost up to E 37.00 a kilo for decent steak or pork etc so to have such great chops as these were with so little waste was a delight.

Rhonda's Comments: The bodies beautiful!!!

With the temps climbing through the high 30’s we decided that swimming would be the go so off we went to a local lake (lac) where great swimming facilities are provided ranging from a kiddy netted area to swim lanes etc and over looked by a lifeguard service with lots of areas set aside for family gatherings and picnics so with the heat as it was, under every tree seemed to be a resting spot.

As we were all pretty satisfied foodwise after a substantial lunch in town I asked Rhonda to make toasted sandwiches for a late tea thinking this would be a simple easy meal for us to enjoy up on the top deck. While Kerry and I sat up there enjoying the cooler late afternoon air and having the odd glass of wine, Rhonda was slaving over the hot stove below melting into a sweat blob unbeknown to us so when the food was delivered and it was great eating, I sure got told what I could do if I requested this sort of food again when the weather was so hot. I tried to blame Kerry and Liz but to no avail so I am still hearing about it. Never mind like the great time we had with Daphne and Claude, we thoroughly enjoyed having Liz and Kerry back on board even if it was only for a couple of extra days so sadly we waved them goodbye at the Gare (railway station) as they departed for Dijon then onto Paris.

We have been so lucky to have had such good folk as these two couples aboard which makes the shared time go so well and to be able to catch up on old times etc just fills in so many gaps and as I have said so many times, it is so easy to allow the years slip by and to have only very limited contact with so many friends. We need to make the most of any opportunity to get together whenever we can.

Well this closes this blog except to say that after the guests had left we drove the car up to Castelnaudray ready for when we get the boat up to there. It took 30 mins in the car and 25 in the train. So what, you may say. Well it will take us a full 2 days in the boat due to the fact that we face 23 locks some of which are doubles and some are triples with one set of quads.

As stated earlier in regard to the difficulty of these locks, we now have to change our whole routine with Rhonda having to get off the boat onto a landing platform which is generally 100m from the lock and walk up and wait ready as I bring the boat in. I then from the wheelhouse throw a mid-rope up to Rhonda to place it around a bollard then drop it back to me so I can tie off or at least control the boats vicinity to the wall. Then we have the bow rope lying along the walkway back to the wheelhouse where I throw it up to her to use to control the front of the boat as the water rushes in. It is only on this Canal du Midi where the eclusiers do nothing other than operate the electrics of the lock, hence why you have to have your own crew up on the lock side. It is not easy for two people to do all of this with a 45 tonne boat but we have learned new skills and ways to attack the difficulties and stretched even more muscles so it can’t all be bad.

Just to finish off, we met 6 Australians who were on a hire boat for the first time and were having a great time together. Mates from away back, when for whatever reason they had all lived in the north of West Australia almost next to the Northern Territory border. They had kept contact and were truly pals in every sense. What a great crowd they were and as it was one of the Steves birthdays (two Steves on board) we enjoyed a birthday cake, a few drinks and some great nibbles with them on the canal bank as the sun set. Great company and we do hope we will meet up with them again one day.

Anyhow, enough of that for now and I will continue in our next blog to let you know how we coped with our journey through all these mongrel locks.

Take care of each other and make the most of what you have as tomorrow it may be gone in a flash.

For those folk wishing to write to us, our postal address for the next 8 months will be.
C/-Noble Marine
Port de Plaisance
Quai Charles de Gaulle
82200 Moissac
France.

And we do love getting mail just like we enjoy opening our emails to read messages from you.

Locks this season: 73
Kms this season: 803

MEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURES

2010-06-09T14:56:00.025+02:00

23 May 2010 to 6 June 2010

As we advised in our last blog, we arrived in the town of Agde which carries the Canal du Midi through one side while having a short canal which opens to the Mediterranean so you have a choice of making your way to the sea or just mooring up in a direct route, ready to carry you on towards the west and which will eventually lead you inland away from the coast altogether. We chose the latter way so after some bargaining with the local “Capitain” we got a mooring where we could get a load of fresh water, this being the vital commodity in these areas as so many places do not provide fresh drinking water now for some reason so you grab it while and where you can.

The town of Adge is another of those quaint towns which was founded by fishermen so straddles the waterway offering marine services, some of which are excellent we are told plus a variety of shops and restaurants galore. As we had walked into town for a look about we decided to have an evening meal there and went looking for a suitable eating house. Choice was not a problem but finding one which would serve food before 7.30pm was. It is odd to see them open but will only sell drinks until “opening time” so we must have visited 12 or so before we found one prepared to give us an early meal. This was a floating barge anchored to the quay by long stainless steel poles, beautifully decorated and serviced by some great staff.

Rhonda's Comments: This whole building was covered in this moissac.

We had an enjoyable meal and watched the sun setting while watching a local fisherman running his small but modern boat up the canal dropping off fine mesh nets of up to a hundred meters in length then scurrying away so don’t know what time span he would follow before returning to collect them, but I was surprised that in such a narrow waterway he would be allowed to fish like that. Oh well this is France.

Rhonda's Comments: The poppy fields are so beautiful and now the lavender is coming out too.

Next day we lazed about, did some shopping and planned to have a quiet night when the “Capitain” came and told us at 2.30pm that we had to leave as the space we had occupied was really for one of his rental vessels which would be back soon. With no other mooring points available in the whole local area at this time we were a bit miffed as you can imagine. We had to get the scooter loaded. Roll up water hoses and mooring ropes, pack the boat and set off.

Well he did us a favour really as about 4 kms further on we came to a beautiful clearing along the bank to a berthing spot offering water and electricity. We took one of the free spots and hooked up to the power and water facilities and waited for someone to call looking for money but so far (day 4) no-one has turned up, so we will probably make a call to the Mayor’s office and tender some money in return for this great service. It is just a beautiful spot and the town of Vias is only 1.5kms away so it was easy to cycle into there for shopping etc and yesterday to go there again to the big market day. Just near us is a very large amusement park (not yet opened for the season) plus a waterpark (which is open) as there are two big camping and cabin grounds located on both sides of the road nearby.

By heading the opposite way from the town for 1.5kms you arrive at Vias-Plage, the local beach which is stunning on a good day as the Mediterranean just sparkles and the water is clear and clean with absolutely no surf but ideal conditions for families with small children. Leading down to the Plage (beach) there is a parade of typical tourist shops and restaurants. I guess there must be close to one hundred restaurants serving a variety of foods and of which Moules and Frites (mussels and chips) is a huge seller and which get busy at lunchtimes for sure, but we wondered what happens when winter comes along.

The other oddity we felt was that there are no changing sheds or showers to be seen and to serve the throngs of holiday makers there is only one block of 5 toilets and these are set about 100 meters from the beach. Having said this I have to say that the beach is of really nice sand and is obviously cleaned each day and as there is no surf the beach is scalloped into little bays with stone groins protruding out to sea thus giving separate swimming areas for users’ choice. I chose to have a swim and while it was FRESH it was good to feel that I have at last dipped into the Mediterranean waters. I hope it won’t be the last.

Before returning to the boat we spoke to a young man who was serving in a clothing store and spoke excellent English as he had spent a few years in London as a tour guide to Europe. He spoke 5 languages well which he said was vital to be able to get such a job but in the past few years had chosen to work in the seaside town of Vias-Plage. When questioned how business was going as it seemed to be so busy he said that in June, July, August they get 160,000 people per week through the town all heading for the beach and the restaurants. He said that his position called for him to work 7 days a week from 9 am to 7.0pm for 8 months of the year then to take off 4 months, no pay just off time so some folk sure have to work hard.

The wind which has bedevilled us for weeks now has died away to a gentle breeze so this adds to the attractiveness of the area so the sun is beating down and we are headed for 30 degree plus temperatures soon. Yeah.

Next day we decided to push on so reluctantly left Vias for a relative short jaunt up the Canal du Midi to another delightful town called Villeneuve-les-Beziers where we moored right up against the pier in the main street. Across the road to the local Cave (wine merchant) where we topped up with the vital stuff before heading off to the local supermarket. A pleasant early evening was spent sitting on Jean and Roger’s boat Topaz 6 sipping a quiet drink watching the sun set. Life can’t be too bad for sure.

I have to mention that at one point we had to go into a lock which was a bit difficult but we handled it ok but of course it had to be the time for an organised cycling event chose to stop for a cold drink and a breather and to watch proceedings. There were at least 150 of these cyclists all standing photographing us and watching every move and making comments which we could not understand of course (maybe just as well). It was a spectacle we had not encountered before and when we had gone through the lock, they all took off beside us along the tow path of the canal waving and some hooting. Quite an event.

Early this morning, we decided to leave and head for Beziers where we will stay awaiting our pals arrival tomorrow before heading off again. Liz and Kerry are from Napier in New Zealand and have been holidaying in all sorts of places like Hong Kong, Italy, Holland and now France with us before moving on in a week’s time. What great stories and memories they will have.

As it was only a couple of easy hours travel along the canal to Beziers we were surprised to come through the last lock and find a huge pier area in the middle of the city but away from the shops where we can tie up and off-load the scooter and while there is no power we have found a water outlet hidden but believe we can tap it which will be nice so showers are the go again.

After a nice lunch Rhonda took off for a walk to recce the city by way of a free bus which is most convenient. It is not a pretty city but is a vital one for the region with manufacture and servicing of the agricultural sector which is so much a large part of the financial returns from the area. Harry and I caught up on a well needed nap and as the TV is working ok as we are away from the hundreds of thousands of plane trees which are planted at approx 6m intervals all the way along the Canal du Midi which look fabulous but play merry hell with the TV reception, so we have not had Corrie St for a week or anything else either apart from the odd video we have been able to borrow. It is kind of neat to now get the BBC and Sky news and to catch up on the rugby as well. This is the main area for rugby union in all of France but as it is summer we won’t get to see any for a while yet.

Our friends Kerry and Liz Anderson arrived the next day and as they could only stay for a limited period, we decided to go back over some of the way which we had come from as we knew that area would be of some interest to them so we had a truly wonderful 6 days despite some windy weather and not so hot days.

Kerry and Liz who had been travelling for about 3 weeks prior to arriving in France were pretty tired by the time they reached us and despite their claims that they would probably not sleep too well, slept all night every night with some great nana naps in the day time as well. Just goes to show what puttering along these canals can do for ones state of mind.

Rhonda's Comments: Friends back together again after all these years.

Rhonda's Comments: This was only their entree!! and Liz doing her "Titanic" impression.

On our return to Beziers we caught a local free bus which takes you to the markets and centre of the city. Despite it having a large population of over 60 thousand it is a drab city and apart from the market area and one main tree lined street or boulevard, it offers very little else to take the visitors attention so we will move on soon. We shared some great food, wine and lots of laughs with Liz and Kerry over the past 6 days so were really sad to see them head off towards Carcassonne and then onto Barcelona on the train. Unfortunately, we have just heard that Kerry has taken ill with suspected kidney stones so is laid up in their hotel in Carcassonne, so we sure hope that problem gets sorted quickly and completely.

Next day, our old friends Daphne and Claude also from New Zealand and who had spent a month on board with us last summer arrived from Paris by train for a 3 week stay so we will head off tomorrow which includes going up through a set of six locks which are all joined together like steps to get to the top of a 13.6m rise in water levels so will be a tester for all as we head west on our adventure. The weather is nice and warm 30 degrees, no wind at last and clear blue skies. Yeah

We will report further as the journey unfolds. Take care of each other, and enjoy.

Best wishes Ken, Rhonda and Harry

Locks this season: 33
Kms this season: 674

THE MEDITERRANEAN BECKONS

2010-05-21T21:34:00.041+02:00

From 7th May 2010 to 20th May 2010

Time ticks by and as they say, it never waits for man or beast so we decided we had better get moving from our little haven near St Gilles where we had spent 9 nights in the quiet of a canal surrounded by bush and grass so it was really relaxing although we did spend a lot of time doing our Spring Cleaning before our special guests start arriving at the end of the month. The weather did take a drop sadly with heavy winds and rain and cooler temperatures so we missed seeing some of the wonders of the delta which empties the rivers and canals and retains the biggest wetland area in France.

Rhonda's Comments: Another work of art!!!!

We did see a few of the famous white horses which run wild through this huge area and can only imagine how grand they must look in fine sunny conditions. The wild bulls are plentiful in the same area and the birdlife is amazing even in this weather. Thousands of birds of all types and sizes migrate to this area to breed so you see the sky almost turn black from the huge numbers of swallows and other dark coloured birds flying among them plus there are many what we call herons in New Zealand which really stand out due to the whiteness of their plumage.

In the sunshine of the second day of travel we noticed hundreds of lorikeet size birds which appeared as though they were making nests along the canal edge. They were coloured brilliantly as they carried red, black and yellow colours on there underside plus between the wings from the top view they display a beautiful blue colour which makes them one of the prettiest small birds I have ever seen. As this is such an area where saltwater is contained in the delta it is also the area where salt is a major part of the commerce so pyramids of the glistening stuff can be seen in the distance.

Rhonda's Comments: We had a hitch hiker.

We were not to see any of the famous pink Flamingos today, however, we are assured we will see some over the days ahead when we move on from Aigues-Mortes after two days moored along side this walled town. Built in the 12th century as a fort to assist the crusade troops when on their way to and from Jerusalem, the town has stood in fine form really since those times and even a set of the original wooden gates still stand at one of the gateways. Inside the walls is the main shopping centre with numerous stalls and market areas as well as art galleries and tourist shops and to see the old homes which are mainly in good order is a credit to the residents and authorities. Outside the walls is mainly residential apart from the industrial estates which are based further out of the town.

The port is right along side one of the walls so at night when the walls are lit, is a great sight. The port is quite large with a neverending flow of tourist boats coming and going so finding a berth can be difficult and expensive at €40.00 per night for our size boat. We went out to eat last night for Mother’s Day and sat in a nice comfortable restaurant (with Harry under the table of course) and chose some of the local fare to see how we liked it. The salads as an entrée were stunning with lots of mixed vegetables and some fruit including grapefruit on top. We foolishly had ordered a pizza as well, so had to really struggle to get through half of this as it was large and again loaded with beautiful cheeses, tomatoes, ham ,etc. A good night out and a real treat for Rhonda not having to prepare a meal for a change.

Today, Monday, we have been over to the walled town to wander about in typical tourist fashion looking at all the gifts and artefacts and at the art galleries where so many artists have displays and as the sun has come out and the temperature has risen we prepare to take off tomorrow along the Canal Rhone a Sete towards Carnon where we are told there is some great scenery so will bring you updates once we have covered some more miles.

Rhonda's Comments: Got fingers caught in the cookie jar!!!!

Well, talk about a night of drama as at around 11.30pm Harry decided to let me know he wanted to go out by jumping up onto the bed and onto my legs. How he has developed this act I don’t know but of course on the 3 or 4 occasion he has done it, I have responded so again I got up and opened the door for him to go out for a run in the car park and grassed area. While I was getting a coat to wear as it was spitting rain and there was a touch of thunder I presumed he would just run around on the grassed area as was normal until I caught up. After 3 or 4 minutes he had not returned so after calling him without result I took a torch and went out also telling Rhonda she had better get up and come and look as this was a real rarity for him to not answer a call.

We spent the best part of an hour wandering around the area calling and whistling him, looking in the water and under parked cars etc. To be honest we got really frantic as we had no idea of where next to look, so I was about to get the bike off the back of the boat to maybe go out onto the roads in the thought that I might find him. All of a sudden Rhonda called out to say he had appeared out of the darkness all of a sudden and short of breath so we don’t have any idea of where or what he did but we were sure delighted to get him back. We still can’t understand what would make him do this as it was completely out of character.

A fitful night’s sleep followed, however, we decided to get underway in the morning and lo and behold Harry did his disappearing trick again as we were getting the boat ready to depart for about 20 minutes before he came back all of a shiver so we guessed something had been wrong with him and sure enough he showed continuing signs of dysentery and gripes, however, thankfully that has now passed so hope we don’t have any more of that problem.

Once underway along the passage which is a very straight canal cut of around 15 kms near to the coast, it is amazing to be travelling along on a waterway with water just meters away on both sides of the canal. This area of inland sea and swamp area covers some 13,000 hectares which is amazing and is a favourite location for fishermen and leisure seekers not to mention the resting and nesting places for the millions of sea birds which use it either in their migratory travels or as a permanent home. It was while travelling through this area we were able to see the huge number of pink flamingos who just delight in using these waterways for wading and feeding. While they were too far away for good photographs we a were able to see the colours and when they flew the pink colours almost appear scarlet on their wings so we hope to get some close up photos before we leave this amazing area.

We have moored up in the canal outside the tourist resort town of Pavalas-les-Flots which sits almost on a Mediterranean beach and was once just a simple fishing village but was developed some years ago when the “smart money boys” determined that this could be a resort area so they dug out the mosquito swamps and just like the Gold Coast in Australia, went flat out building heaps of multiplex apartment blocks up to about 6 or 8 storeys. While it must have enjoyed a huge boom period it all now looks a bit tired and jaded and seems to have no heart so the Casino and the huge yacht basin are the centrepoints along with hundreds of restaurants, so many still with closed doors.

It is noted as being where the sport of Sea Jousting was founded by the Crusaders while waiting to move onto Palestine etc so regular competitions are held during the summer months engaging with teams from all along this coast. In earlier blogs we have shown photos of some enactments taking place and enjoyed watching the skills which these young fellows have developed.

The fishing boats still come into the town right alongside the main street to sell their catch each morning so the choice of variety and fresh fare is readily available. A walk around the marina which is huge, with yachts, launches and up to gin palace sized craft from almost every port in the world.

Looking out onto the Mediterranean is pleasant to say the least but the beaches are somewhat of a crushed gravel dust mix so I have to say I was not greatly impressed by it all. Some 15 kms away is the main city of Montpellier being the financial and business centre for the area but we don’t have the time to visit this city at this time.

Rhonda's Comments: What no food and an empty glass!!!!

With the weather seemingly to be improving again, we were able to get the scooter off and to go to the supermarket for refurbishment of food and drink then went into town for a calamari meal which we had so looked forward to. The service and presentation was really good, however, the calamari while being fresh was not up to the standard of Swashbucklers back in Auckland nor Doyles in Sydney. It was cooked carrying too much batter which soon left the remains tasting greasy and soggy but that is the way they do it so we had better look more carefully in future.

Anyway, as the weather has decided to turn to a more autumn feeling than should be for this part of the world, we pushed on to get through the bridge way which closes off the canal apart from two openings per day (8.30am and 4.0 pm) headed to the town of Frontignan which is the step before Sete where you have to decide if the conditions are suitable to cross the E’tang de Thau which is another inland sea protected only by a shingle bank from the Mediterranean but which is large enough for conditions to become very rough at times for the shallow, flat bottomed type craft of which most leisure barges are designed, to cross or to wait for conditions to improve. We will wait in Frontignan for a couple of days as there is a large open market here tomorrow, Saturday and parades etc on Sunday.

Today, Saturday, we visited the local markets which I have to say have been the best that we have seen since being in France with lots of variety of food and clothing and at very competitive prices for a change. The whole central area of the town is adorned with stalls and tents selling anything that the vendors believe they can make a profit from.

After lunch we took the scooter and set off for Sete which is about 12 kms from here. It is this city which controls the passageway across the E’tang de Thau. This sea is filled with oyster farms so once you have decided that you will enter this sea, it is imperative that you follow closely the marks and don’t venture too close to the farms nor too far the other way and become beached. In bad weather conditions the wind can push you into dangerous positions so it was good to see what faced us before venturing across.

The city of Sete is a huge port (the second largest fishing port on the Med) with a population of over 43,000 and in the port you will see the biggest range of trawlers and fishing boats possible. From Purse Seiners of up to at least 80 meters in length to the humble coastal fishing boats which hunt for local fish including calamari which is a great favourite of the locals and visitors alike.

While it is set right on the Mediterranean coast it also embraces some quite large hills up to 1500 feet at its western side so a trip up them gives great views over the city and area and a look at a different type of architecture of the homes etc. It is very steep but we took it on with the two of us on the scooter and almost made it to the top before the steepness plus the weight carried forced us to turn around and descend. We were really surprised, however, to see the number of folk cycling or walking up including a number of elderly residents. We wondered how all the residents used to manage this arduous climb before motor cars came along.

The view out across the Mediterranean is really good and gives a better perspective of just how big that sea is. Upon our return to Frontignan we received a call from our pal Jo who was going to drive our car down to us from Saint Jean-de-Losne, some 500 kms back, to say it would not start so “back to the garage”. What a lemon I seem to have bought but as we have already spent so much on it, we feel we should probably hold on to it in the hope that it can be simply fixed as we hopefully have done all that needs to be done to ensure it keeps going in future. Time will tell but we now need to work out another plan of how to get it down to here.

At least the weather has warmed and the skies are clear, however, the winds are blustery so we can’t attempt to cross the E’tang de Thau until it has quietened down, so fingers crossed for next week. Tomorrow we will see the parades and festivities which are going to be an all day happening so that should be interesting.

Well, Parade Day came and went in true French fashion. In the morning the market square became a selling yard for new cars. Displays by all the local and regional dealers were there for potential buyers to inspect and later in the day we waited for the Parade and sure enough at 5.0pm we heard an array of brass band music nearing and in the most shambolic format, bands strolled past accompanied by floats depicting things from Disneyland to whatever. The floats were loaded with children of almost every age and there seemed to be no control over them so they climbed and swung on and off the float trailers as they wished. Health and Safety in New Zealand or the UK would have had a heart attack I am sure. With gaps in the parade of up to 15 minutes and the floats being obviously of some vintage and tarted up for the occasion, we soon lost interest and joined some other boat folk for a vin or two.

Monday we spent getting ready to move on and took a couple of trips to the supermarket on the scooter shopping and getting our 20 litre drum filled with diesel for the generator and to ensure we had sufficient to cross the E’tang de Thau if the weather permits on Tuesday.

Ok, up and away as the weather looked pretty good and wind just light so we followed the canal to Sete but on the way we met our friends who had left our port at 6 am to beat the wind etc, coming back to say that the conditions were too rough for them, however, they have a smaller boat than “Somewhere” so we decided once we had seen the conditions out on the E’tang de Thau to push on. There was a light chop with whitecaps and the wind was strengthening but as we were to keep pretty close to the land on the windward side we crossed without incident taking 2 hours making the 12km passage.

It was unbelievable to see the endless miles of oyster farm racks for almost the whole distance and about a kilometre in breadth to the shore. No wonder this is the oyster capital of the world.

The fishing in the Mediterranean is quite startling when you consider that the French statistics alone state that there are some 15,000 tonnes of fish caught each year by amateur fishermen and 100,000 tonnes by the commercial trawlers etc of which due to quotas set on each type of fish caught almost 400,000 tonnes are thrown back and most of this is dead. Crazy isn’t it but the same thing happens in the UK and other E.U controlled countries and I am sure elsewhere in the world while so many people are starving.

After arriving at the end of the sea voyage we entered the Canal du Midi which at this point is a disgrace with hardly enough water under our keel for some reason, this canal which is like a local creek is jammed with all sorts of boats many of them just rotting hulks tied to the banks or home made jettys preventing passage craft to get to the so called marina and as we wanted water we were a bit peeved but pushed on and soon came to our first lock which then gave us access to the true canal which is tree lined, has a better width and depth so all looks more promising for our onward journey. We will stay in Agde and bring you more details of our voyage in a couple of weeks.

Best regards to all
Ken, Rhonda and Harry

Locks this season: 21

Kms this season: 620

RIDING THE RHONE

2010-05-03T10:34:00.038+02:00

Commencing 22/04/2010 to 3/04/2010

After a quiet night on the quay in the city of Lyon we awoke to another fine clear day
(talk about lucky) so while the nerves were jangling a bit following reports of some hell conditions which can be experienced on this river after it merges with the Saone doubling the volume of water making its way to the Mediterranean, we set off and were only underway when we got held up at the first lock while we waited for a commercial barge to catch us and to enter first (they, always have priority). It was so big 105m in length that there wasn’t room for us to fit in so we had to wait for it to get lowered some 12meters and then moved off but allowed another vessel to come in from the downstream end so by the time we got through an hour had passed but never mind it was a case of achieving speeds of around 6.7 knots due to the increased river flow but all was quiet in actual terms.

Years ago when traffic was first using this river for commerce it was a case of manning the barges downstream then it took up to 30 horses to drag them back to Lyon so they were often burned at the most southern end of their journey to minimise the costs. A huge amount of money has been spent over the years to deepen the river bed and to blast rapids plus build these huge locks which are also used as hydro-electric dams on the side where the river would usually run. The locks as described are quite awesome when one first enters them but as there are plenty of floating bollards fitted to each side, the ride up or down is smooth but timely due to the huge volume of water to be added or evacuated.

After a day of running down stream we pulled in to the riverside marina of Les-Roches-de-Condrieu where power and water is available. A lovely marina with delightful grounds but at €26.00 per night for our size of boat has ensured we will not be staying here for more than the one night. This area is quite amazing with the vineyards planted on the steep southern facing hillsides where the reflection off the southern sun reflects off the river and assists in ripening the grapes. Little or no growing is seen on the northern facing slopes. The only problem we could see was that the hillsides are so steep you would almost need to be a mountain goat to work in among the plantings. Just imagine if you have worked your way to the top, pruning or whatever, and you realised you had left your lunch in the van at the bottom. Gee I would be thin for sure.

As time is moving on through spring towards summer, it is great to see all the trees shrubs and meadows bursting out in new growth and colour. The scents of so many permeate the air and climbers like the wisteria are in full colour so adorn many homes and buildings and soften the overall look of many areas. We pulled into a new berthage area called Glun which has a new pontoon and while it does not have power nor water supplied, it is so delightful as it borders onto a great park with lots of kids playground areas. Free overnight stay has trimmed back some of the €26.00 we had to spend in Les-Roches so all seems fair again.

The river is still kind to us so today we did nearly 10 hours bringing us right down to Bollene which boasts of having the largest or deepest lock in France and while we have experienced all but the largest, we will do that tomorrow, we have been awed by the size and then the power of the water being released so wonder about tomorrow.

We chose to stay on a commercial quay just out of town right beside an atomic power station but which has also 3 of those huge wind turbine towers placed nearby. We cannot detect any sounds at all so don’t know what the people back home are complaining about when saying they hear them from several kms away. Berths in the town are limited we are told and expensive if you can find one to suit our boat size so again this one is free. Sounds like we are miserable but every bit saved is worth it as we face a number of moorings ahead costing around €30.00 per night.

The navigator tells me we have about 7 hours to get to Avignon where we hope to stay for a few days and top up the larder and the grog box so do hope this fabulous weather continues. I am in my second day of “shorts” so while the sight might not be great the feeling sure is.

Saturday and we got under way at 8 .30 am ready to face the 3rd deepest lock in the world. It was No1 until the Portuguese built theirs a few years ago and of course the Chinese had to build the biggest as part of their Yangtze project. As we were making our way towards the jaws we were red lighted by the lockmaster who then told us to tie up at one of the holding gates as there was a passenger vessel coming down and they have the right away. Every lock area has its own VHF channel so there is contact between ships and lockmaster at all times. All we have to hope for is that he can handle our lousy French and we, his poor English.

The passenger vessel which was very large (see pics) slid into the lock and then we were instructed to follow which all went well but it just shows how big these locks are. The depth is 23 meters and it takes only 7 minutes to empty and 7 to refill again, so is like riding an express elevator but no drama provided you were tied on to one of the floating bollards which slide up or down the wall at the same level as the water. At the bottom of the lock the sun seems to be obliterated due to the height of the walls then the gates slide open and you are out onto the river again and get gathered up by the spillway flow so this takes a bit of getting used to until everything settles down again as you move away from the lock vicinity.

We have now had a full week on the rivers since leaving Saint Jean de Losne and it has sure been good to be underway and I might add, get almost instant coverage for the computer. No drop outs nor any problems and SFR (our internet provider) is easily accessible so it is great to have proper communications again - even the TV coverage is good. I guess Saint Jean de Losne is in a blackspot so to speak which is such a shame when so many folk who stay there for such a long time need good reliable coverage etc.

During the trip down we have seen lots of old castles and remnants of fortifications many dating back to the Crusades and even further. It is amazing how they are still standing after so many wars including the two World Wars and when you see how they built some of them on the top of cliffs or rocky outcrops the engineering is to be fully admired even if you don’t like old castles like me but Rhonda is in her element.

Rhonda's Comment: "Sur le pont Avignon ..........."

Ok, here it is 4.30pm and we have just moored up in Avignon which is actually in the true south of France so we feel as though we are almost there so to speak. The river Rhone spread out after the last lock to where it must be close to a kilometre wide in places so appeared to have slowed down. That was until we turned up into the river tributary at the junction where the longest island on the river divides the flow so you have to go upstream to the city and we were down to 2 knots per hour despite running the revs up to 1600. We could not believe the power of the flow and the moorings are just rings and bollards along a quay as any of the marinas built to date have all been washed away when the real flow comes through. Wherever you go there are signs warning about the severe water flows even in fine weather due to snow melts and heavy rains occurring in the mountains and hills so we will still have to keep ourselves alert until we get off the river totally in about 2 days.

Avignon is a very historic city with the old part being contained within walls which were built in the 13th century and still stand proud today. The old part of the city which is contained within those walls is really quaint and the narrow streets lead you to some great sights including the town square where in addition to all the various gift type shops hosts a number of large restaurants offering al fresco dining so there are hundreds of visitors soaking up this wonderful ambiance and good food. One of the favourites here is mussels and chips (Moules and Frits) which are considered a delicacy and which I will spoil myself to a lunch of before we depart this city. We have encountered a number of boat visitors from the UK, Sweden, Holland and Australia so there has been a bit of banter exchanged which is fun.

Today, Monday has been a real rest day which has been so nice so with the laundry all done (even some ironing) we look forward to getting the scooter off tomorrow and exploring and shopping in the new part of the city. Tuesday was a day of scooter exploration and to find the local marine dealer for a tube of grease. Eventually found the company who was a Mercury stockist and had the grease tube ready for putting direct into a grease gun. The price, wait for it, was €26.00. We nearly choked but as it was what we needed we were forced to buy. It had better work well!

Rhonda's Comments: I love this city - it is sooooo french!!!!! Sometimes I feel as though I am on a movie set.

The whole day was taken up on the river by hotel and tourist boats coming to drop off groups to buses which then whisked the tourists away to see the sights of this region. During the night, the electricity company who control the dam levels thus the flow of the river had obviously been dragging a lot of water for power generation but as a result our boat which we had tied fore and aft plus a close mid rope was left stretching the mid rope so we had a real list on which was a bit alarming. The rope was too tight to undo so with regret I had to cut it and our 45 tonnes of boat settled into the river again. Something to be aware of for sure.

The other thing which is a sight to behold is the huge amount of what we would call kapok which I seem to remember being used for stuffing of mattresses and pillow not so many years ago. The trees are like the Silver Birch with the kapok dropping all over the place leaving a carpet in thickness up to 25 mm. Harry just loved to play in it.

Rhonda's Comments: This is the outside of the covered market place.

Wednesday was another day when we spent some hours walking around the old city and enjoying the sights and watching the people. It is a really metropolitan city with so many races mixed and apparently getting along without too many problems. Sadly there is a lot of graffiti which we have often commented in the past 12 months how little is seen but Avignon is an exception. It takes the edge off the beauty really.

Rhonda's Comment: A swimming pool - this is what every barge should have especially in the Med!!! Ken when is ours being installed?

Thursday was a day for Rhonda to take off walking again around the central old city, while I spent the day working on the boat getting ready for departure which we planned for Friday weather permitting.

Rhonda's Comments: A beautiful field of dandelions!!!!!!

Well, as planned we pulled off from Avignon at 9.00 am on Friday with the knowledge we had a big lock to go through within the first hour. We were overtaken on the way by a big commercial vessel which was travelling at approx 12knots compared to our 6 so we were surprised to arrive at the lock to find it still waiting to get through. All in all, we wasted over an hour as the lockmaster seemed to lack any sense of timing so we had to wait for the commercial to eventually get through then for the lock to be filled again before we could get our turn. Honestly, it was the worst we had struck for delay since arriving in France and on top of this he also refused to speak any words of English and wouldn’t acknowledge our French language attempts. As a result of this delay followed by another at the next lock, we spent 9 hours working our way to the off shoot from the Rhone river and onto the Canal du Rhone a Sete, so we found a nice little mooring against the bank with a small jetty and settled for a well earned rest.

So in fact we have “done” the Saone and the Rhone which was such a bogey originally in our minds due to all the tittle-tattle about how frightening these rivers are from time to time which seems to be so often chatted about by boaties. I am sure that when the melt is fully on or after several weeks of heavy rain they sure could be quite awesome but with care and taking notice of the official authorities advice there seems to be no reason why this journey can’t be enjoyed and all the beauty witnessed like we did.

We now will move onto the next stage which is travelling almost along the coast “of the Mediterranean” that is towards the Canal du Midi which is where we plan to spend the next 12 months so this closes this blog and as usual, thanks for your interest and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask for any additional information or clarification.

Kindest regards.
Rhonda, Ken and Harry

Total Locks this Season: 19

Total Kms this Season: 513

IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON

2010-04-22T16:25:00.037+02:00

14th April 2010 to 20th April, 2010

At last spring has broken over us with warmer and longer daylight days so we have been preparing to leave Saint Jean-de-Losne after spending the past 6 months here in the centre of France. Our plan was to get away at the end of March and head south on the great La Saone then onto the mighty Le Rhone which all being well is a great experience we are told due to the size and volume of flow of water in these rivers which can be anything from placid to really rapid. These changes are bought about by rains and any huge snow melt, so it will be necessary to keep right up to the mark with the weather reports and VNF (marine authorities) advice as to the state of flow.

As I said, it was our plan to get away by the end of March but here we are half way through April and we are finally under way after a few extra days required to address some boat problems. During our preparation period like changing the oil, and the filters etc, etc, my mate Jo was testing the tension on the belts which run from the number 2 alternator and found that even without the engine running it was hotter than you could keep your hand on. A call to the local marine electrical expert determined that the alternator to be a really faulty unit despite it only being 15 months old so a new one had to be ordered in.

Then we checked the bow thruster and anchor batteries which showed that they had died too over winter. I apparently should have run the engine and charged them from time to time but I had been told earlier while in the UK that for safety sake I should shut down and isolate this area once the boat was not in use for any period of time. Oh well I sure got that wrong so new batteries had to be ordered as well.

On top of all of this we made an overnight trip to The Netherlands. As we got ready to go, it being about a 7 hour drive, we found that the car’s battery had also died so we had to wait for a new one to be fitted and the battery tray modified to suit this new size. Just as well I am such a quiet, easy-going fellow who just goes along with the flow so it was almost noon before we got underway.

The trip went well as we cruised along the motorways at 130 kph which seemed like riding in a rocket but we were passed all the time by cars and motorcycles which I swear were travelling at speeds of up to 200 kph. In France there are tollways but through Belguim and Luxemberg and Holland all roads are free.

Rhonda's Comments: It's not Avatar but St Patricks Day in St Jean-de-Losne and it was also Jana's Birthday.

Anyhow the delay in being able to move off allowed us to join in a number of social activities right here in SJL with all out boating friends. We had a boaties get together for the first BBQ of the season and this was great fun with many antics happening which will long be remembered or perhaps not remembered by some. It was an occasion when everybody seemed to get along and enjoy a lot of beer and wine and a great selection of foods provided by all the ladies who worked hard to make it such a great day.

Rhonda's Comments: Note the only one eating was Jo who came dressed as an Englishman at a Barbeque - they are really odd these Englishmen - why would you wear a

t-towel with knots tied in the four corners to a barbie - maybe he was ready to do the washing up!!!!!!

Rhonda's Comments: Harry and his mate Jack.

We also had a Boulles event, (French Bowls) for the fittest crew members (photos will verify who those participants were) and this was followed by a few hours at one of the local bars which has riverside setting of tables and chairs on a platform and as it was our first really warm day it was delightful to be able to sit back and enjoy some good weather. Quiz nights, painting classes, card making, cycling groups and walkers all make up the mix of the little community which has been terrific to be a part of.

Some boaters have already moved on to greener fields so there has been a lot of “farewelling” going on for the past few weeks which called for a strong constitution to be able to handle the amount of liquor which seems to appear at any get together or meeting. I will be glad in some ways when we are away from many of this group who have often lead me astray. In truth we will really miss many of these folks who have made us, including Harry, feel so welcome and have involved us in so many activities.

One of our pals at St Jean-de-Losne, Terry has developed this great skill of painting peoples portraits from photographs and they are truly wonderful to view and can hang proudly in any room for all to see. Terry does these so well that since we have showed off his samples to various people he has received commissions from all over so if you think one of you or a family member may be of interest to you, please contact him directly on terrylalley@gmail.com and discuss getting get a personal portrait you will be so proud of.

We left Saint Jean-de-Losne after filling with fuel which I will give you details of cost. Red Diesel which we are allowed to use onboard for our generator and heating only cost €0.84 a litre while the white which is our engine’s fuel is currently priced at €1.28 per litre. We purchased enough to hopefully cover all our needs for the total journey south. So on the 17th at 8.00am we travelled down river until 2.00pm when we rested overnight at a small village called Gergy. No power or water but did meet up with a couple, Pat and Ian who were heading for SJL after being in the Midi area where we want to go to. They had lots of tips and ideas so we had a lengthy but pleasant chat with them despite some of the horrors they had experienced coming up the Rhone, so do hope we are better off when we go down stream.

Today the 17th we left the dock again at 8.00am and headed down to new territory once we passed Chalon-Sur-Saone which was where the arm of the river we had turned off from 6 months ago on our way to Saint Jean-de-Losne so it was kind of exciting to be in a totally new area so we pushed on until we reached the town of Tournus which is delightful. Lots of shops and services and a real feeling of being alive with a look of activity surrounding the town and they offer a nice port with free electricity and water, available from dockside which is great.

Unfortunately we got hit by a hire boat while at the dock as he was trying to berth at full power so that spoiled the afternoon and he could only speak German and a little French so our words didn’t mean a lot. No serious damage but just annoying.

A huge hotel boat which has 30 cabins on three decks came to berth and it was amazing to see this giant manoeuvre to its berth, so much so I forgot to take any pics of it but I am sure we will meet plenty more of them. The weather is just beautiful with clear blue skies and temps around 21 degrees. We even saw kids swimming in the river as it is school holidays here at present.

Rhonda's Comments: Big, eh!!!!

Harry has enjoyed exploring new grounds so we are pleased with his ability to fit in and he is of little bother which adds to the great feelings of freedom we have as we go along.

On the 20th and we left Tournus somewhat reluctantly at 9.00am as it is a beautiful day again and the river is really inviting and made our way down to Port Arciat where the mooring consisted of a pontoon alongside a camping ground which was still closed up but was getting ready for the summer hordes with lawn mowing and gardening etc all getting done. No water or electricity but that didn’t bother us as we were loaded up as from Tournus so had a quiet night only disturbed by the wash from the odd commercial as they passed along plying their wares.

First thing this morning, (day 5) we viewed the biggest hotel boat we have seen to date. It looked quiet beautiful in the early morning sun with many passengers having their breakfasts out on the top deck while others ate in what appeared to be luxurious dining rooms. The Saone here is running with us at about 2 knotts per hour so we can just cruise along easily at around 5 knots and sure seem to cover the ground or the water whichever you prefer without any pressure.

We went into one huge lock which already had a commercial barge of around 90 meters plus a German launch and still had lots of room for us. Amazing sights to see as the water level drops and you descend into this great pit which I have often referred to in earlier blogs. With a brief exchange with the lock keeper like “Go The All Blacks” as they mostly seem to recognise the flags etc and call out if in earshot. It is amazing what a brand this name is world wide.

The weather has cooled as the day has gone on with the odd light shower which was welcomed by my deck garden. We have already swapped a punett of our lettuce plants for a pot of chives and another of Basil which will make our herb garden very useful I am sure.

While I am writing this blog, Rhonda is at the helm and is doing really well. I have been showing her how to check the oil, the water level plus the water filters so she has learned these on top of “doing” her part on the ropes and so on. If this continues I will be able to rest easy everyday. Yeah right! Time for me to go and get lunch ready. You know what it is like, a man’s work is never done.

Ok, so at around 3.45pm we worked our way through the city of Lyon. France’s second largest city after Paris, approx population of 1.2 million offers a lot to see and do so we will make a point of spending some time here when we make our return voyage next year. We had difficulty finding a really suitable mooring point so just before going out onto the Rhone we turned back and tied up in the city centre which is not ideal but will do fine for us. We have been warned that we should not leave the boat unattended at night but as we are so tired the idea of going out was not on the agenda. Rhonda's Comments: No, we did not go the wrong way and end up in Paris - this is Lyon.

So ended our first step on this new adventure and we will bring you more when we enter the mighty Rhone which we sincerely hope will be as docile as the Saone has been.

So far from Saint Jean-de-Losne we have travelled for 5 days, covered 205 kms, have run the engine for 24 hours and gone through 6 locks and all is well, so fingers crossed for the future.

Best regards to all of our blog readers and don’t forget we love to get your comments.

Thanks and regards, Rhonda, Ken and Harry.

HAS WINTER BROKEN?????

2010-03-20T13:35:00.027+01:00

26th February, 2010 - 20th March, 2010

After what seemed to be a never-ending and miserable winter, I am pleased to report that at last we are getting a few days of some relief with less colder days and even some welcome hours of sunshine at times. We are told it has been the worst winter for 40 years and personally I don’t care if it is another 40 years before a repeat occurs. While the photos of the snow appear pretty and Christmas-like, after weeks of never-ending snow, ice, sleet and overcast days with showers I can sure do without them.

Luckily our mooring has been very secure up against the bank with two other barges moored outside us so we get quite a lot of shelter and being able to use the bank to store our logs and firewood means that easy access was a plus. Our log burner has been on almost 24/7 plus the radiators which we ignite early in the mornings until the boat warms by about 10.00am. With the water supply pipes being in danger of bursting through the freezing cold, supply was cut off by management on Christmas Eve so it has been a case of requesting once a week for special hoses to be run from a distribution point so as to fill up the tanks and to get containers of drinking water to cover our needs for the off days.

This was another nuisance which added to my uncomfortableness when I had my dose of bronchitis and as you all know, when it is cold and miserable, it is so much harder to get on top of an illness, however, that is now all behind me I trust.

It is amazing how one adapts to what seemed to be unkindly conditions although Rhonda enjoyed the colder temps so we are poles apart on this but she did particularly well by keeping busy with her new found interest of painting and has turned out some works which are really good considering that she has never held a paint brush before. Joining a group of local folk she goes each week to a get-together so receives support and advice if required from other group members. A couple of weeks ago I joined the Card Making Group (the only male to do so) and I am enjoying turning out cards which have that personal touch and look pretty good even if I do say so myself.

Rhonda's Comment: Van Gough eat your heart out - but I won't cut my ear off for anyone.

Two weeks ago we were asked to go with a local teacher to a High School in Auxonne along with an Australian couple to address the English learning class and to talk about our respective countries. It was pretty interesting doing the research into our own home country to make a presentation which they could understand and to be of interest. They all knew about the name All Blacks and Lord of the Rings but really had no idea of where New Zealand lies in relation to France or Australia and were horrified to learn that the flight time from Paris to Auckland is approx 27 hours. We used a big white map we had drawn of New Zealand and on which Rhonda added points of interest to as we talked to them. The teacher was pretty impressed which made it somewhat even more worthwhile and in their test held a few days later the students scored pretty well so at least some of the facts stuck for them.

We have each read a number of books and watched more DVDs than we have ever done and a few weeks ago I bought a guitar and have started learning again from the internet which is fun, however, I have copped plenty from my mates here who have given me the knick name of Hunk Mervin (apologies to Hank Marvin of the Shadows) so coupled to the usual tasks and gadding about, we have passed the time ever so quickly really.

Rhonda's Comment: He even has the steps.

With the lightening of the skies it has become time to get on with those spring cleaning tasks of which there seems to be many to do on the boat so that we can be ready to move out of here in sparkling condition when we make our way south for the next 12 month period. Rhonda and I are excited about the prospect of visiting all the towns and cities en route via the Soane River and then the mighty Rhone and later on to making the trip across France on the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux then back to Moissac where we will winter over but more about that as time goes by.

Rhonda's Comment: The Bay City Strollers

We have some friends coming to stay onboard for varying periods during the cruising season, so the summer will go by with a real mixture of adventure, new experiences, good food and a fair amount of wine tasting I guess with lots of chat added.

If you ever want to see what the Canal du Midi is like and what is on offer for that region, get hold of a copy of Rick Steins “French Odyssey” DVD. It is fascinating and while you may not be a fan of all of his cooking (you can fast forward past those) you will sure get a good feeling for what we will see and experience.

During the past 6 months of wintering over here at H20, we have to say that the boating folk have been quite wonderful. When I was ill a couple of mates came over to our boat and cut my logs into easy to handle lengths for Rhonda and to see what else we needed done. As one of them spoke French pretty well, we were also able to use his services when we were getting the car fixed and so on. Our French has only slightly improved. Lazy, I guess but it is not easy to learn but we will get there. We will sure miss Joe and Jana when we move from here. Thanks also must go to Terry and Sandra, David and Pamela. Some other folk even went shopping for us while they were in England buying up some special foods we like and which aren’t available here and some hardware which we had seen in UK catalogues so brought the items back with them to us here. Thanks to Richard and Vivienne.

Rhonda's Comment: Oh what a night.

We have enjoyed eating some great meals on other folks boats and having them over to us in return as well and the other night we were able to have 10 people aboard for dinner and to celebrate Jo’s 50th birthday (yes, I can remember mine --- I think). He bought his electronic keyboard and another mate Terry brought his bass and rhythm guitars so with all the good food and wine supplied by all attending, we had a great evening of fellowship and it was good to be able to return a favour. Jo’s wife Jana brought over with her some fireworks which were lit to the North so we could imagine what the Northern Lights might be like (much wine was had before we did this as you can imagine!!!) but poor Harry thought he might come out to see the action but when the first sky rocket went soaring into the sky, Harry took to the boat, couldn’t get up the ramp because people where standing on it so took an almighty jump from the shore but did not quite make it and into the water he went. After my panic and others saying “he’s in the water”, Ken said “come on Harry get out of there” and out he scrambled, shook himself and casually walked up the ramp and on board looking back as if saying “you lot do the funniest things”.

Harry's Comment: "I'm not impressed"

On the odd occasion we splash out and go to a local restaurant for a meal just for a change from being on the boat, however, we do have to watch the pricing. Just to give you an idea, generally the Plate du Jour which is the main luncheon and dessert is usually around E11.00 equals NZ $22.00 and coffee is often charged at E 3.00 a cup (NZ $6.00) and even the wine served can be expensive with a 250 mls carafe being E6.00, (NZ $12.00) for pretty ordinary wine (price at the local supermarket at around E3.00 a bottle) so while it is nice to go out, one has to watch the costs. We have noticed that even the workers who make the midday meal their main hot meal will order a small carafe of red wine and then dilute it down 50% with the free water.

It is unusual here too in so much as if you go to a Café or Tabac for coffee they don’t have any eats so you have to go to the closest bakery and buy something which you take to the café with you. The odd place might offer a small croissant but this is rare. Nobody does breakfasts like we were used to in New Zealand or Australia. Gone are the weekends when we could go and spread out the Sunday papers and enjoy a full cooked breakfast wasting away a morning. We see people using the Tabacs for a coffee plus a cognac or similar to get the pipes open on their way to work but not eating anything. No wonder the population is generally a whole lot less likely to be overweight than us plus they walk so much. It is rare to see overweight people, particularly women so we feel quite embarrassed (well almost anyhow).

We are always commenting how the women take so much care with their dress and fashion. They seem to know just how to dress to show off their features and use scarves and hats, jackets, coats shoes and boots to get the best look. Even the children’s fashions are remarkable and beautiful but also expensive. We have always noticed that in the supermarkets there are huge racks of stockings and pantyhose of all sorts and styles and these are certainly bought and worn by all the women particularly in winter but also in summer when they are dressing up for some occasion.

People who have been staying here or visiting for years acknowledge how the prices have risen over the past 4 years. Why didn’t we make this adventure happen a few years earlier ?????

Harry's Comment: Another day, another city, another country. (In Geneva, Switzerland)

Rhonda had a fall a few days ago when she tripped over a small ledge in the footpath and of course landed on her knees which have always given her bother anyhow, so she is going to need some real treatment to overcome the swelling and bruising which is apparent now. We are sure hopeful that she does not find the damage causes her limitations to long term movement and activity like walking etc.

The French have this saying that unlike in New Zealand etc where one would report this stupidly set curb to the authorities and where you could likely lodge a claim for damages, the authorities here have a saying which means that “you should take care”. This even applies to the huge potholes and lack of footpath areas which are prevalent at the moment due to the rain and snow and even the roads. I guess it is one way of keeping down the claims etc. We drove into a water filled pothole yesterday which I guarantee was close to 300mm deep and felt as though the cars steering was damaged for a moment or two until I was able to regain control.
Compare this to in England where a claim has just been settled for a women who was attending a school activity day and entered in the mothers race all supposed to be in fun for the kids, however, she tripped over and broke her ankle so sued the school and got $2500.00 plus the lawyers fees which were $5000.00. All out of public money of course.
Amazing isn’t it.

Well after talking about the warmer weather arriving, I knew I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. The other day I biked off to the supermarket for Rhonda and while the breeze was cold it wasn’t too bad but by the time I had finished shopping for a few things I came out to find it snowing like crazy and in the 5 minutes it took me to cycle home I became a real snowman and since then the temps stayed around 5 degrees so the fire was back on full bore again.

Well as you can guess we had well had enough of this winter weather so when the forecast advised us that the weather would be good in the French Alps we took our friends Graham and Iris from Dijon and drove our bucket of bolts via Geneva to Chamonix some 5 hours away via the scenic route. It is amazing that we actually had to go through a part of Switzerland and then back into France to go to this wonderful place set high in the French Alps. The city of Chamonix is set in a valley at 1035 m and it is mind-boggling to look up and onwards up to the peaks which are on both sides and the steepness and the closeness to the city is mind boggling. No wonder it was chosen for the very first winter Olympics. Mount Blanc, 4810m, was right at our door of our chalet, so to speak and while it was a bit cloud bound on our arrival over the next few days the weather cleared so we were able to enjoy the crystal days and views which are quite stunning. I sure have never seen anything like it before. It makes the Remarkable Mountain Range in Queenstown look a bit ordinary in comparison.

We took the Rack and Pinion Train from the station which is set at 1096m and it climbed along the mountain face at a slope of between 11 to 22 degrees for 20 minutes to drop you at a viewing platform overlooking the glaciers, peaks and valleys from a stop point at 1913m. The views are just stunning as you look down onto the Mer de Glace which is Europe’s largest glacier. Opposite you see mountains of up to 4200 m piercing the cobalt blue skies. Below many ski slopes and chair lifts are operating flat out and I guess there were a thousand or more skiers up in the area judging by the numbers who offloaded from the train and could be out on the snow, etc. Looking out onto the glacier valley you can see so many (ants) or skiers who have come right across from the Italian side of the Alps and ski across this fabulous area some arriving at the cable car exhausted after the long run while others carried on to pick up stations below. From this viewing gallery you can ride a cable car down onto the ice and wander along into the Ice Caves which are huge and contain ice sculptures and pictures form history etc. New ice Caves are dug every year due to the movement of the glacier over the 12 month period. The ride in the cable car is breathtaking as it seems to fall over the edge and you ride straight down for 3 mins to the base of the glacier and from there follow a path to the caves.

Up at the main base there is the usual collection of cafes and a Grand Hotel which was built in 1880 and is where those with lots of money stay. I hope the photos at least give you some idea of how beautiful the whole area is and is worth anybodies time and money to visit.

While there we travelled to Annecy which is reported to be the Venice of France. With the town situated on a beautiful lake of which I have never seen clearer or cleaner water anywhere and even the canal which runs up through the town is clean and lovely and in summer the bridges and buildings are massed in plantings and pots of flowers like geraniums and other great colourful plants. It may not be Venice but it is surely a pretty place for the tourists to visit.

Rhonda's Comment: Love the reflection in the window.

Finally on day 4 we left Chamonix to go to Geneva in the hope of buying some fine Swiss chocolate but due to our navigator getting a bit confused we got onto a toll way which the border authorities demanded that we pay E 27.00 just to drive through so after some arguing they turned us back into France and we got to Lake Geneva’s shores on the French side but had lost so much time we could only have sandwiches on the waterfront and then headed off for the trip home via Dijon on their toll-way. E 22.00 was the charge for this which allowed us to cut 2 hours off the journey so all in all the trip was just magic and I am sure the great memories will stay with us forever.

Harry's Comment: Time for a haircut Mum!!

Well it is back to the steady life of boat living and lo and behold since our return to Saint Jean-de-Losne, the weather here has taken a huge step forward to sun and temperatures as high as 17 degrees so every one is starting to do their spring cleaning and getting their boats up and ready to head off for the cruising season. Yeah. Let it roll on as soon as possible. We plan to get out on 1st April so hope all the locks are open and the river is not flooding. To celebrate with the other boaties who have wintered over and with those who like us will be leaving, we plan to have a big BBQ next Sunday to say “Cherrio” etc so the next blog from us should be at one of our stopovers en route for the Canal du Midi region in the south of France, so meantime, “Oo-Roo” as the Aussies say. Take care and we wish you all the very best for your forthcoming winter or summer depending which part of the world you are from.

You all have our email address, so please drop us a line and let us know what is spinning your wheels in your part of the world. We look forward to hearing what you have been up to and any news of what is happening. We get so disappointed when it is only a joke and no news.

Love to all, Ken, Rhonda and Harry