Welcome to the update although of course as usual it is a bit late.
By the time of typing it we were well into November and have to admit that
if it wasn't for the photos we don't think we would remember what we were
up to on a day to day basis. It's a good job that David takes so many photos
isn't it!
The good news is that we now have the GPRS signal back on the phone so once
again have access to the Internet and should be able to keep up with our E
mails a bit better.
Anyhow back to the update and September was a good month for us. All our
summer visitors had been and gone, we were generally cruising alone and taking
life fairly easy.
The first of our photos David took one evening and it is one that we ought
to try and paint one day. You may find that it is not the only one this time
on the theme of "food and drink".
EVENING TIPPLE - "WINE OT"
One of the prettiest places we came across was a village called Pagny. As
is quite often the here in France, there were no shops or anything but luckily
David did hear the sound of the bread van's horn. It was a lunchtime stop
so the bread was much appreciated.
PAGNY
We often say that more pictures and less typing might help to get the updates
out on time so we might try that (if we don't get too many complaints about
the lack of rambling on).
When we were in England, David always thought that quiches were for someone
who either wasn't hungry or just didn't eat much. But he has since changed
his mind and not only does he now enjoy them very much but sometimes even
makes them himself.
STRAIGHT FROM THE OVEN
As we made our way along the Marne, we found a very pretty and secluded
spot by a village called Orconte. There was just enough room for a few boats
and we had the use of a couple of picnic tables, a shower and a toilet. The
place was immaculately maintained and even had a large sink for washing your
"smalls" (or in David's case his not so smalls). Unfortunately the
plug to this sink was missing so we had to improvise. A piece of rubber, a
can of beer and an extending boat hook jammed against the roof did the trick.
IMPROVISED PLUG
No apologies for the food pictures as we do enjoy preparing and eating food
and Pamela's steak and stilton pie, with suet crust, is no exception. The
idea was taken from a meal we had in the oldest pub in Leeds called Whitelocks.
Unfortunately we have to import the suet from England so we don't make it
too often and of course can't get Stilton over here so use another blue cheese
instead (such as Roquefort or St. Agur). But we can highly recommend it
STEAK AND STILTON, AVEC SUET CRUST
Generally the locks and facilities on the rivers and canals are very good.
We did however wonder how the lock in this next picture got in such a mess
and have drawn a line where the edge of the chamber wall should be.
A LITTLE ATTENTION REQUIRED!
As we go along and find somewhere to stay for a day or so, there is no guarantee
that we will find shops. Quite often there is not even a bread shop so we
have a bread machine on board, which is a godsend. But it doesn't compare
to a freshly baked baguette so we buy these at every opportunity and often
buy more than we can eat. We are then left with the problem of what to do
with the leftovers which have normally gone hard. Not to be outdone by Pamela's
boat shaped steak and stilton pie dish, David made something from an old baguette
to which he added a quiche mixture. As this was made from old bread (which
is called "pain"), filled with quiche and shaped like a barge, he
christened it "A PAIN-ICHE" get it? (sounds like peniche which is
French for a barge)
A PAIN-ICHE
Pete Thorn, a good friend of ours back in the UK, kept asking us if we had
bumped into two Kiwis (New Zealanders) he met in England who said that they
were going to cruise the French canals. As it is a fairly large network of
waterways we weren't sure what the chances were of bumping into them (not
literally of course). But early one morning, David was sitting on a bench
on the quayside at a place called Joinville when a chap came up to him. The
man looked at our boat and the boat name then said, in a Kiwi accent, "I
know someone from Mirfield... he's called Peter..." and before David
could say anything the chap said "Thorn".
We really couldn't believe it. What a small world!
We invited them round for a drink that night to get the whole story and
rang Pete to let him know that we had indeed finally bumped into his Kiwis.
The weird thing is that Pete could never remember the chap's full name and
actually never knew it. But as it turned out he is called David Ross Horrel
- strange but true!
So our next picture, in order of appearance, is of Pamela, Jayney, David
Ross Horrel and David Ross. The odds of 2 David Rosses from opposite sides
of the globe bumping into each other like that must be astronomical!
A BRACE OF DAVID ROSSES
Moving on (back in fact to David's days int' mill) David often wondered
how many people it took to wear the mill steps out. A lot of course, all very
busy working and being productive. The steps in the next picture though are
probably more worn than the mill steps and are in a chateau in Joinville.
They wouldn't have made anything in a chateau so we assume that they were
worn out by fetching and carrying for the nobility. Looking at the steps they
must have been looked after very well indeed (until of course the common people
had had enough and started chopping off their heads in the revolution).
WORN OUT FEET
We stayed in Joinville for 10 days (free electric you know) and that is
where we met Mick and Jenny who were looking after the entertainment on a
caravan park just a few kilometres away. It is a beautiful site with all amenities
and they stay all through the season, enjoying every minute of it (better
than a proper job as they say).
Mick and Jenny invited us to go on a day out with them to the chateau at
Cirey sur Blaise, which is famous for its connection with Voltaire, who lived
there for 15 years in the mid 1700's. The chateau is still lived in and we
were lucky enough to be escorted round it by the lady of the chateau herself
(what an honour) whilst Mick did a commentary for us all in English.
A DAY WITH MICK & JENNY
Back at the quay in Joinville and an old friend was just coming into port.
It really is a small world. We first met Jean-Denis (who is Swiss) in St Jean
de Losne on one of Caroline's Monday morning walks. Of course there is always
something to chat about and it gave us an excuse for an early evening tipple
(as if we need an excuse!).
APERITIFS WITH JEAN-DENIS
Chaumont was another large sized town and this was where we first met John
and Pat on the narrow boat "Hoddy Dod". They were on a "hunting
and gathering" trip to the supermarket, which was not for the faint hearted
as the town was a couple of kilometres uphill.
We cruised with John and Pat for the rest of our voyage down the Canal entre
Champagne et Bourgogne and had lots of good times together.
The next town we came across was Langres, a fortified town with walls still
complete. So we decided to get a taxi up to it to leave us with a bit of energy
for a walk around the walls. Whilst walking around the fortifications at Langres,
Pamela posed for this next photo.
PAMELA'S COOKIE JAR
She was also caught on camera eyeing this toilet up, but it was out of our
price bracket (thank goodness).
I DON'T THINK SO
We eventually got back onto the river Saône and at that point weren't
far from St Jean de Losne. Perhaps Gromit thought that if he drank all the
water in the Saône he would stand a better chance of getting out if
he fell in?
MASTERPLAN
The town at the junction of the canal and the Saône is called Pontailler.
It is normally a nice village but on this occasion we caught it in the middle
of major renovations to footpaths and roads. It was a bit like an obstacle
course but will no doubt be very pretty when the work is finished.
John and Pat insisted on taking us out for a meal whilst we were in Pontailler,
so we went to the nearest restaurant to the quay where we had a very nice
meal indeed. John and Pat spotted that moules (mussels) were on the menu and
they couldn't resist having them as a main course. The waitress asked if we
had been before and seemed to have a bit of a glint in her eye. We soon understood
why!
The moules came in a huge boat shaped dish with fireworks on it which was
placed on a stand in the middle of the table. We are not sure how many moules
there were but there was an enormous amount and John and Pat had to throw
the towel in towards the end. It was a lovely evening!
WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN
Our last overnight stop was at a place called Auxonne which is only around
15 minutes from St Jean de Losne by car so it is a place we know quite well.
We decided that when we got back to St. Jean de Losne, we would spend some
time moored out on the river on the Quay National. It's a much nicer aspect
than being in our winter moorings and it felt like we were on holiday. Plenty
of visitors too as you do tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
David and Liz from MV Ingrid, who we spent lots of time with last year,
managed to catch up with us at Auxonne and we had lots to talk about. They
spend winter down in the south as they can't stand the cold.
FRIENDS OLD AND NEW
Some of our new neighbours for this winter are Gaby and Annie with their
son Jimmy. They used to live near Dijon but have now decided to live afloat
and their boat gets lots of attention because of its size. It's the kind of
boat you expect to see out in the Mediterranean, which is where they bought
it. Their boat is made of aluminium, weighs 40 tonnes, carries 9000 litres
of fuel and uses it at a rate of 40 litres per hour. Three double bedrooms
too so all in all a great place to call home.
GABY & ANNIE
When we arrived in France in 2004, some of the first people we met who were
heading for St. Jean de Losne were Mike and Kay on their boat Water Magic.
We bump into them now on a regular basis and look forward to seeing them on
the move with their new boat "Nooit Volmaakt". This is a very nice
Dutch Tjalk (pronounced chalc) and Mike and Kay have spent the last year getting
their new acquisition just how they want it. It's the only boat we've seen
with a figurehead (the lady with the big boobies). But Mike has taken the
figurehead back to England (for reasons best known to himself) so we can't
include a picture of it. We will do though when she gets back on board. Instead
we have a photo of Mike enjoying a glass of "GOOD ALE" as we call
it up in Yorkshire.
LA GOUDALE
When we were in Chaumont we had an early evening soiree with E.J. and Linda
who are from North Carolina and cruise the canal system each summer on their
boat "Tigre". Tigre is now out of the water, winterised and awaiting
their return in the spring. We just hope that E.J. and Linda don't get too
warm over there in the States.
E.J. and LINDA
We don't know if we've ever put this picture on before but it is one of
David's favourite views in St. Jean de Losne. It might actually get some sun
on it around mid summers day, but of course we are not normally here then.
The street runs from east to west and the church seems to overshadow it whenever
we are around in the wintertime.
OUR FAVOURITE STREET
This next photo shows an old seagoing boat which looks as though it should
be cut up for scrap. In fact it was asking whether that was the case that
started a conversation with the owner. He assured David that it wasn't being
cut up and he has in fact plans to restore it. So if he renovates it at the
sort of speed he intends to, we will add pictures as things move along. Here
he is showing David his computer aided design.
BIG JOB
Mid October and we were off to see our friends Steve and Rosey who live
in a village called Broin, about 15 kilometres down the Saône from Saint
Jean de Losne. They were having a barbeque and what turned out to be our first
attempt at the game of croquet.
STEVE & ROSEY'S BBQ
The whole day was fabulous and playing croquet for the first time confirmed
our suspicions that David was obviously born to play darts.
BROIN CROQUET TEAM
Mid October also brought a couple of friends to see us in Saint Jean de
Losne. Richard and Margaret stayed for a few days on their world tour of France
and it was good to catch up on all the news from Mirfield (though we do get
to read the Mirfield Reporter Online during the winter). The boat goodies
Richard brought are great and the food items do save us from becoming too
French.
We stayed out on the quay whilst they were here and managed a river trip
to Auxonne. The trip started off quite misty ("pea soup" comes to
mind) but the mist did eventually burn off and we had a very pleasant trip.
We made our usual pilgrimage to Nuits St. Georges for some very pleasant
wine then down the road to Beaune for a look around.
RICHARD & MARGARET AT NUITS ST GEORGES
NICE ONE RICARD
Now Gromit hasn't had much of a mention up to now so we have searched and
managed to find him doing what he does best. He does seem to find the old
dark rigging and canvas on the next boat works best.
NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
It was soon time to say cheerio to Al and Robbie who felt the need for another
summer. They were heading back to Australia via everywhere else and looking
at Robbie's smile, I think she couldn't wait. Having said that, we can't ever
remember seeing Robbie without that smile.
HAPPY ROBBIE
When we can, we try to have friends around the night before they leave their
boats for the winter. This way, they don't have to worry about cooking and
washing up so near to leaving. We do of course restrict this practice to friends
we have dined with over the time we have been here (we thought we had better
put the last sentence in as we didn't want to open a flood gate of total strangers
calling round for dinner!). So back to the meal which was "leg of lamb
a la Saturday Kitchen". You can get a frozen leg of New Zealand lamb
here for less than 9 euros.
ROAST LAMB
We had a card from Al and Robbie the other day from Thailand, so it seems
like they are still having a good time sightseeing.
Into November now and we attended the Armistice parade in the village again
this year. Then our old friend Lawrence invited Tony McRae (a new acquaintance
this winter) and David to attend a small ceremony that Lawrence normally does
alone. It is in the next village of Brazey en Plaine where, in the graveyard,
lie 3 airmen who were shot down in the last war. There were originally 4 airmen
in total but one of them managed to escape and made it to Spain. With encouragement
from Tony, David wore his dad's kilt on the day and when they were in the
graveyard at Brazey, Tony played the bagpipes. A touching occasion I can assure
you.
TONY McRAE AT BRAZEY EN PLAINE.
We are currently busy preparing for the winter and through encouragement
from Tony, we are looking forward to what is probably the first Hogmanay Party
in the village.
STOP PRESS: We have just received this last picture through the post from
an old workmate of David's. Many thanks Ric and Clair and we hope that Ric
got his christening frock in time!
CONNER & CHARLOTTE
Well that is about all for this update, so bye for now and have a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year.
