December 2018

 There was a good show of decorations on the boats this year.

Boschplaat

Heliox

Judging to be announced on 11th January.

We hosted a drinks and nibbles party onboard on 24th december, to provide a break for those cooking the grand feast. All came (except poor Clive who was still in hospital) and seemed to enjoy themselves.
Then the big day finally arrived.

A beautiful sunny Xmas morning on the Canal du Midi in Castelnaudary!

Bubbly and nibbles on arrival!

Some people got completely carried away with their costumes!

The calm before the storm. Tables laid with Secret Santa presents around the tree.

A Secret Santa present.

Lining up for juding the Fancy Hat competition!

Boxing Day saw us all gathering in Quai 10 again to finish the left overs!

On 27th Steve, on Porthos (Potholes!) held a cocktail party, and all were requested to 'dress' for the occasion. It was both Steve's birthday and Elaine's.

Birthday twins. Same day, same year!  Same mother?

Posh frocks

More posh frocks!

Some guests had problems with their outdoor clothes!

Hans seems to be enjoying the attention being paid to an 'adjustment' on his jacket. Which is needing lots of attention from the ladies!!!

Finally a present arrived from my friend Jackie in the UK. Tashi was very pleased to get yet another squeaky toy! This one was definitely more interesting than all the others she already has!

It makes such a lovely piggy grunt!

I can't believe we have only 14 days 'til Christmas! Panic, panic.

We've been so busy enjoying ourselves to organise anything, and now we're both feeling ill and sorry for ourselves, having contracted 'the port' cold!

First off came Jude's pre-Christmas party as she will be away on 25th, held on Saint Nicolas Eve.

Onboard Noordster.

Selection of Sweets for the Bake Off.

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 Good range of choice for savouries.

Ni's excellent entry. Fruite cake, front left, sitting on union flag. Made to his mother's recipe. Not a winner this time.

My entry - Chocolate and Macron meringue - it didnt win!

On Friday 7th the Bake Off was again held at the quay side Cave, and judged democratically by all! Robyn was winner for the sweets. As usual it was enjoyed by all, with most participating. No-one went home hungry!













New Years Eve again saw us gather at Quai 10 for more fun and frolics!

November 2018

Friday nights at the quay side Cave has again been put on the calendar. And so the winter begins. BBQ this Sunday at the Capitainerie, welcome drinks same place, on Monday evening and being greeted by the Mayor, and President of the Commune no less. I can't used to the idea that I live in a Commune!

Again I go to the AVF group every Wednesday morning, in an attempt to learn to speak better French, or even any French! A lot of the time there is spent looking at written work, which is good, but doesn't help with my spoken French.

Also now I have begun to go with another boater, Tricia, to aquagym, an aerobic class in the super new swimming pool just opened this year, here in Castelnaudary. It is very useful to go with Tricia as she interpretes the finer points of the exercises I dont understand about what we are supposed to be doing with our feet underwater. The instructor is quite good and the main movements, but he doesn't show the details. Also Marie-Therese, my French teacher from the first year we were here, attends the class. And she tells me also what to do. The first week I went Tricia and I had a problem with the locker key, and I ended up locking my arm, with the key, to the locker! This week a French lady told Tricia that she thought her English friend (me) was going to drown in the deeper water of the pool. Poor Tricia, I am a liability to her!

Friday 16th we joined 14 other boaters to have a meal at the Chinese restaurant, The Dragon, here in town. It didn't quite live up to our expectations, but was fun with the group.

Well we had wine, but the food was a bit longer in coming.

Nigel's flamebaded pineapple was quite spectacular.

Saturday 17th began the road blocks in protest at the fuel price increases. The town was grid locked and in siege. You couldn't get into nor out of town. It was the same on the following Tuesday; Intermarche blocked off, Geant also. And the queues for petrol were very long. It is reported that some shops don't have fresh  food available which is going to cause panic and lead to hoarding and complete shortages. Already it is difficult to get fuel for the car!
On Sunday 11th we drove to Saisaac to view some of the houses for sale, as they have a lot of properties for sale possibly in our price range. But disappointingly Ni says the streets there are far too steep for him to contemplate living there. So that's one place ruled out.

A French lady from the AVF group was a theatre set designer, now textile artiste, and she held an open day in her atelier on Sunday 18th to which we were invited. She creates some fantastic things, with most ideas envisaged from nature. Not necessarily to Ni's taste!

On Friday 23rd, Alain bar owner, sent an invitation to his Fete Adieu, entitling it Auberge Espanol. Which basically meant bring your own food and buy my wine! Lots of locals were also there. It turned out not to be Farewell, as the paperwork hasn't gone through to finalise the deal. He now says 20th December will be handover time. We told him that we're not taking party food every Friday until then. Although most weeks we take a plate anyway!

Cake baked by Robyn.

A bottle of English wine, brought by Elaine, and wrapped in a Union Jack!

Alain also invited Mathieu to come and entertain us.

NB all the empty wine shelves!

The days remain sunny and warm, with some beautiful sunsets.

Le Grand Bassin, Castelnaudary.

Its going to be hell come the spring if the canal isnt open towards Carcassonne, as all these hire boats will be heading in the direction of Toulouse!

Saturday 24th saw the monthly visit of the English Fish & Chip van. As usual they were delicious! We took ours back to the boat, not joining others in the bar L'Industrie for more booze! We drank our own, its cheaper.

Sally organised a Ladies Wot Lunch at La Dolce Vita on Thursday 29th November. It was well attended. Mixed reviews. However all seemed happy enough when the Maitre De took this photo!

October 2018

On Sunday 28th friend Val, invited us to a lunch time event, which she called apero Auberge Espagnole! She lived here in the town, and befriended us. She has now sold her house and moved back to the UK after living in France for over 20 years. For a while she has just rented a flat in the UK and has 'lent' us her car for the winter months. Which is a really kind gesture for which we are extremely grateful.

Ali, Ni and Val, taking food for the party.

Pool house party.

As it was such a bitterly cold day and their was no heating available we all just kept our coats on. Val did warn us that would be the case, so all was well, and the alcohol helped!
 
And after Ni's quick trip to the UK to attend his aunt's funeral, we moved slowly back towards Castelnaudary for our winter mooring. We stopped as the usual favourites along the way, Montgiscard, Negra, Gardouch  Renneville, Ecluse Mediterranee and Ecluse Laurens before arriving at our lovely mooring in Castelnaudary!

Us and the solitary bad tempered swan!

I think that he is hoping that someone else will hand feed him cooked spaghetti like Jim did last winter from the back of his boat 'Relax'.

While we were at Renneville we had two wildlife visitors. One was a beautiful black mink who wasn't at all frightened by our presence. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera to hand. But I had it by me when we the second visitor leapt onboard.

Froggy would a wooing go!

In the woods above the canal I spotted huge drifts of wild cyclamen. I've never seen them in such profusion before, quite stunning.

This is a favourite spot for fishermen at Renneville, especially those who like to camp out overnight on the edge of the canal. One day a young man came and set up all his elaborate equipement, rods, line, tent etc and then launched a radio controlled boat to drop the float into the water. I think he spent more time playing with the radio controlled boat than actually fishing. Still it kept him and us amused!

We were very relieved to arrive safely in port, as always. But particularly this year in view of the terrible disasterous floods that Trebes just two stops downstream. We were there this time last year, so there but for the Grace of God goes us. Our heart goes out to all the people involved both boaters and householders. Absolutely terrible.

Such a sad sight......

We dont expect problems like this on the Canal du Midi.  One always thinks that in a flood boats will just float above it. But this was a combination of high winds and just too much water from the overflowing river Aude.    It's the worst flooding there since 1872. The Rhone is renowned for sudden rising waters, but the C.d.Midi doesnt have the same reputation. So shocking!

September 2018

This time we stopped at Ecluse Escatalens where there is a lovely LONG mooring with grassy sides, no cyclists and hardly any walkers, so very peaceful. That was until the farmer on the opposite bank started up his water pump, drawing water from the canal, to spray his fields. It is rumoured that the VNF are planning to supply two electricity and water points at this mooring, which is sorely needed. As there is no water easily available between Montech and Toulouse.So we decided to move on up to Montech. It was home from home Philip, Eric and Lisa, Junior, Bob, Cary and later joined by Sally and Glenn, also Nicolas and Sally sadly saying goodby to their boat and heading off back to Zimbawbe. We also met new faces Dee and Andrew, and Malcolm and Jane(?). Nigel and Tricia, plus Steve and Jo cruised passed, so we're all heading for our winter hibernation.

We stopped a couple of nights at Dieupentale hoping to dine at the port restaurant, but it was closed for 'Conges' maritail or otherwise!

When we moved on upstream to St.Jory we were greeted at dusk by the sight of little while moth like insects swarming in their thousands around the street lights. Not sure what it is possibly White Ermine, but each morning there are hundreds lying dead all over our boat. If they are washed off immediately in the dew all traces disappear, but if left it takes scrubbing to remove their sticky bodies.

Not snow nor rice, but heaps of dead moths!

 Arousing welcome awaited us when we reached the Port de l'Embrouchure the junction of the Canal de Garonne and Canal du Midi where we stopped for lunch. There was a jazz band with singers playing in the park. Very Seurat!

Narrow bridge on the left is end of C.d.Garonne, right goes to ecluse de Garonne and down onto the river, and central is the one we take along the C.d.Midi.

So on 11th September we entered the dry-dock for the third, and hopefully final time, to have an hours work of metal work done to the hull. Unfortunately when we were positioned over the sleepers of the dock floor, no-one in charge was watching as the water drained away, and our 50tons of boat settled down onto our rudder. Not a good idea! It was pulled completely from the bearings and bent rather badly!

There's a bow thruster under that forest of weeds!

So the water level was raised again in the dock and we moved even further forward. Sadly this meant non of the ladders, nor gang-planks we had onboard reached the side walls. We had to climb up and down our extending metal ladder. But it was too much of a struggle to carry Tashi up and down, so much to her disgust her doggy 'hoist' was unearthed and fitted each time she needed to go out. We could either hold the handle and carry her up and down, which was a bit difficult with her now weighing 16Kgs. So we opted to put a rope through the handle and lower or raise her up and down. She was very unsure about the whole procedure, but needs must.

 So on 12th, Ni's birthday we arrived safely back into the marina.

25th. Autumn has definitely arrived. I know because it's also 4 changes of clothes a day. I've never got the art of layering apparently. It was only 11C first thing this morning and felt really cold with a light north westerly wind blowing. Jacket needed to walk Tashi first thing, and socks onboard. Slippers seemed a step too far, like admitting it was cold! During the day it got back up to 32C so stripping off time, then piling it all back on in the evening! Nice to have cool nights for sleeping though.

We were delayed in Toulouse until the end of the month because Ni flew to the Uk for Auntie Gwen's funeral. It's a good omen for Ni's hopes of living until he's 100yrs old, as Gwen lived until she was 104yrs old!