Gesina: April 2018

April 2018

Now we know it's getting warmer - the first swallows are skimming over the water beside our boat!

This beautiful boquet of flowers arrived for us with Easter greetings.

Easter bouquet.

Again it was party time, as we helped Martin celebrate his birthday onboard their boat Heliox.

Easter Monday (2nd April) Sally took, Francis, Joh and myself to a Vie de Grenier in the small village of Dalou, which is the other side of Mire Poix. I didnt find the water tumbelers/whisky glasses I was hoping to find, but did buy a pearl necklace for €8, and was somewhat peeved to a new one for sale costing less in Gifi!!!

On our return journey we stopped off at the medieval town of Mire Poix where a Swing Festival was going strong, with a band to entertain the crowds, as well as impromptu concerts around the square, and they got our toes tapping. The town attracts many tourists to its galleried shops around the town square. This time a number of stalls were selling musical instruments, mainly wind instruments. A lot of polishing had gone on previously to create the impressive collection of brass and silver instruments.

You could see your reflection in them!

Thursday 5th was Book Club Swap, and friend Val, took me to Bram. We donate books, and buy replacements for 0.50€ which goes to the charity of choice for that month. I took one book, and was very restrained, only buying three to bring back with me. This is my back-up read for when we start cruising and am not able to use my Kindle for various reasons. Our Dutch hosts provided drinks and nibbles, and we enjoyed the calm atmosphere of their old converted mill house. They are potters themselves, and the area they use for exhibitions has three old mill stones still in place in the middle of the gallery. The stream which provided water to power the paddles has now been diverted, which is good for them, as the entrance to their property is via a ford which crossed this stream, and used to flood regularly, making access difficult.

Sally asked me to knit her a scarf to match her Santa hat, and I finished it just in time to present to her before we left Castel.

A matching scarf and hat!

April 18th. We finally left Castelnaudary after our winter rest. Jim, our Danish neighbour, very kindly offered to help Nigel with the ropes for the upstream locks to the summit at Ocean. This was much appreciated as Ni's shoulder isn't really up to pulling on ropes. Eric was also involved in this manoeuvre as he gave Jim a lift back in his car, later returning with our patched bimini. Wonderful chaps all. We actually stopped at Ecluse Mediterranie and who should pull in next to us but Jill and Ian onboard Jazz. So they decided to stop for the night and we had a catch up evening, which was very pleasant.

Our first mooring of the season.

Jazz leaving, heading north.

Our next stop was at Ecluse Renneville where Toby joined us on 21st April. The day was warm and sunny to greet him, reaching 21C. It was wonderful having a third person to help with the locks, passing through, Negra, Montisgard and into Toulouse.

Back in the historic city of Toulouse on 24th April and into Port Saint Sauveur.

26th April saw us motor gently back upstream towards the dry-dock at the VNF historic yard. We endured two days of pressure washing with sound echoing around the dock. Poor Tashi suffered most of all from the noise. So I walked her away as much as possible.

By Saturday 28th it was all washed and Damien, the boat surveyor, came to give us the once over. He was very thorough taking from 10am until 6.30pm. Much to our relief, he commented that there didn't appear to be any extra metal work, other than the alterations Ni wants done. We await his written report. Now it's sanding and painting.

Toby made a good job of sanding down our French windows, and they are now ready to be revarnished.

Dry-dock, before the water is emptied.

March 2018

When a boating neighbour suggested a trip to Rome, I couldnt resist, so off we went. Despite all Linda's careful planning, checking trains, planes and buses via the internet, not a day went by that ran according to plan!
The first 'hiccup' was a heavy snow storm at Toulouse airport, which meant a delay while our plane was de-iced. Then we arrived in Rome to find a heavy blanket of snow had also caused problems there. Transport was in chaos, that part of Italy not being used to heavy snow. We finally arrived at our accommodation - Camping Roma, which to Linda's disappointment was small and without any facilities at all. We even were required to 'rent' a towel. Luckily we had taken our own!

At least Linda could nudge me if I snored too loudly!

Each day brought new challenges regarding transport, but the people were SO friendly and helpful, that we always got to our destination - eventually! The only time when we were getting a bit fraught was for our visit to the Villa Borghese as there was restricted viewing and timed entrance. So we took a taxi which it turned out wasn't too expensive at all at €17 to cross the city centre. In my six day visit we managed to see all ten of the top sites: Palatina Hill, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (I threw a coin in to ensure a return visit), Villa Borghese, Colleseum, Vittoriano Monument, Saint Angelo Castel, Piazzo Novona and Villa Farnesini, along with my favourite the Vatican, Cistine Chapel and Saint Pietro Basilica.

Cistine Chapel, ceiling detail.

Despite the awful cold and wet weather the city was still very busy with tourists. I guess they were as determined as us to make the most of their visit!

Yes, I did feel as dejected as I look!

So back to the chalet and a warming glass of red vino .....

When I returned to Castelnaudary I discovered that it was Fete de Britanique. For us this meant that the cinema was showing films in English. So, never having been to the cinema for years I saw two films in two days. The selection of films were chosen by children from schools in town, who are learning English. They first introduced each film a brief introduction of the story line.Then then after their viewing they went off to 'judge' the merits of the film, a bit like the Cannes Film Festival. The first one I saw was Dunkirk, which I was particularly interested in seeing as my aunt has a knitting business and having supplied shops like Harrods for years, now measures and makes period pieces for actors in these films. She proudly tells me that one of her knitters made the baby's layette for the film Allied and she made Brad Pitt's waistcoat which features at the end of that film. The second film I saw was Victoria and Abdul, after which we enjoyed a supper of Fish & Chips cooked by an English couple who come around once a month and supply food pre-ordered. They are very popular with us ex-pats!

On 14th we had a two hour interview to try and open a French bank account with Banque Populaire, and came away with an armful of papers, which must have taken two felled trees to produce! We are finally getting organised, and as soon as the details come through about our French bank account, we will be able to apply for a Carte Vitale. The latter is becoming more and more urgent as the damage to Ni's tendon in his upper right arm, done last September, isnt going to heal, according to his physio and will require an operation to solve the problem. A Carte Vitale will enable us to reclaim 70% of medical charges.

As 'the season' gets underway, confirmed by the increasing number of hire boats, and gite visiting cyclists passing by, the unions are causing disruption by having regular strikes (2 days per week for the next 3 months). This is aimed at Macron's newly formed government, and their aims to try and rationalise the civil service workers. So will affect trains, waterways, schools, post offices and all local authority services! France is in for a summer of unrest.

Visitors are beginning to drop by, our friend Sue, who used to live in the next village to us in the UK and now lives in France at Ales, drove down to see us for a few days. Also friends, Christine and Roger, who live in Bournemouth, stayed one night, on their way from a holiday in spain to their house near Bordeaux. We continue to visit local sights. The last trip was organised by the port capitaine, Odile, and we went to Chateau Belflou. The owner is now a Swiss man, who was very welcoming and informative about the history of the building. He has owned the Chateau for 25 years and, in conjunction with the French Historique Societe has completed its restoration in a very sympathitic manner.

Birthday celebrations for Sharon, where else but at the Cave on the Quai.

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On Friday 30th and Saturday 31st we had a visit from a French boy studying photography at the University of Toulouse. He very politely asked if could come onboard and record shots of Life on the Waterways. His choice of shots seemed odd to us, Ni shaving and me applying make-up, quite ordinary things. Perhaps he wanted to portray life as being 'normal' just in a boat. We had to shoo him out and Saturday afternoon as he was taking so long to compose his shots, and I had invited some others around for a game of Mexican Trains, which has become a winter favourite, and just right for wet afternoons.

February 2018

Another meal out was proposed and this time we ventured down to Carcassonne and enjoyed the beef of Le Grande Buffe where the beef steak is cooked over an open wood and charcoal fire.

Suddenly on 8th February the temperatures plunged and Castelnaudary had a 'white out'. Fortunately it didnt last on the ground for very long!

On 18th we took advantage of the hire car and went sightseeing. We visited Saint Papoul and were charmed by the old wooden beamed houses, and narrow medieval streets. We didnt get the chance to see inside the Abbey. Next time maybe.