JUNE 2016

After we left Castelnaudary we stopped at a mooring (PK59) called Le Fort. "It's so beautiful and quiet" everyone told us, just by a lock, with a few passing boats, and the sound of bird song ......   The first afternoon a very elderly man arrived by car, parked up discharged a dog, put his 4 rods by the canal side, settled back into a comfortable chair by the back of his car, got out a radio and proceeded to play pop music very loudly!   The second afternoon, no sign of the fisherman.  "Oh, good" we thought. No such luck. A 4.x4 arrived and disgorged a man in smart plus-fours and checked shirt.  He reached into the back of his vehicle and got out an instrument - a French horn (what else would it have been) and proceeded to march up and down the tow path practising his hunting calls. Apprently there is a different sound for each animal being hunted!

Our next stop was Le Segala where we were told the Not family have been making "cassoles" in their pottery beside the canal since 1820.  Its a big brick oven fired up once a month, and everyone is warned to ensure that the ovens on their boat is big enough to house one before purchasing!

The lock at Renneville offered nothing more than safe mooring tied behind a restaurant peniche.  There was only one stone quay and we left enough space for his nightly return, but we amazed, and entertained at the skippers skill at turning the ship round each night. He did this by tying the front of his boat to a fixture on the lock gate and levering the boat around until the back was in the right position, then he reversed onto his mooring. Very impressive.

A party of school children and their teachers arrived at the lock on bicycles to watch the procedure. I was worried about the childrens safety, and danger of falling into the lock, but there were no dramas, all under control!

Renneville lock

 There was an air of excitement as we reached the highest point along the Canal du Midi.

Col de Naurouze

Situated at 190 metres, Naurouze pass is the watershed between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Set in a park of cedar and plane trees with an octagonal basin at its centre. Built in the late 17th century, by Pierre Paul Riquet, in his work with the canal.


At Negra there is a small chapel, inn, and old stables, as this was once a staging post for the passenger boats.  On some of these old passengers boats, the passengers had to disembark at multiply locks taking their luggage with them and join their boats at the end of the descent or ascent!   The angel overlooking the alter is the work of the Polish sculptor Joseph Pyrz.

And so on to Montigiscard, founded in the 13th century by Alphonse de Poitters. There is a Gothic church with a typical Toulouse bell-tower. More and more villages now have the attractive looking 'brick' walls. These arent really bricks but tiles being flatter than bricks, oblong and laid horizontally. Some were rendered to ensure more waterproofing. Much rendering has now fallen away, but several villages are under-going sympathetic restoration.

Montgisard church bell tower

After a beautiful 24Km cruise we arrived in Toulouse, then we had the worst fright of our cruising time, the gear box stuck in 'drive'. As we pulled in to the port, Ni couldn't stop the boat and we were heading straight for a small pontoon end with a barge on the one side and an even more expensive looking yacht on the other. Luckily the bow thruster was working and Ni managed to guide us into the pontoon which took all the force and stopped us. After realising we werent complete put of control idiots, everyone at the port was very helpful and hauled us back to the pontoon which was reserved for us. On investigation Ni found that a metal rod had slipped behind the gear levers hence jamming it.   So that rod, and anything else moveable in the engine compartment has now been removed! Photo shows tiny pontoon end, which took all the force, to the left of red barge Lyneve. The man on Sea Horse was begining to get very worried as we approached, and we're not surprised as there was no way we would have got into the small space 'beside' him! However we seem to have got a way with a black mark from the rubber edging!

Port Saint-Sauveur, Toulouse

So we chose quayside electricity and water as opposed to shade from the trees!
And so we left Toulouse.
 

We 'green banked' the next stop at Fenouillet, which was noisy with the railway track on one side and a factory yard on the other, but at least we had shade under the trees.

After that came Grisolles, not much good mooring available and no water nor electricity available, but a small town with shops.

New market buildings replacing wooden ones which burned down.

19M mooring space at Lacourt Saint Pierre!

Another typical bell tower of the region.

 After that we stopped  to meet up with Nigel Beachem who is going to install a new solar panel system for us. It was a very tight fit to get into the mooring, 19M space with us at 19.95M. Our stern inched in in front of Sirius bow, and bow overlapped the smaller boat in front. As there is not much current along the waterway here it didnt matter at all.

Such a friendly little village, with just a population of 1,104, the school children taking their morning break in the adjacent park under the shade of the trees. Just like it was 50 years ago in the UK.   They were playing a French version of Monopoly.

The branch off the Canal de Garonne, canal de Montech, which had been closed since 1990, has been put back into service and it is now possible to reach the port of Montauban. Although there are 9 locks in 10 Km it was a complete joy. It had straight sided locks with poles which we could put our ropes around, and we were handed electronic 'zappers' which we pointed at the lock gates to operate automatically.  Why cant they ALL be like this?!!! Each lock operation took only about 5 minutes, instead of others taking 15 or 20 minutes.

MAY 2016

We're just ambling along spending a few days, or more, at each stopping place.

The Chateau housing wine co-operative at Ventenac-en-Minervois,

Above the shop there is a museum of wine making.

Its a pity there isnt more space to moor, but we managed to find room and were able to go and buy some of their famous wines! One couple had driven all the way down Paris for the wine, and left with their car full of boxes.

We stopped at Rubia to visit the pretty little village with its concentric streets. Its a well tended hamlet but no facilities for tourists other than the restaurant by the waters edge.

Busy port of Homps

 Here we found the largest hire boat base we've ever encountered. Once a commercial port sending barrels of minervois and corbieres wine to Bordeaux.  It was the most expensive mooring we've had in France at €22.50 per night., and to our embarrassment they only took cash payments.  We didnt have enough and there were no cash points, so they ended up charging for less nights than our visit!

La Redorte

Another little village whose sole industry is wine production. However there are a few shops and a tabac selling The Radio Times!!! Apparently quite a lot of English people have property in the region.

Having spent a day catching up with the paint work, we decided to treat ourselves and lunched the next day at the quay side restaurant. What a lunch, it could have lasted us for a week, and I only ordered a plate of tapas!   Well there was plenty for Tashi to have for her evening meal.

A long walk to the supermarket, but they will deliver to boats if requested.

Our next stop was the tiny village of Marseilette, where sadly the quay is bereft of trees, all felled due to the disease in the plane trees. Currently the tow path is just a mud track, and as rain was forecast we continued just outside of the village and moored by a grassy bank. Having cream carpets inside, dogs and muddy quays dont fill me with enthusiasm.

The guide says that Marsellette is on the limits of the Minervois wine-growing region, and that between there and Puicheric a brackish water pond was drained. Digging of a tunnel mid 19th century filled a like where local farmers to grow different types of rice: long grain for salads and round for risottos.

We walked the village and found a tower

Plaque denoting Claude Chappe as the worlds first inventor of telecommunications!

When we arrived in Trebes we were very disappointed to find no facilities for private boats at all, only services for hire boats. Our guide tells us that the 13th century church is worth visiting with its beautiful oak beams and sculpted figures, but the tourist office informed us that its only open to visitors between June and September, so I guess we'll never know!

We were having trouble with our domestic batteries not holding their charge, so when we got to Carcassonne we had an engineer bring new ones. Unfortunately, as often seems to happen on boats, when one problem is solved another one occurs. It appears that our solar panel control unit didnt like the change in voltage, or from gel to lead acid. Whatever the cause, its stopped working!  So now we have no extra input from our solar panel.

We enjoyed walking around the town, but didnt venture up to the old city wanting to leave places to explore during our winter stay there.

So we gentle ambled on to the little village of Villesequelande. Although I had walked down to the village shop (tabac) with my shopping trolley, they offered to deliver it back to the boat.  Had I known that before I paid I would have bought another box of wine!!!

We phoned ahead to see if it was possible to reserve a space at the port of Bram, because when Nigel came through three years ago with the American barge Vertrouwen, it was dedicated solely to the hire boat company of Nicols.  Now we were pleased to find that the port capitaine organises that some spaces are available for private boats to overnight, and the moorings are shared by several different hire boat companies. Again we find a port run very efficiently by a FEMALE capitaine.  Three cheers for the ladies!

Bram

One of the prettiest moorings we've had this year.  Wished we'd stayed there longer but we had booked into Castelnaudary as we were getting low on food supplies, and the weather forecast for the weekend isn't too good.

Ecluse Geurre, PK 169.5

Here we have views of the snow capped Pyrenees on one side of the canal, and Black Mountains on the other - quite stunning!

Arriving at Castelnaudary we cross the huge basin into the port, and we have to head for the tiny arched bridge in the far corner.

Not sure if they're demolishing or rebuilding this tower!

This town has become famous for its dish of Cassoulet, originally a peasant dish, consisting of pork, duck and a lot of white beans (haricot). According to the guide book it is situated in the region of Lauragais, the name coming from the feudal group that was dominated in the 12th century by the lords of Laurace-le-Grand. It is bordered to the north by the Montagne Noire, the foothills of the Massif Central, and to the south by the hills of Piege, foothills of the Pyrenees. The soil is good for agriculture particularly cereals - wheat, sunflower and rapeseed.  Woad was cultivated, the leaves being processed into shell like shapes (coque) hence the nickname given to the region Pays de Cocagne. It was a very popular dye for its colour and resistance to washing. By the mid-18th century the import of indigo from the far East replaced the use of woad.

This is the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

Friday 27th May was Tashi's 9th birthday, and the good citizens of Castelnaudary hosted a fabulous party in her honour!!! There was la fete des voisins & des plaisanciers, which began at 6pm with wine tasting at the Cave du Canal, and was followed at 7.30pm by an American supper in which we all participated. We were entertained by le groupe eclectique "les trois mousquetone" allant de Nougaro a Marley en passant par Pink Floyd.  Basically we all had a jolly good time!

We had been warned about looking after our livers if staying in Castelnaudary for the winter, now we know why! Think we'll have to stick to no alcohol during the week, only at weekends.

APRIL 2016

As it may be the last weekend us winter liveaboards are here together in Narbonne, Puddlestone decided to hold a film evening.  We watched the cartoon DVD of Coraline and I couldnt resist taking this photo of their cat, who was riveted by the cartoon cat in the film!

Patrice at the movies!

We waited for the wind to drop, and finally left Narbonne on Sunday 10 April. Not a very long journey upstream approx 11Km to Salleles d'Aude, and moored in exactly the same spot where we stopped on our way to Narbonne last October.

Salleles d'Aude

We stayed here for a week then moved an even shorter distance up just two locks to Ecluse Argeliers.

A very peaceful mooring.

Next stop Le Somail, from where we have the most stunning view of the snow capped Pyrenees!

So we have travelled 17Km and risen 25M, but the places we moored had no shore power available. So our genny is working harder than our engine!

MARCH 2016

Narbonne sunset.

This was the forerunner of another beautiful sunny day.  Still very windy here, but able to get on with washing things like the mooring ropes (!), Tashi's bedding and rugs. When the wind drops I can begin on the curtains.

Our tame carpenter, who we were so pleased to find back in December, hasn't lived up to expectations. He has two (of the smallest) window frames since January and they still aren't finished. We took two more to him, expecting to collect the first two. So now he has 4 of our frames. It doesnt look like they are going to be all done before we leave in a months time. Such a disappointment! We thought he would be pleased with the commission for 16 frames at €162 per frame, but apparently he doesnt need the work.

I spoke too soon - the window frames.

Before restoration.

After restoration.

 He's made a beautiful job of them, but sadly he wont have time to finish all needing treatment (another 7) as we have to leave by 1st April before the summer mooring rates of €30 per night kick into force.   Now all we have to do is keep them condensation free and revarnish every year!

What strange happenings here in Narbonne. We were woken at 7.30am by loud speakers being tested out on the plaza above us. Then crowd control barriers were noisily put in place. All this so that the hundreds of local school children could jog over the passerelle in front of us, up one side of the canal, across the Pont des Marchands, and back to their starting place. The tannoys kept up a running commentary. Then at lunch time they all packed up and went back to school! We were told by a local resident that it was an annual 'ceremony', 'to greet the Spring'!!!

On the evening of Good Friday we witnessed the ceremony of 14 Stations of the Cross, re-enacting Christ's Passion.

14 Stations of the Cross

Quai Mirabeau, Narbonne

I had thought there were only 12 Stations, but our more observant Catholic neighbour counted the whole 14.

We decided to hire a care for a couple of days to go and buy the 'heavy' things, before we left Narbonne. We even managed to spend time at the beach. Tashi really enjoyed the day out, as she ran and ran, then lay around exhausted for the next two days!  We also were pleased we went down there before we head off inland on our summer cruising.  We loved the salty smell and sounds of the huge crashing waves.

Port-la-Nouvelle, Narbonne

One of the few which can be entered from a canal, and the seventh largest in France.

Virtually empty beach, Narbonne Plage.

FEBRUARY 2016

As I was away for our wedding anniversary, and on my return too exhausted to sample the bottle of bubbly Ni had chilling in the fridge, we decided to delay the whole celebration and have a very belated Burns night supper.

Finally, we enjoyed the Haggis with our neighbours!

After many phone calls, to both the engineer in the Uk and France, much knashing of teeth, and countless kettle loads of boiled water, and a month long wait, the control panel for our boiler finally arrived! It was connected, tested and it worked. Now for long hot showers, and lashing of hot water to wash up, and wash every thing in sight.  Hooray!

So where do you think all those wires go?

 At least I got a new kettle out of it, as the old one gave up in despair. The new one holds twice as much water and is twice as fast, but of course probably won't work on all electricity hitch ups.

So it's not just us who feel the urge to get painting: The council workmen are busy smartening up the posts displaying road signs in town.

So be warned!

I just can't keep away from the fascinating allotments!

A 'statue' in the centre of the allotments.

Taking advantage of the sunny weather - half painted side decks, only the other half to complete!

Freesias to remember my mum. They were her favourite flowers, and they are gently scenting our dining room.

Mardi Gras in Narbonne

Two exquisitely dressed figures.

Lissie & John join in the fun!

JANUARY 2016

Where did 2015 go - it flashed past so quickly and here we are nearly at the end of January already!

New year eve was very quiet for us, thank goodness, but the fun fair didnt pack up and leave until 10th january.  So now we are back to the twice weekly street markets alongside us.

We treated ourselves to an Epiphany cake

 According to tradition these cakes had a bean in them, or in French a 'feve'. Nowadays one has to take more care when eating the cake as these 'feves' are porcelain figures, and can do serious damage to teeth! The person who gets the 'feve' becomes King or Queen for the day, hence the crown topping the cake. Nigel got our 'feve' but luckily his teeth remained in tact.

We again have problems with our heating boiler, and on further investigation nigel found that the PCB had burnt out!

Actually we were rather lucky as this could have caused a serious fire, and as its situated close to our heating fuel, would have caused quite an explosion.  So yet again we await another spare part for the boiler. Let's hope this time the problem is solved as we will have been without central heating and hot water in the taps for over 6 weeks in total since arriving in Narbonne last October.  Thank goodness the sun still shines here, and warms our boat inside every day! Also the electricity from the quayside is not metred so we can run electric fires without worrying too much about the bill at the end of our stay.   It just takes a long time to wash the dishes (and ourselves) from one kettle of hot water at a time. Its just like camping out, but in more comfort!

Friends from Briare drove down to visit for a few days, bringing their Tibetan terrier, Yeti. As he's only a year old and full of energy, Tashi wasnt quite sure what to make of him, as being an 8 year old lady, she found him a bit bouncy.

I still can't get used to the wonderful variety of plants and flowers on display here in January. They  have their seasons all mixed up to an English gardeners mind. I often walk up to the Ecluse Gua by the mill, and into the allotments to see what is growing. Crazily to my mind currently there are strawberries and broad beans in flower.  The peas are well up, cabbages, Brussel sprouts and cauliflowers bursting with growth. There are neat rows of many varities of vegetables, but oddly the only things not under cloches are lettuce. Apparently they have to survive any cold weather unaided! The tenants of these allotments are extremely lucky to have ditches around their plots which divert water from the canal and into specially created tanks by each plot.  So they have every advantage - heat and water. Its a paradise on earth!  Although my French grammar still isnt very good, and none of the gardeners speak English, we manage to 'converse' somehow, and its a peaceful oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Snow on my cyclamen!

Good grief, we didnt expect this. Ni says he wants a refund. We didn't come all the way down to Narbonne to have snow.  But all is not lost because the next day it was bright sunshine with blue skies, and afternoon temperatures up to 15.9C.  So not that bad really.

On 22 January I took pity on our eldest son and fly to Bristol from Toulouse, to help him finish paint work inside his house.  On Sunday 24th we met up at Avebury with younger son, wife and Daughter for the two sons belated Christmas present exchange.  As the grandchildren are growing so fast I couldnt resist taking a photo of them arranging in descending order of height.

Mirror, mirron on the wall, who's the tallest of us all?

After much preparation of the house, masking off, wiping down, sanding, painting etc. the job was done, and so I returned to France.  It wasnt all work though, as I managed to squeeze in an appointment at the local opticians, a family lunch out, shopping spree at Cribbs Causeway and visit to the theatre in Westorn-super-Mare to see a jazz version of  'The Great Gatsby', and another dinner out at the Portishead marina. On my last morning in the Uk I wandered the high street of Portishead and was amazed at the number of charity shops there. I bought second-hand books, tartan scarfs (for a belated Burns night supper in Narbonne) and various pharmaceutical products which were much cheaper than in France.

After a slight disagreement with EasyJet staff I had to sacrifice a coveted pot of Bovril, then subsequently paid to put my case into the hold, (at an additonal cost of £45) where I suspect the Bovril would had been allowed!!!!    Toulouse airport was in a state of chaos with the taxi drivers blockading all forms of transport, thus stopping travel into the town centre, and so the only accommodation available was airport hotels.  I finally got back to Gesina the next afternoon.  Having passed through the low clouds and drizzle of Toulouse, broken clouds of Carcassonne and into glorious blue skies and warm sunshine of Narbonne.   Wonderful sunny Narbonne where it reached temperatures of 17.3C.

I was away for our wedding anniversary but Ni had kept a bottle of bubbly on ice for my return, so all was not lost!

I think Tashi missed me as she went absolutely potty when they met me at the station, much to the amusement of bystanders.

Our social life instantly kicked off again when another ex-pat hosted a drinks gathering at a canal-side bar. It was his (Mike's) 65th birthday and he provided drinks, nibbles and a cake.

Beautiful spread provided by Mike.