Sunday

In Chatillon-en-Bazoins all day - did not move.

Pleasant quiet mooring, nice to use electricity as much as we want - but would be even nicer to be able to wire in battery charger properly. Daren't experiment at the moment, but thinking about it may bring enlightenment.

Decided that as we had nice clean grassy moorings, and weather wasn't actually raining (it looked mighty like it on several occasions during the day) we would "make and Mend".

Cleared everything off roof of boat - Flossie's bike poured rusty water out of the front forks when put upright - and converted clean neat mooring into gypsy encampment.

Washed boat thoroughly with soap, water and polish. She was covered in a film of dusty cement from the cement factory at (see 20th) just below Chitrys-les-Mines.

Locals admired my hard work(!) and the result, resulting in yet more enjoyable conversations - one guy (also retired) translated my French into "real" French for the benefit of his downtrodden wife.

Decided that Frenchmen talking French is often like boats with "wet" exhausts. They burble along happily, steadily, and quite musically, with frequent mild explosions or "ploofs".

Boat moored up next door - smallish apparently hire plastic aircraft carrier - turned out to be private, belonging to a group of Danes - horribly intelligent computer programmers (working in Java) who have found they can do their work just as easily and far more pleasantly from a boat via mobile phones and e-mail. Where have I heard that before.

They bought their boat from the hire company at Migennes, in March. Get the impression they will sell it for what they can get when they finish - what it is to do work that can be sold for so much money that you don't have to worry about it!

Cleaned and polished until "Albert" looked respectable again.

After lunch tried to re-do the propeller "thrash" baffle that I though up yesterday, but failed - just stiffened carpet with fencing wire! Probably won't work. Will continue inventing.

Monday

Chatillon en Bazoir to Bernay (short of Pannecot)

Woke up at 0630 to beautiful cloudless dawn.

Went back to sleep.

Nipped into town later for cash and still more shopping only to discover - thank heavens - that it was yet another public holiday, there are 3 or 4 in France in May.

Back to boat, and set off in company with aircraft carrier down town lock. The daft idiot tipped the lock keeper, but he (the L.K.) gave us a beaming smiles when we left - perhaps the hirers are told and expected to tip, and we are expected to help and not cock it up in the locks. (How arrogant and conceited can you get!)( Come to think of it, if I worked a hire boat/aircraft carrier with 8 Germans in it through a lock, I would expect a tip)

Lovely hot clear sunny day. Equally pleasant green unoccupied country side, much more open and spacious than farther up canal and beyond summit.

Bimbled gently along, and stopped - as usual now-a-days at about 1200 for lunch in the shade opposite what was obviously a French "peasant" farmer homestead and barn. Pretty for all that, and totally quiet, although obvious that people lived there.

Eventually lock keeper (the untipped one, totally genial and friendly) came looking for us - they seem to hate losing boats - and we assured him we'd be along in about half an hour, or so - colloquial fractured French becoming positively loquacious.

Duly re-joined the hurly-burly - now really quite hot and sunburny - and "poceded".

Decided about 1600 that we needed to "stop" for a cup of tea and "think" where we would sleep over.

I don't know who was kidding whom - we have NEVER moved on after stopping for a cup of tea, and anyway, we are well able to have cups of tea on the move.

Did 2 peg tie up - out in the sticks, but in the shade - and an aircraft carrier went past us breaking the sound barrier and tore them both out of the ground, and sent Albert scittering after them up the canal in their wake.

Caught him (Albert), and re-moored with 4 pegs.

Told next A.C.C. to go "doucement, doucement, s.v.p." in most un-doucement voice, and he almost stopped in his tracks, went past at .5 km per hour..

We are actually on some sort of road alongside the canal - the French Govt owns ALL riparian rights, so the locals get a 2 track road along the tow path available to residents and the V.N.F. employees only.

So far this evening - getting a bit chilly, although day has been hot a sunny, and super - traffic has been one standard "Diane" French farmer for the use of, and one 4 wheeled Honda motor-cycle thing, likewise.

We are into different country - large views over the Loire Valley, hills in the distance, etc, fascinating.

Just at the moment of writing the above the aforementioned Diane (2 c.v.) drew up, and out gets the farmer to see who and what we are.

Long and involved (and hilarious) conversation ensued, especially on the advantages of being retired, of owning 2 c.v.s, on boating, on farming, and on the state of agriculture generally.

Tried e-mail, but it behaved very badly - apparently needs full blown signal on mobile phone. Expensive - 5 minutes of farting about for nothing.

Tuesday

Bernay to Cercy-la-tour.

Started in warm, changeable overcast to sunny.

Shorts and short sleeves all day - although coolish in shade at lunch time.

Long straightish stretches of wide ( 30 - 50 feet?) canal with occasional locks in pleasant low country rural grasslands and woodlands.

Very restful to the soul.

Stopped under a tree for lunch at a prompt 1200 - amidst much teasing from a Paris based English family on a hire boat. Started off again at 14.15 - not bad, really.

Through Pannecot, but not wildly impressed - nothing there apart from moorings and lush scenery.

Onto Cercy-la-tour - in the company of the hire boat that we told to slow down last night.

They did not understand what we were on about, and understood even less when we tried to explain, and proceeded dead slow just in front of us for most of the afternoon - we don't think they were taking the mickey!

On arrival moored up to pontoons, having hit one very hard in unfavourable river current.

Small boy belonging to another boat sat down suddenly, and I only just survived, seeing what was going to happen and grabbed a stanchion.

Didn't like the set up on the public moorings, but end boat pushed off, so we moved to end mooring (neighbours one side only, and walk way not opposite us) and plugged in electricity. It worked and we stayed.

Went up to the village/town to enquire how to do Poste Restante, and look for bank for travellers cheques, beer wine, lemonade, and vegs.

Managed first, but second closed, third onwards fine.

Bridge at top of river/town being re-built. Presently Bailey Bridge only, and VERY noisy.

Had another session with e-mail, first from top of boat, where it spent about 6 minutes of tel time deciding not to work.

Then took it up to park bench, and all was fine. The high tech part of our operation is certainly not the smoothest part of Adventure 99. Why does the silly sod say there are 5 messages waiting, then not produce them until everything is switched off and back on, and about £10.00 is spent on mobile phone calls with no messages received at all.

We seem to be communicating in French every which where. Learning new vocabulary is difficult due to short term memory deficiencies (old age syndrome) but dredging up school taught skills seems to be improving, and brass neck plentiful.

Fractured French is the order of the day, and never mind if they do laugh at you.

Even managed to take a case of beer with broken bottles back to shop

for exchange without trepidation!

Now that weather has improved, nights are light until after 2100, and morning is light very early. The bird dawn chorus is incredibly noisy( this has been a feature since we arrived - enormous amount of land bird life, and song), and we are hearing cuckoos daily. However, water fowl are very rare. Since arrival we have seen only 3 families of ducklings, 1 sick Moorhen, no coots, 2 Kingfishers, and 1 Grebe.

Wednesday

Cercy la Tour to St Leger de Vignes.

Misty start - but burnt off quite soon to hot, clear sunny day.

Birthday e-mail to Ruth.

Only about 3 - 4 hours run - arrived into moorings of Saint Leger de Vignes (part of and this side of Decizes).

Very pleasant run - canal largely straight for 2 to 3 Kms, and rolling open country, meadows and pasture giving over to small grain crops.

Arrived Decize to find entry to R. Loire closed due to flood.

Had lunch on moorings - hot and sweaty, turned boat around to get breeze and rigged big brolly - and then into Decizes to see what was what.

Moorings pretty ordinary compared with rest of canal. First vandalism seen - all water/electric points wrecked, what looks like raw sewage running across the towing path, and this where they propose to hold the July Friends of the Canal du Nivernais rally.

Found motor spares establishment, but they only had one fan belt.

On into town - quite fun but VERY grubby, cashed travellers' cheque without commission at the Credit Lyon.

Tried for wool (Grandmother syndrome?) and had beer and citron at roadside/riverside bar at tea-time whilst we studied R.Loire in flood.

It was very fast, slimy and muddy, possibly the speed of the Trent at Keadby when they didn't let us out.

Somehow heavy and implacable.

Back to boat - misunderstanding meant we missed out on mini-supermarkets on way, but found lock open for business and putting boats through when we got back.

Don't like it much.

Had cup of tea, and watched a couple of boats go through the lock.

Unfortunately we can not see out onto main river to see how they get on.

But they didn't come back!

Tried to pump lock keeper whilst helping him put 2 hire boats - both large aircraft carrier type - but fat and heart attack imminent, so not much use - probably spoke with strong regional accent, as could get no sensible answer out of him.

Fitted new fan belt - nothing much wrong with old one, but don't want trouble on way across Loire. Oil change due, but put it off for a couple of days.

Much discussion on what to do - whilst we are undoubtedly the le plus grande et le plus brun ours ever, we came on this trip for fun, not to be scared shitless. So we shall think again to-morrow on whether to go or stick around for a couple of days.

Thursday

St Leger de Vignes back to Verneuils.

Woke, after quiet moonlit night, to dreadful cacophony of trains, shunting, diggers loading lorries with gravel 10 ft from boat, traffic on main road - NOISE.

Got up, had summer breakfast (too hot for porridge) , and trotted up to spares shop - S straight to proper supermarket.

Criterion on whether we went over the Loire, or waited was whether they could order and obtain another 3 fan belts.

He said he could - and would (I wonder) so decision made. By the way, try ordering fan belts of the right size in French for collection to-morrow - we advance ourselves.

Joined S in supermarket, and usual farting about with prices, weighing vegs all wrong - found S with "boyfriend" in 5 nations rugby shirt getting tuition in French at the vegs scales, where the system is identical with Waitrose! -

Pork chops - 2 for ff11. see what like they are this evening.

Decided, without deciding, that we would give it a couple of days, and go back up the Nivernais Canal for a short distance "to charge the batteries" - absolutely no hardship.

Back to boat, and set off - tried to find lock-keeper to tell him our intentions, but he was working on a very old beautifully finished wooden boat - enormous - and saw us, although we missed him.

He shot round and worked us through first lock, left a tip ff5 - 50p - an insult!

Saw lock-keeper for next locks cutting grass - told him to leave us to work ourselves through - much less hassle! Delighted!

Went up 3 locks past the one with the cock-eye spire to Vernuil. Saw an A.C.C. full of English flying French flag - said "hullo" and "good morning"!

Found nice shady picnic spot at about 13.30, moored up, checked we could turn boat, tied up, and collapsed under trees - hot!

Snoozed and read afternoon away. Heavy work.

Came too about 1700 and did things to engine - oil change, battery check, gear box oil check.

Very sweaty, overcast and thunderstorm. Few spots of rain, but nothing really.

Fed S. on Rose wine out of a cardboard carton of the type we get milk, soup and custard in! Seemed OK. Get the Cote de Rhone in 1 litre bottles for ff20, beer ff44 for 24 small bottles 4.7% alcohol. The C. du Rhone bottles leak at the same equivalent rate as the 75 cl bottles. Curious.

The pork chops were super!

Friday

Verneuil to 2 locks down (S) - Motte 14 is the name of the lock - on the Canal Lateral a Loire from the Tee junction.

Thunderstorms in night with heavy drops on cockpit tarpaulin. Woke us up, but a bit warm to shut door. Rain stopped almost at once, leaving air slightly fresher.

Had promised to be at first lock back to-wards Decize/St leger at 0930.

At 0930 we arrived! must be ill or something. Boat filthy - there was just enough rain to gather up all the dust, and leave it in splodges on the boat, but not enough to wash it off.

Pleasant r4un back to St Leger with thoughts of crossing the Loire always on the surface.

Moored up at 11.30, and gave L.K. time of 1400 for exiting.

Went up to motor spares, 1 belt, not 4 as asked - but even this is better than none. "Spare" pack of beer at S.M., then to brico for replacement breadknife. The good Sabitiere had snapped in half just above the handle when dropped on the floor?!? Also bought geranium!

Lunch etc at boat, then off at 13.30 to water up at lock.

Whilst watering a Narrow Boat - bright red - arrived below lock.

Much gossip - Sandra and Don in "Gadabout" come to Rly Stn to collect family.

Couldn't stay too long - they have been "out" for 2 or more years, and winter in the Arsenal at Paris - £6.00 a night.

Down lock, down to end of canal and out onto river.

Water flow speed appreciably less that day before yesterday, but still a bit fast, silent, muddy, and smoothly evil.

In fact we made reasonable speed over the ground at 2000 rpm, which theoretically gives as 1000 rpm in hand, but have never taken her beyond 2250 in gear - and that was the old gear box, and old propeller in shallow water.

Thing is, there is more than just the engine that can break, from the fan belt (drives water coolant pump - put new one on this morning), to gear box, final drive and heaven knows what else. Probably none of it was stressed much beyond 50% of it's capacity, but the imagination knows no bounds on these occasions.

Boat didn't bat an eye lid (cartoon here - Albert the Horse batting eye-lids.

We had about a mile altogether on the river, past the town moorings - 1 Dutch Barge, 1 A.C.C., to lock entry.

This was the fastest, and most awkward spot. If we went right through the fast eddy we would be in a reverse eddy, and thrown forward against the gates, if we didn't go fast enough, we would go backwards over the ground. Took her very gently - actually going quite fast through the water - to the "Tiret" - the lock opening sequence starter, hanging over the water on a great long gallows. Instant action of lights on first twist.

Now we had to keep holding our own whilst lock emptied and gates opened. (all automatic)

Eventually gates opened and in we popped - breathing heavy sighs of relief.

Operated lever within lock that worked second half of automatic system, and up we went - no question of hopping out and tying up - roped to enormous heavy chains with metal rings dangling in lock.

Eventually lock filled, gates opened and out into short pound with a cement factory and hire boat company in it. Very hot and breathless. Horrid.

Second lock same as first, but much quieter, equally hot. This is a superb lock system - it is impossible to get it wrong!?!

Nice country, un or under populated (by English standards).

Canal not at all what we expected. Expected wide, bleak, busy, dirty, industrial canal. In fact it is just like Nivernais, about 45 ft wide, through "serene" rural countryside, well wooded - always has tree shade on one side or the other, only traffic hire boats and us.

Slept over just outside lock mooring area, quietly, undisturbed and comfortably - especially when breeze got up, and L.K. knocked off at 19.30 - not that anyone went through after we tied up.

Saturday